The playoff picture is coming into focus day by day. Here's the latest snapshot, plus projections for every team.
One week from tonight, the 2025-26 NHL regular season will conclude, with the Stanley Cup playoffs beginning on April 18. Before the playoffs begin, the entire bracket must be determined -- and much remains to be sorted between now and then.
Thursday's slate of 14 games will do a great deal in helping that process along. Here are the teams whose postseason fates can be solidified by the end of the evening: The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the evening in the No. 2 seed in the Metro Division, with a magic number of two. They need a win of any kind over the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+ Likewise, the Boston Bruins enter the evening with a magic number of two and a chance to clinch their own spot. The B's don't play Thursday, but they'll earn the "X" in the standings if the Blue Jackets lose in regulation and the Isles lose in regulation or overtime/shootout. The Presidents' Trophy can also be won Thursday. If the Colorado Avalanche get a win of any variety over the Calgary Flames (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+ On the other side of the ledger, the Seattle Kraken are teetering on the edge of mathematical elimination. They need to win against the Vegas Golden Knights (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+ Every team has five 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. 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: An "x" with a team's name means the club has clinched a playoff spot; a "y" means that they have clinched the division; a "z" indicates that they have clinched the best record in the conference. 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.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.
Chicago-Blackhawks Edmonton-Oilers New-Jersey-Devils Finland-Finland Philadelphia-Flyers Los-Angeles-Kings Minnesota-Wild Toronto-Maple-Leafs Vegas-Golden-Knights Washington-Capitals Eastern-Conf-All-Stars Team-Chara Pittsburgh-Penguins Western-Conf-All-Stars Nashville-Predators Carolina-Hurricanes Usa-Usa Seattle-Kraken Winnipeg-Jets Anaheim-Ducks Team-Lidstrom Sweden-Sweden St-Louis-Blues New-York-Rangers Colorado-Avalanche Buffalo-Sabres Ottawa-Senators Columbus-Blue-Jackets San-Jose-Sharks Florida-Panthers Team-Staal Detroit-Red-Wings New-York-Islanders Team-Alfredsson Utah-Mammoth Vancouver-Canucks Nhl Team-Toews Tampa-Bay-Lightning Boston-Bruins Dallas-Stars Montreal-Canadiens Calgary-Flames Team-Foligno Canada-Canada 18860031
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