The Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues will have to wait to clinch a playoff berth after not getting the right combinations on Monday.
Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators can end a seven-season playoff drought and the New Jersey Devils can return after a one-season absence. Also, the Washington Capitals can clinch a division title (see below).
Another big game will be the Detroit Red Wings at the Montreal Canadiens. Detroit trails Montreal by six points but has a game in hand. The Canadiens have won five in a row.
“Our season is on the line,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said Monday, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. “We’ve put ourselves in that position, whether good or bad. We’re going into a hockey game where we’ve got to win, and that’s exciting and a great building to go into and have a game like that.”
Here’s a look at the NHL playoff picture through games of Monday, April 7:
Who’s in the NHL playoffs?
Who can clinch today?
- The Devils will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point vs. the Bruins.
- The Senators will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Blue Jackets. They’d also clinch if they get one point vs. the Blue Jackets and the Red Wings don’t win in regulation against the Canadiens. Third option: The Red Wings lose to the Canadiens.
- The idle Capitals will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if the Hurricanes lose to the Sabres in regulation.
NHL games today (Tuesday, April 8)
- Carolina at Buffalo, 7
- Detroit at Montreal, 7
- Toronto at Florida, 7 | ESPN | Fubo
- Boston at New Jersey, 7
- Ottawa at Columbus, 7
- Chicago at Pittsburgh, 7
- N.Y. Islanders at Nashville, 8
- Vancouver at Dallas, 8
- Seattle at Utah, 9
- Vegas at Colorado, 9:30 | ESPN | Fubo
Watch select NHL games on Fubo (free trial)
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2024-25
(as of April 7; x-clinched playoff berth; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Metropolitan Division
Atlantic Division
- x-Toronto Maple Leafs (98)
- x-Tampa Bay Lightning (96)
- x-Florida Panthers (92)
Wild card
- Ottawa Senators (90)
- Montreal Canadiens (85)
Sitting outside playoff position:Detroit Red Wings (79), New York Rangers (79), New York Islanders (78), Columbus Blue Jackets (77), Buffalo Sabres (74), z-Pittsburgh Penguins (74), z-Philadelphia Flyers (71), z-Boston Bruins (71)
NHL Western Conference standings 2024-25
(as of April 7; x-clinched playoff berth; z-eliminated from postseason contention)
Central Division
- x-Winnipeg Jets (110)
- x-Dallas Stars (105)
- x-Colorado Avalanche (98)
Pacific Division
- x-Vegas Golden Knights (102)
- x-Los Angeles Kings (97)
- Edmonton Oilers (93)
Wild card
- St. Louis Blues (93)
- Minnesota Wild (91)
Sitting outside playoff spot: Calgary Flames (87), Vancouver Canucks (83), Utah Hockey Club (82), z-Anaheim Ducks (76), z-Seattle Kraken (74), z-Nashville Predators (62), z-Chicago Blackhawks (54), z-San Jose Sharks (50)
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended April 7:
Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card
- Washington (M1) vs. Montreal (WC2)
- Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3)
- Toronto (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1)
- Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Florida (A3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended April 7:
Key: C – Central Division P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card
- Winnipeg (C1) vs. Minnesota (WC2)
- Dallas (C2) vs. Colorado (C3)
- Vegas (P1) vs. St. Louis (WC1)
- Los Angeles (P2) vs. Edmonton (P3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.
When does the NHL regular season end?
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 17, with seven games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
