With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the fight for the last wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League is intensifying, with five teams still in contention.
Two crucial matchups are set for Thursday night as the Montreal Canadiens host the Boston Bruins, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are home against the Colorado Avalanche.
Currently, as Thursday begins, the Montreal Canadiens occupy the second wild-card spot, holding 79 points with 25 regulation wins from 74 games. The New York Rangers are even in points but lead in regulation wins with 32, although they have played more games. The Columbus Blue Jackets are close behind, just two points shy and one regulation win behind. The Detroit Red Wings (75 points, 26 regulation wins) and the New York Islanders (74 points, 25 regulation wins) complete the group of five teams vying for the spot.
According to the Stathletes projection model, the Montreal Canadiens are favored to clinch the playoff spot with a 42.1% probability. The Blue Jackets are next at 27.4%, followed by the Rangers at 26.8%, the Islanders at 2.8%, and the Red Wings at 2.7%. The outcomes of Thursday`s games involving these teams are expected to provide further clarity.
As the regular season approaches its conclusion on April 17, we are closely monitoring the NHL playoff landscape. Throughout this final stretch, we will offer updates on all playoff races and the teams in contention for the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Current Playoff Matchups
Eastern Conference
- A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
- A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
- M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
- M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
- C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
- C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
- P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
- P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Clinching Scenarios
Tampa Bay Lightning will clinch a playoff berth if:
- They defeat the Ottawa Senators in any fashion
- They lose in overtime/shootout to the Senators, AND either the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Boston Bruins in any fashion OR the Columbus Blue Jackets lose to the Colorado Avalanche in any fashion
- Both the Canadiens and Blue Jackets lose in regulation
The Avalanche will clinch a playoff berth if:
- They defeat the Blue Jackets in any fashion
- They lose in overtime/shootout to the Blue Jackets, AND the Calgary Flames lose to the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion
- The Flames lose to the Ducks in regulation
Thursday`s Games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
- Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
- Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
- Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m.
- Pittsburgh Penguins at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m.
- Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.
- Los Angeles Kings at Utah Hockey Club, 9 p.m.
- Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames, 9:30 p.m.
- Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
- Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)
Wednesday`s Scoreboard
- New York Rangers 5, Minnesota Wild 4 (OT)
- Carolina Hurricanes 5, Washington Capitals 1
- Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Florida Panthers 2
- Colorado Avalanche 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2 (SO)
- Seattle Kraken 5, Vancouver Canucks 0
Expanded Standings
Atlantic Division
| Team | Points | Regulation Wins | Playoff Position | Games Left | Points Pace | Next Game | Playoff Chances | Tragic Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 x – Toronto Maple Leafs |
96 | 38 | A1 | 7 | 105.0 | vs. CBJ (Saturday) | 100% | N/A |
 Tampa Bay Lightning |
93 | 38 | A2 | 8 | 103.1 | @ OTT (Thursday) | 99.9% | N/A |
 Florida Panthers |
92 | 35 | A3 | 7 | 100.6 | @ OTT (Saturday) | 99.9% | N/A |
 Ottawa Senators |
84 | 30 | WC1 | 8 | 93.1 | vs. TB (Thursday) | 98.5% | N/A |
 Montreal Canadiens |
79 | 25 | WC2 | 8 | 87.5 | vs. BOS (Thursday) | 42.1% | N/A |
 Detroit Red Wings |
75 | 26 | N/A | 8 | 83.1 | vs. CAR (Friday) | 2.7% | 13 |
 Buffalo Sabres |
70 | 26 | N/A | 8 | 77.6 | vs. TB (Saturday) | 0.1% | 8 |
 Boston Bruins |
69 | 23 | N/A | 7 | 75.4 | @ MTL (Thursday) | ~0% | 5 |
Metro Division
| Team | Points | Regulation Wins | Playoff Position | Games Left | Points Pace | Next Game | Playoff Chances | Tragic Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 x – Washington Capitals |
105 | 41 | M1 | 7 | 114.8 | vs. CHI (Friday) | 100% | N/A |
 x – Carolina Hurricanes |
96 | 41 | M2 | 8 | 106.4 | @ DET (Friday) | 100% | N/A |
 New Jersey Devils |
87 | 35 | M3 | 6 | 93.9 | vs. NYR (Saturday) | 99.7% | N/A |
 New York Rangers |
79 | 32 | N/A | 7 | 86.4 | @ NJ (Saturday) | 26.8% | 15 |
 Columbus Blue Jackets |
77 | 24 | N/A | 9 | 86.5 | vs. COL (Thursday) | 27.4% | 17 |
 New York Islanders |
74 | 25 | N/A | 8 | 82.0 | vs. MIN (Friday) | 2.8% | 12 |
 Pittsburgh Penguins |
71 | 20 | N/A | 7 | 77.6 | @ STL (Thursday) | 0.1% | 7 |
 Philadelphia Flyers |
71 | 20 | N/A | 6 | 76.6 | @ MTL (Saturday) | ~0% | 5 |
Central Division
| Team | Points | Regulation Wins | Playoff Position | Games Left | Points Pace | Next Game | Playoff Chances | Tragic Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 x – Winnipeg Jets |
106 | 40 | C1 | 7 | 115.9 | @ VGK (Thursday) | 100% | N/A |
 x – Dallas Stars |
102 | 40 | C2 | 8 | 113.0 | vs. NSH (Thursday) | 100% | N/A |
 Colorado Avalanche |
96 | 38 | C3 | 6 | 103.6 | @ CBJ (Thursday) | 99.9% | N/A |
 Minnesota Wild |
89 | 33 | WC1 | 6 | 96.0 | @ NYI (Friday) | 94.8% | N/A |
 St. Louis Blues |
89 | 30 | WC2 | 6 | 96.0 | vs. PIT (Thursday) | 97.8% | N/A |
 Utah Hockey Club |
80 | 26 | N/A | 7 | 87.5 | vs. LA (Thursday) | 0.7% | 6 |
 e – Nashville Predators |
62 | 23 | N/A | 7 | 67.8 | @ DAL (Thursday) | 0% | E |
 e – Chicago Blackhawks |
52 | 18 | N/A | 7 | 56.9 | @ WSH (Friday) | 0% | E |
Pacific Division
| Team | Points | Regulation Wins | Playoff Position | Games Left | Points Pace | Next Game | Playoff Chances | Tragic Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 x – Vegas Golden Knights |
98 | 42 | P1 | 8 | 108.6 | vs. WPG (Thursday) | 100% | N/A |
 Los Angeles Kings |
93 | 37 | P3 | 8 | 103.1 | @ UTA (Thursday) | 99.9% | N/A |
 Edmonton Oilers |
91 | 31 | P2 | 8 | 100.8 | @ SJ (Thursday) | 99.9% | N/A |
 Calgary Flames |
82 | 26 | N/A | 8 | 90.9 | vs. ANA (Thursday) | 5.9% | 10 |
 Vancouver Canucks |
81 | 26 | N/A | 7 | 88.6 | vs. ANA (Saturday) | 0.8% | 7 |
 Anaheim Ducks |
74 | 23 | N/A | 8 | 82.0 | @ CGY (Thursday) | ~0% | 2 |
 e – Seattle Kraken |
70 | 26 | N/A | 6 | 75.5 | @ SJ (Saturday) | 0% | E |
 e – San Jose Sharks |
50 | 14 | N/A | 8 | 55.4 | vs. EDM (Thursday) | 0% | E |
Note: An `x` means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An `e` means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 Pick
The NHL utilizes a draft lottery to determine the first-round selection order, meaning the last-place team is not guaranteed the top pick. Since 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots in the lottery, limiting eligibility for the No. 1 pick to the bottom 11 teams. Further details on the lottery process are available. Matthew Schaefer, an OHL Erie Otters defenseman, is currently projected as the No. 1 draft prospect.
| Rank | Team | Points | Regulation Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
San Jose Sharks |
50 | 14 |
| 2. |
Chicago Blackhawks |
52 | 18 |
| 3. |
Nashville Predators |
62 | 23 |
| 4. |
Boston Bruins |
69 | 23 |
| 5. |
Seattle Kraken |
70 | 26 |
| 6. |
Buffalo Sabres |
70 | 26 |
| 7. |
Philadelphia Flyers |
71 | 20 |
| 8. |
Pittsburgh Penguins |
71 | 20 |
| 9. |
Anaheim Ducks |
74 | 23 |
| 10. |
New York Islanders |
74 | 25 |
| 11. |
Detroit Red Wings |
75 | 26 |
| 12. |
Columbus Blue Jackets |
77 | 24 |
| 13. |
New York Rangers |
79 | 32 |
| 14. |
Utah Hockey Club |
80 | 26 |
| 15. |
Vancouver Canucks |
81 | 26 |
| 16. |
Calgary Flames |
82 | 26 |
