Latest NHL Playoff Picture 2026 Standings and Odds for Stanley Cup Bracket

The Atlantic and Pacific divisions may not be determined until the final game of the NHL regular season.

Three teams are tied on 102 points in the Atlantic, while the top three squads in the Pacific are separated by a single point.

The wild-card races in each conference could still go a few different ways, but clear favorites in the races for the No. 2 spots have emerged over the last few days.

Updated Stanley Cup Odds

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Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Colorado (+300; bet $100 to win $300)

Tampa Bay (+370)

Carolina (+500)

Dallas (+1100)

Vegas (+1200)

Edmonton (+1400)

Ottawa (+1800)

Minnesota (+1900)

Buffalo (+2000)

Utah (+3000)

Montreal (+3300)

Pittsburgh (+4000)

Anaheim (+5000)

Boston (+7000)

Columbus (+8000)

Los Angeles (+8000)

Philadelphia (+8000)

Eastern Conference

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Atlantic Division

1 Tampa Bay - 102 points

2. Buffalo - 102

3. Montreal - 102

Metropolitan Division

1 Carolina - 106

2. Pittsburgh - 96

3. Philadelphia - 92

Wild-Card Race

1 Boston - 96

2. Ottawa - 92

3. Columbus - 90

4. Detroit - 89

5. New York Islanders - 89

6. Washington - 87

The focus of the Eastern Conference has shifted away from the wild-card race to the Atlantic Division.

Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Montreal all enter Wednesday with 102 points. The Lightning and Canadiens face off Thursday in Montreal. Buffalo faces the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

The Lightning lost three of their last five to open up the door for the Sabres or Canadiens to win the division.

If Tampa Bay can beat Montreal, or at least get a point out of the game, it should win its final three against Boston, Detroit and the Rangers.

Buffalo finishes with the Rangers, Columbus, Chicago and Dallas. Montreal takes on Columbus, the New York Islanders and Philadelphia after its clash with the Lightning.

The Canadiens have the most difficult schedule of the three, so it might come down to the Lightning and Sabres picking up points against worse teams.

Ottawa has two points of separation between itself and the rest of the challengers for the final wild-card spot.

The Senators face three eliminated teams and the Islanders to conclude the regular season. They will be in the postseason if they handle their business in those games.

The four chasers need the Senators to slip up on multiple occasions to have a sniff at landing the final playoff position in the East.

Columbus, Detroit, the New York Islanders and Washington all had opportunities to distance themselves from the pack, but they haven't been consistent enough to do so.

Western Conference

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Central Division

1 Colorado - 112

2. Dallas - 104

3. Minnesota - 104

Pacific Division

1 Edmonton - 88

2. Vegas - 88

3. Anaheim - 87

Wild-Card Race

1 Utah - 88

2. Nashville - 84

3. Los Angeles - 83

4. San Jose - 81

5. Winnipeg - 80

6. St. Louis - 78

7. Seattle - 75

Vegas' four-game winning streak leveled it on points with Edmonton atop the Pacific Division.

The Golden Knights have the easier remaining schedule with Seattle twice, Colorado and Winnipeg.

The Oilers face San Jose and Los Angeles in the next two games. Both the Sharks and Kings are squarely in the wild-card race. They then take on Colorado and Vancouver in their final two games.

If the Oilers manage to get through their next two contests, they have a shot at holding on to the Pacific title.

Anaheim is still one point back of the Oilers and Golden Knights, but they are on a six-game losing streak.

Nashville owns the slight edge over Los Angeles in the wild-card race. San Jose and Winnipeg are hanging on as well, but they need help from the opponents of the Predators and Kings.

The Predators visit Utah on Thursday, a game that the Kings, Sharks and Jets all hope they lose.

The Kings own a game-in-hand on the Preds and they have four very winnable games along with a clash against the Oilers left.

The Sharks have two more games left than Nashville, but three of their next four come against the Oilers, Ducks and Predators.

Los Angeles has the easiest path to earning the maximum points, which makes it the slight favorite to claim the final wild-card position.