Edmonton Oilers can clinch playoff spot tonight if these two things happen
The Edmonton Oilers could book their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight, but two things have to happen to do so.
Edmonton currently sits third in the Pacific Division with a 44-27-5 record and 93 points. If they clinch tonight, it will be the fifth straight season that the Oilers have qualified for the playoffs.
For that to become official, the Oilers will have to get the job done on the ice tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, in addition to getting some help from the San Jose Sharks. If Edmonton can defeat the Ducks, and the Sharks beat the Calgary Flames in regulation tonight, the Oilers will officially clinch a playoff spot.
The #Oilers can clinch a playoff spot tonight if they defeat the Ducks AND the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation tonight
If it happens, EDM will have made the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) April 7, 2025
It is looking more and more likely that Edmonton is locked into that third-place spot, meaning they will play whoever finishes second in the division. Right now, that team is the LA Kings, which would set up a fourth straight season of those two teams meeting in the first round. There is also a chance that the Vegas Golden Knights will fall into that position before the season ends, giving Edmonton a chance at revenge for their second-round loss back in 2023.
This won’t be as easy as it seems, with the Oilers missing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm, and Stuart Skinner due to various injuries. Even with all those players in the lineup, the Ducks still managed to defeat the Oilers convincingly two times earlier this season.
Edmonton will have to be on their top game if they want to hold up their end of the bargain. The second part of the clinching scenario is also not guaranteed as the Sharks sit all alone in last place in the NHL, and the Flames have been having a better-than-expected season.
If it doesn’t happen tonight, it’s fair to say that it will at some point. The Oilers just need to secure four more points over their last six games to put the Flames out of reach of catching them. Either that or the Flames need to lose two of their last six games.