The NHL playoff bracket is nearly set.
The Columbus Blue Jackets won in regulation Tuesday night to stay alive in the race for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Montreal Canadiens will again try to claim the last spot Wednesday (needing one point).
The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues both locked up playoff berths in their regular-season finales Tuesday, eliminating the Calgary Flames and setting the bracket in the West in the process.
The Toronto Maple Leafs needed only a point to nail down the Atlantic Division title, but they got two and the division crown with a 4-0 victory.
Here’s a look at the NHL playoff picture through games of April 15:
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 Tuesday?
- The idle Canadiens will clinch a playoff berth if the Blue Jackets don’t beat the Flyers in regulation. Update: Columbus won 3-0, extending the race for the last spot in the East.
- The Wild will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point vs. the Ducks or the Blues lose to Utah or the Flames lose to the Golden Knights. Update: Minnesota forced overtime with a goal with just over 20 seconds to go to secure its playoff spot. It got an extra point with an overtime win.
- The Blues will clinch a playoff berth if they beat Utah in regulation. They’d also clinch if they win in overtime or a shootout and either of the following occurs: The Flames don’t beat the Golden Knights in regulation or the Wild lose in regulation. Third option: They get one point and the Flames lose. Fourth option: The Flames lose in regulation. Update: St. Louis took care of business to secure its playoff spot, beating Utah 6-1.
- The Maple Leafs will clinch the Atlantic Division title if they get at least one point vs. the Sabres or if the Lightning lose to the Panthers. Update: Toronto won 4-0 to claim the division title.
NHL games today (Tuesday, April 15)
- New Jersey at Boston, 7
- Toronto at Buffalo, 7
- Chicago at Ottawa, 7
- Columbus at Philadelphia, 7
- Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:30 | ESPN | Fubo
- Washington at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30
- Utah at St. Louis, 8
- Anaheim at Minnesota, 8
- Vegas at Calgary, 9
- Los Angeles at Seattle, 10:30 | ESPN | Fubo
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2024-25
(through games of April 15; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Metropolitan Division
- y-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 (107)
- x-Los Angeles Kings (103)
- x-Edmonton Oilers (99)
Wild card
- x-Minnesota Wild (97)
- x-St. Louis Blues (96)
Sitting outside playoff spot: z-Calgary Flames (92), 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)
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 14:
Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card
- Washington (M1) vs. Montreal (WC2)
- Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3) This series has been confirmed.
- Toronto (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1) This series has been confirmed
- Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Florida (A3) This series has been confirmed
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 14:
Key: C – Central Division P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card
- Winnipeg (C1) vs. St. Louis (WC2) This series has been confirmed
- Dallas (C2) vs. Colorado (C3) This series has been confirmed
- Vegas (P1) vs. Minnesota (WC1) This series has been confirmed
- Los Angeles (P2) vs. Edmonton (P3) This series has been confirmed
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.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.