NHL playoff watch: Hurricanes, Blue Jackets battle for seedingESPN staffMar 31, 2026, 07:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
tamil yogi
As play begins on Tuesday, both the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets are in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoff field. Where the clubs wind up will be determined by the remaining handful of games.
That journey continues Tuesday as the two Metro rivals face off in Ohio (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
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The Canes hold the Metro Division’s first seed, and are a tiebreaker behind the Tampa Bay Lightning to be No. 1 overall in the East. If they maintain that spot, they’ll be taking on one of the wild-card teams.
Speaking of the wild cards, Columbus possesses the second wild-card position. The Blue Jackets are four points behind the Boston Bruins for the first wild-card spot, one point behind the New York Islanders for third in the Metro and two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second. They are being chased by the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, all of whom are two points back.
Stathletes currently projects the Hurricanes to edge out the Lightning for first in the conference (109.9 points to 109.7), and has the Blue Jackets (97.4 points) falling just short of both a Metro spot — the Isles earn the No. 3 position with 97.7 –and the wild card, which goes to the Senators (98.0 points).
Given those margins, every possible point to be earned in the final stretch — particularly against fellow Eastern teams — is crucial.
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 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets
A2 Buffalo Sabres vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
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
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).
Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 p.m.
Last night’s scoreboard
Pittsburgh Penguins 8, New York Islanders 3
Colorado Avalanche 9, Calgary Flames 2
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Vancouver Canucks 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Anaheim Ducks 4 (OT)
San Jose Sharks 5, St. Louis Blues 4
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 GameChancesPaceMaxTragicNumberMagicNumberLightning
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.
