The first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs nearly came fully into focus after Tuesday’s slate of games. The busy night saw the Maple Leafs win the Atlantic Division and the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues clinch playoff spots in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames were officially eliminated from postseason play.
In fact, every playoff series for the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs is now set except for the Washington Capitals’ opponent.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens/Columbus Blue Jackets
Thanks to more fantastic goaltending from Jet Greaves, the NHL’s reigning 1st Star of the Week, the Columbus Blue Jackets stayed mathematically alive on Tuesday night for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets shut out the Philadelphia Flyers, bringing them to within two standings points of the eighth seed with one game remaining.
The Blue Jackets have avoided elimination seven different times in the last five days, which included sweeping the Capitals in a home-and-home last weekend. They now need a regulation loss from the Montreal Canadiens — who just added Ivan Demidov to their roster — on Wednesday night to the Carolina Hurricanes and a victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils have known their first-round fates the longest of any teams in the NHL, mostly in part due to the Capitals’ domination of the Metropolitan Division this year. The series will be the sixth all-time match-up between the two teams and the first since the Hurricanes knocked the Devils out of the 2023 second round in five games.
New Jersey will be without superstar center Jack Hughes after he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in early March. The two teams split their regular-season series, which was done before New Year’s, two games apiece.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs will match up in what could be one of the most heated first-round series this year. The two Ontario-based clubs have met five prior times in the playoffs, but not since the 2004 postseason, where the Leafs got 36 saves from Ed Belfour in a first-round Game 7 victory over the Senators.
The Senators allowed just three total goals in three regular-season games with the Leafs this year, taking all three games by a combined 9-3 score.
Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning
The battle for Florida bragging rights will commence for the fourth time in the last five playoffs as the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning finished second and third in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers lost the first two series before eliminating the Lightning in five first-round games last year en route to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
The Panthers won this year’s regular-season series 2-1 and are 10-3 in their last 13 games against the Lightning, dating back to the end of the 2022-23 season.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues clinched the last playoff spot in the Western Conference on Tuesday night with a 6-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. They’ll match up with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets in the first round for the second time.
The last time the Blues played the Jets in the first round, they won the series in six games and went on to win the 2019 Stanley Cup.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will square off in a rematch of their second-round series last year, which the Stars won in six games. The Stars are 4-2 all-time against the Avalanche in playoff series.
Mikko Rantanen will face his former Avalanche teammates just a few months after being traded by Colorado to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Stars acquired him at this season’s trade deadline from Carolina, and he has 18 points (5g, 13a) in 19 games for them.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild also clinched their playoff spot on Tuesday night with a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks. The Wild have not won a playoff series since 2015 and previously lost their only past series against Vegas in seven games during the 2021 first round.
The Golden Knights won all three regular-season contests against the Wild this year by a combined 12-4 score.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are nearly inseparable in the first round in recent years. This year’s first-round series will be the fourth in a row between the two teams, with the Oilers winning in seven games in 2022, six games in 2023, and five games in 2024.
The Kings took three of four from the Oilers this season, shutting them out in two April games.
The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 19 and will conclude in June with the Stanley Cup Final ending no later than June 23.
