Eastern Wild Card Playoff Race Intensifies

As we head into Friday`s games, the battle for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot is incredibly tight, with only two points separating four teams.

Three of these teams are playing tonight:

• Montreal Canadiens, currently holding the wild-card spot, will play against the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET)

• Columbus Blue Jackets will host the Vancouver Canucks simultaneously (7 p.m. ET)

• Later in the evening, the New York Rangers will face the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET)

• The New York Islanders have a day off and will play their next game on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Every point is crucial for these teams. Two upcoming games will be particularly important: Islanders versus Rangers on April 10th, and Islanders versus Blue Jackets on April 17th, the last day of the regular season.

Statistics from Stathletes currently give the Canadiens a slight advantage in playoff chances at 43.7%, followed by the Blue Jackets (18.5%), Islanders (18.4%), and Rangers (18.1%). Montreal also has the highest probability of advancing to the second round among these teams (11.2%). Keep watching!

With less than three weeks remaining until April 17th, we will continue to provide updates on the NHL playoff race. We`ll keep you informed on all playoff scenarios and the teams competing for a better position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff probabilities are provided by Stathletes.

Current Playoff Matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
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

---

Friday`s Games

Note: All times ET. Games may be streamed on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions may apply).

Utah Hockey Club at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
New York Rangers at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.

---

Thursday`s Scoreboard

Buffalo Sabres 7, Pittsburgh Penguins 3
Ottawa Senators 4, Detroit Red Wings 3
Tampa Bay Lightning 8, Utah Hockey Club 0
Philadelphia Flyers 6, Montreal Canadiens 4
Minnesota Wild 4, Washington Capitals 2
St. Louis Blues 3, Nashville Predators 2
Dallas Stars 5, Calgary Flames 2
Colorado Avalanche 4, Los Angeles Kings 0
Seattle Kraken 6, Edmonton Oilers 1
San Jose Sharks 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 5 (SO)

---

Expanded Standings

Atlantic Division

Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 102.5
Next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Florida Panthers

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 102.8
Next game: vs. UTA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 10
Points pace: 101.4
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Ottawa Senators

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 11
Points pace: 93.6
Next game: vs. CBJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 98.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 86.6
Next game: @ CAR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 43.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: vs. BOS (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 4.5%
Tragic number: 18

Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 77.5
Next game: @ DET (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 13

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 76.2
Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 14

---

Metro Division

x – Washington Capitals

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 117.3
Next game: vs. BUF (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 103.9
Next game: vs. MTL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

New Jersey Devils

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 93.2
Next game: @ WPG (Friday)
Playoff chances: 98.5%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 85.5
Next game: @ TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 18.4%
Tragic number: 22

New York Rangers

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 84.3
Next game: @ ANA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 18.1%
Tragic number: 20

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 85.5
Next game: vs. VAN (Friday)
Playoff chances: 18.5%
Tragic number: 23

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 76.5
Next game: vs. OTT (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 11

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 74.2
Next game: vs. BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 9

---

Central Division

x – Winnipeg Jets

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 116.2
Next game: vs. NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Dallas Stars

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 111.6
Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Colorado Avalanche

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 104.5
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 97.7
Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 90.2%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 94.2
Next game: @ COL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 80.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Utah Hockey Club

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 85.4
Next game: @ FLA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 4%
Tragic number: 11

e – Nashville Predators

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 70.6
Next game: vs. VGK (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e – Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 58.1
Next game: vs. VGK (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

---

Pacific Division

Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 11
Points pace: 108.6
Next game: @ CHI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 102.8
Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 99.1
Next game: vs. CGY (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 98.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 91.1
Next game: @ CBJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 10.4%
Tragic number: 16

Calgary Flames

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 91.2
Next game: @ EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 16.9%
Tragic number: 17

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: vs. NYR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 8

Seattle Kraken

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 76.4
Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 2

e – San Jose Sharks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 14

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 uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL`s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

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. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 24

5. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 18

6. Seattle Kraken

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25

7. Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 20

8. Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23

9. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23

10. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 25

11. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 23

12. New York Rangers

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 31

13. New York Islanders

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25

14. Utah Hockey Club

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24

15. Calgary Flames

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 26

16. Vancouver Canucks

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26