The New Jersey Devils clinched the NHL’s 12th playoff berth on Wednesday, but no one new can join them Thursday.
There still is plenty of intrigue, though, in the 10-game schedule.
The Vegas Golden Knights can clinch the Pacific Division title, the Washington Capitals can clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference and the Carolina Hurricanes can clinch home-ice advantage in their first-round series against the Devils (see below).
The biggest game is the Winnipeg Jets visiting the Dallas Stars in a Central Division battle. Winnipeg leads Dallas by four points in the race for the division title and can extend that to five or six points or watch it drop to two points if Dallas wins in regulation.
Here’s a look at the NHL playoff picture through games of April 9:
Who’s in the NHL playoffs?
- Eastern Conference: Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators
- Western Conference: Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings
Who can clinch Thursday?
- The Capitals will clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference if they beat the Hurricanes.
- The Hurricanes will clinch the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division and home-ice advantage in their first-round series against the Devils if they get at least one point vs. the Capitals.
- The Golden Knights will clinch the Pacific Division title if they beat the Kraken in regulation and the Kings lose to the Ducks in regulation.
NHL games today (Thursday, April 10)
- Chicago at Boston, 7
- Detroit at Florida, 7
- Buffalo at Columbus, 7
- Carolina at Washington, 7:30 | ESPN+ | Disney+ | Hulu
- N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30
- Winnipeg at Dallas, 8
- Vancouver at Colorado, 9
- Nashville at Utah, 9
- Seattle at Vegas, 10
- Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2024-25
(as of games April 9; x-clinched playoff berth; y-clinched division title; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Metropolitan Division
- y-Washington Capitals (107 points)
- x-Carolina Hurricanes (96)
- x-New Jersey Devils (89)
Atlantic Division
- x-Toronto Maple Leafs (100)
- x-Tampa Bay Lightning (97)
- x-Florida Panthers (94)
Wild card
- x-Ottawa Senators (90)
- Montreal Canadiens (87)
Sitting outside playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (79), New York Islanders (79), Columbus Blue Jackets (79), New York Rangers (79), z-Buffalo Sabres (76), z-Pittsburgh Penguins (76), z-Philadelphia Flyers (73), z-Boston Bruins (73)
NHL Western Conference standings 2024-25
(as of games April 9; x-clinched playoff berth; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Central Division
- x-Winnipeg Jets (110)
- x-Dallas Stars (106)
- x-Colorado Avalanche (100)
Pacific Division
- x-Vegas Golden Knights (103)
- x-Los Angeles Kings (97)
- Edmonton Oilers (95)
Wild card
- Minnesota Wild (93)
- St. Louis Blues (93)
Sitting outside playoff spot: Calgary Flames (88), z-Vancouver Canucks (85), z-Utah Hockey Club (84), z-Anaheim Ducks (78), z-Seattle Kraken (74), z-Nashville Predators (64), z-Chicago Blackhawks (54), z-San Jose Sharks (51)
NHL playoffs if they started today
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended after games on April 9:
Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card
- Washington (M1) vs. Montreal (WC2)
- Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3)
- Toronto (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1)
- Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Florida (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.
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended after games on April 9:
Key: C – Central Division P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card
- 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.
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 seven games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.
