Friday night’s action brought a new look to the NHL playoff standings, but it could change again on Saturday.
The defending champion Florida Panthers moved into the Atlantic Division lead, and the Columbus Blue Jackets jumped into the second wild-card spot.
The Winnipeg Jets also moved into first overall, which they’ll hold at least through Saturday.
However, the Toronto Maple Leafs can reclaim the Atlantic lead Saturday if they win at Los Angeles.
The Blue Jackets (75 points) would fall out of their spot with a regulation loss because the idle Montreal Canadiens (75) hold the first tiebreaker. Or the New York Rangers (75) could pass both with a victory and a Columbus loss. The New York Islanders (74) also have a chance to move into the second wild-card spot.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars could become the third NHL team to clinch a playoff spot (see below).
The NHL playoff standings are a jumble with many teams in contention. Here’s a look at the playoff picture:
Who’s in the NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: Washington Capitals
Western Conference: Winnipeg Jets
Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?
The Stars will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Kraken and either of the following occurs: The Blues lose to the Avalanche or the Flames lose to the Oilers.
They’d also clinch if get one point vs. the Kraken and the Blues or the Flames lose in regulation.
NHL schedule today (Saturday, March 29)
All times p.m. ET
- Buffalo at Philadelphia, 1, NHL Network
- N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay, 2
- St. Louis at Colorado, 4:30
- New Jersey at Minnesota, 6
- Vegas at Nashville, 6:30
- Columbus at Ottawa, 7
- Toronto at Los Angeles, 7
- Boston at Detroit, 8, ABC, ESPN+, Fubo
- Calgary at Edmonton, 10
- N.Y. Rangers at San Jose, 10:30
- Dallas at Seattle, 10:30
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2024-25
(as of March 28)
Metropolitan Division
x-Washington Capitals (103 points)
Carolina Hurricanes (92)
New Jersey Devils (83)
Atlantic Division
Florida Panthers (91)
Toronto Maple Leafs (90)
Tampa Bay Lightning (89)
Wild card
Ottawa Senators (81)
Columbus Blue Jackets (75)
Sitting outside playoff position: Montreal Canadiens (75), New York Rangers (75), New York Islanders (74), Detroit Red Wings (72), Boston Bruins (69), Pittsburgh Penguins (69), Philadelphia Flyers (67), Buffalo Sabres (66)
NHL Western Conference standings 2024-25
(as of March 28)
Central Division
x-Winnipeg Jets (104)
Dallas Stars (98)
Colorado Avalanche (93)
Pacific Division
Vegas Golden Knights (96)
Los Angeles Kings (89)
Edmonton Oilers (87)
Wild card
Minnesota Wild (87)
St. Louis Blues (85)
Sitting outside playoff spot: Vancouver Canucks (81), Calgary Flames (79), Utah Hockey Club (76), Anaheim Ducks (72), Seattle Kraken (68), z-Nashville Predators (62), z-Chicago Blackhawks (51), z-San Jose Sharks (49)
x-clinched playoff spot; z-eliminated
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended March 28:
- Washington (M1) vs. Columbus (WC2)
- Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3)
- Florida (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1)
- Toronto (A2) vs. Tampa Bay (A3)
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. Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended March 28:
- Winnipeg (C1) vs. St. Louis (WC2)
- Dallas (C2) vs. Colorado (C3)
- Vegas (P1) vs. Minnesota (WC1)
- Los Angeles (P2) vs. Edmonton (P3)
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. Key: C – Central Division. P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card
What is the tiebreaker procedure for the NHL playoffs?
If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:
- 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 six games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.