NHL playoff standings: Where the wild cards stand on SundayESPN staffApr 5, 2026, 08:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
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With 30 NHL teams in action Saturday, there was bound to be some movement in the standings as the 2026 Stanley Cup playoff bracket continues to take shape.
While two more teams punched their tickets — the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres — the standings shifts were not actually all that severe.
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The big move was in the Western wild-card race, as the Nashville Predators reclaimed the final playoff position with a 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. Here’s how that race looks right now:
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The Preds — on a 7-3-0 streak — hold the second wild card with 81 points and 26 regulation wins through 76 games. They are five back of the Utah Mammoth for the first wild card.
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The Los Angeles Kings are tied in the points column, with 81 through 76 games, but are well behind in the regulation wins tally, with 19. There are not enough games left for the Kings to pass the Preds in RW, so they will need to be ahead of Nashville in points.
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The Sharks are now two back of the Preds’ and Kings’ pace in points but have a game in hand. They have 24 regulation wins; if they are tied with Nashville in RW, the next tiebreaker is regulation and overtime wins, where they have an edge 34-31.
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Finally, the Winnipeg Jets remain in the mix, three points back of the Kings and Wild, and with an equal number of RW to Nashville (26).
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The East is a bit more jumbled — also due to the fact that the New York Islanders, in third place in the Metro Division, are just a point ahead of the four teams battling for the second wild-card spot.
Here’s the lay of the land as the games of Sunday begin:
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The Ottawa Senators sit in WC1 position, with 88 points and 29 RW through 76 games. They host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+), who would be their first-round opponent if the standings hold from now through April 16.
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Next up are the Detroit Red Wings, who also have 88 points through 76 games, but are four back in the RW column. They welcome the Minnesota Wild to Detroit on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, TNT).
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The Philadelphia Flyers are the hottest of the teams in the race, having gone 7-3-0 in their last 10, and also have 88 points through 76 games. However, they are nine back in the RW column, so will need to be ahead outright in points to earn the spot. The Flyers host the Boston Bruins (owners of the first wild card) on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
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The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of the best stories of the second half of the season but have hit a rough stretch, going 3-6-1 in their last 10. They have 88 points through 77 games, with 27 RW, and are idle on Sunday.
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Some thought the Washington Capitals were throwing in the towel on the season by trading veteran defenseman John Carlson. Nevertheless, they’ve charged back into the picture with a 6-2-2 record in their last 10, pulling within a point of the four teams with 88. The Caps’ edge is that they already have 33 RW (tied with the Senators), should the tiebreaking get to that point. Washington visits the New York Rangers on Sunday (7 p.m., ESPN).
Who will emerge from these packs? Time is running out for teams to finalize their big run.
Every team has seven 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 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
A2 Montreal Canadiens vs. A3 Buffalo Sabres
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Ottawa Senators
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 Edmonton Oilers vs. WC1 Utah Mammoth
P2 Anaheim Ducks vs. P3 Vegas Golden Knights
Today’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Minnesota Wild at Detroit Red Wings, 1 p.m. (TNT)
Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 p.m.
Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers, 3:30 p.m. (TNT)
Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators, 5 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Washington Capitals at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Last night’s scoreboard
New York Rangers 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
Minnesota Wild 4, Ottawa Senators 1
Colorado Avalanche 2, Dallas Stars 0
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Boston Bruins 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 9, Florida Panthers 4
Montreal Canadiens 4, New Jersey Devils 3 (SO)
Washington Capitals 6, Buffalo Sabres 2
Carolina Hurricanes 4, New York Islanders 3
Winnipeg Jets 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Utah Mammoth 7, Vancouver Canucks 4
Los Angeles Kings 7, Toronto Maple Leafs 6 (OT)
Vegas Golden Knights 5, Edmonton Oilers 1
Calgary Flames 5, Anaheim Ducks 3
Nashville Predators 6, San Jose Sharks 3
Chicago Blackhawks 4, Seattle Kraken 2
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 GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberx – Lightning
Metro Division
Enhanced standings: Metropolitan DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberx – Hurricanes
Central Division
Enhanced standings: Central DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberx – Avalanche
Pacific Division
Enhanced standings: Pacific DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberOilers
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.
