Updated NHL Playoff Picture 2026, Standings, Wild Card Odds and Bracket Predictions

The Eastern Conference wild-card race is far more crowded than the one in the Western Conference entering Thursday's NHL slate.

Any one of five teams could realistically take the two wild-card spots with 10-12 games remaining on the schedule for everyone in the league.

Utah and Nashville have a buffer in the West, but they have to keep pushing because Los Angeles could leap into a wild-card position with its performance in upcoming head-to-head games.

Eastern Conference

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Atlantic Division

1 Buffalo - 96 points

2. Tampa Bay - 93

3. Montreal - 88

Metropolitan Division

1 Carolina - 96

2. Columbus - 87

3. Pittsburgh - 86

Wild-Card Race

1 Boston - 88

2. Ottawa - 85

3. New York Islanders - 85

4. Detroit - 84

5. Philadelphia - 80

Boston picked up a vital two points on Wednesday in overtime against Buffalo.

The victory vaulted the Bruins' odds to make the playoffs up to -210 at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Boston isn't in the clear yet because it faces Minnesota, Columbus and Dallas in its next three games. The failure to gain results in any of those games could drag the Bruins back closer to the chasing pack.

Thursday's slate features two vital swing games. Columbus visits Montreal and Pittsburgh heads to Ottawa.

Ottawa is -240 to qualify for the postseason. A win over the Penguins would provide a huge boost for qualification.

The New York Islanders are at home against Dallas Stars on Thursday. They are only -115 to make the playoffs despite being in close range of the second wild-card spot and third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Detroit, who is +110 to make the playoffs, plays Buffalo on Friday and Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Flyers, who are the long shot at +490, must beat Chicago at home on Thursday and win in Detroit on Saturday to be considered a serious contender in the playoff race.

Ottawa is playing the best hockey of the wild-card contenders right now. The Islanders are the team to watch since they play eight of their last 10 games at home.

Bracket Predictions

New York Islanders vs. Buffalo

Ottawa vs. Carolina

Montreal vs. Tampa Bay

Pittsburgh vs. Columbus

Western Conference

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Central Division

1 Colorado - 104

2. Dallas - 97

3. Minnesota - 92

Pacific Division

1 Anaheim - 84

2. Edmonton - 79

3. Vegas - 78

Wild-Card Race

1 Utah - 80

2. Nashville - 77

3. Los Angeles Kings - 74

4. Seattle - 72

5. San Jose - 70

Utah comes into Thursday with -1500 odds to make the postseason.

Nashville, who is on a five-game winning streak, sits at -130.

The Mammoth and Predators are the clear favorites to fill out the Western Conference bracket.

Neither team will climb into the top three spots in the Central Division, so the wild-card spots are their only possible entry into the postseason.

Utah gets Washington at home on Thursday, while Nashville hosts New Jersey. Both of those games are winnable for the wild-card favorites.

Los Angeles should beat Vancouver on Thursday night to keep pace, but the Kings can't just keep matching results with the Mammoth and Predators.

The Kings have two games left against Nashville and one against Utah, so there's a path there, which is why they are still -110 to make the playoffs.

Bracket Prediction

Nashville vs. Colorado

Utah vs. Anaheim

Minnesota vs. Dallas

Vegas vs. Edmonton