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2024 NHL Playoffs: Bracket, standings, playoff picture for postseason

jack mckessy, usa today
·4 min read

All 16 spots in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs have been locked up. All that's left to decide in the regular-season finale Thursday are which Western Conference teams will play each other.

Ten total NHL games remain in the regular season, and just two first-round matchups are set in the West. There's the Winnipeg Jets – who finished second in the Central Division – and the Colorado Avalanche – who finished third in the Central. On Wednesday, the Pacific Division winner Vancouver Canucks were locked into their matchup with the first wild-card team: the Nashville Predators.

The Dallas Stars will try to wrap up the top record in the Western Conference on Wednesday.
The Dallas Stars will try to wrap up the top record in the Western Conference on Wednesday.

The Dallas Stars clinched the regular-season conference title over fellow division winner Canucks with a win on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings can bump the Vegas Golden Knights out of the top three of the Pacific Division and into a wild-card spot with a win and Golden Knights loss Thursday.

Here's how things stand in the NHL playoff picture as of Wednesday.

Who's in 2024 NHL playoffs? Tracking standings, playoff bracket, tiebreakers, scenarios

NHL playoff standings

The top three teams in each division make the playoffs. The first- and second-best records in the conference outside of the top teams in each division earn a berth as a wild card team.

Eastern Conference

Conference position

Team

Record

Points

1.

New York Rangers - p

55-23-4

114

2.

Carolina Hurricanes - x

52-23-7

111

3.

Florida Panthers - y

52-24-6

110

4.

Boston Bruins - x

47-20-15

109

5.

Toronto Maple Leafs - x

46-26-10

102

6.

Tampa Bay Lightning - wc

45-29-8

98

7.

New York Islanders - x

39-27-16

94

8.

Washington Capitals - wc

40-31-11

91

9.

Detroit Red Wings - o

41-32-9

91

10.

Pittsburgh Penguins - o

38-32-12

88

11.

Philadelphia Flyers - o

38-33-11

87

12.

Buffalo Sabres - o

39-37-6

84

13.

New Jersey Devils - o

38-39-5

81

14.

Ottawa Senators - o

37-41-4

78

15.

Montréal Canadiens - o

30-36-16

76

16.

Columbus Blue Jackets - o

27-43-12

66

Western Conference

Conference position

Team

Record

Points

1.

Dallas Stars - z

52-21-9

113

2.

Winnipeg Jets - x

52-24-6

110

3.

Vancouver Canucks - y

50-23-9

109

4.

Colorado Avalanche - x

50-25-7

107

5.

Edmonton Oilers - x

49-27-6

104

6.

Nashville Predators - wc

47-30-5

99

7.

Los Angeles Kings - wc

44-27-11

99

8.

Vegas Golden Knights - x

45-29-8

98

9.

St. Louis Blues - o

43-33-6

92

10.

Minnesota Wild - o

39-33-10

87

11.

Calgary Flames - o

38-39-5

81

12.

Seattle Kraken - o

34-35-13

81

13.

Arizona Coyotes - o

36-41-5

77

14.

Anaheim Ducks - o

27-50-5

59

15.

Chicago Blackhawks - o

23-53-6

52

16.

San Jose Sharks - o

19-54-9

47

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How does the NHL playoffs bracket work?

From NHL.com:

First Round:

  • The division winner with the best record in each conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lesser record.

  • The wild card team with the better record will play the other division winner.

  • The teams finishing second and third in each division will meet within the bracket headed by their respective division winners.

NHL Eastern Conference bracket

Here's how the first round of the playoffs would shake out in the East if the season ended after Wednesday.

  • A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning

  • A2 Boston Bruins vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs

  • M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals

  • M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New York Islanders

NHL Western Conference bracket

Here's how the matchups look with the current standings in the Western Conference.

  • C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC2 Los Angeles Kings*

  • C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche

  • P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC1 Nashville Predators

  • P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Vegas Golden Knights*

*Subject to change pending Thursday results

When do the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs start?

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins April 20. The Stanley Cup Final has a tentative start date of June 3, but that could be moved up depending on how quickly earlier rounds are decided.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 NHL playoff picture: Bracket, seeding and standings