The playoff race in the NHL's Eastern Conference comes down to seven teams fighting for five spots over the final three weeks of the season. It's possible that the teams finishing ninth and 10th in the East tie or break the record for the most standings points among those who fail to qualify.
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Here's who is most at risk and symptoms to watch forJury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialSoil is the foundation of your garden. Keep it healthy!Llega a La Habana el primer barco de una flotilla internacional de solidaridadColumbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, right, celebrates with Damon Severson after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin splashes water on his face in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat celebrates his goal against the MontrÈal Canadiens in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Detroit. Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark celebrates after beating the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Detroit. Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson defend against New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat as he moves in on Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, March 21, 2026. Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, right, celebrates with Damon Severson after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, right, celebrates with Damon Severson after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin splashes water on his face in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin splashes water on his face in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat celebrates his goal against the MontrÈal Canadiens in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Detroit. Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat celebrates his goal against the MontrÈal Canadiens in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Detroit. Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark celebrates after beating the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Detroit. Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark celebrates after beating the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Detroit. Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson defend against New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat as he moves in on Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, March 21, 2026. Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson defend against New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat as he moves in on Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, March 21, 2026. The same race down the stretch in the NHL’s Eastern Conference is anything but. No team has clinched a berth, and only three — Carolina, Tampa Bay and Buffalo — are strong bets to get in. That means five spots up for grabs among seven contenders whoMontreal, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Boston, Ottawa, Detroit and the New York Islanders have combined to go 52-29-17 since play resumed following, a points percentage of .617. Two of them are guaranteed to miss the playoffs and could tie or break the record for the most standings points of any team that failed to qualify. “It just heightens the urgency mentally,” Senators forward Lars Eller said. “There’s no cushion, and every game it’s a fight for your life just staying in the race.” Eller and his teammates have gone 10-2-2 out of the break to take over the conference’s second and final wild-card position with 85 points and 11 games remaining. The Islanders also at 85 points have slipped out of the top eight in the East afterbut still have more than Anaheim, atop the Pacific with 84, with Edmonton at 79 and Vegas at 78 points comfortably in the field.There’s nothing comfortable about the stretch run in the East, where even a brief slide can make a big difference. “It’s up to us to get the job done — it’s up to us to get the wins ourselves,” Islanders center Bo Horvat said. “You’re always watching what other teams are doing, but at the same time, we can’t rely on other teams losing in order for you to get in. You want to win to get in.” The traditional line to get in has for a long time been 94 points. Since 16 teams began qualifying in 1979-80, just four teams have reached 96 and missed: the Bruins in 2014-15, the Panthers in 2017-18, the Canadiens in 2018-19 and the Flames last season. Those left out this time could pass that mark. New York’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau noticed the standings tightening up in the fall, when it was obvious this wasn’t a normal pace. “After 15, 20 games, you could see that it was tight and it stayed tight the whole way,” Pageau said. “I think it kept everyone, every team on their toes and I thought it’s brought some good hockey from every team.”A veteran of more than 1,300 regular-season NHL games and 101 more over 10 playoff runs, Ottawa’s Claude Giroux acknowledges he does a lot of scoreboard watching this time of year. “It’s hard not to,” Giroux said. “I mean, I do. I’m not going to lie. I feel like every team is winning all the time. But at the end of the day it, doesn’t matter.” His coach, Travis Green, does the same, even as he preaches to players the sports cliche that they can only control what they can control. “We all watch,” Green said. “We do it every night. It’s an exciting time of the season right now. Some nights I put it on, and if good things are happening, I keep it on. And if not, I change the channel.”running an NHL bench, is trying to keep his team’s focus on the road ahead. He’s fully aware of the pitfalls in it, from judging opponents to projecting where everyone will end up. “It’s a huge mistake try to analyze,” Roy said. “I think we all get guilty at some point to look at the schedule: ‘Oh, they have a tough schedule. Oh, they have this.’ I feel like there’s no tough and there’s no easy schedule. You have to play your games, and you have to worry about what you have to do, not worry about who’s playing next, who does what. Just worry about ourselves.”The Sabres are on the verge of ending the league’s longest active playoff drought despite losing 18 of their first 28 games. They moved from last in the conference on Dec. 13, a couple of days beforeand have since gone 19-3-4 to climb to second in the Metropolitan Division. The Senators were languishing near the basement in mid-January before going 15-3-2 since beginning their run on Jan. 25 to get back into the picture. It’s not over yet, and it could come down to the final games on April 14 and 15. The West wraps on April 16, and the playoffs begin on April 18. “It’s just everybody being on the same page and everybody working hard for that goal at the end,” Ottawa’s Tim Stützle said. “It’s been fun. It’s been a lot of fun just grinding back with this group. It’s a pleasure to be able to play in this position.”
PA State Wire NHL Ohio OH State Wire New York City Pennsylvania New York Massachusetts Stanley Cup MI State Wire NHL Hockey Rick Bowness Sports Lars Eller Connor Mcdavid National Hockey League Travis Green Tim Sttzle Claude Giroux Dean Evason Jean Gabriel Pageau Stanley Cup Playoffs Patrick Roy
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