Who's in NHL playoffs? Latest bracket, standings, results, tiebreakers

The Buffalo Sabres will have to wait to end a league-record 14-year playoff drought, but two other teams clinched a spot in the 2026 postseason on Thursday, April 2.

All the Sabres needed to do was beat the Ottawa Senators to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. However, they lost 4-1 and dropped out of the Atlantic Division lead. The Senators moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild clinched spots on Thursday with victories. Also, the San Jose Sharks moved into the second wild-card spot with a win against Toronto, officially eliminating the Maple Leafs and ending that team's nine-season playoff run.

Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket, who can clinch today and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:

Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: Carolina

Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26

After April 3 games. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated

Metropolitan Division

• x-Carolina Hurricanes (102)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (92)
• New York Islanders (89)

Atlantic Division

• Tampa Bay Lightning (100)
• Buffalo Sabres (100)
• Montreal Canadiens (98)

Wild card

• Boston Bruins (94)
• Ottawa Senators (88)

Sitting out of playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (88), Columbus Blue Jackets (88), Philadelphia Flyers (88), Washington Capitals (85), New Jersey Devils (80), Florida Panthers (77), z-Toronto Maple Leafs (77), z-New York Rangers (71)

NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26

After April 3 games. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated

Central Division

• x-Colorado Avalanche (108)
• x-Dallas Stars (102)
• x-Minnesota Wild (96)

Pacific Division

• Anaheim Ducks (87)
• Edmonton Oilers (87)
• Vegas Golden Knights (84)

Wild card

• Utah Mammoth (84)
• San Jose Sharks (79)

Sitting out of playoff position: Nashville Predators (79), Los Angeles Kings (79), St. Louis Blues (76), Winnipeg Jets (76), Seattle Kraken (75), Calgary Flames (70), z-Chicago Blackhawks (68), z-Vancouver Canucks (52)

NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 2:

• Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
• Pittsburgh (M2) vs. N.Y. Islanders (M3)
• Tampa Bay (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
• Buffalo (A2) vs. Montreal (A3)

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card

NHL Western Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 2.

• Colorado (C1) vs. San Jose (WC2)
• Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
• Anaheim (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
• Edmonton (P2) vs. Vegas (P3)

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card

NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?

If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:

1. Regulation wins
2. Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
3. Total wins
4. Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
5. Goal differential
6. Total goals

When does the NHL regular season end?

The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.

When do the NHL playoffs start?

The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18.