Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Jets can clinch berth against Capitals

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2025 NHL postseason. There are 24 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 March 25:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The Winnipeg Jets will clinch a playoff berth:

If they get at least one point against the Washington Capitals

OR

If the St. Louis Blues lose to the Montreal Canadiens in any fashion.

On Tap

There are 10 games on the NHL schedule Tuesday, and each has playoff implications:

Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, TSN5, RDS2)

The Senators (37-27-5) hold the first wild card in the Eastern Conference and look to gain ground in the Atlantic Division; they are six points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place and have a game in hand. JJ Peterka has scored in three straight games for the Sabres (28-35-6), who trail the Montreal Canadiens by 13 points for the second wild card in the East.

Philadelphia Flyers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, NBCSP)

The Maple Leafs (42-25-3) can move into a tie with the Florida Panthers for first in the Atlantic. John Tavares has five points (three goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak end with a 5-2 loss at the Nashville Predators on Saturday. It’s the first time Scott Laughton will play against his former team since being traded by the Flyers (28-35-9) on March 7. Philadelphia has lost five straight (0-4-1) and is 10 points behind Montreal for the second wild card in the East.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; FDSSUN, SN-PIT, SN1)

Nikita Kucherov has six points (two goals, four assists) during a five-game point streak for the Lightning (40-25-5), who have lost their past two but begin a three-game homestand with hopes of moving into a tie with the Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic. Sidney Crosby has 12 points (six goals, six assists) during a seven-game point streak for the Penguins (29-32-11), who are six points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East and have played three more games. Crosby needs two points to become the first in NHL history with 20 seasons averaging at least 1.0 points per game and surpass Wayne Gretzky (19 seasons from 1979-80 to 1997-98) for the all-time record.

Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDNSSO, FDNSSO)

Taylor Hall has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past six games for the Hurricanes (43-23-4), who have won nine of 10 and are second in the Metropolitan Division. Filip Forsberg has six points (three goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak for the Predators (26-36-8), who have lost five of six (1-4-1) and are 21 points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the West. Nashville would be eliminated from playoff contention if it loses in regulation and St. Louis defeats Montreal in any fashion.

Montreal Canadiens at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; Matrix-MW, Victory+, TSN2, RDS)

The Blues (37-28-7) go for their seventh win a row and can pad their lead for the second wild card in the West. Jordan Kyrou has 11 points (six goals, five assists) during a six-game point streak for St. Louis, which leads the Vancouver Canucks by three points. The Canadiens (33-27-9) begin a four-game road trip having lost their past two but have a six-game point streak (3-0-3) and are one point ahead of the New York Islanders and New York Rangers for the second wild card in the East. They have one game in hand on the Islanders and two on the Rangers.

Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNO, SCRIPPS)

Jack Eichel has seven points (two goals, five assists) during a three-game point streak for the Golden Knights (42-20-8), who won each of those games and start a three-game road trip five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division. The Wild (40-26-5) had a three-game winning streak end with a 3-0 loss at the Dallas Stars on Monday to remain four points behind the Colorado Avalanche for third place in the Central Division. They are four points ahead of the Blues for the first wild card in the West.

Washington Capitals at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN3, MNMT)

The Jets (48-19-4) get their third attempt to become the first team in the West this season to clinch a playoff berth. Winnipeg could have clinched during the weekend but lost 5-3 at home to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday and did not receive any help from St. Louis on Saturday or Sunday. The Capitals (47-15-8) are two points ahead of the Jets in the Presidents’ Trophy race as the top regular-season team, and Alex Ovechkin needs seven goals to pass Gretzky (894) for the most in NHL history. Ovechkin has six points (two goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak.

Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, KTVD, ALT)

Valeri Nichushkin has six points (three goals, three assists) during a five-game point streak for the Avalanche (43-25-3), who are 10-1-1 in their past 12 and are third in the Central, five points behind the second-place Stars, who have a game in hand. The Red Wings (33-31-6) lost three of four (1-3-0) before a 5-1 win at the Utah Hockey Club on Monday to move within three points of the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. Montreal has a game in hand.

Seattle Kraken at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, KONG, KHN)

Matt Coronato has scored in three straight for the Flames (33-25-11), who return home after winning the last three of a four-game road trip. They trail the Blues by four points for the second wild card in the West and have three games in hand. The Kraken (30-36-5) have lost three of four (1-2-1) and are 16 points behind the Blues.

New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, MSG, SN1)

It’s the start of a three-game California trip for the Rangers (34-31-6), who ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win against the Canucks on Saturday. They are one point behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East but have played two more games. The Kings (39-21-9) have scored seven goals in each of their past two and have won three in a row to move into a tie with the Oilers for second in the Pacific. They are five points behind the Golden Knights with a game in hand.

If the playoffs started Tuesday

Eastern Conference

(1A) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(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 four games Monday, each with playoff implications:

Vancouver Canucks 4, New Jersey Devils 3 (SO): Conor Garland scored the game-tying goal with 36 seconds left in the third period, and Thatcher Demko made 22 saves in his first start in more than a month because of injury to help the Canucks (33-26-12) move within three points of the Blues for the second wild card in the West with a game in hand. Timo Meier scored twice, and Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves for the Devils (37-28-7), who have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and four of five (1-3-1). They are third in the Metropolitan Division, nine points behind the Hurricanes and seven ahead of the Islanders and Rangers.

Columbus Blue Jackets 4, New York Islanders 3 (SO): Kirill Marchenko scored in the third period, and Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves for the Blue Jackets (32-29-9), who ended a six-game skid (0-5-1) and moved within two points of the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. The Islanders (32-28-10) extended their point streak to six games (3-0-3) but blew a third-period lead for the third straight game. They are one point behind the Canadiens, who have a game in hand, for the second wild card in the East.

Dallas Stars 3, Minnesota Wild 0: Jake Oettinger made 32 saves for the Stars (45-21-4), who extended their point streak to five games (3-0-2) and are six points behind the Jets for first in the Central with a game in hand. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for the Wild (40-26-5), who had won three straight and remained four points ahead of the Blues for the first wild card in the West.

Detroit Red Wings 5, Utah Hockey Club 1: Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (33-31-6), who scored five unanswered goals despite behind limited to 14 shots. Karel Vejmelka allowed four goals on 13 shots for Utah (32-28-11), which had won its previous two and three of four. It remains six points behind St. Louis for the second wild card in the West with one game in hand.