Postseason Bracket Predictions 20 Days from the 2025 NHL Playoffs
We hockey types can barely contain our giddiness.
Because Monday is the last day of the last month before the NHL playoffs start.
OK, the brackets won't be activated for a few more weeks. But once the calendar turns to April, the postseason vibe gets tangibly stronger at B/R headquarters.
As a final bit of March preparation we took a look at the standings through Saturday's games and looked into our collective crystal ball to forecast what the first-round matchups will be when the first playoff pucks drop on April 19.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
Atlantic Division: Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators
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There's something about knowing a route that makes it easier to travel.
Though the Florida Panthers ended Saturday's games in the midst of a three-team race at the top of the Atlantic Division and actually trailed the Toronto Maple Leafs by a point, the feel here is that the defending champs will close strong enough to earn top billing in the group.
But getting to the finish line first won't necessarily make things easier once the tournament begins.
A top seed in the Atlantic will presumably yield a first-round series with the Ottawa Senators, who reached Sunday six points up on the New York Rangers for the first of two Eastern wild-card positions. Ottawa had won two straight and gone 7-3-0 in its last 10, so we'll go ahead and pencil them in.
Needless to say, it's an intriguing possibility given the showdown it'd provide between Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, who'd be sure to rouse rabble no matter how many games the series went.
Still, while the Senators are red hot and would surely be revved up after ending a seven-season playoff drought, the Panthers are obviously good and clearly retooled–with the arrivals of Brad Marchand and Seth Jones–and probably too much for the resurgent upstarts to handle.
Prediction: Panthers in 6
Atlantic Division: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
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They may not be odds-on favorites, but if you suggested either the Tampa Bay Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs will hoist the Stanley Cup in June you'd probably not be laughed out of your circle of friends.
That's how good a series between the Atlantic rivals, who arrived to Sunday separated by a single point in the standings, would be come April.
The Lightning and Maple Leafs have become familiar playoff opponents in recent years, with Tampa Bay winning a seven-game series on the way to the final round in 2022 before Toronto evened the score with a six-game triumph in 2023, which was its first postseason series victory in 19 years.
There's obviously not been much to separate the teams in the standings so far, but the Maple Leafs have been clearly superior across three regular-season meetings.
Toronto won a 5-2 decision in the second week of the season in October, then won 5-3 on Florida's Gulf Coast in November before finishing the series with another 5-3 victory back home in January.
That's good enough for us.
Prediction: Maple Leafs in 7
Metropolitan Division: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
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How about this as a reward for dominating all season?
The Washington Capitals have dueled with the Winnipeg Jets atop the overall standings for most of the 2024-25 schedule, but they've clearly been the top team in the East and entered Sunday's games with an 11-point edge on their nearest pursuer.
So they're as much a lock as you can get for the conference's top seed heading into the tournament, which would mean a first-round matchup with the East's second wild-card team.
Our guess is that it'll be the New York Rangers.
It's not that the Rangers have been playing stellar hockey lately–in fact, they were just 4-5-1 in their last 10 games through Saturday–but they were two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets, who were a combined 6-10-4 in their last 10, too. In fact, no team within eight points of New York had won even half of its games in the last few weeks, which gives it a leg up down the stretch.
Regardless, it's hard to imagine Alex Ovechkin and Co. flaming out that quickly, particularly against a team that bounced them in four straight last spring.
Revenge is sweet.
Prediction: Capitals in 5
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Metropolitan Division: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
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This matchup looked a lot different a few months ago, no?
Those Carolina Hurricanes were sporting a front line that included a prolific acquisition in Mikko Rantanen and the New Jersey Devils boasted a roster including former No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes and puck-moving defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
This just in: None of them will play in this would-be series.
Carolina offloaded Rantanen to Dallas at the trade deadline after only 13 games. Meanwhile, New Jersey lost both Hughes and Hamilton–Hughes for the rest of the season and the playoffs, and Hamilton for the season and at least the first tournament round–to injuries within the same week in early March.
The teams have met just once in the postseason in the last handful of years, with the Hurricanes eliminating the Devils in five games in 2023. They played four games in the 2024-25 season, splitting the series by the narrowest of margins, with Carolina scoring 13 goals to New Jersey's 12.
Coin flip anyone? Ours landed on Raleigh.
Prediction: Hurricanes in 7
Central Division: Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild
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Seeing them in this slot should tell you how high we are on the Dallas Stars.
They finished Saturday's games in second place in the Central Division, four points behind the front-running Winnipeg Jets with nine games remaining, only one of which (on April 10) is against those same Jets.
But they'd been among the hottest teams in the league with five straight wins and a 7-1-2 mark in their last 10 games, which gives us confidence that they'll find a way to overcome the gap and earn the top Western seed into the tournament.
On the flip side, the Minnesota Wild are currently in the first Western wild-card spot, but they'd won only five of their last 10 games through Saturday and are in a dead heat with the St. Louis Blues, who'd won nine straight to enter the discussion.
We're assuming the Blues will get past the Wild before the finish line, but Minnesota's six-point edge over their next closest pursuers will be enough to guarantee it a slot after a one-year playoff hiatus.
Unfortunately, the reward is a first-round date with the Stars, who eliminated Minnesota in six games in 2023 and have gone 2-0-1 against the Wild this season.
Prediction: Stars in 4
Central Division: Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
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Remember what we said about Lightning vs. Maple Leafs being a first-round series that'd eliminate a legit Stanley Cup contender? Well, here's another.
As mentioned earlier, the Jets have scrapped with the Washington Capitals for the league's top overall spot all season long, though another team in a preposterously good Central Division–the Dallas Stars–are nipping at their first-place heels.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche have the look of a Lamborghini that's been retooled along the way and now looks race ready. Sending Rantanen to Dallas (via Carolina) has yielded a gem in Martin Necas and the deal that brought Mackenzie Blackwood from oblivion in San Jose has solidified the goal crease.
Colorado had the month's best goals-per-game (3.85) and goals-against (1.92) averages through Saturday's games and was second in the league in points percentage (.808), trailing only the Blues.
Winnipeg has owned regular-season matchups over the last two years, outscoring the Avalanche, 26-11, while winning six of seven games. It didn't matter in last year's playoffs, though, as Colorado won in five.
Sorry, Jets fans. But we don't think it'll matter this time either.
Prediction: Avalanche in 7
Pacific Division: Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues
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The Vegas Golden Knights have ridden the Pacific Division roller coaster recently, going from fourth in 2021-22 to first in 2022-23 and back to fourth last season.
They've maintained that form this time around and held a nine-point lead over both Los Angeles and Edmonton through Saturday's games, which we're going to deem safe enough to say they'll warrant a first-rounder with the West's top wild card.
Now whether that's a good thing or not is another question.
We're forecasting such a matchup to mean a date with St. Louis, which had won nine straight through Saturday and had gone a league-best 17-3-3 since Feb. 1.
The Blues don't have the recent playoff pedigree of the Golden Knights, having missed the last two tournaments entirely, and they've dropped two of three against Vegas this season, which could dull pre-series optimism in the Gateway City.
Still, they do have a Cup-winning goalie in Jordan Binnington, and, if momentum means anything, they have to be considered among the most legit of the would-be crop of upset-ready first-round underdogs.
Remember where you heard it first.
Prediction: Blues in 6
Pacific Division: Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers
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Stop us if you've heard this one before: The Los Angeles Kings will play the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Again.
As any suffering Kings fan will tell you, the current boys from L.A. are 0-for-3 so far, having lost in seven games the first time in 2021-22, then in six the following season and five last spring while being outscored, 22-13.
Goaltending is less an issue this time around thanks to veteran Darcy Kuemper, who's among league leaders in goals-against average (2.10, second), save percentage (.919, fourth) and shutouts (4, tied for sixth) just a month shy of turning 35.
Meanwhile, the Oilers are dripping with question marks.
Though league goals leader Leon Draisaitl has played like an MVP, Connor McDavid has been slightly less than other-worldly and is on the shelf with a lower-body injury that's already cost him four games. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm played just six of Edmonton's 14 games in March and goalie Stuart Skinner is also out after taking a knee to the head in a Wednesday loss to Dallas.
Not to mention trade-deadline acquisition Trent Frederic, who's not seen the ice with his new team and hasn't played at all since Feb. 25.
Bring them all back in time for April 19 and add in a trouble-making Evander Kane, who's missed the whole season but is presumably ready for the playoffs, and the Oilers have the look of a rested team with a renewed sense of toughness.
Anything short of that, though, and it's streak-busting time in Hollywood.
Prediction: Kings in 6
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