Playoffs Buzz: Canadiens can clinch 1st berth since '21

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2025 NHL postseason.

There are seven days left in the regular season and the races in each of the four divisions are tight. The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the next two highest-place finishers in each conference reach the playoffs.

Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

Here are the Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for April 11:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Montreal Canadiens will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Ottawa Senators in regulation (7 p.m. ET; RDS, SNE, SNO, SNW).

The Tampa Bay Lightning will clinch a top-three finish in the Atlantic Division if they get at least one point against the Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNFL, FDSNDET) OR if the Senators lose to the Canadiens in any fashion.

The Florida Panthers (idle) will clinch a top-three finish in the Atlantic Division if the Senators lose to the Canadiens in regulation.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point against the San Jose Sharks (9:30 p.m. ET; SN360, NBCSCA+) OR if the Calgary Flames lose to the Minnesota Wild in any fashion (10 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNNOX).

The Wild will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Flames in any fashion.

On Tap

There are five games on the NHL schedule for Friday, all with playoff implications

Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, SNE, SNO, SNW)

With a win in regulation, the Canadiens (39-30-9) can clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season, when they lost in the Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They can also gain ground on the Senators in the race for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference; they are three points behind Ottawa (42-30-6), which has already clinched a playoff berth.

Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; FDSNFL, FDSNDET)

The Red Wings (36-35-7) are in a do-or-die situation, eight points behind the Canadiens with four games to go. They can be eliminated on Friday with a loss of any kind or if Montreal gets a point against Ottawa. The Lightning (45-26-7) are three points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division and one point ahead of the Florida Panthers for second place.

Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MSGSN, NHLN)

The Devils (41-30-7) will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round, and the series will start at Carolina, which clinched second in the Metropolitan Division with a point in a 5-4 shootout loss at the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The Penguins (32-35-12) have been eliminated from playoff contention.

San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET; SN360, NBCSCA+)

The Oilers (45-28-5), who got captain Connor McDavid back in the lineup Wednesday, will clinch a playoff berth with a win of any kind. They are four points behind the Los Angeles Kings -- their likely first-round opponent -- for second place in the Pacific Division. The Sharks (20-47-11) have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNNOX)

The Flames (37-27-14) are five points behind the Wild (43-29-7) and St. Louis Blues for the two wild card spots in the West. They have two games in hand on St. Louis, which is in the second wild card spot because it has played one more game than Minnesota (43-29-7), which would clinch a spot with a regulation win.

If playoffs started Friday

Eastern Conference

(1A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3A) Florida Panthers
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens
(2M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3M) New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Minnesota Wild
(2P) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3P) Edmonton Oilers
(1C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC2) St. Louis Blues
(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3C) Colorado Avalanche

About last night

There were 10 games on the NHL schedule Thursday, eight with playoff implications:

Florida Panthers 4, Detroit Red Wings 1: Brad Marchand scored his first goal with the Panthers (46-29-4), who moved within one point of the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division, having played one more game. The Red Wings (36-35-7) fell eight points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East and can be eliminated from contention Friday with any kind of loss against the Lightning or if Montreal gets one point against Ottawa.

Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Buffalo Sabres 2: Jet Greaves, an emergency recall from Cleveland of the American Hockey League, made 39 saves for the Blue Jackets (36-33-9), who staved off elimination.They can be eliminated on Friday if the Canadiens defeat the Senators in regulation.

Washington Capitals 5, Carolina Hurricanes 4 (SO): On the night the Capitals (50-19-9) honored Alex Ovechkin for scoring his 895th career goal, Washington clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with the win. With the one point, the Hurricanes (46-27-5) clinched second place in the Metropolitan, and will have home-ice advantage against the Devils in their first-round series.

New York Rangers 9, New York Islanders 2: The Rangers (37-35-7) kept their slim playoff hopes alive with the win, while also putting the Islanders (34-33-11) on the brink of elimination. Each team could be eliminated Friday if the Montreal gets at least one point against Ottawa.

Winnipeg Jets 4, Dallas Stars 0: Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves and the Jets (54-21-4) moved a step closer to clinching first in the Central Division, the Western Conference and the Presidents' Trophy. The Jets lead the Stars (50-23-6) by six points in the division with three games remaining. Winnipeg leads Washington by three points in the race for the Presidents' Trophy but has played one more game. The Stars clinched a top-two finish in the Central and home-ice advantage in the Western Conference First Round with the Colorado Avalanche losing to the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver Canucks 4, Colorado Avalanche 1: With the loss, the Avalanche (48-28-4) are locked into the No. 3 spot in the Central Division, and will begin their first round series on the road against either the Stars or Jets. The Canucks have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Vegas Golden Knights 2, Seattle Kraken 1: The Golden Knights (48-22-9) moved a step closer to clinching the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They have a six-point lead on the Kings for first place with three games to go. The Kings have four games remaining. Seattle has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Los Angeles Kings 6, Anaheim Ducks 1: The Kings (45-24-9) moved four points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific and within six of the Golden Knights for first with four games to go and have a game in hand on Vegas.