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.
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:
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.
The Canadiens will clinch a playoff berth if they get one point against the Hurricanes.
(through games of April 15; c-clinched conference title; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Metropolitan Division
Atlantic Division
Wild card
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)
(through games of April 15; p-clinched Presidents’ Trophy; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title;z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Central Division
Pacific Division
Wild card
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.
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
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.
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
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.
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers (how tiebreakers affect the playoff races):
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 17, with seven games.
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
