The climax of the NHL season is right around the corner as teams gear up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the postseason picture remains unclear in the Eastern Conference.
I’ll break down the Eastern Conference wild card race, including the current standings and up-to-date NHL playoff odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
NHL Wild Card Picture & Odds
Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 42-24-8 | 92 |
| 2 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 38-24-12 | 88 |
| 3 | Ottawa Senators | 38-25-10 | 86 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 39-26-8 | 86 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | 37-24-12 | 86 |
| 6 | Washington Capitals | 37-28-9 | 83 |
Who Currently Holds the NHL Wild Card Spots in the Eastern Conference?
As of March 31, the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets occupy the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.
The Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers are all within two points of the second wild card spot, while the Washington Capitals are five points out.
Among those teams, the Bruins (-770), Blue Jackets (-125), and Senators (-125) have the best odds to qualify for the playoffs.
What Is the NHL Wild Card?
The NHL wild card refers to the two best teams in each conference that are not among the top three teams in their respective division. They are the No. 7 and 8 seeds in each conference during the postseason.
How Does NHL Wild Card Work?
In the current NHL playoff format, eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs. The top three teams in the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific Divisions each earn a playoff berth, while wild cards take the final two postseason spots in each conference.
NHL Wild Card Tiebreak Rules
If two or more teams are tied in points for a wild card spot, the following tiebreakers are applied in order: regulation wins, regulation and overtime wins, total wins, head-to-head points, goal differential, and total goals.
Who Clinched Eastern Conference Playoff Spots Last Year?
The Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers earned divisional spots in the Atlantic last season, while the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils did so in the Metropolitan Division.
The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens clinched the wild card spots.
How Many Points to Make the NHL Playoffs?
The Columbus Blue Jackets occupy the second wild card spot and are on pace to finish the season with 97 points, which is roughly how many points it will take to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference this season.
Last season, the Montreal Canadiens took the second wild card spot with just 91 points, but the bar to make the postseason will be significantly higher in 2025-26.
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