2025 NHL Playoff Picture: Stars, Panthers, Avalanche among Stanley Cup favourites
The race to the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs is heating up. With the regular season set to conclude on April 17 and the playoffs scheduled to begin April 19, let’s take a look at some possible playoff scenarios.
x: clinched a playoff spot
Atlantic Division
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Toronto Maple Leafs x | 75 | 46 | 25 | 4 | 96 |
| 2. | Tampa Bay Lightning | 75 | 44 | 26 | 5 | 93 |
| 3. | Florida Panthers | 75 | 44 | 27 | 4 | 92 |
The top three teams in the Atlantic Division are almost guaranteed to be some variation of Toronto, Tampa Bay and Florida. The Leafs are the only one to have officially clinched a spot, but the Florida teams could also clinch this weekend.
Metropolitan Division
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Washington Capitals x | 75 | 48 | 18 | 9 | 105 |
| 2. | Carolina Hurricanes x | 74 | 46 | 24 | 4 | 96 |
| 3. | New Jersey Devils | 76 | 40 | 29 | 7 | 87 |
The Metropolitan Division is the most locked in. Carolina won’t catch Washington and New Jersey won’t catch Carolina. The only question is if the Capitals can overtake Winnipeg for the Presidents’ Trophy.
Eastern Conference wild-card
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. WC | Ottawa Senators | 75 | 40 | 29 | 6 | 86 |
| 2. WC | Montreal Canadiens | 75 | 36 | 30 | 9 | 81 |
| 3. | New York Rangers | 75 | 36 | 32 | 7 | 79 |
| 4. | Columbus Blue Jackets | 74 | 34 | 31 | 9 | 77 |
It would take an epic collapse for Ottawa to fall out of their wild-card spot and Montreal is playing great and holds a two-point cushion for the second wild-card spot. Two Canadian teams will likely end playoff droughts this year.
If the playoffs started today…
Here’s the first round matchups if the playoffs started today:
Toronto vs. Ottawa
Who wouldn’t want to see a Battle of Ontario? Toronto would open as sizeable favourites, but Sens captain Brady Tkachuk would be an absolute menace. Don’t put it past the Maple Leafs to blow another first round series.
Tampa Bay vs. Florida
The Battle of Florida would be another unbelievable first round series. This sets up to be a seven-game dogfight and with Matthew Tkachuk dealing with an injury and Aaron Ekblad suspended until Game 3, Tampa Bay might have the edge.
Washington vs. Montreal
Alex Ovechkin could be the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader when the puck drops for Game 1 of this series. Washington will open as a heavy series favourite, but there’s still questions on whether this Caps team is legit.
Carolina vs. New Jersey
At the start of the year you’d likely give New Jersey the edge, but Carolina is clearly the favourite at this point. The Hurricanes pivoted well from the Mikko Rantanen disaster, while the Devils are dealing with too many injuries.
Central Division
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Winnipeg Jets x | 76 | 52 | 20 | 4 | 108 |
| 2. | Dallas Stars x | 75 | 50 | 21 | 4 | 104 |
| 3. | Colorado Avalanche x | 77 | 47 | 26 | 4 | 98 |
The battle in the Central comes down to whether Dallas can overtake Winnipeg for first. Both teams have been playing great, but the Stars hold a game in-hand. The Jets and Stars meet in Dallas on April 10, which could determine which team wins the division.
Pacific Division
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vegas Golden Knights x | 75 | 45 | 22 | 8 | 98 |
| 2. | Los Angeles Kings | 75 | 43 | 23 | 9 | 95 |
| 3. | Edmonton Oilers | 75 | 44 | 26 | 5 | 93 |
This is the closest division race right now, with Vegas leading L.A. by three points and the Kings leading Edmonton by two points. If the playoffs started today, L.A. and Edmonton would meet in the first round for a fourth straight year.
Western Conference wild-card
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. WC | St. Louis Blues | 77 | 42 | 28 | 7 | 91 |
| 2. WC | Minnesota Wild | 76 | 41 | 28 | 7 | 89 |
| 3. | Calgary Flames | 75 | 36 | 27 | 12 | 84 |
| 4. | Vancouver Canucks | 75 | 34 | 28 | 13 | 81 |
St. Louis and Minnesota are starting to pull away in the Western Conference wild-card race. There’s an outside shot Calgary or Vancouver slip in, but it’s slim.
If the playoffs started today…
Here’s the first round matchups if the playoffs started today:
Winnipeg vs. Minnesota
Minnesota and St. Louis are flip-flopping in the standings, but with how hot the Blues are, I’d bet Winnipeg would much prefer to play the Wild. Winnipeg vs. Minnesota would be the most lopsided first-round series in my mind and the only sure sweep I see.
Dallas vs. Colorado
This is a conference final level matchup played in Round 1. Dallas got the best of Colorado in the second round last year, but the Avalanche bolstered their depth impressively at the trade deadline. This feels like a six or seven-game series.
Vegas vs. St. Louis
St. Louis is the hottest team in the NHL with an 11-game win streak and you can make a lot of comparisons to their 2019 Stanley Cup run. Vegas has the second-fewest points of the four division leaders, so there’s upset potential in this series.
Los Angeles vs. Edmonton
Edmonton has beat L.A. in the first round of the playoffs for three straight years. It shapes up to be a little different this year, however, as the Kings would have home ice advantage and they have the best home record in the NHL. The Oilers better hope they’re healthy.
