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

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 have multiple devices on which to watch! Editor's Picks NHL Awards Watch: Final regular-season ballots for seven different trophies 44m Greg Wyshynski How Zach Werenski has leveled up during an emotional season for the Blue Jackets 2d Kristen Shilton 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).

Breaking News from Emily Kaplan Download the ESPN app and enable Emily Kaplan's news alerts to receive push notifications for the latest updates first.

Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner.

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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 Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles a year from top writers.

NHL Urgency Index: Who needs to win now? CFB 2026 recruiting class rankings Predicting which NFL teams will draft QBs More ESPN+ content x - Toronto Maple Leafs 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 x - Tampa Bay Lightning 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 x - Florida Panthers 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 x - Ottawa Senators 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 Montreal Canadiens 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 Detroit Red Wings 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 e - Buffalo Sabres 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 e - Boston Bruins 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 y - Washington Capitals 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 x - Carolina Hurricanes 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 x - New Jersey Devils 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 New York Islanders 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 Columbus Blue Jackets 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 New York Rangers 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 e - Pittsburgh Penguins 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 e - Philadelphia Flyers 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 x - Winnipeg Jets 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 x - Dallas Stars 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 x - Colorado Avalanche 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 Minnesota Wild 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 St.

Louis Blues 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 e - Utah Hockey Club 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 e - Nashville Predators 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 e - Chicago Blackhawks 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 x - Vegas Golden Knights 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 x - Los Angeles Kings 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 Edmonton Oilers 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 Calgary Flames 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 e - Vancouver Canucks 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 e - Anaheim Ducks 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 e - Seattle Kraken 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 e - San Jose Sharks 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 Playoff Hockey Challenge Pick the winners and crown your Stanley Cup champion! Create A Bracket 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 .

1.

San Jose Sharks Points: 51 Regulation wins: 14 2.

Chicago Blackhawks Points: 54 Regulation wins: 19 3.

Nashville Predators Points: 64 Regulation wins: 23 4.

Boston Bruins Points: 73 Regulation wins: 25 5.

Philadelphia Flyers Points: 73 Regulation wins: 21 6.

Seattle Kraken Points: 74 Regulation wins: 28 7.

Pittsburgh Penguins Points: 76 Regulation wins: 22 8.

Buffalo Sabres Points: 76 Regulation wins: 28 9.

Anaheim Ducks Points: 78 Regulation wins: 24 10.

New York Rangers Points: 79 Regulation wins: 32 11.

Columbus Blue Jackets Points: 79 Regulation wins: 25 12.

New York Islanders Points: 79 Regulation wins: 27 13.

Detroit Red Wings Points: 79 Regulation wins: 28 14.

Utah Hockey Club Points: 84 Regulation wins: 28 15.

Vancouver Canucks Points: 85 Regulation wins: 27 16.

Calgary Flames Points: 88 Regulation wins: 28.

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