2025 NHL Playoff Picture, Standings and Breaking Down Current Postseason Bracket

With every passing night, the NHL playoff picture becomes clearer.

In the Eastern Conference, Montreal holds a seven-point lead over its next closest competitor for the eighth and final spot in the postseason. In the Western Conference, six teams battle for three remaining spots.

Who are those teams, what do the current standings look like and which team became the first to clinch its conference?

Find out with this playoff preview.

The current Eastern Conference Playoff Standings are:

1. Washington Capitals-Z (109 points)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs-X (100 points)
3. Carolina Hurricanes-X (97 points)
4. Tampa Bay Lightning-X (97 points)
5. Florida Panthers-X (96 points)
6. Ottawa Senators-X (90 points)
7. New Jersey Devils-X (89 points)
8. Montreal Canadiens (87 points)
9. Columbus Blue Jackets (81 points)
10. New York Rangers (81 points)
11. Detroit Red Wings (79 points)
12. New York Islanders (79 points)
13. Buffalo Sabres-E (76 points)
14. Pittsburgh Penguins-E (76 points)
15. Philadelphia Flyers-E (73 points)
16. Boston Bruins-E (73 points)

Z (clinched conference); Y (clinched division); X (clinched playoff spot); E (eliminated from playoff contention)

The current Western Conference Playoff picture is:

1. Winnipeg Jets-X (112 points)
2. Dallas Stars-X (106 points)
3. Vegas Golden Knights-X (105 points)
4. Colorado Avalanche-X (100 points)
5. Los Angeles Kings-X (99 points)
6. Edmonton Oilers (95 points)
7. Minnesota Wild (93 points)
8. St. Louis Blues (93 points)
9. Calgary Flames (88 points)
10. Vancouver Canucks (87 points)
11. Utah Hockey Club (85 points)
12. Anaheim Ducks-E (78 points)
13. Seattle Kraken-E (74 points)
14. Nashville Predators-E (66 points)
15. Chicago Blackhawks-E (56 points)
16. San Jose Sharks-E (51 points)

X (clinched playoff spot); E (eliminated from playoff contention)

The Washington Capitals became the first team this season to clinch their conference with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday. Oddly enough, Carolina secured the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division and thus will have the home ice advantage against the New Jersey Devils in the opening round of the NHL Playoffs.

Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal spoke after the game about the gritty loss to Washington and how there is still a positive to be found in it. "It's adversity like that, and you've got to battle through. We're going to run into something like that in playoffs, for sure."

He continued, "“It's trusting our game and keep moving forward and finding ways. … Especially in playoffs, it's going to be a battle. It'll be a lot of fun, and tonight was a good playoff-kind of style."

Also in the East, the Detroit Red Wings' playoff hopes are dwindling and wins in each of their final two games are a must. It will not be easy Friday night as they square off with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team still very much alive in the Atlantic Division and competing for playoff seeding.

In the Western Conference, five of the eight teams have been decided, with Edmonton, Minnesota, St. Louis, Calgary, Vancouver, and Utah all competing for the final three spots.

The Oilers' magic number is down to one to clinch a playoff spot while they remain in the hunt for the No. 2 spot in the Pacific Division, currently held by the Los Angeles Kings. They have a winnable game against San Jose Friday night while one of their biggest competitors for the remaining playoff spots, Minnesota, has a tough match-up against the Calgary Flames, a team clinging to its own playoff livelihood and in need of a victory to keep pace.

A total of just eight points separate the top team yet to clinch (Edmonton) and the last team with a realistic shot at the playoffs (Vancouver), promising a tight race to the finish in the Western Conference regular season, with the Oilers one win away from cashing their ticket to the proverbial dance.