The Nashville Predators are still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and have a game against the Montreal Canadiens on March 28 to get one step closer.
Nashville (34-29-9, 77 points) saw its season high five-gave win streak end on March 26 against the New Jersey Devils, but still hold the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
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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 28
After games played on March 27, here’s how the Western Conference wild-card race stacks up.
WC1 – Utah Mammoth (80 points, nine games left)
Los Angeles Kings (76 points, 10 games left)
Seattle Kraken (74 points, 11 games left)
Winnipeg Jets (72 points, 10 games left)
San Jose Sharks (71 points, 12 games left)
Nashville Predators playoff picture
According to Money Puck, the Predators have a 43.5% chance of making the playoffs. The loss to the Devils decreased that percentage from 60%. They have a 29.1% chance of finishing in the WC2 spot and a 14.4% chance of finishing in the WC1 spot.
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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.
TROTZ: Why Barry Trotz’s legacy with Nashville Predators goes beyond bumpy GM tenure
Nashville Predators schedule
The Predators have 10 games remaining on their schedule:
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 13: San Jose Sharks
The NHL’s regular season ends on April 16 and the playoffs begin on April 18.
March 28 scoreboard watch: Who do the Predators need to lose tonight?
Here’s every game that affects the Predators’ playoff push on March 28:
San Jose at Columbus (4 p.m. CT)
Seattle at Buffalo (4:30 p.m. CT)
Winnipeg at Colorado (6 p.m. CT)
Utah at Los Angeles (8 p.m. CT)
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: Latest Nashville Predators playoff picture, wild-card standings