How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the USA: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
As has become the tradition, the NHL Draft Lottery will be conducted ahead of the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round. Half of the league’s team have had little to do while the opening round whittled the Cup contenders down from 16 to eight, but tonight there is a chance for them to win the ticket to add a cornerstone to their franchise and get closer to joining the playoff fight themselves.
The Montreal Canadiens won’t be participating in the lottery directly this year after watching with keen interest the last several seasons, having the balls draw their way in 2022 to win the top draft selection. Three years of top-five picks have brought Juraj Slafkovský, David Reinbacher, and Ivan Demidov into the fold, the first of whom is already a top-line player with the Canadiens, and the latter two poised to play important roles as soon as next season.
There will be no top-five pick in 2025, but the Canadiens already hold the 17th pick and are also in line to receive the Calgary Flames’ selection at 16th overall barring a miracle. Calgary’s pick, obtained by Montreal when Sean Monahan’s contract was acquired, is top-10 protected. If the Flames move into the top 10, they retain their selection and send the one they hold that originally belonged to the Florida Panthers in Montreal’s direction instead.
Two lotteries will be conducted tonight, one for the top pick, and a subsequent one to determine second overall. Teams have been assigned four-number combinations for a 14-ball lottery machine, and the winner will be determined after drawing balls one at a time. Calgary holds five of these 1000 combinations, and has a 1.1% chance of moving into the top 10 by winning one of the two lotteries
Winning a lottery doesn’t jump a team right to the top, but instead moves it 10 places up the order. That means only 11 clubs have a shot at winning the first pick; if one of the teams, like Calgary, with the 12th- to 16th-best odds wins the 1st Draft Lottery, it moves up 10 spots, but the first pick goes to the worst team, which, for the second consecutive season, is the San Jose Sharks. So while the Sharks have an 18.5% chance of having one of their combinations come out of the lottery, their chances of getting the first overall pick are actually 25.5% (their assigned 18.5% plus the total of 7.0% held by the five teams with the lowest odds).
| Pick | Team | Odds of winning lottery | Odds of claiming 1st overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose Sharks | 18.5% | 25.5% |
| 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 13.5% | 13.5% |
| 3 | Nashville Predators | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 9.5% | 9.5% |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | 8.5% | 8.5% |
| 6 | Seattle Kraken | 7.5% | 7.5% |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| 8 | Anaheim Ducks | 6.0% | 6.0% |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| 10 | New York Islanders | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| 11 | New York Rangers | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| 12 | Detroit Red Wings | 2.5% | 0.0% |
| 13 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 2.0% | 0.0% |
| 14 | Utah HC | 1.5% | 0.0% |
| 15 | Vancouver Canucks | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| 16 | Calgary Flames | 0.5% | 0.0% |
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Atlantic Division Final Game 1: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
How to watch
Start time: 8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English) TVA Sports (French)
In the U.S.: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
After the lottery, the second round will begin with last year’s champion beginning a series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto had a little bit more difficulty with the Ottawa Senators than the Florida Panthers did with the Tampa Bay Lightning, needing six games to Florida’s five, but none of that will matter a great deal in a new series. Florida was 3-1-0 in the regular-season versus Toronto, so we’ll see what kind of adjustments Craig Berube’s team has made to better compete with the rival club.
