Saturday’s 15-game NHL schedule saw the Tampa Bay Lightning briefly move atop the Atlantic Division standings before the Buffalo Sabres reclaimed the lead.
The Lightning have a chance to move into the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Sunday, March 29, if they beat the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes lose in regulation. All three teams would be tied at 98 points and Tampa Bay would lead Buffalo in points percentage, having played one less game, and hold the tiebreaker edge on Carolina.
Advertisement
The Predators could use the win at Tampa because they hold a one-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and two points on the Seattle Kraken. The pursuing teams will have games in hand by the end of the night.
Saturday’s schedule also saw the New York Islanders move into second place in the Metropolitan Division and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets drop to third place and the second wild-card spot, respectively. The Blue Jackets can climb to third if they beat the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
1 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Feb. 24: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick for defenseman Brett Kulak.
1 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Feb. 24: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick for defenseman Brett Kulak.
2 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Feb. 4: The Los Angeles Kings acquired left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Liam Greentree and conditional third-round (2026) and fourth-round (2028) picks.
3 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Feb. 4: The New Jersey Devils acquired forward Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional fourth-round pick.
4 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Jan. 27: The New York Islanders acquired left wing Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
5 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Jan. 26: The New York Islanders acquired defenseman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
6 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Jan. 20: The San Jose Sharks acquire forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks for second-round picks in 2026 and 2027, plus defenseman Cole Clayton.
7 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Jan. 19: The Vegas Golden Knights acquire defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames for defenseman Zach Whitecloud, defense prospect Abram Wiebe, a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional second-rounder in 2028.
8 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Jan. 16: The Anaheim Ducks acquire winger Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Anaheim will give up the better of the fourth-rounder previously acquired from Philadelphia and Detroit.
9 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Jan. 8: The San Jose Sharks acquire goaltender Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan and a 2028 seventh-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for defensemen Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong and a 2028 fourth-rounder.
10 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Dec. 29: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2027 third-rounder.
11 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Dec. 19: The Montreal Canadiens acquire center Phillip Danault, right, from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2026 second-round pick.
12 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Dec. 19: The Columbus Blue Jackets acquire forward Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
13 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Dec. 12: The Minnesota Wild acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.
14 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Dec. 12: The Edmonton Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick.
15 / 15
NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26
Oct. 24: The Vancouver Canucks acquire forward Lukas Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
If Columbus loses in regulation, the Philadelphia Flyers (playing the Dallas Stars) have a chance to move to within one point of a playoff spot with a game 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:
Advertisement
Who’s in the 2026 NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: None
Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas
Who can clinch today?
No team can clinch a playoff berth today.
NHL games today (Sunday, March 29)
All times p.m. and Eastern
Florida at N.Y. Rangers, 1, NHL Network
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 5
Chicago at New Jersey, 7, NHL Network
Dallas at Philadelphia, 7
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 28. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
Atlantic Division
Wild card
Columbus Blue Jackets (87)
Sitting out of playoff position: Ottawa Senators (86), Detroit Red Wings (86), Philadelphia Flyers (84), Washington Capitals (83), New Jersey Devils (76), Toronto Maple Leafs (75), Florida Panthers (73), z-New York Rangers (67)
NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 28. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Advertisement
Central Division
x-Colorado Avalanche (106)
Pacific Division
Vegas Golden Knights (80)
Wild card
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (76), Seattle Kraken (75), Winnipeg Jets (74), San Jose Sharks (73), St. Louis Blues (73), Calgary Flames (70), Chicago Blackhawks (67), z-Vancouver Canucks (50)
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 28.
Carolina (M1) vs. Columbus (WC2)
N.Y. Islanders (M2) vs. Pittsburgh (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
Advertisement
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 28.
Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (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 cardld 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:
Advertisement
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
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 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 expected to begin on Saturday, April 18.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoff bracket, latest 2026 standings, schedule and tiebreakers