NHL playoff watch: What's at stake on the season's final day

The saying goes, "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." It's applicable regarding the 2025-26 NHL regular season after Thursday night's games, the final six of the campaign.

But another reason for hockey fans to smile: the "second season" -- i.e. the Stanley Cup playoffs -- is about to begin, on Saturday.

All 16 teams have been determined for the postseason, but there are three teams in the Pacific Division still battling it out for seeding. And over on the non-playoff team side, there are still some unresolved spots in the draft lottery order ahead of that event on May 5.

Here's a rundown of what is on the line in each of Thursday's six games:

St. Louis Blues at Utah Mammoth

7:30 p.m. 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 clinched another division title.

The Blues are currently 10th in the draft lottery order. 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 at Nashville Predators

8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Ducks held down the top spot in the Pacific for a sizable portion of the season, which is impressive considering they finished 16 points back of thewild card last season. They're currently third in the division, but can move up to second with a win of any kind and a regulation loss by the Oilers.

Nashville's bid for a wild-card spot ended this week, and they enter play in 11th in the draft lottery order. A win of any kind puts them 12th, an overtime/shootout loss keeps them 11th, and a regulation loss paired with a Blues win in any fashion moves them up a spot to 10th.

San Jose Sharks at Winnipeg Jets

8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Sharks made a valiant effort this season on the back of an MVP-caliber performance by Macklin Celebrini, but they dropped too many games this spring and will just miss out on the postseason. The Jets were alive until this week also, but their fall from grace is pretty dramatic given that they finished with 116 points last season, the most in the NHL.

Winnipeg enters the evening seventh in the draft lottery order, with San Jose ninth. If the Jets win in regulation, the Sharks move up to seventh and the Jets move down one spot to eighth. If the Jets win in OT/shootout, they hold their spot, but the Sharks could move down (pending the results of the Blues-Mammoth game).

Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames

9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Kings have the ultimate motivation heading into this game. They are currently slated to face the juggernaut Avalanche in Round 1, but with a win -- and some help -- they can move out of that slot and take on one of their Pacific Division foes. Alas, their regulation wins total (22) puts them at a significant disadvantage when it comes to tiebreaks.

They begin the day tied in standings points with Anaheim, and one back of Edmonton. They can move up all the way to second place with a win of any kind, a regulation loss by the Oilers and a loss of any kind by the Ducks. They can move up to third by getting one more point than Anaheim. Unfortunately, either of these scenarios would give them a matchup against the Oilers, who have beaten them in the first round for the past four years. Maybe the fifth time is the charm?

With the Rangers' win on Wednesday, the Flames moved up to third in the draft lottery order. A loss of any variety keeps them there; a win of any kind puts them back into fourth.

Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers

9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

It's fairly simple for the Oilers; with a one-point advantage in points and an insurmountable lead in RW over the Ducks and Kings, they just need one point here to clinch the No. 2 position in the Pacific. A regulation loss could drop them down to No. 3 or even the wild-card spot if both the Kings and Ducks win.

It's even more simple for the Canucks; their result here will not influence their spot in the standings. They clinched the NHL's worst record -- and the No. 1 spot in the draft lottery order -- weeks ago.

Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche

10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The season closes out with a game between two teams firmly entrenched in their positions. The Avalanche clinched the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best regular-season record on April 10. They will have home-ice advantage this postseason for as long as they alive.

The Kraken are locked in to the No. 6 position in the draft lottery order. The past several No. 6 picks have been a mixed bag of superstars and players who have failed to launch: Porter Martone, Tij Iginla, Dmitri Simashev, David Jiricek, Simon Edvinsson, Jamie Drysdale, Moritz Seider, Filip Zadina, Cody Glass and Matthew Tkachuk.

Jump ahead:

Current playoff matchups

Today's schedule

Last night's scores

Expanded standings

Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Note: Teams inboldare locked in to that position.

Eastern Conference

A1 Buffalo Sabresvs. WC1 Boston Bruins

A2Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens

M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Ottawa Senators

M2Pittsburgh Penguinsvs. M3Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Los Angeles Kings

C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild

P1 Vegas Golden Knightsvs. WC1 Utah Mammoth

P2 Edmonton Oilersvs. P3 Anaheim Ducks

Today's games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

St. Louis Blues at Utah Mammoth, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.

San Jose Sharks at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.

Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.

Seattle Kraken at Colorado Avalanche, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

Last night's scoreboard

Dallas Stars 4, Buffalo Sabres 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

Expanded standings

Note: An "x" with a team's name means the club has clinched a playoff spot; a "y" means that they have clinched the division; a "z" indicates that they have clinched the best record in the conference; a "p" means they have clinched the top overall seed. An "e" means that 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

Metro Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place 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 draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Atop draft boards for this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward for Penn State.

*Note: The Maple Leafs' pick belongs to the Bruins, unless it lands in the top five. The Panthers' pick belongs to the Flames, unless it lands in the top 10. The Red Wings' pick belongs to the Blues, unconditionally.

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