Who's in 2026 NHL playoffs? Updated bracket, standings and tiebreakers

The NHL's playoff makeover continued on Thursday, April 9 when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Mammoth ended postseason droughts.

The Penguins, who have been out of the playoffs for the last three seasons, also clinched home-ice advantage in the first round. The Mammoth technically are a second-year franchise but the players who came over from the Arizona Coyotes last made the playoffs in 2020.

Seven of the 16 playoff-positioned teams as of Friday had missed the playoffs last season.

That includes the Buffalo Sabres, who have ended a record 14-season playoff drought. They helped their cause to win the Atlantic Division by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Tampa Bay Lightning, the only Atlantic team that can catch them in the first tiebreaker (regulation wins), fell to third place with a loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Also in the Eastern Conference, Peter DeBoer won his New York Islanders coaching debut and pulled the team closer to a playoff spot. They trail the Philadelphia Flyers by one point for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Ottawa Senators, who won Thursday, maintained their lead in the race for the second wild card and pulled within two points of the first wild card.

In the West, the Colorado Avalanche clinched the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Los Angeles Kings passed the Nashville Predators for the second wild card, and the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks pulled within a point of the Pacific Division-leading Edmonton Oilers.

The Dallas Stars moved closer to clinching home-ice advantage in their first-round series against Minnesota by defeating the Wild.

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

Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: Carolina, Buffalo, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh

Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Utah

Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?

• The Pittsburgh Penguins will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Devils or if they get one point and the Blue Jackets lose or if the Islanders lose and the Blue Jackets lose in regulation. Update: The Penguins won and clinched.
• The idle Boston Bruins will clinch a playoff berth if the Islanders, Red Wings and Blue Jackets lose in regulation. Update: The Islanders and Red Wings won, so the Bruins will have to wait.
• The idle Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff berth if the Sharks lose, the Predators lose in regulation and the Jets fail to win in regulation. Update: The Jets won in regulation so the Oilers will have to wait.
• The Utah Mammoth will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Predators in regulation and the Sharks lose. Update: Both happened and the Mammoth clinched.
• The Colorado Avalanche will clinch the Presidents' Trophy if they beat the Flames or if the Hurricanes lose in regulation. They'd also clinch if they get one point and the Hurricanes lose. Update: The Avalanche won and clinched.

Today's NHL games (Thursday, April 9)

All times p.m. ET

• Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 3
• Sabres 5, Blue Jackets 0
• Canadiens 2, Lightning 1
• Senators 5, Panthers 1
• Red Wings 6, Flyers 3
• Penguins 5, Devils 2
• Jets 3, Blues 2
• Hurricanes 7, Blackhawks 2
• Stars 5, Wild 4
• Avalanche 3, Flames 1
• Mammoth 4, Predators 1
• Ducks 6, Sharks 1
• Kraken 4, Golden Knights 3 (SO)
• Kings 4, Canucks 1

NHL playoff standings

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26

After April 9 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.

Metropolitan Division

• y-Carolina Hurricanes (108)
• x-Pittsburgh Penguins (98)
• Philadelphia Flyers (92)

Atlantic Division

• x-Buffalo Sabres (106)
• x-Montreal Canadiens (104)
• x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)

Wild card

• Boston Bruins (96)
• Ottawa Senators (94)

Sitting out of playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (91), New York Islanders (91), Columbus Blue Jackets (90), 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 9 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.

Central Division

• y-Colorado Avalanche (114) - Presidents' Trophy winners
• x-Dallas Stars (106)
• x-Minnesota Wild (102)

Pacific Division

• Edmonton Oilers (90)
• Vegas Golden Knights (89)
• Anaheim Ducks (89)

Wild card

• x-Utah Mammoth (90)
• Los Angeles Kings (85)

Sitting out of playoff position: Nashville Predators (84), Winnipeg Jets (82), San Jose Sharks (81), St. Louis Blues (78), Seattle Kraken (77), 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 9:

• Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
• Pittsburgh (M2) vs. Philadelphia (M3)
• Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
• Montreal (A2) vs. Tampa Bay (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 9.

• Colorado (C1) vs. Los Angeles (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.