There have been several changes to the Eastern Conference playoff teams over the past few weeks, with the exception of the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, who appear to be fairly stable in their positions at the top of the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, respectively.
The two teams that are riding the teacup are the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders.
The ship has probably sailed on any club catching the Canes for the No. 1 seed in the division, but both are in the mix for the No. 2 and 3 seeds; And if the pair reaches those spots, they will advance to the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The final match of the regular season between the clubs is on Monday (7 p.m. ET, NHL Network), and they have split the season series up to this point. So this final game will have a big impact on the standings.
Heading into Monday’s game, the Isles will be in the No. 2 position with 89 points and 28 regulation wins through 74 games; The Penguins are ranked No. 3 with 88 points and 29 regulation wins in 73 games. What are the chances of their matchup in Round 1?
According to Statlets projections, there is a 27.03% chance of Penguins-Islanders being one of the first matchups in the 2026 bracket. But it’s more likely that the third metro team in the mix – the Columbus Blue Jackets – will replace the Isles; Statletts projects the Penguins-Blue Jackets first-round series to occur in 33.34% of simulations.
Given the small margin, the expectation is that this race will come down to the final days of the regular season.
Each team has no more than 11 games remaining before the regular season ends on April 16, and we’ll help you keep track of it all on the NHL Playoff Watch every day. We’ll provide details on all of the playoff races as we move through the final stages – as well as the teams vying for a spot in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
Note: Playoff odds are through statelets.
Proceed:
Current playoff matchups
today’s program
last night’s score
extended position
race for the number 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
eastern conference
A1 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets
A2 Buffalo Sabers vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs WC1 Boston Bruins
M2 New York Islanders vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins
western conference
C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Nashville Predators
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild
P1 Anaheim Ducks vs WC1 Utah Mammoth
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Vegas Golden Knights
today’s games
Note: All times are ET. All games that are not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche, 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m.
last night’s scoreboard
New York Rangers 3, Florida Panthers 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Nashville Predators 2
Montreal Canadiens 3, Carolina Hurricanes 1
Boston Bruins 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 3 (SO)
New Jersey Devils 5, Chicago Blackhawks 3
Philadelphia Flyers 2, Dallas Stars 1 (OT)
extended position
Note: “x” next to the team name means the club has clinched a playoff spot. The “E” means the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff berth when their magic number reaches zero, and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.
Atlantic Division
metro division
Central Division
Pacific Division
Race for number 1 selection
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes last is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the drawing for the No. 1 pick. Full details of the process can be found here. Topping the draft boards this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward from Penn State.
*Note: The Maple Leafs have a favorite over the Bruins unless they finish in the top five.
