NHL playoff standings: What to watch Wednesday

Following a busy 10-game Tuesday night in the NHL, it’s a relatively quiet five-game evening Wednesday.

Nevertheless, there are playoff and draft lottery ramifications aplenty, so let’s hit all five matchups rapid-fire:

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning7 p.m. (ESPN+)

While the Leafs appear destined for a top-two spot in the Atlantic, the Lightning can still catch them for the No. 1 seed. If the Lightning are going to do it, a game like this is a prime opportunity to make up ground with a regulation win.

Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers7:30 p.m. (TNT)

The Rangers lost their two most recent games by a combined score of 9-1, and their playoff hopes are dwindling quickly. A win over the Flyers would be a good step toward potentially climbing back into the playoffs. Philly is fourth in the draft lottery order heading into this matchup — and bear in mind the Flyers also own the first-round picks of the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers.

San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild8 p.m. (ESPN+)

Speaking of occupying a great place in the draft lottery order, the Sharks are No. 1, and they are four points clear of the Chicago Blackhawks for that spot. The Wild are holding on to the second Western wild-card spot, and they enter the evening four points up on the Flames.

St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers10 p.m. (TNT)

The Blues’ 12-game winning streak came to a halt Monday at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, and they’ll be looking to start another one here against the Oilers. St. Louis is in the first wild-card position, two points ahead of the Wild. The Oilers appear to be a lock for the No. 3 spot in the Pacific, bringing on a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth straight postseason.

Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks10 p.m. (ESPN+)

Calgary’s chances to jump into wild-card position have faded recently, so getting two points out of this game is crucial. As noted above, they are four points back of the Wild for that final spot. The Ducks enter the contest in the No. 8 spot in the lottery order, right in a jumble of teams between 73 and 76 points, so they can move up pretty easily based on their performance in the final five games.

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:Current playoff matchupsToday’s scheduleYesterday’s scoresExpanded standingsRace for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa SenatorsA2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida PanthersM1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal CanadiensM2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota WildC2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado AvalancheP1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis BluesP2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Wednesday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m. (TNT)Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.

Tuesday’s scoreboard

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Buffalo Sabres 3, Carolina Hurricanes 0Montreal Canadiens 4, Detroit Red Wings 1Florida Panthers 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 1Boston Bruins 7, New Jersey Devils 2Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Ottawa Senators 2Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Chicago Blackhawks 0Nashville Predators 7, New York Islanders 6 (OT)Vancouver Canucks 6, Dallas Stars 5 (OT)Utah Hockey Club 7, Seattle Kraken 1Colorado Avalanche 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (SO)

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Playoff Hockey Challenge

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Points: 98Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: A1Games left: 5Points pace: 104.4Next game: @ TB (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: A2Games left: 5Points pace: 102.2Next game: vs. TOR (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94Regulation wins: 36Playoff position: A3Games left: 4Points pace: 98.8Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: WC1Games left: 4Points pace: 94.6Next game: vs. MTL (Friday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87Regulation wins: 29Playoff position: WC2Games left: 4Points pace: 91.5Next game: @ OTT (Friday)Playoff chances: 89.2%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 84.1Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)Playoff chances: 5.5%Tragic number: 2

Points: 76Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 80.9Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: E

Points: 73Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: N/AGames left: 3Points pace: 75.8Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Metro Division

Points: 107Regulation wins: 42Playoff position: M1Games left: 5Points pace: 114.0Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96Regulation wins: 41Playoff position: M2Games left: 5Points pace: 102.2Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89Regulation wins: 36Playoff position: M3Games left: 4Points pace: 93.6Next game: vs. PIT (Friday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 84.1Next game: vs. PHI (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 1.9%Tragic number: 3

Points: 79Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 84.1Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)Playoff chances: 3%Tragic number: 2

Points: 79Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 84.1Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0.5%Tragic number: 2

Points: 76Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: N/AGames left: 3Points pace: 78.9Next game: @ NJ (Friday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Points: 71Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 75.6Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 110Regulation wins: 42Playoff position: C1Games left: 4Points pace: 115.6Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 106Regulation wins: 41Playoff position: C2Games left: 4Points pace: 111.4Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 100Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: C3Games left: 3Points pace: 103.8Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93Regulation wins: 31Playoff position: WC1Games left: 3Points pace: 96.5Next game: @ EDM (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 97.3%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: WC2Games left: 4Points pace: 95.7Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 92.1%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Points pace: 88.3Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 1

Points: 64Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Points pace: 67.3Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Points: 54Regulation wins: 19Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Points pace: 56.8Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 103Regulation wins: 43Playoff position: P1Games left: 4Points pace: 108.3Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: P3Games left: 5Points pace: 103.3Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: P2Games left: 5Points pace: 99.0Next game: vs. STL (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 99.6%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 92.7Next game: @ ANA (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 10.9%Tragic number: 6

Points: 85Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Points pace: 89.4Next game: @ COL (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 2

Points: 76Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 80.9Next game: vs. CGY (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Points: 74Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 3Points pace: 76.8Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Points: 50Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Points pace: 53.3Next game: @ MIN (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E

Note: A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.