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

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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+)

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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.

Having clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2017 on Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators are considering holding out injured captain Brady Tkachuk for the final four regular-season games.

Tkachuk, 25, has missed the past five games with an upper-body injury suffered on a hit from Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Graves in the host Penguins’ 1-0 overtime victory on March 30.

Senators general manager Steve Staios said Wednesday that Tkachuk might play if the playoffs started Thursday, but he couldn’t give a definitive answer.

“[Tkachuk] continues to progress,” said Staios, also the team’s president of hockey operations. “Now that we’ve clinched a playoff spot, I think every team goes through these discussions. Like, what is the best situation? Do you rest players? How do you manage that? We haven’t figured that part out yet, but to me, you always want to keep the team moving along and competing at a high level to roll into the playoffs at the right time. But certainly, those will be discussions that we’ll have, as far as lineup for the last four games.”

Tkachuk has a team highs with 29 goals and 123 penalty minutes, as well as 26 assists, a plus-2 rating, 33 blocks and 227 hits in 71 games.

The Senators (42-30-6, 90 points) have the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. Their regular-season schedule continues Friday with a visit from the Montreal Canadiens, followed by home games against Philadelphia on Sunday, Chicago on Tuesday and Carolina on April 17.

Ottawa selected Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, a year after the Senators lost to the Penguins in the conference finals. He made his NHL debut in 2018 and has 191 goals, 404 points, 750 penalty minutes, 193 blocks and 1,758 hits in 511 regular-season games.