The Capitals had a standout season, too.They finished first in the Eastern Conference and posted their most points in a season since 2016-17, a year before they won the Stanley Cup. It's also the first 50-win season since the 2016-17 campaign.

Sixteen teams in total make the NBA playoffs, eight teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences. The top six seeds in each conference advance based on the regular season record. The final two seeds in each conference are wild-card spots based on the best remaining records in each conference.

Many of the Canadiens, including Ivan Demidov, will get their first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre in 2025.