Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Avalanche look to continue climb in Central Division

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2025 NHL postseason. There are 30 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.

On Tap

There are two games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, both with playoff implications:

Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, MAX)

The Avalanche (41-24-3) are coming off an emotional overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday in Mikko Rantanen’s return to Denver. They are 8-0-1 in their past nine games and sit four points behind the Stars for second in the Central Division, with Dallas having one game in hand, and four points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for third. The Maple Leafs (40-24-3) are third in the Atlantic Division by virtue of regulation wins (34/32); they have the same number of points (83) and games played (67) as the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto was 1-4-1 over a six-game stretch before a 6-2 win against the Calgary Flames. William Nylander enters Wednesday with a a nine-game point streak (13 points; five goals, eight assists) and needs two goals to reach 40 for a third straight season.

Seattle Kraken at Minnesota Wild (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNNOX, MAX, TNT, SN360, TVAS)

It’s the sixth of a seven-game homestand for the Wild (38-25-5), who are 2-2-1 thus far. They hold the first wild card in the Western Conference, four points behind the Avalanche for third in the Central and six points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks, who hold the second wild card. The Kraken (30-34-5) are 10 points out of the second wild card in the West after a 6-2 win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

If playoffs started Wednesday

Eastern Conference

(1A) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3A) Toronto Maple Leafs
(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) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Los Angeles Kings
(1C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC2) Vancouver Canucks
(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3C) Colorado Avalanche

About last night

There were nine games on the schedule Tuesday, all with playoff implications:

Montreal Canadiens 6, Ottawa Senators 3: The Canadiens (33-27-7) scored five goals in the third period to move into the second wild-card spot in the East, one point ahead of the New York Rangers. It’s the first time they’ve been in playoff position since Jan. 21. The Senators (36-26-5), who hold the first wild card in the East, had their six-game winning streak end. They are four points ahead of Montreal.

Calgary Flames 2, New York Rangers 1: Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist for the Flames (31-25-11), who had lost three straight (0-2-1) and 10 of 15 (5-6-4). They are two points behind the Canucks and the St. Louis Blues in the West wild-card race and have a game in hand on Vancouver and two on St. Louis. The Rangers (33-30-6), who were held to 13 shots on goal, fell one point back of the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. They have played two more games than Montreal.

New York Islanders 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 2: The Islanders (31-28-8) rallied in the third period for a second straight game, scoring four times to erase a 2-0 deficit. They are three points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. Sidney Crosby extended his point streak to five games (eight points; five goals, three assists) for the Penguins (28-32-10), who had won four in a row. They are seven points behind Montreal and have played three more games.

Washington Capitals 4, Detroit Red Wings 1: The Capitals (45-15-8) won for the seventh time in eight games and maintained their standing in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, in which they are tied in points with the Winnipeg Jets but have played one fewer game. They are first in the Metropolitan Division, 12 points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. Alex Ovechkin had an assist but remains eight goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record (894). The Red Wings (32-30-6) are three points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East and have played one more game.

St. Louis Blues 4, Nashville Predators 1: The Blues (34-28-7) got two goals from Jordan Kyrou in their third straight win; he has five goals and three assists during a three-game multipoint streak. St. Louis is 10-2-2 in its past 14 games and is tied for the second wild card in the West with Vancouver, which has a game in hand. The Predators (25-34-8) are 17 points behind the Canucks and Blues.

Dallas Stars 4, Anaheim Ducks 3 (OT): Mikael Granlund scored his second goal of the game at 2:32 of overtime for the Stars (43-21-3), who lost their previous two games (0-1-1) and moved four points ahead of the Avalanche for second in the Central. The Ducks (29-31-8) have lost four of five (1-3-1) and are nine points behind the Canucks for the second wild card in the West.

Seattle Kraken 6, Chicago Blackhawks 2: Shane Wright scored twice, and Adam Larsson had a goal and two assists for the Kraken (30-34-5), who are 3-0-1 in their past four but are 10 points behind the Canucks for the second wild card in the West. The Blackhawks (20-39-9) have lost five straight (0-4-1) and are 26 points back in the West wild-card race.

Edmonton Oilers 7, Utah Hockey Club 1: Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, and Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Ekholm each had a goal and two assists for the Oilers (40-24-4), who won their third in a row and moved within two points of the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Pacific Division. Utah (30-27-11) has lost two of three and is four points behind Vancouver for the second wild card in the West.

Vancouver Canucks 6, Winnipeg Jets 2: Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist for the Canucks (32-25-11), who have won three of four and pulled even with the Blues in points for the second wild card in the West with a game in hand, and two points ahead of the Flames. The Jets (47-18-4), who had won three straight, are tied with the Capitals atop the NHL standings but have played one more game. They lead the Stars by nine points for first in the Central.