NHL games on Tuesday, March 31 brought about a shift in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost in regulation and dropped out of the top seed in the conference and out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Buffalo Sabres’ victory gave them the division lead and the Carolina Hurricanes’ win gave them the top seed in the East.

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The Wednesday, April 1 games could affect the Western Conference standings.

The Los Angeles Kings could pass the idle Nashville Predators and move into the second wild card spot if they win. A San Jose Sharks victory would let them pass the Predators based on percentage points because they’ll have played one less game.

Also Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild can become the third NHL team to clinch a 2026 postseason berth.

Here’s what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Who’s in the 2026 NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: None

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Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas

Who can clinch today?

The idle Minnesota Wild will clinch a playoff berth if the Kings lose to the Blues or if the Sharks lose to the Ducks in regulation.

NHL games today (Wednesday, April 1)

All times p.m.Eastern

Vancouver at Colorado, 8:30

St. Louis at Los Angeles, 9

Anaheim at San Jose, 9, TNT

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26

As of March 31. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes (100)

Atlantic Division

Wild card

Columbus Blue Jackets (88)

Sitting out of playoff position: Ottawa Senators (86), Detroit Red Wings (86), Philadelphia Flyers (86), Washington Capitals (85), New Jersey Devils (78), Toronto Maple Leafs (77), Florida Panthers (75), z-New York Rangers (71)

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NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26

As of March 31. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated

Central Division

x-Colorado Avalanche (108)

Pacific Division

Vegas Golden Knights (82)

Wild card

Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (76), Winnipeg Jets (76), San Jose Sharks (75), Seattle Kraken (75), St. Louis Blues (73), Calgary Flames (70), Chicago Blackhawks (68), 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 31.

Carolina (M1) vs. Columbus (WC1)

Pittsburgh (M2) vs. N.Y. Islanders (M3)

Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC2)

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

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NHL Western Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 31.

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 card

More: Vegas Golden Knights fire coach Bruce Cassidy, hire John Tortorella

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:

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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 2026, latest standings and tiebreaker scenarios