The saying goes, “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” This is applicable in relation to the 2025–26 NHL regular season after the final six, Thursday night games of the campaign.
But hockey fans have another reason to smile: The “second season” — aka the Stanley Cup playoffs — starts Saturday.
All 16 teams have been determined for the postseason, but three teams in the Pacific Division are still fighting for seeding. And on the non-playoff team side, there are still some unresolved spots in the draft lottery order ahead of the event on May 5.
Here are the details of what will happen in each of Thursday’s six games:
st louis blues But utah mammoth
7:30 pm ET (ESPN)
The Mammoth clinched the first wild-card spot earlier this week, and they learned the identity of their opponent on Wednesday: the Golden Knights, who won another division title.
The Blues are currently 10th in the draft lottery rankings. But with a loss here, they move ahead of the Panthers (due to the third tiebreaker), and could move ahead of the Sharks if San Jose beats Winnipeg.
anaheim ducks But Nashville Predators
8 PM ET (ESPN+)
The Ducks held the top spot in the Pacific Division for a large portion of the season, which is impressive considering they finished 16 points behind. wild card Last season. They currently sit in third place in the division, but could move up to second place with any number of wins and a regulation loss by the Oilers.
Nashville’s bid for a wild-card spot ended this week, leaving it at 11th in the draft lottery order. A win of any kind puts them in 12th, a loss in overtime/shootout puts them in 11th, and a regulation loss with a Blues win of any kind moves them up one spot to 10th.
san jose sharks But winnipeg jets
8 PM ET (ESPN+)
The Sharks made a valiant effort this season on the back of MVP-caliber performances McLean CelebriniBut he missed too many games this spring and will miss the postseason. The Jets were still alive this week, but their fall from grace is quite dramatic, considering they finished with 116 points last season, the most in the NHL.
Winnipeg is seventh in the draft lottery standings this evening, while San Jose is ninth. If the Jets win in regulation, the Sharks drop to seventh and the Jets drop one spot to eighth. If the Jets win in OT/shootout, they keep their spot, but the Sharks may move down (pending the results of the Blues-Mammoth game).
Los Angeles Kings But calgary flames
9 PM ET (ESPN+)
The Kings have the ultimate motivation to move forward in this game. They are currently set to face the juggernaut Avalanche in Round 1, but with a win – and some help – they could move out of that slot and take on one of their Pacific Division foes. Alas, their regulation win total (22) puts them at a significant disadvantage when it comes to tiebreaks.
They start the day tied in the points standings with Anaheim and Edmonton one back. They can move up to second place with any number of wins, regulation losses by the Oilers and any number of losses by the Ducks. They can move up to third place by getting one point more than Anaheim. Unfortunately, either of these scenarios would put them up against the Oilers, who have defeated them in the first round for the past four years. Maybe the fifth time’s the charm?
With the Rangers’ win on Wednesday, the Flames moved up to third in the draft lottery standings. Any kind of loss keeps them there; Any win takes them back to fourth place.
vancouver canucks But edmonton oilers
9 PM ET (ESPN+)
For the Oilers it’s quite simple; With a one-point advantage in points and an unassailable lead over the Ducks and Kings in RW, they need only one point here to clinch the No. 2 spot in the Pacific. A regulation loss could drop them to No. 3 or even the wild-card spot if the Kings and Ducks both win.
For the Canucks it’s even simpler; Their result here will not affect their place in the standings. They had the NHL’s worst record — and the No. 1 spot in the draft lottery order — a few weeks ago.
seattle kraken But colorado avalanche
10 pm ET (ESPN)
The season concludes with a game between two teams that are firmly in position. The Avalanche won the Presidents Trophy on April 10 as the team with the best regular season record. As long as they survive, they will have home ice advantage this postseason.
The Kraken are ranked No. 6 in the draft lottery order. Many of the past number 6 picks have been a mix of superstars and players who have failed to launch: Porter Martontij iginla, Dmitry SimashevDavid Jiricek, simon edvinson, jamie drysdale, Moritz CiderPhilip Zadina, cody glass And Matthew Tkachuk.
Proceed:
Current playoff matchups
today’s program
last night’s score
extended position
race for the number 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Note: Teams included bold Are closed in that position.
eastern conference
A1 buffalo saber vs wc1 boston bruins
A2 tampa bay lightning vs a3 montreal canadiens
M1 carolina storm vs wc2 ottawa senators
m2 pittsburgh penguins vs m3 philadelphia flyers
western conference
C1 colorado avalanche vs wc2 Los Angeles Kings
C2 dallas stars vs c3 minnesota wild
P1 vegas golden knights versus WC1 utah mammoth
P2 edmonton oilers vs p3 anaheim ducks
today’s games
Note: All times are ET. Not all games are on TNT or NHL Network Available to stream on ESPN+ (Local blackout restrictions apply).
st louis blues But utah mammoth7:30 pm (ESPN)
anaheim ducks But Nashville Predators8 pm
san jose sharks But winnipeg jets8 pm
Los Angeles Kings But calgary flames9 pm
vancouver canucks But edmonton oilers9 pm
seattle kraken But colorado avalanche10 pm (ESPN)
last night’s scoreboard
dallas stars 4, buffalo saber 3 (SO)
New York Rangers 4, tampa bay lightning 2
Florida Panthers 8, detroit red wings 1
ottawa senators 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
chicago blackhawks 5, san jose sharks 2
vegas golden knights 4, seattle kraken 1
extended position
Note: “x” next to the team name means the club has clinched a playoff spot; “y” means they have achieved division; A “z” indicates they have achieved the best record in the conference; A “P” means they have clinched the top overall seed. The “E” means the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff spot when their magic number reaches zero and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.
Atlantic Division
0:44
Drake Batherson scored for the Ottawa Senators on the power play.
Drake Batherson scored for the Ottawa Senators on the power play.
metro division
0:43
Ty Carthay tallied goal vs Lightning
Ty Carthay lights the lamp for Rangers
Central Division
0:46
Louis Crevier lights the lamp for the Blackhawks
Louis Crevier tallies goal vs Sharks
Pacific Division
0:39
Mitch Marner scored against the Kraken
Mitch Marner scored against the Kraken
Race for number 1 selection
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes last is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the drawing for the No. 1 pick. Full details of the process can be found here. Topping the draft boards this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward from Penn State.
*Note: The Maple Leafs have a favorite over the Bruins unless they finish in the top five. The Panthers’ pick is the Flames unless they fall in the top 10. The Red Wings love the Blues without any conditions.
