Everything to Know on NHL Playoff 2026 Races, Tiebreakers, Best Matchups, More

The start of the 2025-26 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is less than a week away, and there are still a few spots up for grabs and matchups to be determined.

We have at least one first-round matchup set, as the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are set to meet in the Western Conference's Central Division bracket, while the Colorado Avalanche have the top spot in the Central.

We also know the Pittsburgh Penguins have second place in the Metropolitan Division locked up, while the Carolina Hurricanes have the top spot secured.

Beyond that, pretty much everything else is up for grabs.

For now, we will take you through each potential matchup, the tiebreaking scenarios and some dream matchups to get you ready for the week.

How the Eastern Conference Playoff Picture Looks Right Now

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Playoff matchups as of Monday

Atlantic 1: Buffalo Sabres vs. Wild Card 1: Boston Bruins

Atlantic 2: Montreal Canadiens vs. Atlantic 3: Tampa Bay Lightning

Metropolitan 1 (top seed): Carolina Hurricanes vs. Wild Card 2: Ottawa Senators

Metropolitan 2: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Metropolitan 3: Philadelphia Flyers

What is still up for grabs

The top spot in the Atlantic Division

This is a three-team race between the Sabres, Lightning and Canadiens, with all three teams entering the week separated by just two points in the standings. As of Monday, Buffalo and Montreal are tied with 106 points, with the Sabres owning the tiebreaker with 41 regulation wins to only 34 for the Canadiens. While Tampa Bay is two points back, the Lightning have a game in hand on the Canadiens. There are no head-to-head games remaining among the three teams.

The third spot in the Metropolitan Division

The New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday night, leaving this race down to the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals.

The Flyers can secure this spot and a first-round matchup with the Penguins by simply winning one of their remaining two games. But any regulation loss would leave the door open for both Washington and Columbus.

The Capitals and Blue Jackets play each other in their respective regular-season finales on Tuesday. That game could either be of major importance or have no importance at all, depending on what the Flyers do against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

Tiebreaker scenarios

The Sabres enter the week with the tiebreaker over both the Canadiens and Lightning, but they could change depending on what happens this week. Buffalo has 41 regulation wins, to 40 for the Lightning. Montreal, with only 34 regulation wins, would not hold the tiebreaker over either team and would need to finish with an outright points lead to win the Atlantic Division.

The Flyers, with only 26 regulation wins, are guaranteed to lose the tiebreaker with the Capitals and Blue Jackets, but could eliminate that possibility by simply winning one more game. For the Flyers and Blue Jackets to tie in the standings, Philadelphia would need to lose both of its remaining games in regulation with Columbus also beating Washington on Tuesday. In that instance, the Blue Jackets would have the regulation wins tiebreaker over the Flyers.

Matchup wish list

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals

Thanks to the Capitals' weekend sweep of the Penguins, this is suddenly back in the cards.

The Capitals still need to win one more game and get a LOT of help from the Flyers, but we are simply talking wish list here and this is probably one that the NHL would love to have. Another round of Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin? Who would not want that? (Other than Flyers and Blue Jackets fans).

The two superstars have met in the playoffs four previous times, with the winner of that series going on to win the Stanley Cup each time (the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017; the Capitals in 2018).

Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins

This could be on the table in the first round if the Canadiens can secure the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

This is one of the league's oldest rivalries, dating back to the Original Six days, and it always brings some juice. Especially when we are talking about a playoff series.

The Canadiens have the better team, but Jeremy Swayman could change a lot of things.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Another potential first-round matchup, but if their regular-season meetings are any indicator of what a playoff series would look like, this would be absolute chaos.

Tampa Bay has the star power and playoff experience, but Buffalo has plenty of youth and speed and will be looking to put on a show for a fired-up crowd that has been waiting 14 years for playoff hockey.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Neither one of these teams was expected to be here at the start of the regular season. We know the Penguins are going to be here. There is a very real possibility that the Flyers will join them for a first-round matchup.

Sidney Crosby vs. Flyers fans is one of the league's great rivalries, and Crosby seems to relish the opportunity to play against them.

How the Western Conference Playoff Picture Looks Right Now

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Playoff matchups as of Monday

Central 1: Colorado Avalanche (top seed) vs. Wild Card 2: Los Angeles Kings

Central 2: Dallas Stars vs. Central 3: Minnesota Wild

Pacific 1: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Wild Card 1: Utah Mammoth

Pacific 2: Edmonton Oilers vs. Pacific 3: Anaheim Ducks

What is still up for grabs

Everything in the Pacific Division

The Pacific Division has been chaotic this season, simply because nobody seems to want to win anything in it.

Entering play on Monday, there is not a single team in the division that would have enough points to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, and there is a real possibility the winner of this division will have fewer points, or at best be tied in points, with its wild-card opponent.

Vegas, Edmonton and Anaheim are all separated by just a single point, while all three teams have two games remaining.

Another late-season wrench being thrown into this machine is that the Los Angeles Kings have three games remaining (one game in hand on all three teams ahead of them) and they are playing a relatively soft schedule over that stretch. They are three points back of the Oilers and Ducks, and four points back of the Golden Knights.

They could not only potentially move into a top-three spot, but they also have an outside shot of actually winning the division. Or they could miss the playoffs entirely.

A wild division.

The second wild-card spot

This could be any team from any of the aforementioned Pacific Division teams, the Nashville Predators, the Winnipeg Jets, or the San Jose Sharks. Winnipeg and San Jose are both barely hanging on mathematically, but Nashville is very much in the race, trailing the Kings by just a single point in the standings.

The Kings have an important game in hand. Whoever gets this spot will have to play the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round. Not exactly a fun reward for sneaking into the playoffs.

Tiebreaker scenarios

With 31 regulation wins, Edmonton has the tiebreaker over every single team in the Pacific Division. With only 21 regulation wins, the Kings would lose the tiebreaker with every single team in the Pacific Division, as well as every single team in the wild-card race.

The Kings' 21 regulation wins are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the second-fewest in the NHL this season, ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks.

Vegas would also win the tiebreaker over Anaheim in the Pacific Division race.

The only team Anaheim wins a tiebreaker over among the remaining teams in the race is Los Angeles.

Matchup wish list

Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild

You do not have to wish very hard for this one, because you are getting it. Right away. In the first round.

This is actually a controversial matchup given that they are two of the three best teams in the conference, guaranteeing that one of them will be done in the opening round. It is not exactly a great sign for the league's playoff format, and it is going to get talked about a lot.

But setting that argument aside, this is going to be an outstanding matchup and what should be amazing hockey right off the bat.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars

This could be a potential second-round matchup and there is plenty of intrigue with it. They are two of the best teams in hockey. There is incredible star power.

Mikko Rantanen goes against his former team after helping to eliminate them a year ago with a dominant series that included a Game 7 hat-trick. Everybody will sign up for seven more games of this.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers

This matchup would likely be a Western Conference Final, but seeing Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, the two best offensive players in the league, go head-to-head would be sensational hockey and theatre. Especially if a trip to the Stanley Cup Final were on the line.

But do the Oilers have the depth and goaltending to get that far?

Los Angeles Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks

One of the more underrated rivalries in hockey, and one that often gets overlooked due to the time-zone issue and the fact that their games happen when a lot of the East Coast is sleeping.

The Ducks can not defend, but they have great young forward talent. The Kings are not a great offensive team, but can lock things down defensively. The irresistible force meets the immovable object.

Looking Ahead to the Stanley Cup Final

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Which team will have home-ice advantage?

The Colorado Avalanche have been the NHL's best team from start to finish and have already locked up the Presidents' Trophy with the league's best regular-season record. That means they have home-ice advantage throughout the entire playoffs, including a potential Stanley Cup Final series against any potential opponent.

Matchup wish list

Colorado Avalanche vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

A rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, won by the Avalanche, would be a fantastic series again this season, given the individual star power and the quality of both teams.

Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Nikita Kucherov all on the same ice playing for a championship would be tremendous hockey.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Edmonton Oilers

Neither team figures to be a major favorite in its respective conference going into the series, but how amazing would this be?

Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Stuart Skinner and potentially Tristan Jarry, after being traded for each other, are going against one another.

Crosby is going for his fourth Stanley Cup and trying to prevent McDavid from getting his first. The NHL would love this.

The Buffalo Sabres against anybody

Sure, a two-decade-old rematch against the Dallas Stars would be great for the narrative, especially with Lindy Ruff again coaching the Sabres, but we would take Buffalo against anybody at this point.

Sabres fans have been waiting nearly a decade and a half for playoff hockey to return to upstate New York, and you can be sure they are going to bring the energy. This is also a really fun team to watch. The city of Buffalo is ready for playoff hockey again. It is also ready for a championship from anybody.

Wouldn't it be amazing if the Sabres brought a championship to the city before Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills? It would certainly be unexpected. Especially given the way things looked for both teams in early December.

The Philadelphia Flyers' revenge series possibilities

This could be anything from a series against the Vegas Golden Knights and former head coach John Tortorella, to a series against the Anaheim Ducks and former first-round pick Cutter Gauthier.

A Stanley Cup Final game in Philadelphia, with Gauthier on the other side of the ice after he refused to sign with the team, would probably be the closest thing we could ever see to a modern-day Roman Coliseum setting.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Dallas Stars

There is not much of a long-standing rivalry here, but the Hurricanes having to go through Mikko Rantanen to win a championship after his brief layover in Carolina a year ago would certainly bring some intrigue.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Along the same lines, Nick Suzuki, the first 100-point player for the Canadiens in 40 years, going against the team that drafted him and traded him (for Max Pacioretty) would be a tremendous matchup.

The Canadiens have one of the best young cores in the league, and Suzuki was the first major piece that got this rebuild rolling toward contender status.