2025 NHL Playoff Picture, Bracket Predictions and Teams to Watch
The 16-team NHL Playoff field is almost finalized.
The Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild each have six-point advantages in their respective wild-card races.
A historic collapse from either team is needed for one of the teams on the outside looking in to barnstorm their way into the field.
Most of the first-round matchups are close to set as well, which gives us a chance to salivate over some incredible head-to-head battles.
There are a few teams, though, that no one wants to see in the postseason, starting with the red-hot St. Louis Blues.
Bracket Predictions
Eastern Conference
Montreal vs. Washington
Ottawa vs. Toronto
Florida vs. Tampa Bay
New Jersey vs. Carolina
Western Conference
Minnesota vs. Winnipeg
St. Louis vs. Vegas
Colorado vs. Dallas
Edmonton vs. Los Angeles
St. Louis Blues
The Blues have been the hottest team in the NHL for the last few weeks.
St. Louis is in the middle of a 12-game winning streak that took it from the fringe of the wild-card race into the top wild-card position.
The Blues offense, led by Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, scored at least four goals in nine of the 12 victories.
Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer only allowed more than four goals twice during the run.
Binnington is the Blues' biggest X-factor. He brought the Blues to a Stanley Cup once before and is more than capable of shutting down whomever they run into this postseason.
Thomas and Kyrou are playmakers on the top two lines and there is plenty of talent mixed in, including Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Neighbours, who can test any defense.
At the moment, the Blues are set to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round.
Vegas is one of the most experienced playoff teams of the last five years, but a red-hot team with an excellent goalie will be hard for any team to beat.
Tampa Bay Lightning
It's easy to turn to the Washington Capitals (most points) or the Florida Panthers (reigning Stanley Cup champion) to pick in the Eastern Conference.
However, the Tampa Bay Lightning might have one more title run in them.
The Lightning are poised to face the Panthers in the first round. Florida is still without Matthew Tkachuk and it is without top defenseman Aaron Ekblad due to suspension.
There's no concerns about Tampa Bay's goalie situation with Andrei Vasilevskiy and the top-end talent of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel matches what most teams in the East have.
The Lightning are probably in the best shape to make a run to the Eastern Conference Final from the Atlantic Division bracket.
They have the scoring, depth and goalie play and will not be under the immense pressure of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto still hasn't delivered in the postseason during the Auston Matthews era, and as the likely Atlantic winner, all of the expectations will be placed upon the Leafs.
As for the Lightning, they know how to win and that could be the X-factor that carries them deep into the postseason..