NHL Playoff Race Tightens as Teams Battle for Wild Card Spots

NEW YORK, NY — With less than three weeks remaining in the 2024-25 NHL regular season, teams are battling fiercely for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The race for the final wild-card position involves several teams, making each game crucial as the regular season concludes on April 17.

As of Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens sit atop the wild-card rankings with 79 points from 74 games played. The New York Rangers trail closely with the same points total but have played more games, putting their postseason aspirations in jeopardy. Not far behind are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have 77 points, and the idle New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, who have 75 and 74 points respectively, complicating the playoff landscape.

The Stathletes projection model gives the Canadiens a 42.1% chance of making the playoffs, followed by the Blue Jackets at 27.4% and Rangers at 26.8%. Islanders and Red Wings are far behind, with only 2.8% and 2.7% probabilities, respectively. These figures underscore the competitiveness of the current playoff race.

Thursday’s games could provide further clarity. The Canadiens are set to face the Boston Bruins while the Blue Jackets will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both games are pivotal as they could either bolster playoff hopes or further dampen the chances for the teams involved.

NHL fans are eagerly awaiting outcomes of key matchups to decide which teams will secure their spots in the postseason and which will fall short. With each passing game, the stakes grow higher as teams jockey for position not only for playoff seeding but also for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft Lottery.

“Every point matters at this stage of the season, especially for the teams in contention for that last wild card,” said ESPN hockey analyst Rachel Doerrie. “With the competition this intense, fans can expect plenty of closely contested games down the stretch.”

As the clock ticks down to the end of the regular season, anticipate more exciting matchups as teams look to seize their opportunities to enter the playoff fray.