NHL Playoff Standings 2024: Updated Postseason Picture and Stanley Cup Bracket
April 14, 2024NHL Playoff Standings 2024: Updated Postseason Picture and Stanley Cup Bracket
Fourteen of the 16 Stanley Cup Playoffs berths have been clinched going into the final week of the NHL regular season.
The final two spots come down to five teams in the Eastern Conference all within four points of each other.
The New York Islanders hold the slight edge for third place in the Metropolitan Division over the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Washington is ahead of the Detroit Red Wings, Flyers and Penguins for the final wild-card spot.
While most of the playoff attention has been on the East, a few big results shifted the Western Conference outlook, including the Winnipeg Jets' 7-0 Saturday thumping of the Colorado Avalanche.
Winnipeg now holds the edge in the fight for home ice in the first-round series with Colorado. That is one of the few changes left to be made in the West bracket. The other involves third place in the Pacific Division and the second wild-card spot.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1. Boston - 109 points
2. Florida - 108
3. Toronto - 102
Metropolitan Division
1. New York Rangers - 112
2. Carolina - 109
3. New York Islanders - 90
Wild-Card Race
1. Tampa Bay - 96
2. Washington - 87
3. Detroit - 87
4. Philadelphia - 87
5. Pittsburgh - 86
Current Bracket
Tampa Bay vs. Boston
Toronto vs. Florida
Washington vs. New York Rangers
New York Islanders vs. Carolina
The Islanders, Capitals, Red Wings and Penguins all hold an advantage over the Flyers in the race for the final two East playoff spots.
The quartet of teams have two games remaining on their schedules, while the Flyers have one left on Tuesday against Washington.
Detroit has a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. That is the easiest finish of the wild-card contenders. The Red Wings can only earn the second wild-card spot because they are an Atlantic Division team.
The Islanders and Penguins play each other on Wednesday. Before that, the Isles face the New Jersey Devils, while Pittsburgh hosts the Nashville Predators.
Washington hosts the Boston Bruins on Monday before its trip up I-95 to face Philadelphia.
If Detroit wins twice, it will eliminate the Flyers and Penguins because the Red Wings' maximum number of points is 91.
Two Red Wings wins combined with one loss from Washington would eliminate the Capitals.
The Islanders need one win to secure third place in the Metropolitan because none of their competitors in that race can reach the 92-point mark.
At the top, Boston needs to win out against Washington and the Ottawa Senators to secure first place in the Atlantic Division. The Florida Panthers need to finish their regular season with one more point than Boston to leap the Bruins.
The New York Rangers must beat Ottawa on Tuesday to ensure first place in the Metropolitan. That would put Carolina out of reach of first by one point.
Western Conference
Central Division
1. Dallas - 111
2. Winnipeg - 106
3. Colorado - 104
Pacific Division
1. Vancouver - 107
2. Edmonton - 102
3. Los Angeles - 97
Wild-Card
1. Nashville - 99
2. Vegas - 94
Current Bracket
Vegas vs. Dallas
Colorado vs. Winnipeg
Nashville vs. Vancouver
Los Angeles vs. Edmonton
Winnipeg's 7-0 destruction of Colorado put it in position to host the first-round series with the Avalanche.
Colorado has an opportunity to rebound from that defeat on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas has three games left on its regular-season docket, so it could still catch the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division.
The Golden Knights are expected to beat Chicago and Anaheim on Tuesday and Thursday. A win over Colorado would give them a chance to catch the Kings, who finish with Minnesota and Chicago.
The Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks will win their respective divisions. Vancouver could face a threat from the Edmonton Oilers, but they are more focused on getting healthy for the postseason with Connor McDavid sidelined with a minor injury.
Nashville's first wild-card spot could be under threat from the Golden Knights or Kings because it has a single game left in Pittsburgh.
A Predators loss on Monday would open the door for the Kings or Golden Knights, whichever one of the two does not finish third in the Pacific, to claim the first wild-card spot with 100 points.
