Stanley Cup Playoff Push 2025: Let the Games Begin

We have arrived, folks! The final push for this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs began once the calendar turned to the month of March, which is only the third month of the year, but is the final full month of the NHL's regular season. March is the month where the eliminations begin. It may be 32 teams entering March, but during this month and the first half of April, it will be whittled down, bit by bit, to the final 16 teams. Those 16 will participate in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, the best road to a championship in all of pro sports.

For the 12th season (and the 10th in play), the playoff format will see the top three teams in each division (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific) automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the remaining two playoff spots in each conference will be determined via a Wild Card format. The Wild Card format is regardless of division, meaning that each division could have one Wild Card, or one division could have both spots. The opening round will see the #1 seed face off against the lower Wild Card, while the other division winner faces the higher Wild Card, and the other two series in each conference will feature the 2nd and 3rd place teams in each division facing each other, guaranteeing at least four divisional matchups. It's a fixed bracket from beginning to end.

Of course, the final month and a half centers on the very trophy that Aleksandar Barkov is holding in the pic above, the Stanley Cup. Last year, it was the Florida Panthers standing tall as the Stanley Cup Champions, and while the quest for the Cup began with the very first game of the season, it really begins once the month of March arrives. The regular season is set to end on April 17, meaning that we have just 46 days left. With that, here's how things look at this point:

Atlantic Division

It's the beginning of March, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in first place in the Atlantic Division. It's only by one point, but still, first place is first place. The Leafs have 78 points, getting two more on Sunday by winning a wild OT thriller in Pittsburgh. The defending champion Panthers are second place with 77 points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are in a close third with 74 points. The Bolts are the hottest of the three teams right now; they've won eight straight games and are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games. This is the closest of the four divisional Top 3s, as the three teams are separated by just four points. Remember: almost two months ago, the Bolts were in the Wild Card standings. Now? This team could, at least, surpass the Panthers in the division, if not take the division lead entering the month of April.

Metropolitan Division

In the Metropolitan Division, the Washington Capitals still have a large lead with 84 points, 10 points ahead of the second place Carolina Hurricanes. As it stands right now, it's a battle between the Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils for second place, and it's the Hurricanes up by two--74 points to New Jersey's 72. The Capitals are also six points ahead of Toronto in the overall Eastern Conference standings, and regarding Alex Ovechkin, he is moving closer and closer to the goals record, he needs just 11 more goals to become the all time leader. As for the Hurricanes, their overtime win on Sunday was much needed, as they had been slumping, and Mikko Rantanen is still not racking up the points since the trade. The Devils are .500 (5-5-0) in their last 10 games, but they are doing enough to stay in the division's Top 3.

East Wild Cards

In the Eastern Conference, the Wild Card positions are held, at the moment, by the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings. The East's Wild Card picture had been a logjam since late January, but as it stands, Columbus holds the #1 position with 68 points, while Detroit has the #2 position with 66. The Ottawa Senators have hit a bit of a lull recently, as they are behind the line with 64 points, with the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins having that same total. The Montreal Canadiens are finding their groove and stand with 63 points, three points behind Detroit. Basically, everyone in the East has a shot except for the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here's a fun fact regarding the Jackets and Wings: this was the playoff matchup in 2009, the year the Jackets reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Central Division

Out West, the Central Division's Top 3 remains the same--unfortunately for this Avs fan. The Winnipeg Jets lead the entire NHL with 88 points, just a dozen away from the century mark. The Jets recently had an 11 game winning streak come to an end, but they've only lost once in regulation in the last 13 games. The Jets lead by eight points over the Dallas Stars, who have 80 points, and the Minnesota Wild are still in third, as their 1-0 shutout win increased their total to 74 points. Their star player's out and their second in command is suspended, yet they are still winning games. Ugh.

Pacific Division

In the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights are in the lead with 78 points, while the slumping Edmonton Oilers, who have lost seven of ten, are down to 2nd place at 74 points. The Los Angeles Kings are in third place with 70 points, and they are coming off bad back-to-back losses in Dallas and St. Louis. Even so, LA is just four points behind Edmonton for 2nd place, which guarantees home ice in Round 1. That's what the Kings need if they want to have any chance of winning a playoff series for the first time since they won their second Stanley Cup.

West Wild Cards

The Wild Card standings show the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames in the two positions, with the Flames moving past the up-and-down Vancouver Canucks with their OT loss on Sunday. The Avs picked up a pair of big home wins against the Devils and Wild, but we are still two points behind Minnesota in the Central. As for the rest of the Wild Card standings, the St. Louis Blues are red hot and are only one point out of a spot, while the Utah Hockey Club continues to show promise and appear to be on the verge of stealing a spot. The Anaheim Ducks have a bit of a shot; it's not much, but it's way more than the teams below them.

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So that's the story so far, and it'll be a while before we see a clinch of any kind. The closest to a clinch is Winnipeg, but even they need about 11 wins to lock in a spot. We are headed for a very interesting road to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which should start on April 19. All that's left to do is just sit back and enjoy the ride!