NHL Playoff Picture 2024: Breaking Down Standings and Current Postseason Bracket

The NHL playoffs are just about here, with six teams in each conference already clinching a spot in the dance.

Others are hoping to make noise by earning a wild card and upsetting higher-ranked opponents.

Regardless of how a team gets in, it is what they do once they are there that matters most.

Ahead of the most fun and high-stakes period of the season, who stands where and which series, if the season ended today, is the most intriguing in each conference?

Find out with this preview.

1. x-New York Rangers (53-22-4)]
2. x-Carolina Hurricanes (50-22-7)
3. x-Boston Bruins (46-18-15)
4. x-Florida Panthers (49-24-6)
5. x-Toronto Maple Leafs (46-23-9)
6. x-Tampa Bay Lightning (44-27-7)
7. New York Islanders (36-27-15)
8. Washington Capitals (37-30-11)
9. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-30-12)
10. Detroit Red Wings (38-32-8)
11. Philadelphia Flyers (36-32-11)
12. New Jersey Devils (37-37-5)
13. Buffalo Sabres (37-37-5)
14. Ottawa Senators (34-40-4)
15. Montreal Canadiens (30-36-12)
16. Columbus Blue Jackets (26-41-12)

x-clinched playoffs

1. x-Dallas Stars (50-20-9)
2. x-Vancouver Canucks (48-22-9)
3. x-Colorado Avalanche (49-24-6)
4. x-Winnipeg Jets (48-24-6)
5. x-Edmonton Oilers (48-24-5)
6. x-Nashville Predators (45-29-5)
7. Los Angeles Kings (41-26-11)
8. Vegas Golden Knights (42-28-8)
9. St. Louis Blues (42-32-5)
10. Minnesota Wild (37-32-9)
11. Seattle Kraken (33-31-13)
12. Calgary Flames (35-37-5)
13. Arizona Coyotes (34-40-5)
14. Anaheim Ducks (26-48-5)
15. Chicago Blackhawks (23-50-5)
16. San Jose Sharks (18-51-9)

x-clinched playoffs

Eastern Conference

• Bruins (Atlantic Division 1) vs. Lightning (Wild Card 1)
• Panthers (A2) vs. Maple Leafs (A3)
• Rangers (Metropolitan Division 1) vs. Capitals (WC 2)
• Hurricanes (M2) vs. Islanders (M3)

Tampa is one of the hottest teams in the league, having won seven of their last 10 to get themselves into playoff contention. While Boston has been one of the best teams in hockey all season, with two extraordinary goalies in Silus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, the Lightning may be the one team the Bruins do not want to see come playoff time.

The two played on March 27 in a game won by Tampa, 3-1.

The Bruins are not dynamic enough offensively to hang with a Lightning team led by Steven Stamkos and Brandon Hagel, and Tampa's defense has been better of late, too.

Boston holds the advantage in net but the Lightning are hotter and are traditionally one of the tougher outs in the postseason.

That Tampa has momentum on its side only makes them that much more intriguing an option to pull off a round one upset.

Western Conference

• Stars (Central Division 1) vs. Golden Knights (Wild Card 2)
• Avalanche (C2) vs. Jets (C3)
• Canucks (Pacific Division 1) vs. Predators (WC1)
• Oilers (P2) vs. Kings (P3)

The Stars have been the best team in the west all year but will be tested early by a Golden Knights team that may manage to sneak its way into the postseason by way of the second wild card but know what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, having done so last year.

Experience may not be enough to take down Dallas, though.

The team is second in the league in goals scored per game with 3.64 and have a staggering 11 different players with double-digit goals to their name. They win at home or on the road and have earned the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Goaltending may be problematic for Dallas and the Golden Knights have defeated the stars in three straight games. They could score early and often against a Dallas team whose defense is questionable.

The opening round series may be the most dynamic offensive showcase of the entire playoffs.