Eastern Conference:
As the 2025-2026 NHL regular season comes to a close, many fans from different teams from the Eastern Conference are squirming in their seats, hoping their team can make it through. Nearly every team has a shot at the playoffs if they play their cards right, outside of the eliminated New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils and even the back to back Stanley Cup Champion, Florida Panthers.
The Panthers have really struggled over the past few weeks thanks to multiple injuries. such as Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk.
For those unsure how the NHL point system works, a team receives two points every time they win, one point if they lose in overtime and zero points if they lose in regulation. The top three teams from each division make it, as well as two wild card spots.
In the Metropolitan Division, the top three playoff teams include the Carolina Hurricanes who have easily secured the top of the division with 106 points, and a conference best 50-22-6 record.
The Pittsburgh Penguins come in second with 96 points thanks to a dominating month in March where they had a top five hardest schedule in the month and still continued to win key games. The Philadelphia Flyers come in third after crawling back from the dead winning their last seven of their 10 games and propelling them in a potential playoff spot.
In the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabers and the Montreal Canadiens have all secured a playoff spot and are all tied with 102 points. The two wildcard slots are, as of right now, both Atlantic teams.
The Boston Bruins have 96 points and, just like the Penguins, are oh-so-close to clinching a spot. The final spot is held by the Ottawa Senators with 92 points. For most of the season, Ottawa has been outside looking in, but after multiple “playoff” teams collapsed late in the season, Ottawa has finally got a shot at making the playoffs.
Outside the playoff picture sits the Columbus Blue Jackets with 90 points. Columbus had a really slow start early in the season, but a late season resurgence led by key players like Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski have really saved this team.
Next are the Detroit Red Wings with 89 points. For nearly the entire season, Detroit had a comfortable spot in the wildcard, but has had quite the land side in March and now has gone 3-6-1 in their last ten games. Another near playoff team is the New York Islanders, who lately find themselves in one of the worst positions in the conference.
Similar to the Red Wings, the Islanders sat third in the Metropolitan for nearly the whole year thanks in part to young stud Matthew Schaefer. But March has been killer to the Islanders who have lost seven of their last ten and even fired their coach Patrick Roy just a few games before the end of the regular season.
Finally, there is the Washington Capitals with 87 points. Washington has been quite disappointing this year as many thought they would be a top contender in the Metropolitan but has sat in the middle of the division for nearly the entire season.
The Eastern Conference has been closer than it has ever been before. With just a handful of games left, every point carries massive weight, setting the stage for one of the most intense and unpredictable playoff races in recent NHL history.
Western Conference:
The Western Conference isn’t nearly as close as the Eastern but still has a few holes to fill. The bottom-of-the-league dwelling Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks have already been eliminated. The Central Division is a three-headed powerhouse led by the Colorado Avalanche with a league high of 112 points.
Colorado has been the best record wise in the league for what seems like the whole year, and is a shoe-in for the President’s Trophy thanks to stud players such as Nathan McKinnon and Cale Makar. The Dallas Stars come in second with 104 points, as they have consistent players all over the board.
The Minnesota Wild are right behind them at 102. Minnesota started slow, but really gained traction when they traded for Vancouver star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
The “weaker” Pacific Division is so far led by the Edmonton Oilers at 88 points, which have had goaltending and defensive problems but are carried by the legendary Connor McDavid and other contributors as well. Second, are the Vegas Golden Knights, and just like the Oilers, their goaltending has been pretty bad, but thanks to a talented offense, they are one of the best in the Pacific.
In third is the Anaheim Ducks, with 87 points, who have been fairly mediocre. They have had strong moments from young players, but thanks to a weaker division, they sit third in the Pacific. In the first wildcard sits the Central Division Utah Mammoth with 88 points.
Utah has quietly snuck into a spot and is most likely not giving it up as players such as Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther continue to dominate their opponents. For the final wildcard spot, it is currently held by the Nashville Predators with 84 points.
The Predators this year have had quite the up and down season and are in and out of the wildcard picture almost every week, but players like veteran Steven Stamkos and Juuse Saros keep this team interesting. A look outside the playoffs see the Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues still alive but are highly unlikely to have any chance of making the playoffs as the season concludes.
The Los Angeles Kings sit right outside the window with 83 points. The Kings have had quite the uneventful season as sometimes they find themselves out of a playoff spot. The San Jose Sharks are another interesting team with 81 points to their name.
This team would be nearly dead if they didn’t have Macklin Celebrinni and other young stars on their team. Celebrinni is top five in points in the entire league and could win the Hart Trophy. Then finally there is the Winnipeg Jets with 80 points.
Just like the Sharks, this team would be dead without their studs like Kyle Connor and arguably the best goalie in the league, Connor Hellebuyck. The Western Conference, while not as tightly packed as the Eastern, still carries plenty of intrigue as the final playoff spots remain just out of reach for several hungry teams, making every remaining game a fight for survival as the postseason quickly approaches.
My playoff seating prediction:
It’s already been decided that the Hurricanes took the Metropolitan, and I also don’t see the Penguins moving out of the nno. 2 spot. I would say the Blue Jackets have a shot for third in the division, but their last four games include back-to-back away games against the Sabres and Canadiens, and back-to-back home games against the Bruins and Capitals.
The Flyers’ schedule, on the other hand, is slightly easier as they are away against the Red Wings and Jets, and home against the Hurricanes and Canadiens. In that case, I have Philadelphia taking the final seat in the Metropolitan. In the Atlantic, I have the Lightning taking the division, followed closely by the Sabres at two and the Canadiens at three, no change at all.
For the wildcard spot, Boston is easily taking the first seat and I think the last seat will go to Islanders. I know these past few weeks have been terrible for New York, but I have faith in their strong core that they can turn it around late, they just have to perform better than Ottawa.
On the Western side, the Central Division has already been decided with Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota leading the charge. In the Pacific, I think Vegas will take the Division, followed closely by Edmonton, and Anaheim taking the third spot with ease. For the wildcard, it’s no surprise that I have Utah taking the first spot, but filling in the final spot in the wildcard I choose San Jose.
The Sharks are plentiful in young exciting talent, if their veterans can also hold their own, this team will make it easily. I would say their only competition is Nashville, which isn’t an insane team to surpass. In the end, none of this is guaranteed.
One hot streak, one clutch moment, or one breakout performance can change everything. That’s what makes playoff hockey different. When the puck drops, anything can happen, and this year’s race feels like it’s setting up for something special.