NHL Playoff Standings 2026, Top Seeds, Wild Card Update and Bracket Predictions

The NHL regular season is in its final stretch and the eyes of the hockey world are on the upcoming playoffs, where 16 teams will vie for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Ahead of the final four games of the regular season, find out which teams have clinched their spot in the postseason and which are still fighting for their right to compete among the best squads in the game, in this preview of the upcoming playoffs.

Eastern Conference Standings

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Atlantic Division

x-Tampa Bay Lightning (48-23-6, 102 points)

x-Buffalo Sabres (47-23-8, 102 points)

x-Montreal Canadiens (45-22-10, 100 points)

Metropolitan Division

x-Carolina Hurricanes (49-22-6, 104 points)

Pittsburgh Penguins (40-22-16, 96 points)

Philadelphia Flyers (39-26-12, 90 points)

Wild Card

Boston Bruins (43-26-9, 95)

Ottawa Senators (40-27-10, 90 points)

New York Islanders (42-31-5, 89 points)

Detroit Red Wings (40-29-8, 88 points)

Columbus Blue Jackets (38-27-12, 88 points)

Washington Capitals (39-30-9, 87 points)

New Jersey Devils (40-34-3, 83 points)

Eliminated From Playoff Contention

Toronto Maple Leafs (32-31-14, 78 points)

Florida Panthers (37-37-3, 77 points)

New York Rangers (33-36-9, 75 points)

Western Conference Standings

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Central Division

x-Colorado Avalanche (50-16-10, 110 points)

x-Dallas Stars (45-20-12, 102 points)

x-Minnesota Wild (44-21-12, 100 points)

Pacific Division

Edmonton Oilers (39-29-9, 87 points)

Anaheim Ducks (41-31-5, 87 points)

Vegas Golden Knights (86 points)

Wild Card

Utah Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points)

Los Angeles Kings (32-26-19, 83 points)

Nashville Predators (36-31-10, 82 points)

San Jose Sharks (37-32-7, 81 points)

Winnipeg Jets (34-31-12, 80 points)

St. Louis Blues (33-31-12, 78 points)

Seattle Kraken (32-33-11, 75 points)

Calgary Flames (32-36-8, 72 points)

Eliminated From Playoff Contention

Chicago Blackhawks (28-36-14, 70 points)

Vancouver Canucks (22-46-8, 52 points)

x-indicates clinched playoffs

Wild Card Race

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Eastern Conference

Boston appears to have a stranglehold on the top Wild Card seed, with five points more than their closest competition, Ottawa. It is with the Senators and the teams immediately after that things get interesting.

Behind Ottawa, New York, Detroit, Columbus, Washington, and New Jersey are all still very much alive in the playoff hunt, ensuring a tightly contested final stretch of the regular season.

The Senators hold the inside track and are 6-3-1 in their last 10, with a +20 goal differential, better than any team still competing for a postseason berth. If they can continue to build momentum, Brady Tkachuk and Co. will secure that final spot.

No other team has a winning record in their last 10, with New York, Columbus, and Detroit all riding multi-game losing streaks.

The Senators finish up against playoff teams New Jersey, Tampa Bay, and the New York Islanders, with floundering Florida in between. The strength of that schedule, and a loss or two, could open the door for a last-minute change.

Western Conference

The competition in the West may be even tighter than its counterpart, with six points separating the top-seeded Wild Card squad Utah and fifth-seeded Winnipeg. With four games left in the regular season, there is plenty of time for the standings to be upended.

Unlike the Eastern Conference, every one of the top six Wild Card contenders is riding a wave of momentum, with winning records in their last 10 games. Arguably, no one is playing as well as St. Louis, who is 6-2-2, with four of those wins coming against playoff-caliber teams (Colorado, Anaheim, San Jose, and Washington).

The Blues have the most work to do, though, with five points separating them from the Kings in the second Wild Card spot.

Nashville, the third-seeded team, is also red-hot at 6-3-1 (5-2 in shootouts). They have the best chance of unseating the Kings and taking over that second Wild Card spot.