NHL playoff look: Where teams stand at crucial Thanksgiving checkpoint

NHL playoff look: Where teams stand at crucial Thanksgiving checkpointStory byMike Brehm, USA TODAYThu, November 27, 2025 at 5:13 PM UTC·4 min read

Thanksgiving is a day to show gratitude, especially if your NHL team is sitting in a playoff spot.

Generally speaking during the salary cap era, 75% of teams sitting in a playoff position on Thanksgiving end up making the postseason.

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That held true last season with 12 of the 16 teams eventually clinching. The Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens (who were last in the Eastern Conference), Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues rallied to make the playoffs, replacing the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers. Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames.

This season, the Eastern Conference is tightly packed with only eight points separating first and last, so we'll see if the trend holds. The Colorado Avalanche are dominating in the Western Conference and the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks look solid.

Here's a look at the NHL standings on Thanksgiving and which teams could rise up or fall out of the playoffs:

Oct. 11: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn (5) fight during the first period at Canada Life Centre.Oct. 9: Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) checks San Jose Sharks center Philipp Kurashev (96) at center ice during the third period at SAP Center.Oct. 9: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) and Ottawa Senators left wing Kurtis MacDermid (23) fight during the first period at Benchmark International Arena.Oct. 9: Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jordan Martinook (48) checks New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) during the third period at Lenovo Center.Oct. 9: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) checks New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) as he goes after a loose puck during the second period at KeyBank Center.Oct 7: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) points to Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) after he finished fighting Josh Manson during the first period at Crypto.com Arena.Oct. 7: Chicago's Nick Foligno fights with Florida's A.J. Greer during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena.1 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 11: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn (5) fight during the first period at Canada Life Centre.1 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 11: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn (5) fight during the first period at Canada Life Centre.2 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) checks San Jose Sharks center Philipp Kurashev (96) at center ice during the third period at SAP Center.3 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) and Ottawa Senators left wing Kurtis MacDermid (23) fight during the first period at Benchmark International Arena.4 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jordan Martinook (48) checks New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) during the third period at Lenovo Center.5 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 9: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) checks New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) as he goes after a loose puck during the second period at KeyBank Center.6 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct 7: Los Angeles Kings left wing Jeff Malott (39) points to Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) after he finished fighting Josh Manson during the first period at Crypto.com Arena.7 / 7

NHL physicality: Players fight, deliver big hits

Oct. 7: Chicago's Nick Foligno fights with Florida's A.J. Greer during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena.

NHL standings at Thanksgiving

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

• Tampa Bay Lightning, 30

• Ottawa Senators, 28

• Boston Bruins, 28

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Metropolitan Division

• New Jersey Devils, 31

• Carolina Hurricanes, 30

• Washington Capitals, 28

Wild card

• New York Islanders, 28

• Pittsburgh Penguins, 27

Remaining teams

• Montreal Canadiens, 27

• Philadelphia Flyers, 27

• Detroit Red Wings, 27

• Columbus Blue Jackets, 26

• New York Rangers, 26

• Florida Panthers, 25

• Toronto Maple Leafs, 23

• Buffalo Sabres, 22

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

• Colorado Avalanche, 39

• Dallas Stars, 34

• Minnesota Wild, 30

Pacific Division

• Anaheim Ducks, 29

• Vegas Golden Knights, 28

• Seattle Kraken, 28

Wild card

• Los Angeles Kings, 28

• Utah Mammoth, 27

Remaining teams

• Chicago Blackhawks, 25

• San Jose Sharks, 25

• Edmonton Oilers, 25

• Winnipeg Jets, 24

• Vancouver Canucks, 22

• St. Louis Blues, 21

• Calgary Flames, 19

• Nashville Predators, 18

NHL playoff outlook

Eastern Conference

Which teams could rise up?

Florida Panthers: Never count out the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. They have been crushed by injuries, especially Matthew Tkachuk (offseason sports hernia surgery) and captain Aleksander Barkov (ACL surgery). But they're hanging tight with Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart leading the way. Tkachuk is skating on his own. His eventual return will help down the stretch.

Brad Marchand has helped carry the Florida Panthers through some tough injuries.

Montreal Canadiens: Based on points percentage, they're a playoff-positioned team. They're getting big production from their top lines but the goaltending has fallen off. Jakub Dobes had a .930 save percentage in October and a .859 one in November. If coach Martin St. Louis straightens out the defense, the Canadiens could grab a wild-card spot again.

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Which teams could drop out?

Pittsburgh Penguins: They have exceeded expectations but have started to slip a little already. Everything had been meshing. Veterans Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson are having strong seasons, the power play leads the league and the team is getting better goaltending. Can new coach Dan Muse keep that going for a full season?

New York Islanders: Technically, based on points percentage, they're out of a playoff position. But they're 7-3 in their last 10 games, so they're trending in a good direction. No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer is the early favorite for rookie of the year. Can Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal keep up their early-season tear? The team will need to improve on its second-worst power play.

Boston Bruins: Their chances seem better because Jeremy Swayman is keeping his team in games. But there's a big drop-off in scoring after David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.

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Western Conference

Which teams could rise up?

Edmonton Oilers: They always start slow and find a way, reaching the Final the last two seasons. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl give the team a chance, but they'll need to address their goaltending, which has let them down.

Winnipeg Jets: The question is how far back they will fall before goalie Connor Hellebuyck gets back from knee surgery. So far, they're 0-3. Once Hellebuyck returns, how much workload can he handle while also being the expected No. 1 U.S. goalie at the Olympics? If the Jets can keep the puck out of the net, they have the offense to make the playoffs. It's no guarantee they will. Presidents' Trophy winners have missed the playoffs before the following season. The Rangers did it in 2024-25.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard is putting up the numbers everyone expected when he was selected No. 1 overall in 2023. Others are chipping in and goalie Spencer Knight is second in the league in Moneypuck's goals saved above expected.

Which teams could drop out?

Seattle Kraken: They have been getting strong goaltending but they have scored the fourth fewest goals in the league, have the third worst penalty kill and have a -2 goal differential. That's not good for long-term success.

Utah Mammoth: They banked some points with an early seven-game winning streak. But they have gone 4-7-3 since, and they're about to embark on a six-game road trip.

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Los Angeles Kings: Same as the Kraken. Solid goaltending, so-so scoring. They're tied with the Kraken in fewest 5-on-5 goals.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thanksgiving is key day for NHL standings: Who'll make playoffs?

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