LIVE NHL Draft Lottery Watch Party with PHN

Join Pittsburgh Hockey Now at 5:50 p.m. as we prepare for the live Phase 2 NHL Draft Lottery watch party. The live show will be inserted here and links will be broadcast on social media beginning as soon as the show begins. The NHL is holding its breath to see which team will win the Alexis Lafreniere sweepstakes, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the eight eligible teams.

Pittsburgh Sports Live host Matt Gajtka will be joined by PHN Editor-in-Chief Dan Kingerski, who returned from Toronto in time for the lottery.

The Penguins are eligible by virtue of their stunning Qualifying Round loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Through the setup of the 24-team NHL return, teams which lost in the Qualifying Round were eligible for the NHL Draft Lottery, but are also considered to have made the playoffs.

So, the Penguins could snag the top overall pick despite finishing in third place in the Metro Division.

Matt and Dan will communicate via Zoom, but viewers will be able to join the watch party via youtube and communicate with other viewers and the hosts. The pair will take your questions about the Penguins’ loss, the coming offseason, and Lafreniere.

The NHL is facing a nightmare scenario as five would-be-playoff teams are among the eight teams who have an equal 12.5% chance at the pick. The Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets are the four other likely playoff teams. If the Penguins don’t win the top pick, they will pick 15th. See the full order and Lafreniere scouting report here. 

The Penguins have not been in the draft lottery since 2006 when they drafted Jordan Staal second overall. The Pittsburgh Penguins, of course, won the 2005 NHL Draft Lottery and won the right to select Sidney Crosby.

Here is a link to the YouTube Home Page.