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<\/p>\nThere are only 10 days left in the 2025-26 NHL regular season. Seven teams have clinched a playoff berth, and five teams have been mathematically eliminated.<\/p>\n
As for the other 20, their postseason plans remain in the air — and there’s also the matter of final playoff seeding to sort out.<\/p>\n
Tuesday is another relatively heavy day on the NHL calendar, with 11 games on the schedule. Here are the six that will have the biggest impact on the postseason picture:<\/p>\n
Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n
2 Related<\/p>\n
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Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> at Detroit Red Wings<\/a> This isn’t completely a “loser leaves town” match, but we’re getting close to that point for both clubs. (And to think, both of them seemed like locks at various times this season.) Both teams are just two points behind the Senators for the final Eastern Conference wild card, but both trail Ottawa in regulation wins (the first tiebreaker) by more games than they have left. So, they will need to be ahead in points, which is a tall task given how they’ve both performed lately. A regulation loss by either will be a major swing.<\/p>\n Nashville Predators<\/a> at Anaheim Ducks<\/a> The Predators have been battling the Los Angeles Kings<\/a> and San Jose Sharks<\/a> for the second wild card in the West. Following Monday’s games, the Preds are a point behind the Kings with 82 points and 26 regulation wins through 77 games, with the Sharks (81 points, 25 RW through 76 games) right there.<\/p>\n On the other side, the Ducks are no longer the “surprising Ducks” anymore, and they still have a shot to claim the Pacific Division title. They enter Tuesday’s game tied with the Oilers in standings points, but with six fewer regulation wins (with fewer than six games remaining); they’ll need to finish with more points than Edmonton to take the crown.<\/p>\n Edmonton Oilers<\/a> at Utah Mammoth<\/a> Speaking of the Oilers, they do hold the RW tiebreaker over the Ducks but would like to salt away the division title on points alone if possible. At stake for the division winner? A first-round matchup against these very same Utah Mammoth, who are poised to bring postseason hockey to the Beehive State for the first time in its 130-year history.<\/p>\n Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> at New Jersey Devils<\/a> Like an RKO<\/a>, the Flyers’ playoff push came “outta nowhere,” and they begin play Tuesday as the Metro Division’s No. 3 seed. But they are anything but secure in that spot with three teams within three points of them — all of which have higher regulation win totals. And though they are tied with the Senators in the potential wild-card race, they are 10 RW behind Ottawa. In other words, Philly needs all the standings points it can get.<\/p>\n As for the Devils, they have already reached 40 wins this season, but are on the edge of mathematical elimination thanks to too many regulation losses. Nevertheless, they would certainly relish a chance to submarine the playoff chances of their I-95 rivals.<\/p>\n All of ESPN. All in one place.<\/p>\n Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now<\/a><\/p>\n Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> at Ottawa Senators<\/a> It has been a dramatic season for the Senators for various on- and off-ice reasons. But as of Tuesday, they are in a playoff spot thanks to a recent 6-3-1 run, and are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the regulation wins tiebreaker, with 34. Getting points here (via a win or overtime\/shootout loss) would be a bonus, given that their four games after this one are against teams currently outside of playoff position (Panthers, Islanders, Devils, Maple Leafs).<\/p>\n The Lightning are tied with the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> in standings points and two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens<\/a> atop the Atlantic Division; they are also two behind the Hurricanes for first in the East.<\/p>\n Boston Bruins<\/a> at Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> Should the Atlantic Division champ overtake the Hurricanes — or the Bruins fall to the second wild card — this would be a first-round matchup. But even without that backdrop, this is a crucial set of points for both teams, as the Bruins can still theoretically catch the teams ahead of them in the division, and the Canes want to maintain their home-ice advantage for as long as possible this postseason; only the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> outrank them right now.<\/p>\n Every team has six or fewer games remaining before the regular season concludes April 16, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch every day. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2026 NHL draft lottery.<\/p>\n Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.<\/p>\n Jump ahead: Eastern Conference<\/p>\n A1 Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> vs. WC1 Boston Bruins<\/a> M1 Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> vs. WC2 Ottawa Senators<\/a> Western Conference<\/p>\n C1 Colorado Avalanche<\/a> vs. WC2 Los Angeles Kings<\/a> P1 Edmonton Oilers<\/a> vs. WC1 Utah Mammoth<\/a> Today’s games<\/p>\n Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+<\/a> (local blackout restrictions apply).<\/p>\n Florida Panthers<\/a> at Montreal Canadiens<\/a>, 7 p.m. Last night’s scoreboard<\/p>\n Buffalo Sabres<\/a> 4, Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> 2 Expanded standings<\/p>\n Note: An “x” with a team’s name means the club has clinched a playoff spot. An “e” means that the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff spot when their magic number reaches zero, and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.<\/p>\n Atlantic DivisionEnhanced standings: Atlantic DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragic 0:27<\/p>\n Jack Quinn tallies goal vs. Lightning<\/p>\n Jack Quinn lights the lamp for Sabres<\/p>\n Metro DivisionEnhanced standings: Metropolitan DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragic 0:45<\/p>\n Kyle Connor tallies goal for Winnipeg Jets on the power play<\/p>\n Kyle Connor scores on the power play for Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n Pacific DivisionEnhanced standings: Pacific DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragic 0:51<\/p>\n Adrian Kempe lights the lamp<\/p>\n Adrian Kempe lights the lamp<\/p>\n Race for the No. 1 pick<\/p>\n The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here<\/a>. Atop draft boards for this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward for Penn State.<\/p>\n Draft lottery standings<\/p>\n *Note: The Maple Leafs’ pick belongs to the Bruins, unless it lands in the top five.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are only 10 days left in the 2025-26 NHL regular season. Seven teams have clinched a playoff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[463,464],"tags":[5,4,60,14,104,718],"class_list":{"0":"post-545456","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl-playoffs","8":"category-stanley-cup-playoffs","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-nhl-playoffs","12":"tag-stanley-cup","13":"tag-stanley-cup-playoffs","14":"tag-stanley-cup-playoffs-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116363409467495964","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545456","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=545456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775564594_82_nsh.png&h=110&w=110.png\")
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10 p.m. ET (ESPN+)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775564595_657_edm.png&h=110&w=110.png\")
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9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775564596_664_phi.png&h=110&w=110.png\")
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7 p.m. ET (ESPN)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/r1531432_1296x729_16-9.jpg\")
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7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775564600_880_bos.png&h=110&w=110.png\")
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7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)<\/p>\n
Current playoff matchups<\/a>
Today’s schedule<\/a>
Last night’s scores<\/a>
Expanded standings<\/a>
Race for No. 1 pick<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/greyline.png\")
Current playoff matchups<\/p>\n
A2 Buffalo Sabres<\/a> vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens<\/a><\/p>\n
M2 Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers<\/a><\/p>\n
C2 Dallas Stars<\/a> vs. C3 Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n
P2 Anaheim Ducks<\/a> vs. P3 Vegas Golden Knights<\/a><\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> at Ottawa Senators<\/a>, 7 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> at Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> at New Jersey Devils<\/a>, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Boston Bruins<\/a> at Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>, 7 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche<\/a> at St. Louis Blues<\/a>, 8 p.m.
Calgary Flames<\/a> at Dallas Stars<\/a>, 8 p.m.
Seattle Kraken<\/a> at Minnesota Wild<\/a>, 8 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers<\/a> at Utah Mammoth<\/a>, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> at Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, 10 p.m.
Nashville Predators<\/a> at Anaheim Ducks<\/a>, 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets<\/a> 6, Seattle Kraken<\/a> 2
San Jose Sharks<\/a> 3, Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> 2
Los Angeles Kings<\/a> 3, Nashville Predators<\/a> 2 (SO)<\/p>\n
NumberMagic
Numberx – Lightning<\/a>7710239A15@ OTT (Tues)100.0109112N\/AINx – Sabres<\/a>7810239A24@ NYR (Weds)100.0107110N\/AINx – Canadiens<\/a>7710032A35vs. FLA (Tues)100.0106110N\/AINBruins<\/a>789531WC14@ CAR (Tues)98.4100103N\/A3Senators<\/a>779034WC25vs. TB (Tues)86.296100N\/A8Red Wings<\/a>778829N\/A5vs. CBJ (Tues)6.494988N\/Ae – Maple Leafs<\/a>777823N\/A5vs. WSH (Weds)0.08388OUTN\/Ae – Panthers<\/a>777729N\/A5@ CAR (Tues)0.08287OUTN\/Aplay<\/p>\n
NumberMagic
Numberx – Hurricanes<\/a>7710436M15vs. BOS (Tues)100.0111114N\/AINPenguins<\/a>789633M24@ NJ (Thurs)99.9101104N\/A2Flyers<\/a>779024M35@ NJ (Tues)56.496100N\/A8Islanders<\/a>788928N\/A4vs. TOR (Thurs)19.8949778Blue Jackets<\/a>778827N\/A5@ DET (Tues)28.894988N\/ACapitals<\/a>788733N\/A4@ TOR (Weds)4.091955N\/ADevils<\/a>778328N\/A5vs. PHI (Tues)0.188933N\/Ae – Rangers<\/a>787524N\/A4vs. BUF (Weds)0.07983OUTN\/ACentral DivisionEnhanced standings: Central DivisionTeamGPPTSRWSeedGRNext GameChancesPaceMaxTragic
NumberMagic
Numberx – Avalanche<\/a>7611044C16@ STL (Tues)100.0119122N\/AINx – Stars<\/a>7710235C25vs. CGY (Tues)100.0109112N\/AINx – Wild<\/a>7710029C35vs. SEA (Tues)100.0106110N\/AINMammoth<\/a>768631WC16vs. EDM (Tues)99.69398N\/A7Predators<\/a>778226N\/A5@ ANA (Tues)19.587929N\/AJets<\/a>778027N\/A5@ STL (Thurs)1.085907N\/ABlues<\/a>767829N\/A6vs. COL (Tues)4.584907N\/Ae – Blackhawks<\/a>787021N\/A4vs. CAR (Thurs)0.07478OUTN\/Aplay<\/p>\n
NumberMagic
NumberOilers<\/a>778730P15@ UTA (Tues)97.19397N\/A6Ducks<\/a>778724P25vs. NSH (Tues)99.49397N\/A6Golden Knights<\/a>778627P35@ VAN (Tues)99.79296N\/A7Kings<\/a>778319WC25vs. VAN (Thurs)39.38893N\/A10Sharks<\/a>768125N\/A6vs. EDM (Weds)39.9879310N\/AKraken<\/a>767525N\/A6@ MIN (Tues)0.181874N\/AFlames<\/a>767225N\/A6@ DAL (Tues)0.078841N\/Ae – Canucks<\/a>765215N\/A6vs. VGK (Tues)0.05664OUTN\/Aplay<\/p>\n