Complete 2026 NHL Playoff Picture, Standings, Bracket and Wild-Card Race

With just days left in the NHL regular season, the playoff picture continues to fluctuate, with teams jumping into and falling out of the Wild Card picture and others leapfrogging division rivals as they jockey for positioning.

What do the Eastern and Western Conference standings look like, just days before the start of the playoffs, and which team is riding a wave of momentum that may secure them the final Wild Card spot in their conference?

Find out with this look at the current NHL playoff picture.

Eastern Conference Standings

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Atlantic Division

x-Buffalo Sabres (48-23-8, 104 points)

x-Tampa Bay Lightning (48-24-6, 102 points)

x-Montreal Canadiens (46-22-10, 102 points)

Metropolitan Division

x-Carolina Hurricanes (50-22-6, 106 points)

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

Philadelphia Flyers (40-26-12, 92 points)

Wild Card

Boston Bruins (43-26-10, 96 points)

Ottawa Senators (41-27-10, 92 points)

Columbus Blue Jackets (39-27-12, 90 points)

Detroit Red Wings (40-29-9, 89 points)

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

Washington Capitals (40-30-9, 89 points)

Eliminated from Playoff Contention

New Jersey Devils (40-35-3, 83 points)

Florida Panthers (37-37-4, 78 points)

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

New York Rangers (33-37-9, 75 points)

Western Conference Standings

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Central Division

x-Colorado Avalanche (51-16-10, 112 points)

x-Dallas Stars (46-20-12, 104 points)

x-Minnesota Wild (45-21-12, 102 points)

Pacific Division

Edmonton Oilers (40-29-10, 90 points)

Vegas Golden Knights (36-26-16, 88 points)

Anaheim Ducks (41-32-5, 87 points)

Wild Card

Utah Mammoth (41-30-6, 88 points)

Nashville Predators (37-31-10, 84 points)

Los Angeles Kings (32-36-19, 83 points)

San Jose Sharks (37-33-7, 81 points)

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

St. Louis Blues (32-31-12, 78 points)

Seattle Kraken (32-34-11, 75 points)

Eliminated from Playoff Contention

Calgary Flames (32-36-9, 73 points)

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

Vancouver Canucks (22-47-8, 52 points)

Eastern Conference Wild Card Race Remains Hot

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Seven points separate the top-ranked wild-card squad, Boston, from the final Eastern Conference team in playoff contention, Washington. It is an indication of the tightness of the conference and how much each game means down the stretch of this NHL regular season.

The Ottawa Senators remain the hottest of the teams vying for a Wild Card spot, having gone 6-3-1 in their last 10, including a dominant 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have already clinched a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.

Jake Sanderson led the Senators in that win, taking five shots on goal and scoring twice. Goalie Linus Ullmark saved 28-of-30 shots for a .933 save percentage on the night.

The team is +24 in goal differential and looks the part of a potential party crasher in the East.

The only team vying for a Wild Card spot with a winning record is Washington, whose win-loss record over the last 10 games matches Ottawa's.

The Capitals got a goal apiece from Dylan Strome, Martin Fehérváry, Cole Hutson, and Ryan Leonard in a 4-0 victory over the hapless Maple Leafs Wednesday night.

It may be too little, too late for the team in the nation's capital to fight their way into the postseason, but do not expect the Eastern Conference's winningest team a season ago to roll over and accept that fate, especially with so few points separating them from a return to the postseason.