SPORTS

NHL playoff standings: Who will make the East finals?

ByESPN Staff

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 8:27PM

Each team has around 20 games remaining this season -- although Aaron Ekblad will be missing all 18 of the Florida Panthers' remaining regular-season games due to a suspension -- but it's not too early to look ahead at the dream matchups for the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.

One of the contests during Tuesday's 11-game slate is a possible Eastern Conference finals preview: the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+) in a showdown between two teams built for postseason success.

The winner won't necessarily have an edge as we head toward the postseason, but we can look at the projections from Stathletes to see the likelihood of a rematch later this spring.

Per the Stathletes model, the Hurricanes have the highest chances of making the ECF, at 48.2%, followed by the Panthers (38.2%), Washington Capitals (30.6%) and then the Lightning (29.8%); the Toronto Maple Leafs round out the top five at 18.6%.

If it comes down to the Canes and Lightning, Tampa Bay has the historical upper hand, winning the teams' lone series against each other, albeit during the slightly unusual 2021 playoffs, when those two teams were in the realigned Central Division (along with the Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators).

There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season April 17, and we'll help you keep track of it all on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide detail on all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:br/>Current playoff matchupsbr/>Today's schedulebr/>Yesterday's scoresbr/>Expanded standingsbr/>Race for No. 1 pick