The Eastern Conference
The Season is coming to a dramatic close and the wildcard race in the eastern conference is heating up. The Ottawa Senators sit with a comfortable 6 point lead in the first wildcard spot. While the Canadians and Rangers are tied for 77 points, the Blue Jackets sit just two points behind them, meanwhile the Islanders are barely holding on with 74 points.
The top two wildcard spots are the teams getting the ticket to the post season, and for the last three years the fight for the final two positions has never disappointed fans around the league. This year is proving no different.
The Ottawa Senators have played fantastic hockey as of late and acquired a great second line center before the trade deadline. Brady Tkachuk, Captain of the Senators leads the team in goals and in hits. Recently they have taken the first wildcard spot and sit comfortably with 83 points and look to win out the weekend as they face off against a suffering eastern conference team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Senators can win at least half of their last ten games, this team can march their way into the playoffs.
The Montreal Canadians won an early game on the 20th and continued their hopes of keeping their second wildcard spot. With a win over the Florida Panthers, third in the Atlantic division, the Canadians have kicked the Rangers out of the second wildcard spot and are now tied with them. This team cannot take their foot off the gas as the Rangers are still very much in the race as are the Blue Jackets who sit just one win away from these two teams.
The Rangers are in the same position as Montreal, but have 8 more games to go. Six of those games are against Stanley Cup contenders, and with the way the season has gone for the Rangers, they will need to play their best hockey and win most of these games out. The Rangers have been battling for the second wildcard spot and have been in and out the entire season. Something will have to change for this team to best the Canadians and punch their ticket to the post season.
The Blue Jackets tragically lost Johnny Gaudreau over the summer, a key player to this team’s offensive production. Although with the loss of the winger, this team has exceeded expectations and managed to battle their way to 75 points and sit just one win behind the second wildcard spot. Columbus has 10 games left, all in April and need to win out 5 or more if they want a chance at a playoff spot.
The New York Islanders are 5th in the wildcard column at 74 points. They are just 1 point behind the Blue Jackets and are pushing hard every game to secure a spot in the post season. With nine games remaining the team would need to win 4 to even tie with the current Montreal Canadians. This leaves the team with 5 games, each of which the team would need to win. It’s not impossible for the Islanders to win 9 straight, but not exactly probable either.
The Western Conference
As the season draws to a close, the teams in the west are fighting for their playoff spot, but the race is not as exciting unfortunately. The wildcard race in the western conference seems set and stone as the final 10 games set in. The Minnesota Wild hold the first spot with 87 points, the Saint Louis Blues are tied with the Wild, sitting in the second spot. Spot 3 is held by the Vancouver Canucks sitting 6 points behind them, Calgary Flames have 80 points in spot 4 and the Utah Hockey Club have 76 points.
The Minnesota Wild started off the season very well, holding a top five spot in the league. After losing Mats Zuccarello, who was their top scorer, the team went on several losing streaks and fell in the standings. The team eventually found their footing and climbed up the western standings to hold onto the top wildcard spot at 87 points. With 8 games remaining, the team will need to hold on a bit longer as they continue the playoff push.
The Saint Louis Blues have won 9 straight games! This is not an easy feat in the current game but it has helped tremendously in their fight for a playoff spot. The Blues have been a wildcard team since their cup win in 2019 and this year is no different. The Blues have been one of the better teams in the west and look to push through their next 7 games and secure a post season position.
The Canucks did well in the 23’-24’ season and looked to continue their successes in the 24’-25’ season. Except they haven’t done that. The team sits out of a playoff spot with 81 points. Despite the phenomenal goaltending this team has, they could not find a way to consistently win. With 8 games remaining, the team would need to win at least 6 of those games and hope the Wild or the Blues lose their season.
Calgary sits 4 wins out of a wildcard position with 10 games remaining. The Flames have been on and off this season with their rookie goaltender, Dustin Wolf keeping them in the conversation. Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri, their top forward, has been pushing this team onward and will need to continue to do so if they want to move up.
Utah Hockey Club is in their inaugural season and looking to make a name for the club. With 78 points and 8 games remaining this team would need to win out the season for a glance at the second wildcard spot. It is practically impossible, however, this team is young and fights like their lives depend on it. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed during the season and no one is questioning their ability to make the playoffs next year.
The race is not over
The most games remaining for teams are 10, the least is 7. The race is not over, certainly not in the eastern conference and it likely will be a photo finish. The western conference seems set and stone, but anything can happen and teams are playing as so. The 24’-25’ season has set up for an exciting postseason no matter who gets in.