NHL Draft lottery to award No. 1 pick for 2021 on Wednesday evening

UPDATE: Buffalo has won the 2021 NHL Draft lottery.

The NHL has opened the second round of its 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but there is an important piece of business to handle for the teams that did not earn a spot in the postseason. On Wednesday, June 2, the NHL will hold its annual lottery to determine the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and is expected to air on NBC Sports Network and NHL Network. It will take place live at the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, NJ. You can watch it via live stream at NBCSports.com/live. The 2021 NHL Draft will be held virtually over two days with the first round taking place on Friday, July 23 and Rounds 2-7 on Saturday, July 24.

The league made changes to the lottery after last year’s favorite — the Detroit Red Wings — slipped to fourth. The lottery will assign the first two picks and then the remaining picks will be in reverse order of regular season points. The 16 eligible teams include the 15 worse from last year plus the expansion Seattle Kraken. All 16 have a chance to claim a top two pick.

Here is a list of the odds for each team claiming the No. 1 pick. The Arizona Coyotes are subject to sanctions resulting in the franchise forfeiting its first-round pick in 2021. If the Coyotes are selected in the top three, there will be a re-draw.

1. Buffalo Sabres: 16.6 percent
2. Anaheim Ducks: 12.1 percent
3. Seattle Kraken: 10.3 percent
4. New Jersey Devils: 10.3 percent
5. Columbus Blue Jackets: 8.5 percent
6. Detroit Red Wings: 7.6 percent
7. San Jose Sharks: 6.7 percent
8. Los Angeles Kings: 5.8 percent
9. Vancouver Canucks: 5.4 percent
10. Ottawa Senators: 4.5 percent
11. Arizona Coyotes: 3.1 percent (subject to re-draw)
12. Chicago Blackhawks: 2.7 percent
13. Calgary Flames: 2.2 percent
14. Philadelphia Flyers: 1.8 percent
15. Dallas Stars: 1.4 percent
16. New York Rangers: 1.0 percent