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<\/a><\/p>\n\n Will An\u017ee Kopitar get one last chance to add to his playoff legacy? (Elsa \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n
Getting An\u017ee Kopitar to his final postseason<\/p>\n
If the Kings sneak into the playoffs, it would bring a small measure of salvage for an underwhelming season. They\u2019re still alive thanks to the Pacific Division being full of flawed teams, and that means their venerable captain and future Hall of Fame center can be sent into retirement by adding to his legacy. A run at a third Stanley Cup is the longest of shots, but the Kings legend deserves it. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n
Boosting Macklin Celebrini\u2019s Hart Trophy argument<\/p>\n
The Sharks weren\u2019t supposed to be in a playoff race and they somehow continue to hang around. Celebrini has carried them while also starring in his first Olympics, so having him in the playoff spotlight as a 19-year-old would cap a monstrous second season. He has more than twice as many points as the next closest San Jose teammate and should have his first 100-point season. San Jose finished last in 2024-25. That\u2019s a pretty good Hart argument. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Looks like a good betNew York Islanders<\/p>\n
Playoff standing<\/p>\n
The Islanders have held firm in the Metro standings for some time, but the Blue Jackets\u2019 run has challenged that, with Columbus now ahead of the Islanders. The odds are in New York\u2019s favor down the stretch, especially with a rookie sensation and one of the best goalies in the world. But the race is tight in the East, so the standings are fluid; the Isles could finish second in the division, stand pat, slip to the wild card or fall out altogether. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n
A fifth Pacific Division title in nine years<\/p>\n
If the Golden Knights finish atop the Pacific Division once again, they will have more regular-season division titles than any team in the NHL since they entered the league in 2017-18. Vegas hasn\u2019t played up to its usual standard this season, but with the division having a down year, the Golden Knights are in a position to continue their reign of dominance over the Pacific, which would set up for a much easier path to the Western Conference final, which they\u2019ve reached four times. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n
Finishing a dream playoff push <\/p>\n
The Penguins entered the season among the favorites to land Gavin McKenna. Instead, they are on pace to finish with more than 100 points. A playoff appearance would give Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang another chance to shine in the postseason spotlight. This marks the 20th straight season they\u2019ve played together for the Penguins, something no trio in the history of North American professional sports has achieved. To reach the playoffs together again would be quite a story. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n
Anaheim Ducks<\/p>\n
Solving what\u2019s wrong with Mason McTavish<\/p>\n
The Ducks have a shot at winning the Pacific Division, but no playoff spot is locked up, and they can\u2019t afford to nosedive at the end. They\u2019ve played well in 2026 and added a top-pairing level defenseman in John Carlson. If the Ducks hope to win a playoff series, they must get McTavish going. He\u2019s had a down year and a difficult go of late while being moved off center and was healthy scratched this week. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n
Andr\u00e9 Tourigny\u2019s job security<\/p>\n
Utah has a nice cushion built for the first wild-card spot in the West. Making the postseason would be an important milestone for head coach Tourigny to prove that he\u2019s still the right voice for this promising young core. Anything short of a playoff appearance would be wildly disappointing for the franchise, considering how much talent they have and how middling the competition for a wild-card spot is. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n
The next step in the rebuild<\/p>\n
The Canadiens were ahead of schedule when they made the playoffs last season and remain ahead of schedule now, sitting in a playoff spot a month out from the postseason. A late-season nosedive would not be a disaster, but it would be a missed opportunity to fast-track the development of their young core. With a realistic chance for home ice in the first round, it\u2019s an opportunity they need to grasp. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a lockBuffalo Sabres<\/p>\n
Ending a record drought<\/p>\n
The Sabres look like a lock to make the playoffs. But with a league-record 14-year playoff drought, you can bet nobody in that building is going to feel like the job is done until the Sabres have officially clinched. Beyond that, though, the Sabres are battling for seeding down the stretch. They\u2019ve looked like a serious contender the last few months, so home-ice advantage could be critical in the playoffs. \u2014 Matthew Fairburn<\/p>\n
Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n
Preparing for the playoffs<\/p>\n
The Hurricanes have little to play for in the season\u2019s final month. They have the biggest cushion of any division leader and currently sit atop the Eastern Conference. Carolina has two objectives heading into the playoffs: secure the best seed it can to maximize home-ice advantage and be healthy come the postseason. Beyond that, expect the team to give some of its young players a look with the big club while resting some veterans. \u2014 Cory Lavalette<\/p>\n
Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n
Missing the playoffs is not an option<\/p>\n
Despite the loss of Leon Draisaitl for the rest of the regular season, the Oilers still have to make the postseason. The organization has traded all the major draft picks and mortgaged the future. Partly due to deadline additions, the team is playing a more complete, 200-foot game since the deadline, and Connor McDavid remains the best player in hockey. The key question for fans surrounds Draisaitl\u2019s availability come playoff time. \u2014 Allan Mitchell<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n
First in the Atlantic<\/p>\n
There may only be four points separating the Lightning from first place and the second wild-card seed, but this team is still very much in contention for the No. 1 seed (even with some recent struggles). Tampa Bay has an elite core to lean on, even though Buffalo took over after a banger matchup in early March. It may come down to their next meeting in early April. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
Dallas Stars<\/p>\n
A path to a championship <\/p>\n
It looked like Colorado was going to run away with the top seed in the Western Conference, but Dallas\u2019 recent 14-0-1 run has the Stars nipping at the Avalanche\u2019s heels. In a must-win-it-all season, the difference between facing the Minnesota Wild \u2014 arguably the third-best team in the league \u2014 in the first round and whatever deeply mediocre team finishes in the second wild-card spot is massive. Home-ice advantage for the next round against what would be Colorado or Minnesota matters, too. \u2014 Mark Lazerus<\/p>\n
Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n
Avoiding the toughest first-round matchup in the NHL<\/p>\n
Regardless of seeding, the team that emerges from the Central Division will have gone through a gauntlet to do so. Having said that, Colorado desperately needs to maintain its ever-shrinking lead over Dallas at the top in order to avoid a Cup Final-caliber matchup with Minnesota in the opening round of the playoffs. Hosting the second wild-card team in the West while Dallas and Minnesota duke it out sounds like a much better recipe for a long playoff run. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n
Minnesota Wild<\/p>\n
Priming to be a serious contender<\/p>\n
The reward for the Wild\u2019s terrific season in the great wisdom of this playoff format will be the Stars or the Avalanche. The Wild, who will likely start on the road, hope to get past the first round for the first time in 11 years. But the Wild have a tendency to enter the playoffs with a string of losses and\/or serious health issues. As Bill Guerin said after three recent home losses, he doesn\u2019t want the Wild to limp into the playoffs and he wants more urgency. But health is paramount. \u2014 Michael Russo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The trade deadline is behind us and there are only 26 days until the end of the 2025-26…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5129],"tags":[233,95,229,26,29,96,144,230,147,93,146,276,57,149,5317,5,145,38,21,231,151,159,35,4,25,56,100,168,234,84,92,31,3154,27,74,39,5316,109,18],"class_list":{"0":"post-514778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vegas-golden-knights","8":"tag-anaheim-ducks","9":"tag-boston-bruins","10":"tag-buffalo-sabres","11":"tag-calgary-flames","12":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","13":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","14":"tag-colorado-avalanche","15":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","16":"tag-dallas-stars","17":"tag-detroit-red-wings","18":"tag-edmonton-oilers","19":"tag-fantasy-hockey","20":"tag-florida-panthers","21":"tag-golden-knights","22":"tag-goldenknights","23":"tag-hockey","24":"tag-los-angeles-kings","25":"tag-minnesota-wild","26":"tag-montreal-canadiens","27":"tag-nashville-predators","28":"tag-new-jersey-devils","29":"tag-new-york-islanders","30":"tag-new-york-rangers","31":"tag-nhl","32":"tag-ottawa-senators","33":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","34":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","35":"tag-san-jose-sharks","36":"tag-seattle-kraken","37":"tag-st-louis-blues","38":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","39":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","40":"tag-utah-mammoth","41":"tag-vancouver-canucks","42":"tag-vegas","43":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","44":"tag-vegasgoldenknights","45":"tag-washington-capitals","46":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514778","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=514778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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