<\/p>\n
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin splashes water on his face in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sue Ogrocki\/AP<\/p>\n
Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) celebrates after beating the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Paul Sancya\/AP<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov (93) and Noah Dobson (53) defend against New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat (14) as he moves in on Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (32) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Graham Hughes\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
Graham Hughes\/AP<\/p>\n
Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) celebrates his goal against the Montr\u00c8al Canadiens in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Paul Sancya\/AP<\/p>\n
Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, right, celebrates with Damon Severson after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Matt Slocum\/AP<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Connor McDavid called the Pacific Division path to the playoffs \u201ca bit of a pillow fight right now.\u201d The same race down the stretch in the NHL’s Eastern Conference is anything but.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
No team has clinched a berth, and only three \u2014 Carolina, Tampa Bay and Buffalo \u2014 are strong bets to get in. That means five spots up for grabs among seven contenders who just keep winning to up the ante on each other.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Montreal, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Boston, Ottawa, Detroit and the New York Islanders have combined to go 52-29-17 since play resumed following the Olympic break, a points percentage of .617. Two of them are guaranteed to miss the playoffs and could tie or break the record for the most standings points of any team that failed to qualify.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just heightens the urgency mentally,\u201d Senators forward Lars Eller said. \u201cThere\u2019s no cushion, and every game it\u2019s a fight for your life just staying in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eller and his teammates have gone 10-2-2 out of the break to take over the conference’s second and final wild card position with 85 points and 11 games remaining. The Islanders also at 85 points have slipped out of the top eight in the East after losing three of four but still have more than Anaheim, atop the Pacific, with Edmonton at 79 and Vegas at 78 points comfortably in the field.<\/p>\n
Beastly East<\/p>\n
There’s nothing comfortable about the stretch run in the East, where even a brief slide can make a big difference.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to us to get the job done \u2014 it\u2019s up to us to get the wins ourselves,\u201d Islanders center Bo Horvat said. \u201cYou\u2019re always watching what other teams are doing, but at the same time, we can\u2019t rely on other teams losing in order for you to get in. You want to win to get in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The traditional line to get in has for a long time been 94 points. Since 16 teams began qualifying in 1979-80, just three teams have reached 96 and missed: the Bruins in 2014-15, the Panthers in 2017-18 and the Canadiens in 2018-19. Those left out this season could pass that mark.<\/p>\n
New York’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau noticed the standings tightening up in the fall, when it was obvious this wasn’t a normal pace.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 15, 20 games, you could see that it was tight and it stayed tight the whole way,\u201d Pageau said. \u201cI think it kept everyone, every team on their toes and I thought it\u2019s brought some good hockey from every team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scoreboard watching<\/p>\n
A veteran of more than 1,300 regular-season NHL games and 101 more over 10 playoff runs, Ottawa’s Claude Giroux acknowledges he does a lot of scoreboard watching this time of year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard not to,” Giroux said. \u201cI mean, I do. I\u2019m not going to lie. I feel like every team is winning all the time. But at the end of the day it, doesn\u2019t matter.”<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
His coach, Travis Green, does the same, even as he preaches to players the sports cliche that they can only control what they can control.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all watch,\u201d Green said. \u201cWe do it every night. It\u2019s an exciting time of the season right now. Some nights I put it on, and if good things are happening, I keep it on. And if not, I change the channel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Islanders coach Patrick Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender now in his second job running an NHL bench, is trying to keep his team’s focus on the road ahead. He’s fully aware of the pitfalls in it, from judging opponents to projecting where everyone will end up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge mistake (if you) try to analyze,\u201d Roy said. \u201cI think we all get guilty at some point to look at the schedule: \u2018Oh, they have a tough schedule. Oh, they have this.\u2019 I feel like there\u2019s no tough and there\u2019s no easy schedule. You have to play your games, and you have to worry about what you have to do, not worry about who\u2019s playing next, who does what. Just worry about ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Unlikely runs<\/p>\n
This season has shown the improbable is possible.<\/p>\n
The Sabres are on the verge of ending the league’s longest playoff drought despite losing 18 of their first 28 games. They moved from last in the conference on Dec. 13, a couple of days before general manager Kevyn Adams was fired and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen, to first in the Atlantic Division on March 8.<\/p>\n
The Blue Jackets were last in the East on Jan. 12 when they changed coaches from Dean Evason to Rick Bowness and have since gone 19-3-4 to climb to second in the Metropolitan Division. The Senators were languishing near the basement in mid-January before going 15-3-2 since beginning their run on Jan. 25 to get back into the picture.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not over yet, and it could come down to the final games on April 14 and 15. The West wraps on April 16, and the playoffs begin on April 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just everybody being on the same page and everybody working hard for that goal at the end,\u201d Ottawa’s Tim St\u00fctzle said. “It\u2019s been fun. It\u2019s been a lot of fun just grinding back with this group. It\u2019s a pleasure to be able to play in this position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n