Stanley Cup playoff watch: What's at stake in Friday's games?

A week from now, the Stanley Cup playoff bracket will be set, and the first games of the postseason will take place on April 19.

Many of the teams competing in the playoffs are known, but the final seeding remains up for grabs -- as does the final order in the draft lottery.

Here's what to watch in Friday's matchups: Editor's Picks NHL Awards Watch: Final regular-season ballots for seven different trophies 20h Greg Wyshynski 'That's just Ovi': How a true original set a goal-scoring record 20h Emily Kaplan NHL Urgency Index: Which teams need to win the Stanley Cup right now? 2d Neil Paine Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators 7 p.m.

(ESPN+) The Senators have punched their ticket to the postseason, but it remains to be determined if they will move into the No.

3 spot in the Atlantic (they trail the Florida Panthers by six points and four regulation wins) or stick as the first wild card.

The Canadiens are well ahead of the competition for the second wild-card position, entering Friday's game six up on the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers .

They can also catch the Sens, as the gap between those two clubs is three points at opening puck drop.

Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning 7 p.m.

(ESPN+) Detroit's playoff chances are slim, and each of its remaining games is a must-win; on the draft lottery front, the Red Wings are currently 11th.

The Lightning remain in the hunt to finish first in the Atlantic Division, beginning the evening three points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs .

Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils 7 p.m.

(NHL Network) This offseason will include a bit more roster tinkering for the Penguins, who are hoping for another playoff push during the Sidney Crosby era.

They are currently slated No.

7 in the draft lottery order, two behind the Seattle Kraken and tied with the Buffalo Sabres .

The Devils clinched a playoff berth this week and will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round; Carolina clinched home-ice advantage with a shootout loss to the Capitals on Thursday.

San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers 9:30 p.m.

(ESPN+) The Sharks have a five-point cushion over the Chicago Blackhawks atop the draft lottery order, with four games remaining; they also have the benefit of a six-regulation win gap just in case it comes down to that tiebreaker.

The Oilers' magic number to clinch the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division is one, and they start the evening four points (and seven regulation wins) behind the Los Angeles Kings for the No.

2 seed.

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames 10 p.m.

(ESPN+) The Flames' playoff hopes are flickering, and this is a must-win game against one of the teams that they are chasing for a wild-card spot.

The Wild are currently five points and five regulation wins ahead.

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 Friday's games Note: All times ET.

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

Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators , 7 p.m.

Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning , 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils , 7 p.m.

(NHL Network) San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers , 9:30 p.m.

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames , 10 p.m.

Thursday's scoreboard 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 5, Boston Bruins 2 Florida Panthers 4, Detroit Red Wings 1 Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Buffalo Sabres 2 Washington Capitals 5, Carolina Hurricanes 4 (SO) New York Rangers 9, New York Islanders 2 Winnipeg Jets 4, Dallas Stars 0 Vancouver Canucks 4, Colorado Avalanche 1 Nashville Predators 4, Utah Hockey Club 3 (SO) Vegas Golden Knights 2, Seattle Kraken 1 Los Angeles Kings 6, Anaheim Ducks 1 Expanded standings Atlantic Division Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles a year from top writers.

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NFL draft intel for 32 teams: QBs, more 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: 96 Regulation wins: 37 Playoff position: A3 Games left: 3 Points pace: 99.7 Next game: vs.

BUF (Saturday) 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: 100% 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: 98.3% Tragic number: N/A Detroit Red Wings Points: 79 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 83.1 Next game: @ TB (Friday) Playoff chances: 0.4% Tragic number: 1 e - Buffalo Sabres Points: 76 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 79.9 Next game: @ FLA (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E e - Boston Bruins Points: 73 Regulation wins: 25 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 2 Points pace: 74.8 Next game: @ PIT (Sunday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E Metro Division y - Washington Capitals Points: 109 Regulation wins: 42 Playoff position: M1 Games left: 4 Points pace: 114.6 Next game: @ CBJ (Saturday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A x - Carolina Hurricanes Points: 97 Regulation wins: 41 Playoff position: M2 Games left: 4 Points pace: 102.0 Next game: vs.

NYR (Saturday) 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: 100% Tragic number: N/A Columbus Blue Jackets Points: 81 Regulation wins: 26 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 85.2 Next game: vs.

WSH (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0.4% Tragic number: 3 New York Rangers Points: 81 Regulation wins: 33 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 84.1 Next game: @ CAR (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0.1% Tragic number: 1 New York Islanders Points: 79 Regulation wins: 27 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 83.1 Next game: @ PHI (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0.9% 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: 112 Regulation wins: 43 Playoff position: C1 Games left: 3 Points pace: 116.3 Next game: @ CHI (Saturday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A x - Dallas Stars Points: 106 Regulation wins: 41 Playoff position: C2 Games left: 3 Points pace: 110.0 Next game: vs.

UTA (Saturday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A x - Colorado Avalanche Points: 100 Regulation wins: 39 Playoff position: C3 Games left: 2 Points pace: 102.5 Next game: @ LA (Saturday) 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: 97.9% 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: 94.7% Tragic number: N/A e - Utah Hockey Club Points: 85 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 88.2 Next game: @ DAL (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E e - Nashville Predators Points: 66 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 68.5 Next game: @ VGK (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E e - Chicago Blackhawks Points: 56 Regulation wins: 20 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 58.1 Next game: vs.

WPG (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E Pacific Division x - Vegas Golden Knights Points: 105 Regulation wins: 44 Playoff position: P1 Games left: 3 Points pace: 109.0 Next game: vs.

NSH (Saturday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A x - Los Angeles Kings Points: 99 Regulation wins: 40 Playoff position: P3 Games left: 4 Points pace: 104.1 Next game: vs.

COL (Saturday) 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: 99.9% 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: 7.5% Tragic number: 3 e - Vancouver Canucks Points: 87 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 90.3 Next game: vs.

MIN (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E e - Anaheim Ducks Points: 78 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 81.0 Next game: @ LA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E e - Seattle Kraken Points: 74 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 2 Points pace: 75.9 Next game: vs.

STL (Saturday) 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: 56 Regulation wins: 20 3.

Nashville Predators Points: 66 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 Islanders Points: 79 Regulation wins: 27 11.

Detroit Red Wings Points: 79 Regulation wins: 28 12.

New York Rangers Points: 81 Regulation wins: 33 13.

Columbus Blue Jackets Points: 81 Regulation wins: 26 14.

Utah Hockey Club Points: 85 Regulation wins: 28 15.

Vancouver Canucks Points: 87 Regulation wins: 28 16.

Calgary Flames Points: 88 Regulation wins: 28.

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