The Presidents` Trophy in the NHL is awarded to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points. This tradition began in the 1985-86 season, and it has been given out 37 times to 18 different teams since then.

However, winning the Presidents` Trophy doesn`t guarantee Stanley Cup success. In the salary cap era (since 2005-06), only two teams have managed to win both the Presidents` Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year: the Detroit Red Wings in 2007-08 and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012-13. Recently, two of the last six Presidents` Trophy winners were even eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

This season, the Winnipeg Jets and the Washington Capitals appear to be the top contenders for the Presidents` Trophy. The Jets currently have 106 points with 74 games played, while the Capitals have 103 points with 73 games played.

The Capitals are scheduled to play against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, and the Jets will face the Los Angeles Kings on the same day.

Looking at the difficulty of their remaining schedules, the Jets have a slightly tougher path. Their remaining opponents have an average win percentage of 51.3%, ranking as the 12th most difficult schedule. In contrast, the Capitals` remaining opponents have a win percentage of 47.3%, making their schedule the 28th toughest.

Despite the slightly harder schedule, statistics website Stathletes predicts the Winnipeg Jets to finish with 115.9 points and the Washington Capitals with 114.7 points. It looks like the race for the Presidents` Trophy will be very close until the end of the season!

With less than three weeks remaining in the season until April 17th, we will continue to provide updates on the NHL playoff picture. We`ll keep you informed about all the playoff races and the teams competing for better odds in 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

The Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs will both secure a playoff spot if either of these conditions are met:

The Montreal Canadiens lose to the Florida Panthers in any game
The Columbus Blue Jackets lose to the Nashville Predators in any game

The Tampa Bay Lightning will clinch a playoff spot if they beat the New York Islanders and both of these happen:

The Canadiens lose to the Panthers in regulation time
The Blue Jackets lose to the Predators in regulation time

The Panthers will clinch a playoff spot if they beat the Canadiens in regulation time AND the Blue Jackets lose to the Predators in regulation time.

The Vegas Golden Knights will clinch a playoff spot if they beat the Edmonton Oilers, OR if they lose in overtime or a shootout to the Oilers and either:

The Calgary Flames lose to the Utah Hockey Club in any game
The St. Louis Blues lose to the Detroit Red Wings in regulation time

The Golden Knights also clinch a playoff spot even if they lose, if the Flames lose to the Hockey Club in regulation time.

Tuesday`s Games

Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Utah Hockey Club, 9 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m.

Monday`s Scoreboard

New Jersey Devils 3, Minnesota Wild 2 (SO)
Philadelphia Flyers 2, Nashville Predators 1
Calgary Flames 3, Colorado Avalanche 2 (SO)
Dallas Stars 3, Seattle Kraken 1

Expanded Standings

Atlantic Division

Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 104.2
Next game: vs. FLA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Florida Panthers

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Ottawa Senators

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 94.4
Next game: vs. BUF (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 86.5
Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 44%
Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: @ STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 2.9%
Tragic number: 16

Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 76.5
Next game: vs. WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 9

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 76.4
Next game: @ OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 10

Metro Division

x – Washington Capitals

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 115.7
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 105.6
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

New Jersey Devils

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 93.9
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Rangers

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 85.3
Playoff chances: 27.8%
Tragic number: 17

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 85.4
Playoff chances: 17.1%
Tragic number: 19

New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 83.1
Playoff chances: 8.7%
Tragic number: 16

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 77.6
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 9

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 76.6
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7

Central Division

x – Winnipeg Jets

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 117.5
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x – Dallas Stars

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 113.0
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Colorado Avalanche

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 102.8
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 96.2
Playoff chances: 93.4%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 95.1
Playoff chances: 95.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Utah Hockey Club

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 86.4
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Tragic number: 8

e – Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 68.7
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e – Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 56.5
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 110.1
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 102.2
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 100.0
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Calgary Flames

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 92.1
Playoff chances: 7.9%
Tragic number: 14

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 89.8
Playoff chances: 3.3%
Tragic number: 11

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 80.9
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: 4

e – Seattle Kraken

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 74.4
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e – San Jose Sharks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 55.0
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to set the first-round draft order, meaning the last-place team isn`t guaranteed the top pick. Since 2021, teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots in the lottery, limiting the No. 1 pick eligibility to the bottom 11 teams. Matthew Schaefer, an OHL defenseman for the Erie Otters, is currently projected as the No. 1 draft prospect.

1. San Jose Sharks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18

3. Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

4. Seattle Kraken

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25

5. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25

6. Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23