Stanley Cup Playoff Push 2025: The Remaining Pieces

Well, fellow puckheads, we are down to just four days left in the 2024-25 NHL regular season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are less than a week away. I figured that all of the spots would be locked up by this point, but surprisingly, it's been a challenge. With very, very little time remaining, there's still quite a bit to decide. Let's talk about what we know for sure.

First off, we have a Presidents' Trophy winner this year, and it's the Winnipeg Jets. On April 12, the Jets clinched the Central Division and the #1 seed in the Western Conference, and regarding the former, this is only their second division title in the team's franchise history; they won the Southeast Division in 2006-07 as the Atlanta Thrashers. One day later, on April 13, the Jets won the Presidents' Trophy when the Washington Capitals lost in regulation, so the road throughout the playoffs goes through Winnipeg.

The Jets will face off against the West's 2nd Wild Card, while the 1st Wild Card will face off against the Vegas Golden Knights, who won the Pacific Division on April 12. Two West series are locked in. In the Pacific, the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers will face off in Round 1 for the fourth straight year, and in the Central, the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche will face each other. In the East, the aforementioned Capitals are the #1 seed, and they'll face the East's 2nd Wild Card. The Ottawa Senators are locked in as the East's 1st Wild Card, and they will face whoever wins the Atlantic. Only one East series is locked in, and it's the Carolina Hurricanes facing the New Jersey Devils in the Metro.

As for what's left to decide:

The Atlantic is the only division yet to be decided, but it's close. The Toronto Maple Leafs' back-to-back wins in as many days have moved them closer and closer to winning their first division title since 2020-21, and their first in a full season since 1999-2000. The Leafs enter the final four days needing just one point to clinch the Atlantic, and their next game is against the lowly, lowly Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. If the Leafs clinch the Atlantic, then we will get the Battle of Ontario in the playoffs for the first time since 2004, and by default, the other Atlantic Semifinal would feature the Battle of Florida, which would be the fourth playoff meeting in five years.

Entering this past weekend, the Montréal Canadiens locking up the East's last playoff spot was a foregone conclusion. Now, the race is getting too close for comfort. In their most recent game, the Habs lost 1-0, in overtime, in Toronto, and that brought them one point closer to the playoffs. The Habs enter the final four days needing two points to get in, so a win will put them in and send them off to DC after the regular season ends. The Canadiens will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, and will host the Carolina Hurricanes in their regular season finale on Wednesday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets went from being in a prime spot to falling way off, to now finding ways to climb back up. The Jackets won back-to-back games against the Washington Capitals, and now find themselves just three points behind the Habs with two to play. Columbus will be in Philly on Tuesday and will end the regular season at home against the Islanders. In order for the Jackets to get in, they will need to win both games in regulation, and the Habs will have to lose both of their remaining games (one of them in regulation).

The Minnesota Wild, despite their injury woes, are still in a good position to reach the playoffs. Their most recent game was a 3-2 overtime win in Vancouver, which moved them closer to the NHL's Sweet 16. The Wild have just one game left, and it's a home game against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. All they need to do is get to overtime, and that will give Minnesota the one point they need to reach the playoffs. The point will also lock them in as the West's 1st Wild Card and send them to Vegas for Round 1.

The St. Louis Blues also have one game remaining, but they are closing in on a playoff spot, even though they have lost three straight following their 12 game winning streak. Their last loss was via shootout against the Seattle Kraken, so that is a point--one point closer to the playoffs than they were entering that evening. The Blues' regular season finale is against the Utah Hockey Club, and if the Blues win it, they are in. St. Louis can move up to the #1 Wild Card position, but they will need to win and the Wild have to lose in regulation. Otherwise, the Blues will be headed across the Northern border.

Speaking of across the Northern border, the Calgary Flames, similar to the Columbus Blue Jackets, are finding ways to stay alive. They are two points behind St. Louis for the last spot, and they have two games left. The Flames will host Vegas on Tuesday, and they'll be off to LA on Thursday. If the Flames win both games in regulation, and the Blues lose out (with one of the losses being in regulation), then Calgary's in. Calgary can actually move past both Minnesota and St. Louis in the standings, meaning that Tuesday's game against Vegas could be a playoff preview. And can I just say how amazing and awesome it is that the only two "behind the playoff line" teams still fighting for playoff spots, are the two teams that Johnny Gaudreau played for? They are winning and kicking ass for Johnny Hockey.

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Four days. That's all that remains in this regular season. Seems like yesterday I was counting down the days until the season started. Now? There's only very few days to count down until the real season begins!