Updated NHL Playoff Picture 2026 and Predicting Final Seeds for Stanley Cup Bracket
The NHL has a plethora of playoff races to keep an eye on.
The playoff races for the Pacific Division title and the wild-card spots in each conference took turns on Saturday that should make all of those races competitive until the end.
The Pacific Division title race between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks heated up on Saturday because Connor McDavid and Co. won the head-to-head clash with the Ducks.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the entire complexion of the wild-card race changed because of a handful of results on Saturday.
Eastern Conference
1 of 2
Atlantic Division
1 Buffalo - 98 points
2. Tampa Bay - 96
3. Montreal - 92
Metropolitan Division
1 Carolina - 98
2. New York Islanders - 89
3. Pittsburgh - 88
Wild-Card Race
1 Boston - 90
2. Columbus - 87
3. Ottawa - 86
4. Detroit - 86
5. Philadelphia - 84
6. Washington - 83
Saturday's results shifted around the dynamic of the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
The New York Islanders shot up to second place in the Metropolitan Division, a move that dropped the Columbus Blue Jackets down into the second wild-card spot.
Columbus is one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.
The Philadelphia Flyers beat Detroit on Saturday to move three points off the final wild-card spot.
The Washington Capitals are hanging on as well with a four-point gap to make up to Columbus.
Columbus plays the Boston Bruins on Sunday in a game that could turn the wild-card race in another direction if the Blue Jackets win.
Columbus has lost three of the last four and it faces a tough schedule down the stretch that features two games versus the Carolina Hurricanes. All but one of its games come against teams in playoff positions, or in the playoff race.
Philadelphia has a brutal week ahead. It hosts the Dallas Stars on Sunday on the second leg of a back-to-back. Then, the Flyers face the Caps, Red Wings, Islanders and Bruins.
Ottawa seems poised on paper to claim a wild-card spot because it has a five-game homestand that starts on Thursday. It also closes the regular season with the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs, both of whom are out of the postseason picture.
At the top of the conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning could be in position to claim the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division. They play four straight at home and then visit the Buffalo Sabres on April 6. Buffalo needs to be near-perfect in the next week to avoid a drop from the top spot.
Playoff Predictions
Ottawa (WC2) vs. Carolina (Metropolitan 1)
Boston (WC1) vs. Tampa Bay (Atlantic 1)
Montreal vs. Buffalo
Pittsburgh vs. New York Islanders
Western Conference
2 of 2
Central Division
1 Colorado - 106
2. Dallas - 99
3. Minnesota - 94
Pacific Division
1 Anaheim - 86
2. Edmonton - 83
3. Vegas - 80
Wild-Card Race
1 Utah - 82
2. Nashville - 77
3. Los Angeles - 76
4. Seattle - 75
5. Winnipeg - 74
6. San Jose - 73
7. St. Louis - 73
The Utah Mammoth gave themselves a ton of breathing room with their win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Utah now appears to be a shoe-in for the top wild-card spot. It can reaffirm that status with wins over the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks on Thursday and Saturday.
Six teams are now within four points of each other after the Nashville Predators' loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Nashville plays the next six games on the road, including a pair against the Kings on Thursday and Monday.
The Predators don't have an easy game during that stretch, but if they can beat the Kings, they'll be in decent shape to claim the final playoff position.
The Kings play their next six at home. They should win at least three of those games, so the pressure will put on Nashville before both of their meetings.
The rest of the wild-card contenders have to hope for Nashville and Los Angeles to split their two games in the next week.
The San Jose Sharks are the most fascinating team beneath the Predators and Kings because they have two games in hand and begin a six-game homestand on Monday.
Nashville is still playing the best hockey of the group, and it has a ton of veteran leadership at the top of the lineup, so it should still be the favorite to enter the postseason field.
The only thing that could change in the top six spots is the Edmonton Oilers taking over the Pacific Division from the Anaheim Ducks.
Edmonton beat Anaheim on Saturday to close the gap to three points.
The Oilers are on a three-game winning streak and the majority of their games come against teams below them in the standings.
Playoff Predictions
Nashville (WC2) vs. Colorado (Central 1)
Utah (WC1) vs. Edmonton (Pacific 1)
Minnesota vs. Dallas
Vegas vs. Anaheim
