NHL playoff watch: How many California teams make the playoffs?ESPN staffApr 1, 2026, 07:30 AM ETMultiple Authors
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As the month of April begins, the closing days of the 2025-26 NHL regular season are upon us. And for the first time in a while, all three California-based teams remain in the battle for the playoffs.
With 87 points and 24 regulation wins (RW) through 74 games, the Anaheim Ducks are on top of the Pacific Division. The Los Angeles Kings (76 points, 19 RW in 73 games) and San Jose Sharks (75 points, 22 RW in 72 games) are on the outside looking in, but not far behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild-card spot — or the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights for seeds in the Pacific.
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The next game for each team is Wednesday, as part of a tiny, three-game slate. The Kings will host the St. Louis Blues (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+), and the Ducks will visit the Sharks (9 p.m. ET, TNT).
So, how many of the three will make the cut?
Of the three, the Ducks unsurprisingly have the best playoff chances, according to Stathletes at 99.9%.
The Sharks have a game in hand on the Kings, two games in hand on the Preds and three in hand on the Oilers and Golden Knights. They will need to win those games for it to matter, but that’s part of the reason that their playoff chances are 60.5%.
A regulation win total as low as the Kings’ is not great in terms of their tiebreaker advantages. In fact, the only team with fewer RW this season is the lowly Vancouver Canucks, who are 20 points below the next-worst team in the standings. In other words, L.A. needs to start racking up Ws quickly and consistently. Stathletes gives them a 22.6% chance of making the playoffs.
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As noted above, it’s mathematically possible for all three clubs to qualify if the Oilers or Knights slump perilously in the final stretch. Wednesday night will give us another hint of just how possible such a run by L.A. and San Jose is.
Every team has 10 or fewer games remaining before the regular season concludes April 16, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch every day. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2026 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Last night’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Buffalo Sabres vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets
M2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 New York Islanders
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
Wednesday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 8:30 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings, 9 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks, 9 p.m. (TNT)
Tuesday night’s scoreboard
Boston Bruins 6, Dallas Stars 3
Buffalo Sabres 4, New York Islanders 3
Montreal Canadiens 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Florida Panthers 6, Ottawa Senators 3
New York Rangers 4, New Jersey Devils 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Detroit Red Wings 1
Washington Capitals 6, Philadelphia Flyers 4
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Winnipeg Jets 4, Chicago Blackhawks 3 (OT)
Edmonton Oilers 3, Seattle Kraken 0
Expanded standings
Note: An “x” with a team’s name means the club has clinched a playoff spot. An “e” means that the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff spot when their magic number reaches zero, and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.
Atlantic Division
Enhanced standings: Atlantic DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberSabres
Metro Division
Enhanced standings: Metropolitan DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberHurricanes
Central Division
Enhanced standings: Central DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberx – Avalanche
Pacific Division
Enhanced standings: Pacific DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberDucks
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place 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 draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Atop draft boards for this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward for Penn State.
Draft lottery standingsTeamGPPTSRWPicktraded?1. Canucks
*Note: The Maple Leafs’ pick belongs to the Bruins, unless it lands in the top five.
