The NHL playoff format is once again in focus, as some of best teams in the league will meet in the first round of the postseason.

The Colorado Avalanche officially clinched the Presidents Trophy on Thursday after pulling away from the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild in the heavy-hitting Central Division. The Stars and Wild will be matched up in the first round in a battle between the second- and third-best teams in the Western Conference. The Stars sit third in the entire NHL with 106 points as of Friday, while the Wild are seventh with 102 points.

The Stars picked up a key 5-4 win over the Wild on Thursday, closing on owning home-ice advantage in the first-round series.

“That’s probably exactly what you’re going to expect (in the playoffs). Guys finishing hits, taking hits to make plays and then as the game goes along, trying to make more plays, it kind of cools down. But that’s what it’s going to be like,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said postgame. “This was one of the most emotional games this season this late in the year. We’re going to play against them in about a week and a half. We’ll definitely learn from it and adjust and get ready.”

Sitting fourth in the Central Division and on track to face the Pacific Division winner is the Utah Mammoth, who are equal in points with the Pacific-leading Edmonton Oilers, who are 15th in the NHL standings. The Pacific winners will be on track to have home-ice advantage for the first two rounds.

Hockey fans, let your feelings known in this poll regarding the NHL format for the Stanley Cup playoffs:

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 10, 2026

Another Tough Atlantic Bracket Looms

 tough road to the Eastern Conference final is nothing new for the Atlantic Division, but it is largely a new cast of characters this year.

With the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs out of the picture, the Buffalo Sabres are leading the division with their playoff spot clinched for the first time since 2011. Buffalo, though, has just a two-point cushion on the Montreal Canadiens with an additional game played.

Montreal earned a massive victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday to jump them in the standings and close on Buffalo.

“That was a good game for us to experience pretty close to what playoff hockey is,” Lightning defenceman Ryan McDonagh said after his team’s 2-1 loss. “The intensity, the small plays, the importance of every puck on your stick and how close it can be.”

Should Montreal and Tampa Bay meet in the playoffs, it would be a battle of the third- and fourth-best teams in the Eastern Conference and fifth- and sixth-best teams in the entire NHL.

The Carolina Hurricanes are currently tied with the Sabres for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in-hand. Their reward for winning the Metropolitan Division will be a date with a wild-card team. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who are second in the division, are currently on track to face the Philadelphia Flyers, who own the eighth-best record in the East.

East Wild-Card picture April 10 Pacific ’Pillow Fight’ Continues

Oilers superstar Connor McDavid raised eyebrows when he called the fight for the Pacific Division crown a “pillow fight” last month, but with less than a week left in the season, his words still ring true.

The Oilers have 16 fewer points than any other division leader as the Pacific fight remains open for the taking for Edmonton, the Vegas Golden Knights or Anaheim Ducks. The Golden Knights and Ducks are both one point behind the Oilers with three games left for all three teams.

Sensing his team needed a win, McDavid put the Oilers on his back Wednesday, posting a hat trick and a point on every goal in a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

“He knows our team needed a win,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said of his team’s captain. “We’re playing a little short-handed and he’s going to be the guy. Tonight every shift he was really dialed in and played extremely well. I’ve seen him play a lot of good games and that was one of his best.”

West Wild-Card picture April 10

Sitting outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders both have more points than the Pacific-leading Oilers with 91 to Edmonton’s 89.

Based on points, facing the wild-card seeded Mammoth would actually be a tougher matchup for the Oilers than the Golden Knights and Ducks would face playing each other.