The NHL playoff bracket is down to one race.
The Montreal Canadiens will clinch the second wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference if they get one point against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. That would send the Canadiens to the playoffs for the first time since their 2021 trip to the Stanley Cup Final. They would face the Washington Capitals in the first round.
The Hurricanes might be dressing a lineup without several regulars. Coach Rod Brind’Amour’s son, Skyler, is expected to make his NHL debut.
If the Canadiens lose in regulation, the Columbus Blue Jackets would stay alive. Because of the NHL’s tiebreaker procedure, they would need to beat the New York Islanders in regulation on Thursday on the final day of the season in order to make the playoffs.
Tuesday was an eventful night as the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues locked up playoff berths to complete the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket. The Toronto Maple Leafs also clinched the Atlantic Division title.
Here’s a look at the NHL playoff picture through games of April 15:
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.
Who’s in the NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators
Western Conference: Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues
Who can clinch Wednesday?
The Canadiens will clinch a playoff berth if they get one point against the Hurricanes.
NHL games today (Wednesday, April 16)
Carolina at Montreal, 7
Anaheim at Winnipeg, 7
Detroit at New Jersey, 7:30 | TNT | truTV | Max | Sling
Dallas at Nashville, 8
Vegas at Vancouver, 10
Edmonton at San Jose, 10:30
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2024-25
(through games of April 15; c-clinched conference title; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Metropolitan Division
c-Washington Capitals (111 points)
x-Carolina Hurricanes (99)
x-New Jersey Devils (91)
Atlantic Division
y-Toronto Maple Leafs (106)
x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)
x-Florida Panthers (98)
Wild card
x-Ottawa Senators (95)
Montreal Canadiens (89)
Sitting outside playoff position: Columbus Blue Jackets (87), z-Detroit Red Wings (83), z-New York Rangers (83), z-New York Islanders (82), z-Pittsburgh Penguins (78), z-Buffalo Sabres (77), z-Philadelphia Flyers (76), z-Boston Bruins (76)
NHL Western Conference standings 2024-25
(through games of April 15; p-clinched Presidents’ Trophy; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title;z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Central Division
p-Winnipeg Jets (114)
x-Dallas Stars (106)
x-Colorado Avalanche (102)
Pacific Division
y-Vegas Golden Knights (108)
x-Los Angeles Kings (105)
x-Edmonton Oilers (99)
Wild card
x-Minnesota Wild (97)
x-St. Louis Blues (96)
Missed the playoffs: z-Calgary Flames (94), z-Vancouver Canucks (90), z-Utah Hockey Club (89), z-Anaheim Ducks (79), z-Seattle Kraken (76), z-Nashville Predators (66), z-Chicago Blackhawks (61), z-San Jose Sharks (52). Note: The Sharks have clinched the best draft lottery odds.
NHL playoffs if they started today
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended after games of April 15 (all series are set except the first one):
Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card
Washington (M1) vs. Montreal (WC2)
Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3)
Toronto (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1)
Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Florida (A3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended after games of April 15 (all series are set):
Key: C – Central Division P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card
Winnipeg (C1) vs. St. Louis (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Colorado (C3)
Vegas (P1) vs. Minnesota (WC1)
Los Angeles (P2) vs. Edmonton (P3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.
What is the tiebreaker procedure for the NHL playoffs?
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers (how tiebreakers affect the playoff races):
Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins
Total wins
Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
Goal differential
Total goals
When does the NHL regular season end?
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 17, with seven games.