Many playoff races are coming right down to the wire. And while the three top teams in the Atlantic Division are expected to qualify for the postseason, the order in which they’ll finish remains a mystery.
What’s at stake? The winner of the division draws a first-round matchup against a wild-card team — likely the Ottawa Senators. The teams that finish second and third will square off with one another, with the No. 2 seed having home-ice advantage.
When Sunday’s games begin, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be in the No. 1 spot, with 92 points in the standings. The Florida Panthers are second, having earned 91 standings points in one fewer game (72) than the Tampa Bay Lightning (73).
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By season’s end, if there is a tie in points, the first tiebreaker is regulation wins; currently, the Lightning hold the edge with 37, while the Leafs have 36 and the Panthers have 35.
Florida is the first of the three clubs in action next, as it will host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, NHL Network). The Leafs continue their West Coast road trip by visiting the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+), while the Lightning play Tuesday at the New York Islanders.
The Panthers have two games remaining against the Leafs (Wednesday in Toronto, April 8 in Sunrise) and one against the Lightning (April 15 in Tampa Bay). Toronto plays its last regular-season game against Tampa Bay on April 9 in Central Florida.
Overall, the Leafs have the toughest remaining strength of schedule of the three teams (opposing win percentage of 51.3%, 11th toughest in the league); the Panthers are next (49.5%, 21st), and the Lightning have the easiest road (47.6%, 25th).
Stathletes projects the Lightning to have the highest chances of winning the division (44.5%), followed by the Panthers (33.9%) and Leafs (21.6%).
Is that how everything will play out? Stay tuned.
There are less than three weeks left until April 17, and 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 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Tampa Bay LightningM1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 New York RangersM2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis BluesC2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado AvalancheP1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota WildP2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Sunday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
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Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers, 1 p.m. (NHL)Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals, 3 p.m.Vancouver Canucks at Winnipeg Jets, 3 p.m.Utah Hockey Club at Chicago Blackhawks, 4 p.m.Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins, 5 p.m.New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m.Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks, 8 p.m.San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday’s scoreboard
Philadelphia Flyers 7, Buffalo Sabres 4Tampa Bay Lightning 5, New York Islanders 3St. Louis Blues 2, Colorado Avalanche 1New Jersey Devils 5, Minnesota Wild 2Vegas Golden Knights 3, Nashville Predators 1Ottawa Senators 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Los Angeles Kings 1Detroit Red Wings 2, Boston Bruins 1Edmonton Oilers 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT)New York Rangers 6, San Jose Sharks 1Dallas Stars 5, Seattle Kraken 1
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Playoff Hockey Challenge
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Points: 92Regulation wins: 36Playoff position: A1Games left: 9Points pace: 103.3Next game: @ ANA (Sunday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 91Regulation wins: 35Playoff position: A2Games left: 10Points pace: 103.6Next game: vs. MTL (Sunday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 91Regulation wins: 37Playoff position: A3Games left: 9Points pace: 102.2Next game: @ NYI (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83Regulation wins: 30Playoff position: WC1Games left: 10Points pace: 94.5Next game: @ PIT (Sunday)Playoff chances: 99.6%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 85.4Next game: @ FLA (Sunday)Playoff chances: 28%Tragic number: 19
Points: 74Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 83.1Next game: @ STL (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 2.3%Tragic number: 16
Points: 69Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 76.5Next game: vs. WSH (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 9
Points: 66Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 75.2Next game: @ WSH (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 10
Metro Division
Points: 103Regulation wins: 40Playoff position: M1Games left: 10Points pace: 117.3Next game: vs. BUF (Sunday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 92Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: M2Games left: 10Points pace: 104.8Next game: vs. NYI (Sunday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 85Regulation wins: 35Playoff position: M3Games left: 7Points pace: 92.9Next game: vs. MIN (Monday)Playoff chances: 97.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 77Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: WC2Games left: 8Points pace: 85.3Next game: vs. MIN (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 18.7%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 85.4Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 28.7%Tragic number: 19
Points: 74Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 84.3Next game: @ CAR (Sunday)Playoff chances: 24.7%Tragic number: 18
Points: 69Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 76.5Next game: vs. OTT (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 9
Points: 69Regulation wins: 19Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 75.4Next game: vs. NSH (Monday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 7
Central Division
Points: 104Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: C1Games left: 9Points pace: 116.8Next game: vs. VAN (Sunday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 100Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: C2Games left: 9Points pace: 112.3Next game: @ SEA (Monday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 93Regulation wins: 38Playoff position: C3Games left: 8Points pace: 103.1Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: WC1Games left: 8Points pace: 96.4Next game: @ NJ (Monday)Playoff chances: 96.5%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87Regulation wins: 30Playoff position: WC2Games left: 7Points pace: 95.1Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 89.8%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 76Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 85.4Next game: @ CHI (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0.6%Tragic number: 8
Points: 62Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 69.6Next game: @ PHI (Monday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 51Regulation wins: 18Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 57.3Next game: vs. UTA (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 98Regulation wins: 42Playoff position: P1Games left: 9Points pace: 110.1Next game: vs. EDM (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 89Regulation wins: 35Playoff position: P3Games left: 10Points pace: 101.4Next game: vs. SJ (Sunday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 89Regulation wins: 30Playoff position: P2Games left: 9Points pace: 100.0Next game: @ VGK (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 95.9%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 91.0Next game: @ WPG (Sunday)Playoff chances: 6.4%Tragic number: 13
Points: 80Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 91.1Next game: @ COL (Monday)Playoff chances: 10.8%Tragic number: 14
Points: 72Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 82.0Next game: vs. TOR (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 6
Points: 68Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 75.4Next game: vs. DAL (Monday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 49Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 55.8Next game: @ LA (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
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The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
Points: 49Regulation wins: 14
Points: 51Regulation wins: 18
Points: 62Regulation wins: 23
Points: 66Regulation wins: 24
Points: 68Regulation wins: 25
Points: 69Regulation wins: 19
Points: 69Regulation wins: 20
Points: 69Regulation wins: 23
Points: 72Regulation wins: 23
Points: 74Regulation wins: 26
Points: 74Regulation wins: 25
Points: 75Regulation wins: 23
Points: 75Regulation wins: 24
Points: 76Regulation wins: 24
Points: 80Regulation wins: 26
Points: 81Regulation wins: 26
