Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Jets can win Presidents’ Trophy

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

There are five 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 13.

On Tap

There are nine games on the NHL schedule for Sunday, five with playoff implications.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes (5 p.m. ET; FDNSO, SNO)

The Maple Leafs (49-26-4) look to clinch the Atlantic Division title. Toronto, which defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in overtime Saturday, holds a four-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place. Toronto can finish no lower than second in the division. The Hurricanes (47-27-5) are locked into second in the Metropolitan Division and will play the New Jersey Devils in the first round.

Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning (6 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, MSG-B, SNE)

The Lightning (45-26-8) need to keep winning to put pressure on the Maple Leafs for the Atlantic Division title and to hold off the Panthers for home ice in the first round. Tampa Bay is tied with Florida with 98 points but has two more regulation wins (39/37), which is the first tiebreaker, and a game in hand. The Sabres (35-37-7) are eliminated from the postseason.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals (6 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, MNMT)

The Blue Jackets (37-33-9) must win each of their three final games to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs; they are five points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and will be eliminated if they lose a game. The Capitals (50-29-9), who lost 7-0 to the Blue Jackets on Saturday, are locked into first place in the Metropolitan Division and have secured home-ice advantage for the first three rounds. They need to win out to have a chance to win the Presidents’ Trophy; the Winnipeg Jets hold a five-point lead in the race for first in the League.

Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m.ET; SNW, TSN3)

The Oilers (46-28-5) are chasing the Los Angeles Kings for home ice in their first-round playoff matchup; the Kings hold a four-point lead but are idle Sunday. Each team has three games remaining. If Edmonton loses to Winnipeg, it would finish third in the Pacific Division and open on the road because Los Angeles has the tiebreaker in regulation wins (41/34). The Jets (55-21-4) will win the Presidents’ Trophy with a win; they could also clinch with an overtime or shootout loss combined with a loss by the Capitals.

San Jose Sharks at Calgary Flames (8 p.m. ET; SN360, SN1, SNP, NBCSCA)

The Flames (38-27-14) would be eliminated from playoff contention with a regulation loss. Calgary has three games remaining and is four points behind the St. Louis Blues and five behind the Minnesota Wild for the two wild cards in the West; each of those teams has one game remaining. The Sharks (20-48-11) have been eliminated from the postseason.

If playoffs started Sunday

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 11 games on the NHL schedule Saturday, each with playoff implications.

Philadelphia Flyers 4, New York Islanders 3, SO: New York (34-33-12) was eliminated from playoff contention after being unable to protect a one-goal lead entering the third period. Philadelphia (33-37-9) had previously been eliminated.

Columbus Blue Jackets 7, Washington Capitals 0: Jet Greaves made 22 saves for his first NHL shutout, and Adam Fantilli scored twice for Columbus, which pulled within five points of Montreal for the second wild card in the East. Washington will finish as the No. 1 seed in the East and play the second wild card in the first round.

Carolina Hurricanes 7, New York Rangers 3: Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists, and Jackson Blake and Jordan Staal each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who eliminated the Rangers (37-36-7) from playoff contention. Carolina will finish as the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan and play the New Jersey Devils in the first round.

Los Angeles Kings, 5, Colorado Avalanche 4: Kevin Fiala scored twice, and Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere each had a goal and two assists for the Kings (46-24-9), who moved four points ahead of the third-place Oilers in the Pacific. The Avalanche (48-29-4), who rested forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar for the second straight game, are locked into the No. 3 seed in the Central Division and will play the Dallas Stars in the first round.

Florida Panthers 3, Buffalo Sabres 2 (SO): Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist, and the Panthers (47-29-4) moved into a points tie with the Lightning for second in the Atlantic. Florida has played one more game than Tampa Bay. The Sabres (35-37-7) have been eliminated.

Toronto Maple Leafs 1, Montreal Canadiens 0 (OT): Mitch Marner scored 36 seconds into overtime for the Maple Leafs (49-26-4), who clinched home-ice advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs. The Canadiens (39-31-10) missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth for the second straight day, but their one point eliminated the Detroit Red Wings from playoff contention. They can clinch a playoff berth Sunday if the Blue Jackets lose to the Capitals in any fashion.

Winnipeg Jets 5, Chicago Blackhawks 4 (SO): The Jets clinched first place in the Central and the No. 1 seed in the West and will play the second wild card in the first round of the playoffs. They can win the Presidents’ Trophy if the Capitals lose to the Blue Jackets in regulation.

Utah Hockey Club 5, Dallas Stars 3: The Stars (50-24-6) lost their fifth straight game (0-3-2) and cannot win the Central; they will finish second and face the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs, a series that will start in Dallas. Utah (37-30-13) has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Minnesota Wild 3, Vancouver Canucks 2: The Wild (44-30-7) scored three straight goals, including the game-winner by Mats Zuccarello at 2:47 of overtime and leapfrogged the Blues for the first wild card in the West. Minnesota needs one point in its final game to guarantee a playoff berth; it is five points ahead of Calgary, which has three games left. The Canucks (37-29-14) are eliminated from the postseason.

Vegas Golden Knights 5, Nashville Predators 3: The Golden Knights (49-22-9) clinched the Pacific when defenseman Noah Hanifin scored the game-winning goal at 18:05 of the third period. Vegas is guaranteed home ice through the first two rounds of the playoffs and will play the first wild card from the West, currently held by Minnesota. The Predators (29-43-8) have been eliminated from the postseason.

Seattle Kraken 4, St. Louis Blues 3 (SO): The Blues lost for the third straight game (0-2-1), blowing a 3-2 lead in the third period to fall behind the Wild into the second wild card from the West. St. Louis (43-30-8) is one point behind Minnesota and each has a game remaining. The Kraken (35-40-6) have been eliminated from the postseason.