Who's in 2026 NHL playoffs? Latest bracket, standings, scenarios

Editor's note: NHL playoff scenarios for Thursday, April 9, can be found here.

The Buffalo Sabres, who are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2011, also have a chance to win the Atlantic Division title.

They took a step toward that on Wednesday, April 8 by rallying to beat the New York Rangers and breaking their three-way tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. All three teams are playing on Thursday, with the Lightning and Canadiens facing each other.

The Edmonton Oilers beat the San Jose Sharks to break their tie with the Vegas Golden Knights atop the Pacific Division. They hold the tiebreaker edge against Vegas and the third-place Anaheim Ducks.

The Sharks needed the win because they trail the Nashville Predators by three points in the race for the second wild-card spot in the West. Wednesday was one of their two games in hand.

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

Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Montreal

Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota

Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?

No team can clinch a playoff berth today.

Today's NHL games (Wednesday, April 8)

All times p.m. ET

• Sabres 5, Rangers 3
• Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 0
• Oilers 5, Sharks 2

NHL playoff standings

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26

After April 8 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.

Metropolitan Division

• y-Carolina Hurricanes (106)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (96)
• Philadelphia Flyers (92)

Atlantic Division

• x-Buffalo Sabres (104)
• x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)
• x-Montreal Canadiens (102)

Wild card

• Boston Bruins (96)
• Ottawa Senators (92)

Sitting out of playoff position: Columbus Blue Jackets (90), Detroit Red Wings (89), New York Islanders (89), Washington Capitals (89), z-New Jersey Devils (83), z-Florida Panthers (78), z-Toronto Maple Leafs (78), z-New York Rangers (75)

NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26

After April 8 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.

Central Division

• y-Colorado Avalanche (112)
• x-Dallas Stars (104)
• x-Minnesota Wild (102)

Pacific Division

• Edmonton Oilers (90)
• Vegas Golden Knights (88)
• Anaheim Ducks (87)

Wild card

• Utah Mammoth (88)
• Nashville Predators (84)

Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (83), San Jose Sharks (81), Winnipeg Jets (80), St. Louis Blues (78), Seattle Kraken (75), z-Calgary Flames (73), z-Chicago Blackhawks (70), z-Vancouver Canucks (52)

NHL playoffs if they started today

NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 8:

• Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
• Pittsburgh (M2) vs. Philadelphia (M3)
• Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
• Tampa Bay (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 8.

• Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (WC2)
• Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
• Edmonton (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
• Vegas (P2) vs. Anaheim (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. When more than two clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any odd games) shall be used to determine standings.
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.