The race for the Western Conference's second wild-card spot is by no means a two-team showdown -- but the two teams tied in standings points for that position are squaring off on Thursday.

The Vancouver Canucks -- who currently hold the coveted playoff spot, with 75 points and 25 regulation wins in 68 games -- will be visiting the St. Louis Blues (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+), who also have 75 points and 25 regulation wins but in 69 games.

So, with apologies to the Calgary Flames and Utah Hockey Club, Thursday night's clash has become extra pivotal, after the clubs split the first two games of the season series and will not play again.

Looking beyond this game, the Blues play five of their remaining 12 games against current playoff teams; the Canucks have an extra game down the stretch, but they play seven of their final 13 against playoff teams, including five of their final six.

Stathletes likes the Blues' postseason future a bit more, putting their playoff chances at 56.8%, with the Canucks at 26.3%.

There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we'll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide details 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:
Current playoff matchups
Today's schedule
Yesterday's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Vancouver Canucks
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Thursday's games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Colorado Avalanche at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Calgary Flames at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)
Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Utah Hockey Club, 9 p.m.
Boston Bruins at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.

Wednesday's scoreboard

Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Colorado Avalanche 1
Minnesota Wild 4, Seattle Kraken 0

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Florida Panthers

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 14
Points pace: 102.5
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 14
Points pace: 102.5
Next game: @ NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 15
Points pace: 101.6
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Ottawa Senators

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 94.2
Next game: vs. COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 97.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 89.3
Next game: @ NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 36.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 84.4
Next game: @ VGK (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 5.1%
Tragic number: 26

Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 2.4%
Tragic number: 23

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 74.6
Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 20

Metro Division

Washington Capitals

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 14
Points pace: 118.2
Next game: vs. PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 105.3
Next game: @ SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

New Jersey Devils

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 13
Points pace: 95.1
Next game: vs. CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 96.9%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Rangers

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Points pace: 85.6
Next game: vs. TOR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 25.5%
Tragic number: 26

New York Islanders

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 85.7
Next game: vs. MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 23.8%
Tragic number: 28

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 85.7
Next game: vs. FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 12.4%
Tragic number: 28

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 77.3
Next game: vs. CBJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 18

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Points pace: 76.1
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 18

Central Division

Winnipeg Jets

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 13
Points pace: 116.5
Next game: @ EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Dallas Stars

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 108.9
Next game: vs. TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Colorado Avalanche

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 13
Points pace: 101.0
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 13
Points pace: 98.6
Next game: vs. BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 92.6%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Points pace: 89.1
Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 56.8%
Tragic number: 27

Utah Hockey Club

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 85.6
Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 8.6%
Tragic number: 25

Nashville Predators

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 71.0
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 14

Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 59.1
Next game: vs. LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 3

Pacific Division

Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 105.3
Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 14
Points pace: 101.3
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 16
Points pace: 100.6
Next game: @ CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 14
Points pace: 90.4
Next game: @ STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 26.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Calgary Flames

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 89.3
Next game: @ NJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 16.5%
Tragic number: 29

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 79.6
Next game: @ NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 20

Seattle Kraken

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 76.1
Next game: @ EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 15

e - San Jose Sharks

Points: 45
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 54.3
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: An "e" means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL's Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

1. San Jose Sharks

Points: 45
Regulation wins: 13

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17

3. Nashville Predators

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 21

4. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 21

5. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 17

6. Seattle Kraken

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 24

7. Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 19

8. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 21

9. Boston Bruins

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23

10. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23

11. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24

12. New York Islanders

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 25

13. Utah Hockey Club

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 22

14. New York Rangers

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 30

15. Calgary Flames

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25

16. St. Louis Blues

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25

Andy Robertson has brushed off criticism of his Liverpool performances this season and insisted that his time at Anfield is not coming to an end, despite the club being "linked with pretty much every left-back in the world."

Robertson struggled to reach the consistently high levels he managed under Jürgen Klopp on Merseyside during the fist half of this season as he played catch-up after sustaining an ankle ligament injury which disrupted his preseason.

The 31-year-old admitted he felt "written off" following a disappointing individual display in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in October, in which he was at fault for Bukayo Saka's opening goal. Robertson was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark at the Emirates and was named on the bench for subsequent wins over Brighton & Hove Albion and Bayer Leverkusen.

He has since regained his regular place in Arne Slot's starting XI and has been a near ever-present since November.

"I think we've been linked with pretty much every left-back in the world," Scotland captain Robertson told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the country's Nations League playoff against Greece.

"That comes with playing with one of the greatest clubs in the world. I look back on these eight years I've had as the starting left-back at that club and I feel a lot of pride.

"Your time comes and I don't think it's my time yet but even if we do bring someone in, then so be it. I'll always back myself.

"Sure, this season there have been a couple of moments when I haven't covered myself in glory but some things have been taken way out of proportion.

"I think the performance levels have been there for me. I think I've had a relatively good season but one thing people will say about me is that I've been pretty consistent, so when you make a couple of mistakes, then people can talk.

"That's the world we live in, that's the Premier League. Everyone has eyes on you, everyone has an opinion.

"It is what it is but I'm always confident in my ability. I've shown that right throughout my career but especially during my time at Liverpool."

The international break has arrived after a two-week spell in which Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and were beaten by Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final, but Robertson said meeting up with the national team has helped him get over his club's recent struggles.

"It's part and parcel of football. It probably wasn't one of our best weeks in football, though thankfully we've had plenty of good weeks this season," Robertson said.

"For many reasons, last week wasn't meant to be. But it's always great to meet up with the Scotland lads, always an honour, always good to see fresh faces and take a break from a really intense time at Liverpool.

"It's been nice, it's made it easier to get over the disappointment."

Barcelona on Thursday informed its fans that the club will finish the season at Olympic Stadium where they will play all remaining LaLiga and Champions League matches as construction at Spotify Camp Nou continues to be delayed.

Barcelona had been hopeful of a return to Spotify Camp Nou with progress in redeveloping and modernising the ground slowed due to the fact more work was required on the second tier than initially planned.

Barcelona made the announcement on Thursday via an email sent to all the club's socios.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta had said several months ago that the club would be back in the stadium by March, coinciding with the knockout phase of the Champions League, targeting that March date because once Barça have played a home knockout game in the Champions League, they cannot change the venue where their home matches are played in Europe.

However, Thursday's announcements mean that all remaining first-team matches will be destined for Olympic Stadium at Montjuïc.

Barça left Camp Nou in 2023 and the stadium renovations will increase the capacity to around 105,000, the highest in Europe.

In January, Barcelona requested an extension to the lease at the Olympic Stadium until the end of May to cover the Clásico against Real Madrid scheduled for that month.

Barça face a hectic schedule of four games in nine days when club football returns next week.

After hosting Osasuna on Thursday, they welcome Girona on the Sunday, travel to Atlético Madrid for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on the Wednesday and then return home for a league game against Real Betis on the Saturday.

They then host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, go to Leganés in LaLiga and then fly to Dortmund for the second leg of their quarterfinal tie.

Information from Sam Marsden was used in this report.

Thomas Tuchel has said he believes England struggled live up to expectations at Euro 2024 because the team played with a "fear" of losing and did not have the "hunger" to win.

Despite reaching the final in Berlin where they lost to Spain, Gareth Southgate's England team were criticised for their uninspiring displays and lack of attacking threat in a competition they were favourites to win.

Asked in a news conference on Thursday about an interview he had given to ITV in which he indicated that he felt the team struggled with the pressure at the Euros and their performances suffered as a result, Tuchel doubled down on his opinion.

"It was just my feeling. It was my feedback and first of all it was my feeling in front of TV just way long, long before I even know that I may be in charge," Tuchel told a news conference on Thursday.

"That was my feeling. I think it's pretty clear statement and don't know how to put it in other words, and I think it has to be the other way around.

"I want us to play with the excitement and the hunger and the desire to win and the joy to win. And the chance of failure is a part of it, especially in football, but we want to implement this togetherness and the joy that everyone feels safe to express themselves and give their very best. And we play that. It's recognisable.

"We play with the hunger and the joy to win and not with the fear to lose. Anything can happen in football, we know this, but the focus is on winning is on a higher number of touches in the opponent's box, a higher amount of attacks, a higher amount of high ball recoveries. This is where the focus is."

Tuchel will take charge of his first England match on Friday when the Three Lions host Albania at Wembley Stadium to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup and the German coach admitted he is feeling some nerves ahead of the game.

"I just hope so much that they can see what I see on a daily basis and they can transform it into the stadium because what I saw in the last days was amazing and was just a joy to watch and to be part of it," he said.

"So hopefully we can transport this energy and this fire and in this hunger into the game tomorrow. And then, I mean it's amazing. We will have a full Wembley [it will] be very exciting. I will be a bit nervous I guess, but that's part of it. I'm always a bit nervous before matches so this will not be different and yeah, excited and hopefully we can prove the point and then take the first step."

COSTA NAVARINO, Greece -- Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, becoming the first woman and first African to get perhaps the biggest job in global sports.

The Zimbabwe sports minister and two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist got a stunning first-round win in the seven-candidate contest after voting by 97 IOC member on Thursday.

She gets an eight-year mandate into 2033 at just 41 -- youthful by the historical standards of the IOC.

Kirsty Coventry was elected as IOC President, over fellow presidential candidates HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, David Lappartient, Johan Eliasch, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Lord Sebastian Coe and Morinari Watanabe. pic.twitter.com/9S0F0z0PWm

IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 20, 2025

It was the most open and hard-to-call IOC presidential election in decades, with no clear front-runner before the vote. Many predicted an absolute majority could take several rounds of votes, but she got the exact total of 49 needed.

Coventry's win also was a victory for outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach, who has long been seen as promoting her as his successor. He did not use his right to vote.

"I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you have taken," Coventry said in her acceptance speech. "Now we have got some work together."

Walking to the podium, she was congratulated and kissed on both cheeks by Juan Antonio Samaranch, her expected closest rival, who got 28 votes. Sebastian Coe, in third place, got just eight.

Also in the race were four presidents of sports governing bodies: Along with track and field's Coe, contenders included skiing's Johan Eliasch, cycling's David Lappartient, and gymnastics' Morinari Watanabe. Also contending was Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan.

Coventry will formally replace her mentor Bach on June 23 -- officially Olympic Day -- as the 10th IOC president in its 131-year history. Bach reached the maximum 12 years in office.

Key challenges for Coventry will be steering the Olympic movement through political and sporting issues toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, including engaging in diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Coventry's IOC will also need to find a host for the 2036 Summer Games, which could go to India or the Middle East.

The strongest candidates in a five-month campaign with tightly controlled rules drafted by the Bach-led IOC seemed to be Coventry, IOC vice president Samaranch and Coe.

Samaranch tried to follow his father, also Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was the IOC's seventh president from 1980 to 2001.

Coe aimed to add to a remarkable career of Olympic triumphs: A two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500 meters, he led a bidding team for the 2012 London Olympics, then worked for the next seven years to head the organizing team of those widely praised Games.

It has been a stellar week for Bach, who greeted Coventry and shared warm smiles after her acceptance speech.

Bach was feted on Wednesday in an emotional start to the IOC annual meeting, getting lavish praise and the title of honorary president for life.

His hands-on executive-style presidency will deliver over a financially secure IOC, on track to earn more than $8 billion in revenue through the 2028 L.A. Olympics, and with a slate of future hosts through 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia and finally the U.S. again, when the Winter Games return to Salt Lake City.

A signature Bach policy also has been gender parity, with equal quotas of men and women athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics and giving a better balance of female members of the IOC and the executive board he chairs, which now has seven women among its 15 members, including Coventry.

Her win Thursday will only add to Bach's legacy for promoting women.

Coventry won back-to-back titles in 200-meters backstroke at the 2004 Athens Olympics and Beijing four years later. She joined the IOC in 2013, almost one year after a disputed athlete election at the London Olympics. Her place among the four athletes elected was eventually awarded after Court of Arbitration for Sport rulings against two opponents.

The next president can oversee the IOC making a statement choice for its host for the 2036 Summer Games.

"There is one and one only," Samaranch said on Wednesday when asked about challenges ahead. "We must concentrate [on] successful and relevant Olympic Games. The rest comes with success in the Games."

The voters in the exclusive invited club of IOC members include royal family members, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes. Even an Oscar-winning actress, Michelle Yeoh.

Members voted without hearing further presentations from the candidates in an election that swung on a discreet network of friendships and alliances largely forged out of sight.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cooper Flagg says he is "pain-free" after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of the majority of Duke's ACC tournament championship run, and he expects to be fully healthy for the Blue Devils' NCAA tournament opener against Mount St. Mary's on Friday.

The Duke star rolled his ankle in the first half against Georgia Tech on March 13, but Flagg said he went through a full practice Wednesday and expects no issues when he takes the court for his first NCAA tournament game.

"We've been working through the steps of just getting back to 100 percent, and I feel very good," Flagg said Thursday. "I'm very confident moving forward."

Coach Jon Scheyer said Flagg wanted to play in the ACC tournament, but Duke's staff wanted to proceed cautiously. Flagg did not go through warmups before any of the Blue Devils' game last weekend, but he moved without issue on the sideline and didn't require any protective footwear.

"He's been itching to get out there," Scheyer said. "I think that says a lot about who he is because a lot of guys would be more patient or not as anxious to get out there. That's just not the way he's wired, his family, everybody with them."

Flagg said he has dealt with minor ankle injuries frequently, but he knew immediately that this one was a bit more severe. He exited the game, Duke's ACC tournament opener, and had an MRI and X-rays that both showed no significant damage. Flagg said he spent the next week working with Duke's training staff on a rehabilitation program aimed at having him fully healthy for the NCAA tournament.

"From the start of the week, it was kind of like a buildup of jumping back into practice, getting back to 100 percent, doing some individual things with some of the coaches on the side," Flagg said. "Then I was back at full practice [Wednesday]."

Flagg said he went through that practice without issues and had "100 percent full mobility."

Scheyer wasn't quite so cheerful in his diagnosis but agreed that Flagg was moving without any limitations.

"This is about him being able to move properly," Scheyer said. "He wasn't going to play if he was compensating. No matter what, an ankle sprain, to say he's 100 percent [for Friday], he has to work through that a little bit still. But he's not compensating."

Even without Flagg -- and forward Maliq Brown, who is out with a separated shoulder -- Duke rolled through the ACC tournament, knocking off Louisville by 11 in the final. Duke used its length on defense, though center Khaman Maluach said that was simply a greater focus on something the Blue Devils had already been doing all season.

"It didn't matter that the lineup changed. We were just us and still played our normal basketball," Maluach said. "[But] I was happy that [Flagg] was out there practicing, getting back one step at a time. I'm excited to see him play."

Flagg is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists and was a consensus All-American.

Scheyer was cautious in his evaluation of Brown's possible return. The junior will not likely see action in the opening weekend, but Scheyer said Brown is eager to contribute. Should the Blue Devils make a deeper run, there's a chance he could return for later games.

"I don't know if that's going to happen," Scheyer said, "but that's his mindset, that's our mindset to do everything we can to just give it a chance if we can continue to progress in this tournament."