10 NHL Teams With The Hardest Remaining Schedules

As the NHL is in the thick of December, the standings are starting to shape up, but there are nightly changes and lots of competition. Some teams have had easier goes this season with weak schedules while other teams are going to have a tough go the rest of the season.

It's no surprise that the top teams with the most difficult schedules for the remainder of the season are in the Eastern Conference seeing as they have a number of powerhouse teams. Here's a look at the top-10 hardest remaining schedules in 2022-23:

1. New York Rangers

2. Florida Panthers

3. New York Islanders

4. Montreal Canadiens

5. Ottawa Senators

6. Carolina Hurricanes

7. New Jersey Devils

8. Detroit Red Wings

9. Buffalo Sabres

10. Tampa Bay Lightning

Considering six of the 10 teams are in the Atlantic Division, that just shows how many interdivisional games they all have against teams like the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. Those two teams have been nearly unstoppable, ranking first and third in the league with a combined nine regulation losses in 56 games.

As for the Metropolitan Division, four of the top five teams in the division are near the top of this list. The division may be the toughest all the way through, so it is going to be a battle until the end for playoff positioning and a postseason berth.