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The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are almost here, but there are still plenty of questions about which teams will qualify and which matchups we will see in the postseason. The top three teams in the Central and Atlantic Divisions have clinched, but there is still much to be determined.

In both conferences, the wild card races are incredibly tight. The Ottawa Senators still hold a tenuous grip on the final playoff spot, but the margin is razor thin with four teams within two points. The race for the Atlantic Division title just got even more interesting as the Montreal Canadiens rattled off their eighth straight win. In the Metro Division, the Philadelphia Flyers have jumped into the third place for the final guaranteed playoff spot.

Out West, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers have surpassed the Anaheim Ducks for first place, although the two teams are tied in points. The Vegas Golden Knights have steadied the ship in third place, and they are one point behind the two teams in front of them.

The Western Conference wild card race seems to change every day. The Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators once again flip-flopped as the Kings beat the Predators in a shootout on Monday night. Still, Los Angeles holds a slim one-point edge on that final wild card spot, and there are three more teams with a legitimate shot at landing there by season's end.

Be sure to take a look at the full schedule with just a few weeks left to play.

Reminder: Here's how the NHL playoff seeding works

  • The top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs.
  • Each conference has two wild card spots.
  • The top division winner in each conference will play the second wild card team, and the other division winner will play the first wild card team.
  • The second and third-place teams in each division will match up with one another in the first round.
  • Regulation wins are the first tiebreaker.
  • Regulation plus OT wins are the second tiebreaker

(X) denotes clinched playoff berth; (Y) denotes clinched division; (Z) denotes clinched conference; (P) denotes clinched Presidents' Trophy

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning | 48-23-6 | 102 points (X)

Points percentage: .662
Regulation wins: 39
Regulation plus OT wins: 44
Current first-round matchup: Boston Bruins

2. Buffalo Sabres | 47-23-8 | 102 points (X)

Points percentage: .654
Regulation wins: 39
Regulation plus OT wins: 42
Current first-round matchup: Montreal Canadiens

3. Montreal Canadiens | 45-22-10 | 100 points (X)

Points percentage: .649
Regulation wins: 32
Regulation plus OT wins: 42
Current first-round matchup: Buffalo Sabres

Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes | 49-22-6 | 104 points (X)

Points percentage: .675
Regulation wins: 36
Regulation plus OT wins: 44
Current first-round matchup: Ottawa Senators

2. Pittsburgh Penguins | 40-22-16 | 96 points

Points percentage: .615
Regulation wins: 33
Regulation plus OT wins: 37
Current first-round matchup: Philadelphia Flyers

3. Philadelphia Flyers | 39-26-12 | 90 points

Points percentage: .584
Regulation wins: 24
Regulation plus OT wins: 30
Current first-round matchup: Pittsburgh Penguins

Wild Card

WC1. Boston Bruins | 43-26-9 | 95 points

Points percentage: .609
Regulation wins: 31
Regulation plus OT wins: 39
Current first-round matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning

WC2. Ottawa Senators | 40-27-10 | 90 points

Points percentage: .584
Regulation wins: 34
Regulation plus OT wins: 37
Current first-round matchup: Carolina Hurricanes

In the hunt

New York Islanders | 42-31-5 | 89 points

Points percentage: .571
Regulation wins: 28
Regulation plus OT wins: 38

Detroit Red Wings | 40-29-8 | 88 points

Points percentage: .571
Regulation wins: 29
Regulation plus OT wins: 38

Columbus Blue Jackets | 38-27-12 | 88 points

Points percentage: .571
Regulation wins: 27
Regulation plus OT wins: 32

Washington Capitals | 39-30-9 | 87 points

Points percentage: .558
Regulation wins: 33
Regulation plus OT wins: 37

Western Conference

Central Division

1. Colorado Avalanche | 50-16-10 | 110 points (X)

Points percentage: .724
Regulation wins: 44
Regulation plus OT wins: 47
Current first-round matchup: Nashville Predators

2. Dallas Stars | 45-20-12 | 102 points (X)

Points percentage: .662
Regulation wins: 35
Regulation plus OT wins: 40
Current first-round matchup: Minnesota Wild

3. Minnesota Wild | 44-21-12 | 100 points (X)

Points percentage: .649
Regulation wins: 29
Regulation plus OT wins: 40
Current first-round matchup: Dallas Stars

Pacific Division

1. Edmonton Oilers | 39-29-9 | 87 points

Points percentage: .565
Regulation wins: 30
Regulation plus OT wins: 39
Current first-round matchup: Utah Mammoth

2. Anaheim Ducks | 41-31-5 | 87 points

Points percentage: .565
Regulation wins: 24
Regulation plus OT wins: 33
Current first-round matchup: Vegas Golden Knights

3. Vegas Golden Knights | 35-26-16 | 86 points

Points percentage: .558
Regulation wins: 27
Regulation plus OT wins: 34
Current first-round matchup: Anaheim Ducks

Wild Card

WC1. Utah Mammoth | 40-30-6 | 86 points

Points percentage: .566
Regulation wins: 31
Regulation plus OT wins: 40
Current first-round matchup: Edmonton Oilers

Los Angeles Kings | 32-26-19 | 83 points

Points percentage: .539
Regulation wins: 19
Regulation plus OT wins: 27

In the hunt

WC2. Nashville Predators | 36-31-10 | 82 points

Points percentage: .532
Regulation wins: 26
Regulation plus OT wins: 31

San Jose Sharks | 37-32-7 | 81points

Points percentage: .533
Regulation wins: 25
Regulation plus OT wins: 35

Winnipeg Jets | 34-31-12 | 80 points

Points percentage: .519
Regulation wins: 27
Regulation plus OT wins: 32

St. Louis Blues | 33-31-12 | 78 points

Points percentage: .513
Regulation wins: 29
Regulation plus OT wins: 32