Monday is a big day. The NHL is one month from the end of the regular season, and after Selection Sunday many fans are filling out brackets and hunting for a Cinderella. The Panthers were the 2023 example — last team in, all the way to the Final — so which potential wild card could do that this year?
Eastern wild-card picture
– WC1: Boston Bruins (80 points) — face New Jersey Monday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). If Boston finishes as WC1, they’ll play the division champ with the lower point total.
– Head-to-head: 2-1-0 vs. Buffalo; 0-1-1 vs. Tampa Bay (two games left); 1-1-0 vs. Carolina (one game left).
– WC2: Detroit Red Wings (80 points) — losing records vs. Carolina (1-2-0), Buffalo (0-1-1, one game left) and Tampa Bay (1-2-0, one game left).
– Columbus Blue Jackets (79 points) sit just behind Detroit and have gone 2-0-0 vs. Buffalo (one left) and 3-0-0 vs. Tampa Bay. Columbus lost its only game to Carolina so far but has three meetings with them remaining.
Stathletes playoff-progression estimates among Boston/Detroit/Columbus favor Columbus: Second round 57.0%, conference finals 25.4%, Cup Final 12.1%, Cup winner 6.0%.
Western wild-card picture
– The Western WC1 likely faces the Pacific Division winner — a path that appears easier than drawing a Central Division top team. Pacific leaders sit 73–76 points while Central leaders are 88–97 (led by Colorado).
– San Jose Sharks (70 points) currently hold the second wild-card slot in the West; they are 1-2 vs. Colorado this season.
– Seattle Kraken (71 points) have one game left vs. Colorado and lost their prior two meetings with the Avs.
– Los Angeles Kings (69 points) are 0-3 vs. Colorado.
– WC1: Utah Mammoth (74 points) — Utah is 1-1-0 vs. Vegas (one left), 1-0-1 vs. Anaheim (one left) and 0-1-0 vs. Edmonton (two left). Stathletes gives Utah the best chance among that Pacific quartet: Second round 46.5%, conference finals 25.2%, Cup Final 13.0%, Cup winner 6.3%.
Schedule and context
– Every team has roughly 14–17 games remaining before the April 16 regular-season finale. This daily NHL playoff watch will track playoff races and the draft-lottery picture.
– Note: Playoff chances cited are from Stathletes.
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
– A1 Buffalo Sabres vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
– A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens
– M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Detroit Red Wings
– M2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 New York Islanders
Western Conference
– C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Seattle Kraken
– C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild
– P1 Anaheim Ducks vs. WC1 Utah Mammoth
– P2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Today’s games (all times ET)
– Calgary Flames at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.
– Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
– Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
– Utah Mammoth at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.
– Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Last night’s scoreboard
– Winnipeg Jets 3, St. Louis Blues 2
– Ottawa Senators 7, San Jose Sharks 4
– Anaheim Ducks 4, Montreal Canadiens 3
– Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Minnesota Wild 2
– Edmonton Oilers 3, Nashville Predators 1
– Seattle Kraken 6, Florida Panthers 2
Expanded standings (selected)
Atlantic
– Buffalo Sabres — 88 points; 15 games left; playoff chances 99.6%
– Tampa Bay Lightning — 84 points; 17 games left; playoff chances 99.8%
– Montreal Canadiens — 82 points; 16 games left; playoff chances 90.8%
– Boston Bruins — 80 points; WC1; 16 games left; playoff chances 74.6%
– Detroit Red Wings — 80 points; WC2; 15 games left; playoff chances 34.5%
Metro
– Carolina Hurricanes — 90 points; 16 games left; playoff chances 99.9%
– Pittsburgh Penguins — 81 points; 16 games left; playoff chances 65.3%
– New York Islanders — 81 points; 15 games left; playoff chances 73.7%
– Columbus Blue Jackets — 79 points; 16 games left; playoff chances 84.1%
Central
– Colorado Avalanche — 97 points; 17 games left; playoff chances 99.9%
– Dallas Stars — 94 points; 16 games left; playoff chances 99.9%
– Minnesota Wild — 88 points; 14 games left; playoff chances 99.9%
– Utah Mammoth — 74 points; WC1; 15 games left; playoff chances 93.5%
Pacific
– Anaheim Ducks — 77 points; 15 games left; playoff chances 96.6%
– Vegas Golden Knights — 76 points; 15 games left; playoff chances 99.3%
– Edmonton Oilers — 75 points; 14 games left; playoff chances 82.5%
– Seattle Kraken — 71 points; WC2; 16 games left; playoff chances 11.1%
– San Jose Sharks — 70 points; 17 games left; playoff chances 80.3%
– Los Angeles Kings — 69 points; 16 games left; playoff chances 24.8%
Race for the No. 1 pick
– The draft lottery determines the top pick; last place does not guarantee No. 1 and a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots. Top draft prospect is Penn State forward Gavin McKenna.
– Lottery positions (selected): 1. Vancouver Canucks — 48 points; 2. Calgary Flames — 59 points; 3. Chicago Blackhawks — 61 points; 4. St. Louis Blues — 64 points; 5. New York Rangers — 64 points; 6. Winnipeg Jets — 66 points; 7. Nashville Predators — 67 points; 8. New Jersey Devils — 68 points; 9. Los Angeles Kings — 69 points; 10. Florida Panthers — 69 points; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs* — 70 points (note: Leafs’ pick belongs to Boston unless it lands in top five).
Follow along daily as the regular season winds down and the playoff field — and potential bracket busters — emerge.
