Everything to Know on NHL Playoff 2025 Races, Tiebreakers, Best Matchups, More

The start of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs are just under a week away.

As the league prepares to enter the home stretch of the regular season, a small handful of playoff spots and first-round matchups still need to be decided. We already know a couple of first-round matchups (Dallas vs. Colorado, Carolina vs. New Jersey, and Edmonton vs. Los Angeles) and are still waiting to see how the remaining matchups play out.

We will take you through each potential matchup, the tie-breaking scenarios and some dream matchups to get you ready for the week.

Atlantic 1: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Wild Card 1: Ottawa Senators

Atlantic 2: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Atlantic 3: Florida Panthers

Metropolitan 1 (top seed): Washington Capitals vs. Wild Card 2: Montreal Canadiens

Metropolitan 2: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Metropolitan 3: New Jersey Devils

What is still up for grabs

The top-three Atlantic Division seeds: We know who the top-three teams will be as the Maple Leafs, Lightning and Panthers are locked into those spots. We just do not know what the order is going to be. The Panthers can not win the division, but could still finish in the No. 2 spot and get home-ice advantage in the first round.

Tampa Bay could still mathematically win the division and get the top spot, but it would need to win both of its remaining games and for Toronto to lose both of its remaining games. If Toronto gets just one point, or if Tampa Bay fails to record, the Maple Leafs earn the top spot and set up a battle of Florida in the first round.

The second Wild Card spot: It is down to two teams fighting for one spot, and it is probably not the two teams anybody would have expected when the season began. It is the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both would be a tremendous story to get in the playoffs, but Montreal is in the clear driver’s seat with two games to go.

Tiebreaker scenarios

When it comes to the top spot in the Atlantic Division, both the Maple Leafs and Lightning have 40 regulation wins. If both teams finish with 104 points and both remain stuck on 40 regulation wins (Toronto loses both of its remaining games in regulation and Tampa Bay wins its remaining two games in overtime or shootout), Toronto would own the next tiebreaker by having more regulation/overtime wins.

In the Wild Card race, Montreal has 29 regulation wins to Columbus’ 28, currently owning a narrow lead in the first tiebreaker. It also has five more regulation/overtime wins.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers: Not only would this be a potential dream matchup, it could happen as soon as the first round. The Lightning and Panthers have represented the Eastern Conference in each of the past five Stanley Cup Finals, combining to win three of them. They are not only two loaded rosters, they are not only fierce rivals with an extensive playoff history in recent years, they are also two of the best and most successful teams in the NHL.

2. Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators: This is one matchup that can not happen in the first round, a second-round matchup could be in the cards. The intrigue here is simply the fact it would be Matthew Tkachuk vs. Brady Tkachuk in a best-of-seven series. It would be chaos. Maybe they would fight.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens: Given the seedings and bracket, this would likely not be in the cards until a potential Eastern Conference Final matchup. That would be compelling theatre to see one of the NHL’s biggest rivalries play out with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line.

4. Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Another series that would have to wait for the Eastern Conference Final. Not only did these two teams play for a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, but the individual matchups of fellow countrymen Alex Ovechkin (Capitals) and Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) going against each other would be compelling. They are also two of the top teams in the league this season and would provide a great collection of individual talent and two organizations that refuse to stop contending no matter how old their core players get.

Central 1 (top seed): Winnipeg Jets vs. Wild Card 2: St. Louis Blues

Central 2: Dallas Stars vs. Central 3: Colorado Avalanche

Pacific 1: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Wild Card 1: Minnesota Wild

Pacific 2: Los Angeles Kings vs. Pacific 3: Edmonton Oilers

What is still up for grabs

Wild Card spots: Both Wild Card spots in the Western Conference remain up for grabs as the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames are fighting for two spots. The Wild and Blues are in the driver’s seat entering the week, but Calgary is hanging around just two points back of the Blues while also having a game in hand. The Flames are three points back of the Wild, also with a game in hand.

Home-ice advantage in Pacific Division: We know Vegas will be the top team in the Pacific Division, and we know the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers will face each other for the fourth consecutive year in the opening round. What we do not know is where that 2 vs. 3 matchup between Los Angeles and Edmonton is going to begin, and which team is going to have home-ice advantage. The Kings enter the week with a two-point lead, and also have three games remaining compared to the Oilers’ two games.

Tiebreaking scenarios

When it comes to the Wild Card race, Minnesota is guaranteed to have the tiebreaker over both the Blues and Flames by having more regulation wins, and there is no chance that either team could top them in that category. So as long as Minnesota gets one more point, or the Blues or Flames fail to get a point somewhere along the line this week, the Wild will have their playoff spot secured.

Entering play on Monday, the Blues have the tiebreaker over the Flames (31 regulation wins to 30), while also having a significant edge in the second tiebreaker (39 regulation and overtime wins to 35 for Calgary).

When it comes to the home-ice race between Los Angeles and Edmonton, the Kings are guaranteed to have the tiebreaker with 41 regulation wins to only 35 for the Oilers. There is no way the Oilers can win that tiebreaker.

Matchup wish list

1. Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche: We already know this matchup is happening, and you are not going to have to wait long for it. The Stars and Avalanche are two of the best teams in hockey, and it also brings in the added drama of Mikko Rantanen (Dallas) going against his former team (Colorado) after he was shockingly traded at the deadline this season. Either one of these teams could win the Stanley Cup. It is guaranteed that one of them will be eliminated within the first two weeks of the playoffs.

2. Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames: A lot of things would have to happen for this to be possible. The Flames would have to get in the playoffs. Both teams would have to win multiple rounds. But the idea of a Battle of Alberta deciding the Western Conference champion is an exciting possibility. Even if it is a long shot. Remember, we are talking about dream matchups here. It does not have to be realistic. Just what we would like to see.

3. Edmonton Oilers vs. St. Louis Blues: This would not be until later in the playoffs, but the possibility of the Oilers and Blues meeting in a best-of-seven series would be compelling given the fact the Blues’ turnaround was made possible, in large part, due to the restricted free agent offer sheets to former Oilers players Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.

4. Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild: A very realistic first-round matchup. The dream matchup here would be if, by some chance, Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury got meaningful playing time against one of his former teams in what would be the final postseason of his career.

Which team will have home-ice advantage?

It could be whiteout conditions in the Stanley Cup Final, as the Winnipeg Jets would have home-ice advantage against any opponent after winning their first Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best team. If they were to get eliminated before the Stanley Cup Final, the Washington Capitals would be the next team up for home ice if they keep winning.

Matchup wish list

1. Dallas Stars vs. Carolina Hurricanes: We are already getting one Mikko Rantanen bowl in the opening round with the Stars playing Colorado, so how about a second one in the Stanley Cup Final? The Hurricanes acquired Rantanen at the deadline from Colorado in the hopes they could get him signed to a long-term deal and give the Hurricanes the type of top-line superstar scorer they have been lacking. After being unable to reach a new deal with him, and after a pretty tumultuous month-long situation, the Hurricanes eventually traded him to Dallas. Could Rantanen beat two former teams in one playoff run? Could the Hurricanes show they did not need him to win?

2. Colorado Avalanche vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: This would just be a really exciting series based on playing styles and the individual talent involved on both sides of the ice. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon are two of the elite scorers in the NHL, and both are going to be MVP front-runners. You also have defensemen Cale Makar (Colorado) and Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay) going head-to-head, while it would also be a rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup final that was won by the Avalanche.

3. Oh, Canada: A Canadian NHL franchise has not won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in the 1993 playoffs. There are already four Canadian teams locked into playoff spots (Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Edmonton), a fifth one that is likely to be in (Montreal) and potentially a sixth (Calgary). That is a lot of possibilities for an all-Canadian team Stanley Cup Final, which would guarantee an end to that drought. Toronto vs. Winnipeg? Ottawa vs. Edmonton? Montreal vs. Calgary? Some other combination involving any of those teams? All could be on the table. All would be fascinating to watch in their own way.

4. Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers: Alex Ovechkin already claimed the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record this season, and is now going for his second Stanley Cup. Getting a potential Stanley Cup Final matchup against Wayne Gretzky’s former team, and getting to go against Connor McDavid with the Stanley Cup on the line, would be an incredible way to conclude the 2024-25 NHL season.

5. Florida Panthers vs. Calgary Flames: Is it likely? No. Calgary would not only have to make the playoffs, but also go on an improbable run through the Western Conference as the second Wild Card team. But given the blockbuster trade from a couple of years ago that saw Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar get swapped for Matthew Tkachuk, it would still be a fun matchup to watch unfold.