NHL Playoff Standings 2025, Updated Postseason Picture and Stanley Cup Bracket

The NHL regular season wraps up on Thursday, April 17 and there are still teams vying for a spot in the postseason, with one spot remaining in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western Conference.

There are also known match-ups featuring familiar foes that will take place in the first round of this year's tournament.

As the final slate of games draws near, find out what the current postseason picture looks like and which teams will meet in round one with this preview of the upcoming NHL Playoffs.

The current Eastern Conference Playoff Standings are:

1. Washington Capitals-Z (109 points)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs-X (102 points)
3. Carolina Hurricanes-X (99 points)
4. Tampa Bay Lightning-X (98 points)
5. Florida Panthers-X (96 points)
6. Ottawa Senators-X (92 points)
7. New Jersey Devils-X (89 points)
8. Montreal Canadiens (88 points)
9. Columbus Blue Jackets (83 points)
10. Detroit Red Wings (81 points)
11. New York Rangers-E (81 points)
12. New York Islanders-E (80 points)
13. Pittsburgh Penguins-E (78 points)
14. Buffalo Sabres-E (77 points)
15. Philadelphia Flyers-E (75 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 (114 points)
2. Vegas Golden Knights-X (107 points)
3. Dallas Stars-X (106 points)
4. Colorado Avalanche-X (100 points)
5. Los Angeles Kings-X (101 points)
6. Edmonton Oilers-X (97 points)
7. Minnesota Wild (95 points)
8. St. Louis Blues (94 points)
9. Calgary Flames (90 points)
10. Vancouver Canucks-E (88 points)
11. Utah Hockey Club-E (87 points)
12. Anaheim Ducks-E (78 points)
13. Seattle Kraken-E (76 points)
14. Nashville Predators-E (66 points)
15. Chicago Blackhawks-E (57 points)
16. San Jose Sharks-E (51 points)

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

The Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche are set for a first-round match-up in the 2025 NHL Playoffs.

The Stars have home-ice advantage but will have the unenviable task of slowing Nathan MacKinnon, who is currently tied with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov for the points lead at 116.

Dallas has seven players with 40 points while Colorado has benefited from acquiring Martin Necas from the Hurricanes as the the forward has tallied 11 goals and 16 assists, fueling the team's offense output.

The teams have clashed in each of the last two playoffs, with Dallas besting Colorado in both.

The Los Angeles Kings will play the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, with neither team having yet acquired the home-ice advantage. Both are still competing for second place in the Pacific Division with three games each remaining.

The Kings have received superb forward play from Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield, who have accumulated 68, 65, and 56 points, respectively, while goalie Darcy Kuemper has a goals-against average while producing five shutouts this season.

The team will be looking to avenge three straight seasons of early eliminations at the hands of the Oilers, who have bounced the Kings in the first round every year since 2022.

It will not be easy as Connor McDavid has returned from a lower body injury and immediately made his presence felt in the form of seven assists in two games. The best player in the game today, he and the rest of the Edmonton squad will be looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals after losing to Florida last year.