In our 2025 NHL playoff predictions, we’ll answer one simple question: Who will win the Stanley Cup?
16 teams are in the field, exactly half of the National Hockey League. Before long, this will be whittled down to eight, en route to one team left, probably in early June.
11 American teams and five Canadian teams are seeking to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. For the Canadians, it has been 32 long years. The team that did it last, the Montreal Canadiens, are in the playoff field. Ironically, the team they beat, the Los Angeles Kings, are also here. Are we on our way to a repeat? Maybe not, but could Canada finally end their long losing streak?
2025 NHL Playoff Predictions: But First, The Bracket
The top seed in the Eastern Conference are the Washington Capitals, winners of the Metropolitan Division. Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the top seed are Winnipeg. The Jets, champions of the Central Division, have won the President’s Trophy and will have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
As for the other division winners, they were Toronto (Atlantic) and Vegas (Pacific).
Toronto has the longest-active streak of making the playoffs at nine years in a row. The Boston Bruins just had eight-streak playoff appearances broken. Tampa Bay and Colorado have each now made it eight years in a row.
2025 NHL Playoff Predictions: Filling in the Bracket
Eastern Conference
Divisional Semifinals (Round 1):
Washington over Montreal in 6
Carolina over New Jersey in 5
Ottawa over Toronto in 7
Tampa Bay over Florida in 6
Divisional Finals (Round 2):
Washington over Carolina in 6
Tampa Bay over Ottawa in 5
Conference Final:
Washington over Tampa Bay in 7
Western Conference
Divisional Semifinals (Round 1):
Winnipeg over St. Louis in 5
Dallas over Colorado in 7
Vegas over Minnesota in 5
Edmonton over Los Angeles in 6
Divisional Finals (Round 2):
Winnipeg over Dallas in 6
Edmonton over Vegas in 7
Conference Final:
Winnipeg over Edmonton in 6
Stanley Cup Final
Winnipeg over Washington in 7
