With a 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on March 24, the Nashville Predators are one step closer to playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Nashville (34-28-9, 77 points) has won a season-high five straight games, currently the longest winning streak in the NHL. It is 7-2-1 in its past 10 games.

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The Predators last made the playoffs in 2024, when they lost in six games to the Vancouver Canucks. Here’s what needs to happen for Nashville to return to the postseason.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) shoots the puck, scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks, during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) scores a goal past San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei (76) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with center Ryan O’Reilly (90) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) battlesSan Jose Sharks right wing Adam Gaudette (81) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) battles San Jose Sharks left wing Igor Chernyshov (92) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) celebrates his goal next to San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with center Fedor Svechkov (40) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card

A catfish is removed from the ice before a game between the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

Western Conference wild-card standings, as of March 25

After games played on March 24, here’s how the Western Conference wild-card race stacks up.

WC1 – Utah Mammoth (80 points, 10 games left)

Los Angeles Kings (74 points, 11 games left)

Seattle Kraken (72 points, 12 games left)

Winnipeg Jets (72 points, 11 games left)

San Jose Sharks (70 points, 13 games left)

Nashville Predators playoff picture

According to Money Puck, the Predators have a 59.8% chance of making the playoffs. Their win over the Sharks increased that percentage from 52%. They have a 42.5% chance of finishing in the WC2 spot and an 18.3% chance of finishing in the WC1 spot.

Their most likely first-round opponents are either the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars,. Long-shot possibilities include the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers.

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TROTZ: Why Barry Trotz’s legacy with Nashville Predators goes beyond bumpy GM tenure

Nashville Predators schedule

Here’s the Predators’ remaining schedule:

March 26: New Jersey Devils

March 28: Montreal Canadiens

March 29: at Tampa Bay Lightning

April 2: at Los Angeles Kings

April 4: at San Jose Sharks

April 6: at Los Angeles Kings

April 7: at Anaheim Ducks

April 9: at Utah Hockey Club

April 11: Minnesota Wild

April 13: San Jose Sharks

The NHL’s regular season ends on April 16; the playoffs begin on April 18.

March 25 scoreboard watch: Who do the Predators need to lose tonight?

There are only two games in the NHL tonight, both in the Eastern Conference: The Boston Bruins visit the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

No games on March 25 will affect the Predators’ playoff picture.

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators’ updated playoff picture, wild-card standings, schedule