2026 NHL Playoffs Picture With the Latest on Tight Races, Standings, and Contenders

The 2026 NHL playoff race is coming down to the wire, with teams in a Wild Card spot changing by the day in the last few weeks of the regular season. If you've taken a post-Olympic break from hockey, now is the perfect time to tune back in and get ready for the playoffs.

There is still a ton to be determined. Only the Stars and the Avalanche have officially punched a ticket to the postseason, and they're still battling it out for the crucial No. 1 seed out West. The best team in the Pacific division has fewer points than a team that's not even in a playoff spot out East. Let's gear up for the last few weeks of the season with everything you need to know about the current playoff picture, all the tight races, and a vibe check on the contenders.

The Atlantic Division Battle

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Nikita Kucherov and Tage Thompson

The Atlantic Division is seeing the most movement on a daily basis, as some teams try to claw their way into the playoffs, and others need to start clawing way harder.

Two Atlantic teams we don't have to worry about? The Lightning and the Sabres. The Sabres are currently in the division lead with 96 points, and the Lightning trails right behind them with 93. The Sabres took the No. 1 spot after the most thrilling game of the season -- an 8-7 win over, well, the Lightning earlier this month that was action-filled.

The Sabres have 10 games left as they try to maintain their lead. First, they've got four consecutive desperate teams on the bubble vying for a playoff ticket: Detroit, Seattle, the Islanders, and Ottawa. They'll face the Lightning for a final Atlantic Division battle on April 6, so mark your calendars for that one.

The Lightning have 11 games left, five against divisional bubble teams (two vs. the Bruins, two vs. the Senators, and one vs. the Red Wings).

This is going to come down to the wire with pretty similar schedules for the two teams the rest of the way. The Sabres have had the momentum, but things could be shifting as they've gone on a two-game losing skid. Both teams know how important it is to claim the No. 1 seed in a division that has proved challenging from top to bottom this season.

The Wild State of Play in the Rest of the Eastern Conference

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Brady Tkachuk and Sidney Crosby

So, we don't have to worry about the Sabres or the Lightning, but we do have to worry about virtually everyone else in their division -- and most of the Metropolitan Division, too. Where the West has extremely concentrated high-level talent at the top that rapidly drops off, the East has been a gauntlet for bubble teams.

Eleven teams have at least 80 standings points, and no team has officially punched a playoff ticket just yet. Montreal is currently No. 3 in the Atlantic with 88 points; the Blue Jackets are No. 2 in the Metro with 87; and the Penguins are No. 3 in the Metro with 86. The Bruins hold Wild Card No. 1 with 88 points; the Senators are in Wild Card No. 2 with 85; the Islanders are in Wild Card No. 3 with 85; and the Red Wings are in Wild Card No. 4 with 84.

The Senators have been on an insanely impressive tear lately, and they've earned that playoff spot. Looking ahead at their schedule, they've got some challenges ahead: Two meetings with the Lightning, one with the Sabres, one with the Islanders, one with the Wild, one with the Hurricanes, and one with the Penguins. They've also got some breaks with teams like the Panthers and the Leafs soft-tanking. Let's just say, if they hold on to this Wild Card spot, they've earned it.

The Red Wings have fallen out of a playoff spot after some lackluster performances recently, but they've got some opportunities to make it right with the Panthers, Flyers, Devils, and Rangers all coming up on their schedule.

The Islanders are right there, tied with the Senators with 85 standings points, but they've got a pretty difficult road ahead: The Stars, the Penguins, the Sabres, the Canes, the Sens, and the Canadiens are all coming up.

It's time to tune into the Eastern Conference playoff race if you haven't already.

The Central Division Battle

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Wyatt Johnston and Cale Makar

The Central Division features the only two teams that have officially punched a ticket to the 2026 playoffs: The Avalanche and the Stars. Colorado's in the lead in the division and the entire league with 104 points, while the Stars have 97 and the Wild have 92.

The battle for seeding here is crucial, as these are arguably the top three teams in the entire league, and the top seed will avoid a first-round matchup with the other two. Could the Stars catch the Avalanche? It's certainly possible, albeit unlikely.

The Stars have 11 more games, including a meeting with the Avalanche on April 4 that will most likely ultimately determine if they have any hope for the top seed or not, so definitely tune into that one. The Avalanche have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the entire league, though. They've got the Jets twice, the Flames three times, and the Blues twice. It'll be an uphill climb for the Stars to catch them for sure.

The Western Conference Wild-Card Race

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Steven Stamkos

Are the Predators actually good, or has the middle of the Western Conference fallen off so severely that the Predators have been forced into a playoff spot? That's the question of the day as we take a look at the Western Conference Wild Card race, a race that feels like no one wants to win.

The Mammoth and Predators are starting to pull away with it, as Utah sits in Wild Card spot No. 1 with 80 points, Nashville's in No. 2 with 77 points, and the Kings (74 points) remain in the mix.

Riding a five-game win streak, the Predators have 11 games left, including two crucial tilts against the Kings that will likely determine who gets that No. 2 Wild Card spot. Will the Kings finally start acting like they want to be here and play to the ability we've seen from them -- especially with Artemi Panarin in the fold? They were gifted Panarin, and now they've been gifted two golden opportunities against the Predators to fix things.

The "Mid-Off" in the Pacific Division

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Rasmus Andersson and Connor McDavid

Speaking of teams allergic to the playoffs, the "pillow fight" that is the Pacific Division is truly a disaster. For reference, the Ducks lead the division with 84 points, and the Islanders are out of a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division with 85 points. Yeah.

Only one team in the entire Pacific has a positive goal differential. Let's hear it for the Oilers for scoring four more goals than they've given up!

The Ducks could make things interesting with their happy-go-lucky vibe upon finally making the playoffs in this era, but what else do we have here? Does anyone really trust the loser-point merchant, the Golden Knights, anymore? Not even Connor McDavid seems thrilled about the Oilers' hopes right now, especially with Leon Draisaitl's injury and the play of Tristan Jarry in net. Yikes.