{"id":498247,"date":"2026-03-11T14:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/498247\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T14:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:33:34","slug":"top-10-nhl-teams-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/498247\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 NHL teams right now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NHL trade deadline was March 6th, and a handful of players headed to playoff-bound teams. With less than 20 games remaining, certain teams are solidifying their playoff standings, while others are making a final push to claim a wild-card spot. Both conferences wild-card spots will see movement in the final week of the season. As the 2025-2026 season enters the regular season twilight, here are the top 10 teams in the NHL right now. <\/p>\n

MORE: 5 potential bracket-busting March Madness 2026 Cinderella teams<\/a><\/p>\n

10. New York Islanders<\/p>\n

\"\"Jan 29, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders right wing Max Shabanov (49) and New York Islanders center Kyle MacLean (32) celebrates the goal by New York Islanders defenseman Carson Soucy (4) against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

New York has struggled to produce offensively. It\u2019s been the issue throughout the regular season. The Islanders\u2019 defensemen and goaltenders must be at their best in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

9. Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s offense continues to be one of the NHL\u2019s best. They are the top three in goals scored per game. The one glaring issue is defense.<\/p>\n

8. Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh is a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs. The Penguins\u2019 veteran squad has their eyes set on the Stanley Cup Finals. Pittsburgh needs a healthy return from Sidney Crosby.<\/p>\n

7. Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

\"\"Mar 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) skates with the puck in the first period against the Vegas Golden Knights at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Detroit added offense at the trade deadline. It was the team\u2019s biggest need, and they were active on Friday. Still, the Red Wings\u2019 defense will be heavily relied upon in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

6. Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n

They are hot and pushing for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. It\u2019s becoming a two-team race between Buffalo and Tampa Bay. Which team will be the first to slip down the stretch?<\/p>\n

5. Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n

They\u2019re doing their best to hold onto the Atlantic Division lead. Even if they finish second, the Lightning will be a tough matchup in the playoffs. They are one of the league\u2019s best on both ends of the ice.<\/p>\n

4. Minnesota Wild<\/p>\n

\"\"Mar 1, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) plays the puck against the St. Louis Blues in the first period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Wild will be a dark horse to reach the Western Conference Finals. If it weren\u2019t for Colorado and Dallas, Minnesota would be the conference\u2019s best team. The team is as confident as anyone in the NHL.<\/p>\n

3. Dallas Stars<\/p>\n

Dallas entered Friday undefeated in its last 10 games. They\u2019re on a heater and at the perfect time. They are within 10 points of Colorado for the top spot in the Central Division.<\/p>\n

2. Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n

Carolina has been the Eastern Conference\u2019s top team throughout the season. They are one of the few teams that have had success offensively and defensively. It will be a letdown if they do not reach the conference finals.<\/p>\n

1. Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n

\"\"Mar 6, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) skates against the Dallas Stars during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Avalanche are the league\u2019s best team for a reason. They excel in every aspect of the game. They have a top offense, defense, and goaltending.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead <\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n

NFL: 2026 NFL Free Agency\u2019s biggest Day 1 winners<\/a><\/p>\n

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: Randy Arozarena slams Cal Raleigh after he refuses to shake hands at WBC<\/a><\/p>\n

NBA: Adam Silver sends message after cancelling Hawks\u2019 \u2018Magic Monday\u2019 promotion<\/a><\/p>\n

PARALYMPICS: 2026 Winter Paralympics medal count standings entering March 10<\/a><\/p>\n

VIRAL: Wasserman Agency reveals new name, cancelling disgraced founder<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NHL trade deadline was March 6th, and a handful of players headed to playoff-bound teams. With less…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":498248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5101],"tags":[599,93,5137,5,4,38645,58861,3358,5138],"class_list":{"0":"post-498247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-red-wings","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-red-wings","10":"tag-detroitredwings","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-nhl-rankings","14":"tag-nhl-top-10","15":"tag-red-wings","16":"tag-redwings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116211038884241881","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}