NHL playoffs: Stanley Cup odds, current bracket as regular season winds down

With NHL teams giving it everything to secure a postseason berth, the outlook for the Stanley Cup playoffs is coming into focus.

The regular season will come to a close in less than two weeks, leaving most teams scrambling to pick up the wins necessary to get into the playoffs (or, for some high-flying clubs, home ice throughout the postseason). The standings in the Eastern Conference show that while three teams have clinched a spot in the postseason, no team has been eliminated from contention. In the Western Conference, four teams have clinched and five have been eliminated, leaving a group of seven pursuing the final four berths.

While the hockey world has locked in on Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's record, a shot at lifting the Stanley Cup leads to some of the most exciting moments in the sporting calendar. Here are the current odds to win the Stanley Cup for every NHL team still in the hunt for a playoff berth, along with current standings and what the playoff bracket would look like if the season ended today:

NHL playoffs: Stanley Cup champion odds

As of Thursday, April 2, here are the odds to win the 2024-25 NHL playoffs and lift the Stanley Cup, per BetMGM:

• Dallas Stars: +600
• Florida Panthers: +650
• Colorado Avalanche: +750
• Edmonton Oilers: +850
• Carolina Hurricanes: +1000
• Vegas Golden Knights: +1000
• Tampa Bay Lightning: +1100
• Washington Capitals: +1100
• Winnipeg Jets: +1100
• Toronto Maple Leafs: +1200
• Los Angeles Kings: +2000
• New Jersey Devils: +3500
• Minnesota Wild: +4000
• Ottawa Senators: +5000
• St. Louis Blues: +5000
• New York Rangers: +6000
• Vancouver Canucks: +15000
• Montréal Canadiens: +20000
• Calgary Flames: +25000
• New York Islanders: +25000
• Columbus Blue Jacket: +30000
• Detroit Red Wings: +30000
• Utah Hockey Club: +50000
• Boston Bruins: +100000
• Buffalo Sabres: +100000
• Philadelphia Flyers: +100000
• Pittsburgh Penguins: +100000

NHL standings: Who would make playoffs?

As of the morning of April 4, the NHL standings look as follows:

An x indicates a team has clinched a playoff berth. An asterisk (*) indicates a team that has been eliminated from contention.

Eastern Conference

1. x-Washington Capitals (48-18-9): 105 points
2. x-Carolina Hurricanes (46-24-4): 96
3. x-Toronto Maple Leafs (46-25-4): 96
4. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-26-5): 93
5. Florida Panthers (44-27-4): 92
6. New Jersey Devils (40-29-7): 87
7. Ottawa Senators (40-29-6): 86
8. Montréal Canadiens (36-30-9): 81
9. New York Rangers (36-32-7): 79
10. Columbus Blue Jackets (34-31-9): 77
11. Detroit Red Wings (34-33-7): 75
12. New York Islanders (32-32-10): 74
13. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-34-12): 72
14. Philadelphia Flyers (31-36-9): 71
15. Buffalo Sabres (32-36-6): 70
16. Boston Bruins (30-37-9): 69

Western Conference

1. x-Winnipeg Jets (52-20-4): 108 points
2. x-Dallas Stars (50-21-4): 104
3. x-Vegas Golden Knights (45-22-8): 98
4. x-Colorado Avalanche (47-26-4): 98
5. Los Angeles Kings (43-23-9): 95
6. Edmonton Oilers (44-26-5): 93
7. St. Louis Blues (42-28-7): 91
8. Minnesota Wild (41-28-7): 89
9. Calgary Flames (36-27-12): 84
10. Vancouver Canucks (34-28-13): 81
11. Utah Hockey Club (34-30-12): 80
12. Anaheim Ducks* (33-34-8): 74
13. Seattle Kraken* (32-38-6): 70
14. Nashville Predators* (27-41-8): 62
15. Chicago Blackhawks* (21-44-10): 52
16. San Jose Sharks* (20-45-10): 50

NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card

If the season had ended on April 3, the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look as follows:

• Washington (M1) vs. Montréal (WC2)
• Carolina (M2) vs. New Jersey (M3)
• Toronto (A1) vs. Ottawa (WC1)
• Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Florida (A3)

In the second round, the winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.

NHL Western Conference playoff bracket

Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card

If the season ended on April 3, the Western Conference playoff bracket would look as follows:

• Winnipeg (C1) vs. Minnesota (WC2)
• Dallas (C2) vs. Colorado (C3)
• Vegas (P1) vs. St. Louis (WC1)
• Los Angeles (P2) vs. Edmonton (P3)

In the second round, the winner of the first series would play the winner of the second. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth.