Stanley Cup Playoff Push 2025: Doomsday

Eleven days. That's how much time remains in the NHL's regular season. Eleven short days. A lot happened in the past week, as the calendar turned to the month of April. While March is that final full month of the season, April is the end--the very last chance for a lot of teams. The final numbers get thinned out in April, as the Stanley Cup Playoffs draw closer and closer to occurring. As I said: Eleven days remain. That's two Wednesday doubleheaders on TNT. That's two more loaded Tuesdays and Thursdays. That's one more big Saturday, and also, one more Sunday featuring matinee doubleheaders on TNT.

We saw four more eliminations this past week, and finally, some East teams got ousted. The Boston Bruins' season finally ended on Saturday, first postseason miss since 2016. The Philadelphia Flyers are also out, and Sunday saw the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight year. As for the Buffalo Sabres, they're alive. For now. In the West, the Anaheim Ducks were eliminated for the seventh straight year, so that's five West teams out, and from the looks of it, the three West teams behind the playoff line could all be done in the next few days.

As for the playoff picture, let's talk about it:

Atlantic Division

Toronto has a lot to celebrate right now. In baseball, the Blue Jays have locked in Vlad Jr. for the rest of his baseball career, and as for hockey, with 11 days left, the Maple Leafs' lead in the Atlantic is increasing. They are clearly in the driver's seat and have a good chance to win the division. As far as Toronto's magic numbers are concerned, they are two points (one win) away from staying in the division's Top 3, four points (two wins) away from locking up home ice in Round 1, and nine points (4.5 wins) away from clinching their first division title since 2021--and their first in a full season since 2000. As for the Florida teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning look strong, but the Florida Panthers are an absolute mess. They are only two points ahead of the Ottawa Senators for third place, and honestly, I'll laugh my ass off if Ottawa passes them. However, a good part of me doesn't want that, because the Atlantic bracket is perfectly symmetrical right now: Battle of Ontario in one series, Battle of Florida in the other.

Metropolitan Division

So something big happened in Long Island on Sunday, and now, the Capitals can focus on trying to lock up the Metropolitan Division, which they could have done on that same day. The Capitals will enter the final full week of the season needing just two points (one win) to clinch the Metro and get home ice in at least the first two rounds. As for the battle for second place, the Carolina Hurricanes are three points away from clinching second place, which is home ice in their inevitable Metropolitan Semifinal series against the New Jersey Devils. Speaking of the Devils, they're three points away from locking in their second playoff appearance in three years, and they can clinch a playoff spot as early as Tuesday.

East Wild Cards

It took almost two months, but we finally have some stability in the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference. It definitely looks like the Ottawa Senators and the Montréal Canadiens will nab those Wild Card spots, as they have been untouchable in the last two weeks. With Ottawa's most recent win, they now stand just two points (one win) away from reaching the playoffs for the first time in eight years, while the Habs only need seven points to reach the playoffs for the first time since their insane Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. As for the remaining East teams behind the playoff line, the Rangers and Red Wings are sputtering, as are the Islanders, and the Blue Jackets and Sabres are pretty much done.

Central Division

Just when I thought the Central Division race was over, there's only three points separating the Jets and the Stars. So we don't know who will win the Central, but I know this: the Avalanche will definitely start the playoffs on the road--either in the Deep South or the True North. I've pretty much accepted the Avs' fate, especially since that it's not our fault. It's just that Dallas doesn't believe in losing in regulation. As I said before, I don't think we need home ice. This Avs team is beastly enough to steal some road playoff games for sure. Just steal Game One, and we'll be just fine.

Pacific Division

At one point, the Kings were one point out of first place, but that was before Vegas beat Calgary. As far as magic numbers are concerned, the Golden Knights are three points away from clinching home ice in the Pacific Semifinals, and as far as winning the division, Vegas needs seven more points. The more pressing story in the Pacific is between the Kings and the Edmonton Oilers, and right now, LA leads Edmonton by four points. These two teams will face each other once again in Round 1, and LA needs eight points to clinch home ice in that series--and the two teams face off one more time in Edmonton this regular season. Speaking of Edmonton, they are four points away from reaching the playoffs, and they can get in as early as Monday.

West Wild Cards

Good God, no one can stop the Blues. Twelve straight wins. They've moved into the WC1 position in the West, standing just two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild. The Blues can actually clinch a playoff spot as early as Monday--a win and a Flames regulation loss will put them in. Speaking of the Flames, they are on life support, as are the Canucks and the Utah Hockey Club. All three remaining playoff spots in the West could be filled in the next week, or possibly less than that.

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Six playoff spots remain this season; three in each conference. Even so, no actual positions and seeds have been locked in as of yet, but that will definitely change. The bracket's puzzle should be very close to being complete by this time next week. It's going to be an interesting road to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the final 11 days of the regular season will be absolutely thrilling!