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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the early front-runner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, but lawmakers and strategists warn this can sometimes be the “death knell” for a candidate, pointing to other early presidential front-runners who flamed out despite high expectations. 

Experts say there are a variety of lessons for DeSantis to learn from those early front-runners who failed to live up to potential, such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who was too cautious and suffered from a perceived lack of energy in 2016, or former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) who got bogged down in a mudslinging match in Iowa.

Some pundits are warning DeSantis could peak too soon, as former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker did before the 2016 Republican presidential primary.  

Or they warn he could make the mistake of waiting until the Florida primary to fully deploy his effort and resources, as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani did in 2008 GOP primary — at which point Giuliani fell too far behind his rivals to catch up.   Close Thank you for signing up!

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“People flame out. It’s too early to know who’s actually going to be in contention, but he’s certainly had a successful election and he’s a strong candidate from a big, important state, so you can’t discount him,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said of DeSantis, who won reelection in November with 59 percent of the vote.  

Many Republicans see DeSantis as their best shot to win the 2024 presidential election, but Cornyn quipped that being early the front-runner means “you’re the main spear-catcher” as rivals train their hostile fire at the leader of the pack.  

Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, said being the front-runner was “the death knell to people like Jeb Bush.” 

He said he thinks the political circumstances surrounding DeSantis are different compared to Bush but added: “Right now in this political environment, nothing would surprise me.”

David Paleologos, the director of the political research center at Suffolk University, who conducted a poll last month showing that 61 percent of GOP and GOP-leaning voters prefer DeSantis over former President Trump, said the Florida governor faces an array of potential pitfalls if he runs for president.  

“The second-tier candidates have an incentive to make their No. 1 target DeSantis because they know the alt-Trump candidate in the Republican primary is the better and stronger choice in the general election,” he said. 

He said early presidential front-runners in past elections have made the mistake of sitting on their lead in the polls and not competing aggressively enough in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary — likening it to a football team that plays a “prevent defense” in the final minutes of the game to protect its lead against big plays but winds up giving its opponent too soft a cushion.

“What happens is the candidates take a defensive posture. It’s like if you’re leading in a football game, your strategy is vastly different than if you’re trailing,” he said, adding that the team that’s playing from behind will be more aggressive, creative and scrappy.

“Pollsters for people who are the front-runners are advising accordingly, saying you don’t need to engage, you don’t need to respond, you don’t need to give any oxygen to the second-tier candidate,” he said, warning that over time that strategy can let an opponent build up too much momentum.  

Strategists say DeSantis could learn from various early front-runners who flamed out early in the past.   Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 2015-2016 

Bush announced in July of 2015 that he had raised more than $114 million for his campaign and an affiliated super PAC, far more than any of his Republican presidential rivals. 

An NBC-Wall Street Journal poll from the summer of 2015 showed him at the front of the pack with 22 percent support among GOP primary voters, followed by Walker at 17 percent and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 14 percent.  

Trump had the backing of a meager 1 percent of Republican primary voters polled — tying him at the time with Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.).

Bush, however, went on to win only 2.8 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses, 11 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and 7.8 percent of the vote in the South Carolina primary.  

One of the low points of the campaign came in New Hampshire, where he implored a sleepy audience to “please clap.” Another came when Trump mocked him at a debate for steadily losing public support and getting positioned farther and farther away from the center of the debate stage.

“I just think he was cautious. I think he was being overly defensive and cautious,” Paleologos said of Bush. “His skillset and the age of his advisers was much more seasoned and discounted the potential for someone else to come in and steal the nomination away.”  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, 2015 

Doug Schoen, a political consultant who advised former President Clinton and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign, warned in an op-ed for The Hill last month that DeSantis needs to be wary of the peril of peaking too soon.  

Schoen wrote that DeSantis needs to worry about a “worsening affordability crisis” in Florida driven by rising property insurance and energy costs and — like Walker was in 2016 — is untested on the national stage.  

Walker led the Republican pack of presidential hopefuls in Iowa in January of 2015, according to a Des Moines Register-Bloomberg Politics poll. 

A Monmouth University poll in July of 2015 showed him still leading the field in Iowa with 22 percent support. Trump was running in second place with 13 percent support in the same poll. 

But Walker would wind up dropping out of the race only a few months later after he failed to show any charisma or pizzazz in two debates and got tagged with a reputation of being boring.  

Walker also wound up committing a few painful gaffes, such as when he refused to talk about his views of evolution during a trip to London or say whether he thought then-President Obama was a Christian.  

O’Connell recalled, “Scott walked into a big round of donors and they were like, ‘This man just does not have the right temperament.’” 

He said big donors “are looking for chops and also looking for personality.”   New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2007-2008 

A Gallup poll in February of 2007 showed Giuliani leading the Republican field with 40 percent support among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, easily outdistancing then-Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who had the support of 24 percent of Republican voters.  

Giuliani was still the national front-runner in November of 2007, but he adopted an unorthodox and ultimately unsuccessful strategy of keeping his powder dry until the Florida primary, where he hoped to rack up enough delegates to leap ahead of his rivals.  

The former New York politician was worried his abortion stance would be a liability with conservative voters and made only modest efforts to perform well in those early states.

By the time Florida held its primary on Jan. 29, 2008, Giuliani was no longer seen as the front-runner or even all that competitive. He finished in a distant third place with 14.7 percent of the vote — well behind McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.  

“When you look at who actually wins, six out of the last seven presidents were people who ‘couldn’t win,’” said Republican strategist Chip Saltsman.  

“We always have these inevitable conversations about inevitable front-runners a year or two years out, it’s just what we do. When you look at it, very few people who are ahead at the very beginning of the race actually run the tables.” 

Saltsman, who managed Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s 2008 Republican presidential campaign, said Giuliani didn’t go all-out in the early states because “he was pro-choice and didn’t think he could get through Iowa and South Carolina being the pro-choice candidate.” 

He said the Giuliani staff “were spending all their time in Florida in September, October, November and December and we were slugging it out in the frozen tundra of Iowa.”   Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, 2003-2004 

Probably the most memorable meltdown of a presidential front-runner was the implosion of Dean’s campaign in the 2004 Iowa caucuses, encapsulated by the infamous “Dean scream” after he finished in a disappointing third place.  

Dean was dominating the Democratic field only a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses with 23 percent support among registered voters nationwide, according to a CBS News poll conducted in mid-December 2003.  

He was well ahead of Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), who tied for second place with 10 percent support. Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt and Sens. John Kerry (Mass.) and John Edwards (N.C.) trailed in the singled digits with 6 percent, 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.  

Dean still had a comfortable lead in early January 2004, two weeks before the Iowa contest, with 24 percent support among registered Democrats nationwide, while Clark had 20 percent support and Kerry had 11 percent support.  Biden, Obrador, Trudeau condemn riots in Brazil Police investigating detention of Wall Street Journal reporter in Phoenix

But Dean got bogged down in a nasty negative ad war with Gephardt, whom he viewed as his toughest competitor in Iowa, and both candidates wound up annihilating each other, creating a pathway for Kerry to win the caucuses and Edwards to finish in second.  

“They were really going all on TV against each other and we just came right up the middle and had so much momentum and Edwards followed in our wake,” said Democratic strategist Tad Devine, who was a senior adviser to Kerry’s campaign.  

“By the time we got to caucus night, Dean and Gephardt were gone,” he said. “Gephardt got out of the race and Dean gave a speech that essentially ended his candidacy.” 

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Wolf Hall director on streaming levies: ‘The government needs the guts to stand up to the bully in the White House’

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April 10, 2025

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Wolf Hall director on streaming levies: 'The government needs the guts to stand up to the bully in the White House'

The director of hit BBC period drama Wolf Hall says the government “needs to have enough guts to stand up to the bully in the White House” to protect the future of public service broadcasting.

Peter Kosminsky told Sky News’ Breakfast with Anna Jones that calls for a streaming levy to support British high-end TV production was urgently needed to stop the “decimation” of the UK industry.

His comments follow the release of a new report from the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee, calling for the government to improve support measures for the UK’s high-quality drama sector while safeguarding the creation of distinctly British content.

Specifically, the report calls for streamers – including Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Disney+, all of which are based in the US – to commit to paying 5% of their UK subscriber revenue into a cultural fund to help finance drama with a specific interest to British audiences.

Kosminsky, who made the case for the levy and gave evidence to the committee in January, called global tariffs recently introduced by Donald Trump “the elephant in the room”.

He said he feared they would make the government reticent to introduce a streaming levy, but said it was a necessary step to “defend a hundred years of honourable tradition of public service broadcasting in this country and not see it go to the wall because [the government are] frightened of the consequences from the bully in the States”.

Mark Rylance (L) and Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light. Pic: BBC
Image:
The second series of Wolf Hall, starring Mark Rylance (L) and Damian Lewis, nearly didn’t happen. Pic: BBC

Kosminsky also noted that the streamers would be able to apply for money from the fund themselves, as long as they were in co-production with a UK public service broadcaster.

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Earlier this year, a White House memorandum referenced levies on US streaming services, calling them “one-sided, anti-competitive policies” that “violate American sovereignty”.

In response to the call for streaming levies, a Netflix spokesperson said such a move would “penalise audiences” and “diminish competitiveness”.

They added: “The UK is Netflix’s biggest production hub outside of North America – and we want it to stay that way.”

The Association for Commercial Broadcasters and On-Demand Services (COBA) said such a levy “risks damaging UK growth and the global success story of the UK TV sector,” and “would risk dampening streamers’ existing investment in domestic content and would inevitably increase costs for businesses”.

Pic: BBC
Image:
Pic: BBC

COBA said it welcomed the committee’s support for targeted tax breaks for domestic drama.

Kosminsky also told Sky News the second series of Wolf Hall was nearly called off just six weeks before it was due to start shooting due to financial pressures, adding: “It was only because the producer, the director, writer and the leading actor all agreed to take huge cuts in their own remuneration that the show actually got made.”

He said that both he and the show’s executive producer, Sir Colin Callender, had “worked on the show unpaid for 11 years on the basis that we would get a payment when the show went into production”, calling it “a bitter blow” to see that disappear.

Working in public service broadcasting for his entire career, Kosminsky said it was “absolutely heartbreaking for me and others like me to see that the industry we have been nurtured by and we care about is being decimated”.

While he said he was a “huge fan of the streamers”, he said it was their “very deep pockets” that had “driven up the price of what we do”, to the point where the traditional broadcasters can no longer afford to make high-end television.

Pic: Netflix
Image:
Adolescence. Pic: Netflix

Just this week, Adolescence, created by British talent Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, became the fourth most popular English-language series in Netflix’s history with 114 million views.

But while some very British shows might get taken on by the streamers due to universal appeal, Kosminsky said dramas including ITV’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office and Hillsborough, and BBC drama Three Girls about the grooming of young girls by gangs in the north of England were examples of game-changing productions that could be lost in the future.

He warned: “These are not dramas that the streamers would ever make, they’re about free speech in this country. That’s part of what we think of as a democratic society, where we can make these dramas and programmes that challenge on issues of public policy that would never be of any interest in America.”

Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Image:
Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

The CMS report comes following an inquiry into British film and high-end television, which considered how domestic and inward investment production was being affected by the rise of streaming platforms.

Chairwoman of the CMS committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said “there will be countless distinctly British stories that never make it to our screens” unless the government intervenes to “rebalance the playing field” between streamers and public service broadcasters (PSBs).

A DCMS spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the challenges facing our brilliant film and TV industry and are working with it through our Industrial Strategy to consider what more needs to be done to unlock growth and develop the skills pipeline. We thank the committee for its report which we will respond to in due course.”

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Stanley Cup playoff watch: Which games matter the most Thursday?

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April 10, 2025

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Stanley Cup playoff watch: Which games matter the most Thursday?

Apr 10, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

Hockey fans are close to knowing the identities of the 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams for 2025. But the battles for seeding continue to rage — as does the jockeying for position in the draft lottery order.

Here’s what to monitor during Thursday’s 10-game slate — and we hope you can watch on multiple devices!

Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

These two Original Six franchises will be back in the postseason again at some point, but not this season. Chicago begins the night second in the draft lottery order, three points back of the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins are fourth heading into Thursday night, tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Red Wings begin the evening eight points behind the Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the East (Tuesday’s loss to Montreal certainly didn’t help). A regulation loss here eliminates them. After their win Tuesday over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers are right back in the race atop the Atlantic Division. As play begins Thursday, the Leafs are No. 1 with 100 points and 39 regulation wins, the Tampa Bay Lightning are second (97, 39) and the Panthers are third (94, 36).

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Sabres picked a strange time to go on a heater, as they are 8-2-0 in their last 10; maybe there will be some carry-over to start 2025-26? In any event, Buffalo begins the evening eighth in the draft lotto order, three spots (and three points) ahead of Columbus. The Blue Jackets stayed in the playoff race probably longer than anyone outside their dressing room believed they would, but they’ll be officially eliminated with another loss.

Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)

There was some nastiness the last time these two squads played; will we see retribution — particularly against Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield — on Thursday? As for the long-term impact, Washington is locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Metro, and Carolina needs one point to clinch the No. 2 seed over the New Jersey Devils.

New York Rangers at New York Islanders
7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

From two Metro teams that have clinched a playoff spot to two who are on the cusp of elimination (after qualifying last spring). This rivalry game has a bit less juice than usual given the reality of the mathematics. The Rangers are currently 10th in the draft lottery order, the Isles 12th.

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars
8 p.m. (ESPN+)

If the Stars have plans to overtake the Jets for the top overall seed in the West, they’ll need to win this one. Winnipeg enters the game four points (and one regulation win) ahead. So it’s not completely a must-win for the Stars’ quest for the No. 1 spot, but it’d certainly be a lot better for those chances if they won.

Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche
9 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Canucks were officially eliminated Wednesday night, and are currently 15th in the draft lottery order, a point back of the Hockey Club. As for the Avalanche, they are nearly locked into position as the Central’s No. 3 seed.

Nashville Predators at Utah Hockey Club
9 p.m. (ESPN+)

The HC has been playing inspired hockey as of late, but it was too late to get the final playoff spot, as they were eliminated Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Nashville begins play third in the draft lotto order, 10 points behind Chicago and seven ahead of the No. 4 Flyers.

Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights
10 p.m. (ESPN+)

This wasn’t the best season in Seattle Kraken history, though the club will likely get a top-10 draft pick this summer to continue the build; heading into Thursday, the Kraken are sixth in the draft lottery order, one point behind the Flyers and Bruins, and two ahead of the Penguins and Sabres.

Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings
10 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)

Speaking of the Ducks, a win over their SoCal rivals would diminish the Kings’ chances of catching Vegas for the No. 1 seed in the Pacific; L.A. begins the evening six points back.

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Thursday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)
New York Rangers at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Utah Hockey Club, 9 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings, 10 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)

Wednesday’s scoreboard

Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (OT)
Philadelphia Flyers 8, New York Rangers 5
Minnesota Wild 8, San Jose Sharks 7 (OT)
Edmonton Oilers 4, St. Louis Blues 3
Anaheim Ducks 4, Calgary Flames 3 (OT)

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 105.1
Next game: vs. MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 102.0
Next game: vs. DET (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 98.8
Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 94.6
Next game: vs. MTL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 91.5
Next game: @ OTT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 97.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.4%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 75.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metro Division

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 93.6
Next game: vs. PIT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.8%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.3%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: @ NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.7%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 78.9
Next game: @ NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 76.7
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 110
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 115.6
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 111.4
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 103.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Points pace: 96.5
Next game: @ CGY (Friday)
Playoff chances: 91.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 95.3
Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 97.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 88.3
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 67.3
Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 56.8
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 108.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 103.3
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 95
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 99.9
Next game: vs. SJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 92.5
Next game: vs. MIN (Friday)
Playoff chances: 11.3%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 89.4
Next game: @ COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: @ LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 76.8
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 53.6
Next game: @ EDM (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 28

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Wild Wednesday: Celebrini 1 of 4 to net hat trick

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April 10, 2025

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Wild Wednesday: Celebrini 1 of 4 to net hat trick

  • Associated Press

Apr 10, 2025, 12:26 AM ET

There were plenty of goals scored in the NHL on Wednesday night, and four players accounted for a bulk of them.

Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini traded hat tricks in one contest, and Toronto’s Matthew Knies and Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster also had three-goal games. The four three-goal efforts in the first three games of the five-game schedule were the most in the NHL since five hat tricks on April 1, 2023.

In the highest scoring game of the night, Eriksson Ek had a career-high four goals in his return from a lower-body injury in the Wild’s 8-7 overtime victory over the Sharks. San Jose was led by Celebrini, a rookie star who finished with three goals and two assists.

Knies had his second hat trick of the season for the Maple Leafs in a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Foerster posted his first NHL hat trick for the Flyers in an 8-5 win over the New York Rangers.

The NHL had three three-hat trick days this season on Dec. 12, Dec. 27, Jan. 8 and April 5.

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