NHL playoff watch: A ‘loser leaves town match’ for Flyers, Sabres on Friday?
As the chaotic final stretch of the Eastern Conference wild-card race continues, Friday’s schedule includes four teams that could occupy the final spot when the Eastern schedule concludes April 17.
The Washington Capitals, fresh off a loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, are skating against the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). Don’t feel bad for the Caps; the Canes are also on the second half of a back-to-back as they lost to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
Elsewhere, the Detroit Red Wings are hosting the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). Given the way the winds are currently blowing, the Rangers will be the team taking on whichever club winds up in the final wild-card slot.
Finally, the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers will take the ice (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+) in a matchup that will be devastating for the losing team’s playoff chances.
Heading into Friday night’s action, the Flyers (83 points, 28 regulation wins) hold the No. 3 spot in the Metro Division, the idle New York Islanders (83, 25) have the second wild card, while the Caps (82, 28), Red Wings (82, 26) and Sabres (77, 30) are chasing.
As we traverse the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check in on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2024 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Clinching scenarios
Friday’s schedule
Thursday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 New York Islanders
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers
Western Conference
C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC2 Los Angeles Kings
C2 Colorado Avalanche vs. C3 Winnipeg Jets
P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Vegas Golden Knights
Clinching scenarios
The idle Toronto Maple Leafs will clinch a playoff berth if any of the following occurs on Friday night:
The idle Tampa Bay Lightning will clinch a playoff berth if the Capitals, Red Wings and Flyers all lose in regulation.
Friday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).
Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.
Thursday’s scoreboard
Tampa Bay Lightning 7, Montreal Canadiens 4
Florida Panthers 6, Ottawa Senators 0
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Washington Capitals 1
Boston Bruins 4, Carolina Hurricanes 1
New York Islanders 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Nashville Predators 6, St. Louis Blues 3
Colorado Avalanche 5, Minnesota Wild 2
Winnipeg Jets 5, Calgary Flames 2
Los Angeles Kings 2, San Jose Sharks 1
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 105
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 112
Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 101
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 108
Next game: @ BOS (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 104
Next game: @ MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 93
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 100
Next game: @ PIT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 90
Next game: vs. NYR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 48.5%
Tragic number: 13
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. PHI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0.7%
Tragic number: 6
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 77
Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 1
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 77
Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 1
Metropolitan Division
Points: 106
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 114
Next game: @ DET (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 101
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 109
Next game: vs. WSH (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: 53.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 90
Next game: vs. NSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 46.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ CAR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 36.1%
Tragic number: 13
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 87
Next game: vs. TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 14.5%
Tragic number: 10
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 82
Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.3%
Tragic number: 5
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 67
Next game: vs. PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Central Division
Points: 105
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 113
Next game: @ CHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 102
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 110
Next game: @ EDM (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 106
Next game: @ MIN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 99
Next game: @ NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 91
Next game: @ SJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.6%
Tragic number: 5
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 89
Next game: vs. WPG (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.3%
Tragic number: 4
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 73
Next game: vs. VGK (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 54
Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 102
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 110
Next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. COL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 101
Next game: @ ARI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 91
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 98
Next game: vs. VAN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 82
Next game: @ ANA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 80
Next game: vs. EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 58
Next game: vs. SEA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 42
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 46
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
p — clinched Presidents’ Trophy
y — clinched division
x — clinched playoff berth
e — 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 draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Macklin Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University.
Points: 42
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 30
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 30
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 29
* The Penguins’ first-round pick was traded to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, it is top-10 protected.
All signs pointed to the Florida Panthers finishing off the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4, but the Canes kept the series rolling with a 3-0 win on Monday.
Will the Panthers finish the story in Game 5? Or will the Hurricanes send the festivities back to South Florida again?
Here are matchup notes heading into Wednesday’s Game 5 from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:
More on Game 4: Recap | Grades
Matchup notes
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 5 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT
The Panthers’ odds to win the series are now -1600, adjusted from -5000 heading into Game 4. The Hurricanes’ odds have shifted to +750 (adjusted from +1500) after their win. The Panthers’ odds to win the Cup are now +105 (previously -110), while the Canes’ are now +1800. Sergei Bobrovsky is the leading Conn Smythe candidate in this series at +200, followed by Aleksander Barkov (+800).
Game 4 was the Canes’ first win in the round since Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals against the Buffalo Sabres, snapping a 15-game conference finals losing streak. It was the longest losing streak in NHL playoff history for a team in the round preceding the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes are now 4-4 all-time in Game 4s when trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.
Frederik Andersen made 20 saves for his fifth career playoff shutout, his second with the Hurricanes. He joins Cam Ward (four), Kevin Weekes (two) and Petr Mrazek (two) as goaltenders with multiple playoff shutouts in Whalers/Hurricanes Stanley Cup playoffs history.
Carolina’s Logan Stankoven scored playoff goal No. 5 in the second period. He joins Erik Cole (six in 2002) and Warren Foegele (five in 2019) as the only rookies in Whalers/Hurricanes history to score at least five goals in a single Stanley Cup playoffs year.
Sebastian Aho scored an empty-net goal in the third period, his 32nd career playoff tally. That extends his own franchise record for career goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Panthers were shut out for the second time this postseason; both games were at home — the other instance was Game 6 of the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Florida went 0-4 on the power play in Game 4, and the team is now 0-8 with the man advantage in the last two games of this series after going 4-for-5 in Games 1 and 2.
Though he hasn’t scored a goal in the past two games, Sam Bennett has a team-leading nine this postseason. That is two shy of the franchise record in a single playoff year, currently held by Matthew Tkachuk (2023) and Carter Verhaeghe (2024).
Scoring leaders
GP: 16 | G: 6 | A: 9
GP: 14 | G: 5 | A: 9
Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco will have surgery on his right elbow and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season, the team announced Wednesday.
The starter had sought a second opinion after being placed on the injured list last week with inflammation in the elbow.
The Astros said Blanco — who is 3-4 with a 4.10 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 20 walks in nine starts this season — is anticipated to return at some point during the 2026 season.
Blanco, 31, is among a long list of starting pitchers on the injured list for the Astros. Right-hander Hayden Wesneski underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery last week, while right-hander Spencer Arrighetti has been out since April after breaking his right thumb in a batting practice mishap.
Houston is also without right-handers Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier, who are both still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Blanco is in his fourth major league season, all with the Astros. In 2024, he finished 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA in 30 games (29 starts). He threw his only career complete game in his season debut on April 1, no-hitting the Toronto Blue Jays in a 10-0 win.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
The Breeders’ Cup world championships are returning to New York in 2027 at the rebuilt Belmont Park, following a massive renovation project to revitalize one of the most important horse racing tracks in the country.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with officials from the Breeders’ Cup and the New York Racing Association, announced Wednesday that the track on the edge of Queens and Nassau County on Long Island will stage the event in the fall two years from now.
“We wrote the governor of New York a letter in 2023 that simply said, ‘If you build it, we will come,'” Breeders’ Cup Limited president and CEO Drew Fleming said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “And so we’re very honored to keep our word and have a wonderful Breeders’ Cup world championship here in 2027 to showcase the new development and investment in Belmont Park to our fans from across the globe.”
Keeneland in Lexington was revealed as the 2026 host.
Belmont Park was last home to the Breeders’ Cup in 2005, the fourth time in two decades after also being there in 1990, 1995 and 2001. A goal of the $455 million teardown and reconstruction was to attract the major event.
“It was always part of the plan: We weren’t going to redevelop Belmont Park without Breeders’ Cup in mind, so it was always part of the initial goals,” NYRA president and CEO David O’Rourke told the AP by phone. “Getting the championships back to New York is big from an economic point of view and probably one of the most important [things], if not the most important. It gives our trainers and horsemen a chance to compete on their home tracks. I think it’s great. It’s been over 20 years.”
Hochul said in a statement that the redevelopment is bringing thousands of jobs and $1 billion in long-term economic activity to Long Island.
“Thanks to the investments we are making at Belmont Park, the long held dream of bringing the prestigious Breeders’ Cup back to New York will soon be a reality,” Hochul said.
The Breeders’ Cup has been at a Kentucky or California track every year since 2008. Del Mar outside San Diego has it this year as a back-to-back host and for the fourth time since 2017.
Santa Anita outside Los Angeles, Keeneland and Churchill Downs in Louisville — home of the Kentucky Derby — have become the regular sites for the two-day festival featuring the best thoroughbreds in the world and tens of millions of dollars’ worth of races. It’s shifting back to the Eastern time zone for the next two years.
“California is and has always been a wonderful spot to have the Breeders’ Cup with Santa Anita Park and Del Mar, but one of the missions of the Breeders’ Cup is to grow the sport, and one of the ways we do this is hosting world championships at various venues across the United States,” Fleming said, adding that he expects the event to generate $100 million for the New York economy.
While NYRA has not announced a location for the 2026 Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown is set to return to its old home by 2027, after a multiyear stint at historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York during renovations.
With the Belmont at Belmont Park shifting back to an annual occurrence, it is possible the track known for greats like Secretariat and Seattle Slew rumbling down the stretch to the finish line with fans roaring might get back in a regular rotation.
“The best part about working for the Breeders’ Cup is that nothing is off the table,” Fleming said. “New York City has some of the finest accommodations and restaurants and entertainment in the world, so it’d be a natural fit that we would be at Belmont Park frequently.”
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