Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Islanders can move into wild card in East against Canucks

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2025 NHL postseason. There are 23 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 four games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, each with playoff implications.

Vancouver Canucks at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, SN, TVAS)

The big news for Vancouver is the return of goalie Thatcher Demko, who made 22 saves in a 4-3 shootout win at the New Jersey Devils on Monday, his first game since sustaining a lower-body injury Feb. 8. The Canucks (33-26-12), who are 2-2-1 in their past five games, are five points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the Western Conference with two games in hand. Vancouver will be without forwards Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander, each with an undisclosed injury, for the remaining three games of its six-game road trip. Bo Horvat has five goals and seven points for the Islanders (32-28-10) during their seven-game home point streak (4-0-3) dating to March 1. New York has points in six straight games (3-0-3) and is one point back of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

New Jersey Devils at Chicago Blackhawks (7:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, MAX, truTV, TNT, TVAS2)

The Devils (37-28-7) are third in the Metropolitan Division, seven points ahead of the Islanders and New York Rangers but have lost three straight (0-2-1) games and four of five (1-3-1). Nico Hischier has eight points (four goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak, and Erik Haula has scored in three straight. Connor Bedard has three goals in his past four games for the Blackhawks (21-41-9), who have lost seven of eight (1-6-1) and are eliminated from playoff contention.

Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SN1, TNT, truTV, MAX)

The Stars (45-21-4) have earned points in five straight games (3-0-2) to pull within eight points of the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division with two games in hand. Jake Oettinger is 3-0-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage and one shutout in his past three games (all starts), and Jamie Benn needs one goal for 400 in the NHL. The Oilers (41-24-5), who eliminated the Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final last season, have a five-game point streak (4-0-1) but coach Kris Knoblauch announced they will be without forwards Connor McDavid (lower-body injury) and Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) for the remainder of this week. The injuries come at a crucial time for Edmonton, which is third in the Pacific Division, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past four games, during which he’s had three points three times.

Boston Bruins at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, NESN, TVAS2)

The Bruins (30-33-9) have lost six in a row (0-5-1) are six points behind the Canadiens, who have played two fewer games, for the second wild card in the East. Trevor Zegras has scored in each of his past two games and has seven points in his past eight for the Ducks (30-32-8), who have lost three of four (1-2-1) and trail the Blues by 15 points for the second wild card in the West.

If playoffs started Wednesday

Eastern Conference

(1A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Florida Panthers 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 10 games Tuesday, all with playoff implications:

Buffalo Sabres 3, Ottawa Senators 2: Tage Thompson scored his 35th goal of the season at 1:23 of the third period for the Sabres (29-35-6), who are last in the East and 11 points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card. The Senators (37-28-5) have lost three of four and remain four points ahead for the first wild card in the East.

Toronto Maple Leafs 7, Philadelphia Flyers 2: John Tavares and William Nylander each had two goals and two assists for the Maple Leafs (43-25-3), who have won four of five to move into a tie with the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers (28-36-9) have lost six straight (0-5-1) and are 10 points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. Montreal has three games in hand.

Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Pittsburgh Penguins 1: Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists to extend his point streak to six games (nine points; three goals, six assists) for the Lightning (41-25-5), who are third in the Atlantic, two points behind the Maple Leafs and Panthers. Kucherov is tied for second in the NHL with 101 points (30 goals, 71 assists) in 67 games. Sidney Crosby had an assist to extend his point streak to eight games (13 points; six goals, seven assists) for the Penguins (29-33-11), who have lost three of four (1-2-1) and remain six points behind the Canadiens, who have three games in hand, for the second wild card in the East.

Nashville Predators 3, Carolina Hurricanes 1: Luke Evangelista scored two goals for the Predators (27-36-8), who avoided elimination from playoff contention. They are 21 points behind the Blues for the second wild card in the West. Taylor Hall scored for the Hurricanes (43-24-4), who have lost two of three and are second in the Metropolitan, nine points ahead of the Devils.

St. Louis Blues 6, Montreal Canadiens 1: Robert Thomas and Philip Broberg each had a goal and three assists for the Blues (38-28-7), who extended their season-high winning streak to seven games and are 14-2-2 in their past 18 to move within two points of the Wild for the first wild card in the West, and remain four ahead of the Flames for the second wild card. The Canadiens (33-28-9) had a six-game point streak end (3-1-3) and remained one point ahead of the Islanders and Rangers for the second wild card in the East.

Vegas Golden Knights 5, Minnesota Wild 1: Jack Eichel had a hat trick for the Golden Knights (43-20-8), who have won four straight and are five points ahead of the Kings for first place in the Pacific. The Wild (40-27-5) have lost their past two games and remained four points behind the Avalanche for third in the Central. They are two points ahead of the Blues for the first wild card in the West with a game in hand.

Winnipeg Jets 3, Washington Capitals 2 (OT): The Jets (49-19-4) became the first team from the West clinch a playoff berth after Nikolaj Ehlers scored on a breakaway 1:28 into overtime. Winnipeg, which qualified for the seventh time in eight seasons, leads Dallas by eight points for first in the Central but has played two more games. Alex Ovechkin scored his 889th NHL goal to extend his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists) and move within six goals of passing Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most all-time. The Capitals (47-15-9) are first in the Metropolitan, 13 points ahead of the Hurricanes, and one ahead of the Jets in the Presidents’ Trophy race as the top regular-season team.

Colorado Avalanche 5, Detroit Red Wings 2: Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, and Valeri Nichushkin scored to extend his point streak to six games (seven points; four goals, three assists) for the Avalanche (44-25-3), who have won three straight and are third in the Central, three points behind the Stars, who have two games in hand. The Red Wings (33-32-6) have lost three of four and remain three points behind the Canadiens, who have one game in hand, for the second wild card in the East.

Calgary Flames 4, Seattle Kraken 3 (OT): Nazem Kadri scored his second goal 1:02 into overtime for the Flames (34-25-11), who have won four straight and remain four points behind the Blues for the second wild card in the West with three games in hand. Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist for the Kraken (30-36-6), who have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and trail the Blues by 17 points.

Los Angeles Kings 3, New York Rangers 1: Kevin Fiala scored twice for the Kings (40-21-9), who have won four in row and are second in the Pacific, five points behind the Golden Knights with a game in hand. The Rangers (34-32-6) began the first of a three-game California trip and remained one point behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. Montreal has two games in hand.