NHL Playoff Picture 2025: Updated Standings and Bracket Outlook

Two different types of battles for playoff spots are taking place in the NHL.

The Eastern Conference focus is all on the wild-card race, where the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings all gained points on Monday.

Over in the Western Conference, the top teams are jockeying for position. The Dallas Stars closed their gap in the Central Division to six points behind the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

Dallas in the Central and the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific are trying to chase down the division leaders so that they earn easier postseason matchups against the two wild-card qualifiers.

Atlantic Division

1. Florida - 89 points
2. Toronto - 87
3. Tampa Bay - 85

Metropolitan Division

1. Washington - 102
2. Carolina - 90
3. New Jersey - 81

Wild-Card Race

1. Ottawa - 79
2. Montreal - 75
3. New York Rangers - 74
4. New York Islanders - 74
5. Columbus - 73
6. Detroit - 72

Columbus and Detroit picked up wins on Monday, while the Islanders earned a point for their overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.

Those results just made the wild-card race even tighter going into Tuesday.

The Montreal Canadiens are in St. Louis on Tuesday. The Blues need that game for their own wild-card race, so that could be a spot where the Canadiens lose ground.

The Ottawa Senators visit the Buffalo Sabres, a game they should win comfortably to eclipse the 80-point mark.

Ottawa is the safest team in the wild-card race, while Montreal's spot is vulnerable with four teams within three points of it.

Detroit has the most pressure on it of the four chasers since it has to play the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday in the second leg of a back-to-back and then it comes back home to play Ottawa on Thursday. The Red Wings need points from those games to remain close to the hunt.

Results in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday could put more pressure on the Florida Panthers.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are both expected to beat the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. If that happens, the top three Atlantic teams will be separated by two points.

Florida, who has four losses in its last seven games, isn't back on the ice until Friday against the Utah Hockey Club.

Central Division

1. Winnipeg - 100
2. Dallas - 94
3. Colorado - 89

Pacific Division

1. Vegas - 92
2. Los Angeles - 87
3. Edmonton - 87

Wild-Card Race

1. Minnesota - 85
2. St. Louis - 81
3. Vancouver - 78
4. Calgary - 77
5. Utah - 75

Injuries will play a key role in the Pacific Division race.

Vegas will not have Tomas Hertl on its road trip that starts on Tuesday in Minnesota and Edmonton is currently without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Los Angeles has a potential opportunity to capitalize on those absences with seven of its next nine games at home. The only traveling the Kings have to do is to Colorado and Utah on March 27 and April 3.

Vegas' three-game road trip doesn't look bad on paper, but its April finish looks strenuous with seven of its final nine games against teams involved in a playoff race.

Winnipeg should be clear of Dallas in the Central, but if the Jets slip up at home in a battle of conference leaders against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Dallas will see a window to pounce.

Minnesota appears to be safely into the field as the first wild-card team and St. Louis' six-game winning streak put it three points clear of the Vancouver Canucks for the second wild-card place.

The Blues can potentially expand their advantage with wins over Montreal and Nashville this week. That could provide them with a nice buffer going into a five-game stretch where they have to play Winnipeg, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Colorado twice.