NHL playoff standings: Which games matter most Thursday

ByESPN

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Hockey fans are close to knowing the identities of the 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams for 2025. But the battles for seeding continue to rage -- as does the jockeying for position in the draft lottery order.

Here's what to monitor during Thursday's 10-game slate -- and we hope you can watch on multiple devices!

These two Original Six franchises will be back in the postseason again at some point, but not this season. Chicago begins the night second in the draft lottery order, three points back of the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins are fourth heading into Thursday night, tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Red Wings begin the evening eight points behind the Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the East (Tuesday's loss to Montreal certainly didn't help). A regulation loss here eliminates them. After their win Tuesday over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers are right back in the race atop the Atlantic Division. As play begins Thursday, the Leafs are No. 1 with 100 points and 39 regulation wins, the Tampa Bay Lightning are second (97, 39) and the Panthers are third (94, 36).

The Sabres picked a strange time to go on a heater, as they are 8-2-0 in their past 10; maybe there will be some carry-over to start 2025-26? In any event, Buffalo begins the evening eighth in the draft lottery order, three spots (and three points) ahead of Columbus. The Blue Jackets stayed in the playoff race probably longer than anyone outside their dressing room believed they would, but they'll be officially eliminated with another loss.

There was some nastiness the last time these two squads played; will we see retribution -- particularly against Carolina's Jalen Chatfield -- on Thursday? As for the long-term impact, Washington is locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Metro, and Carolina needs one point to clinch the No. 2 seed over the New Jersey Devils.

From two Metro teams that have clinched a playoff spot to two who are on the cusp of elimination (after qualifying last spring). This rivalry game has a bit less juice than usual given the reality of the mathematics. The Rangers are currently 10th in the draft lottery order, the Isles 12th.

If the Stars have plans to overtake the Jets for the top overall seed in the West, they'll need to win this one. Winnipeg enters the game four points (and one regulation win) ahead. So it's notcompletely a must-win for the Stars' quest for the No. 1 spot, but it'd certainly be a lot better for those chances if they won.

The Canucks were officially eliminated Wednesday night, and are currently 15th in the draft lottery order, a point back of the Hockey Club. As for the Avalanche, they are nearly locked into position as the Central's No. 3 seed.

The HC has been playing inspired hockey as of late, but it was too late to get the final playoff spot, as they were eliminated Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Nashville begins play third in the draft lottery order, 10 points behind Chicago and seven ahead of the No. 4 Flyers.

This wasn't the best season in Seattle Kraken history, though the club will likely get a top-10 draft pick this summer to continue the build; heading into Thursday, the Kraken are sixth in the draft lottery order, one point behind the Flyers and Bruins, and two ahead of the Penguins and Sabres.

Speaking of the Ducks, a win over their SoCal rivals would diminish the Kings' chances of catching Vegas for the No. 1 seed in the Pacific; L.A. begins the evening six points back.

With the regular season ending April 17, we'll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.