A Long Time Coming (NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Picture)

Greetings, fellow puckheads! The 2024-25 NHL season has now reached the Four Nations Break; yes, instead of the usual All-Star Break that lasts a few days, this year, the NHL is taking a longer break for the anticipated Four Nations Face Off, which will see the NHL's best from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. face each other in a round robin tournament. The break began following the NHL's minimal amount of games on Sunday, February 9 (Super Bowl Sunday), with the NHL season resuming on February 22.

This season has been quite wild. We've seen storylines we didn't expect to see playing out, and teams are rising to occasions that we never thought they'd reach. This is definitely true in the Eastern Conference this year. We are seeing a lot of amazing developments in the East this year, and here's a look at the playoff picture during this break.

Atlantic Division

This is the 12th season of the format that sends the top three teams in each division to the playoffs, while the other two spots are determined via a Wild Card format, regardless of division. In the Atlantic Division, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers lead the Atlantic with 71 points, regaining the lead late after the Toronto Maple Leafs held first place for over a month. Toronto is currently in second place with 68 points, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are in third place with 66 points.

The Atlantic Top 3 looked a lot different as recently as less than a week before the break, and the biggest difference was Tampa Bay--they were out of the top three for a good bit. A skid entering the break knocked Toronto out of the division lead, but they are only three points behind Florida. They have plenty of time to win their first division title since 2021.

Metropolitan Top 3

In the Metropolitan Division, it's the Washington Capitals, who were basically the overall #16 seed in last year's playoffs, leading the way with 80 points, one win away from locking up a .500 season. They have a very distant lead over the Carolina Hurricanes, who have 70 points, and in third place, it's the New Jersey Devils with 68 points. Amazing. I myself thought that all Washington would have going for them this year was Alex Ovechkin possibly getting the goals record this season. Not only is Ovi a mere 16 goals away from immortality, but he and the Caps are among the best teams in the league.

Of course, the Hurricanes made a massive splash when they traded for Mikko Rantanen in late January, though Moose hasn't been putting up the points since the trade. Also, there's talk that Rantanen may be elsewhere after this season. If that's the case, the Canes better take advantage of this rental period, because a big trade like this is supposed to result in big things.

Wild Cards

The Wild Card picture is where things really pick up. With barely over one-quarter of the season to go, the Eastern Conference's two Wild Card positions are held by the Ottawa Senators and the Detroit Red Wings. The Senators have been winning games left and right in recent weeks, and with 62 points, they are holding the #1 Wild Card position during this break. The Wings are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and are holding the #2 Wild Card position. The Columbus Blue Jackets are one point out, as are the Boston Bruins, the NY teams find themselves climbing the ranks in the Wild Card Standings, and the Canadiens, Penguins, and Flyers have a slight chance.

There are three particular teams who are currently in long playoff droughts, but one of them was expected to end it this year. The one who was expected to get in this year? That team is dead last in the East--the Buffalo Sabres. No one really gave a thought to the Sens and Wings, yet here they are, sitting above the playoff line. The Sens, for a brief while, were actually in the Atlantic's Top 3! As for Detroit, all it took was a coaching change for the Wings to suddenly go on a huge winning tear. Detroit's last postseason took place in 2016. Ottawa's last postseason took place in 2017. There is a good chance that both droughts could end this year, but they will need to keep up the good work. Columbus, Boston, and both NY teams are breathing down their necks.

Here's the thing. After Four Nations ends, the NHL's regular season will have the final week of February, all of March, and over half of April remaining. Overall, a grand total of 55 days. With the way the Eastern Conference looks now, we are in for a very crazy home stretch, with nearly every team in the East with a good chance of being part of the NHL's Sweet 16.