{"id":550224,"date":"2026-04-11T10:23:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/550224\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T10:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:23:25","slug":"whos-in-2026-nhl-playoffs-latest-bracket-standings-clinching-scenarios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/550224\/","title":{"rendered":"Who’s in 2026 NHL playoffs? Latest bracket, standings, clinching scenarios"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NHL<\/a>‘s busy 15-game schedule on Saturday, April 11 could provide more clarity in the playoff race.<\/p>\n

Five more NHL teams \u2212 the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights and idle Anaheim Ducks \u2212 can clinch a postseason berth, joining the nine teams that have already made it. The Ducks would end a seven-season playoff drought if they clinch.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Pacific Division lead is in play with the leading Oilers and second-place Golden Knights in action. The second wild-card seed in the Western Conference could change hands again if the Nashville Predators win and the Los Angeles Kings lose.<\/p>\n

In non-playoff news, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin<\/a> will face each other for the 100th time. That game is being nationally broadcast on ABC.<\/p>\n

Here’s what to know about the\u00a0NHL standings<\/a>, including the latest playoff bracket, Saturday’s clinching scenarios and the\u00a0tiebreaker procedures<\/a>\u00a0for the 2025-26 season:<\/p>\n

1 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

April 5: A Toronto Maple Leafs fan attends the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.<\/p>\n

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1 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

April 5: A Toronto Maple Leafs fan attends the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.<\/p>\n

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2 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

April 4: Fans of the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche bang on the glass during the second period of the game between the Stars and Avalanche at the American Airlines Center.<\/p>\n

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3 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

March 5; Fans in the stands during the first period between the Calgary Flames and the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Saddledome.<\/p>\n

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4 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi! stands on seats during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on Jan. 22, 2026.<\/p>\n

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5 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) skates during warmup in front of fans’ signs welcoming him back to Toronto.<\/p>\n

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6 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (91) poses for a photo with a fan as he comes off the ice after warmups.<\/p>\n

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7 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A fan cheers during the third period in the 2026 Winter Classic ice hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park.<\/p>\n

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8 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

New York Rangers fans cheer after the 2026 Winter Classic against the Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park.<\/p>\n

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9 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty and members of the Dance Team perform before game against the Vancouver Canucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.<\/p>\n

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10 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.<\/p>\n

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11 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes and former Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) tosses a puck to a fan in his return to Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n

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12 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A young fan watches the action during the third period of the game between the Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose.<\/p>\n

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13 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.<\/p>\n

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14 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.<\/p>\n

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15 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.<\/p>\n

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16 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy celebrates with goalie Joey Daccord (35) after a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.<\/p>\n

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17 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Colorado Avalanche fans cheer in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.<\/p>\n

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18 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A Colorado Avalanche fans holds up a sign for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena.<\/p>\n

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19 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A young fan sees her reflection in the arena glass during a game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.<\/p>\n

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20 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.<\/p>\n

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21 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A San Jose Sharks fan dresses in costume for Halloween during a game against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center.<\/p>\n

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22 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Tusky, the new Utah Mammoth mascot, is introduced to the fans before the game against the Calgary Flames at Delta Center.<\/p>\n

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23 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A San Jose Sharks fan reacts after her team scores during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

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24 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

A Boston Bruins fan cheers for the team during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.<\/p>\n

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25 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty performs before a game against the Florida Panthers<\/p>\n

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26 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) greets fans on the blue carpet before opening night against the New York Islanders.<\/p>\n

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27 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Fans reach for a puck flipped over the glass by Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) during warmup before a game against the St. Louis Blues.<\/p>\n

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28 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound before a game against the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n

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29 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston signs autographs for the fans as he walks the green carpet before the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.<\/p>\n

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30 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning mascot Thunderbug celebrates after beating the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena.<\/p>\n

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31 \/ 31<\/p>\n

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skates past fans holding signs during warmups before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fleury suited up for the Penguins one last time during the preseason game.<\/p>\n

Who’s in the 2026 NHL playoffs?<\/p>\n

Eastern Conference:\u00a0Carolina, Buffalo, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Western Conference:\u00a0Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Utah<\/p>\n

Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?<\/p>\n

The Boston Bruins will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Lightning. They’d also clinch if they get one point, the Red Wings lose and the Senators and\/or Flyers lose. A third option: The Red Wings lose in regulation and the Islanders or Flyers lose.<\/p>\n

The Ottawa Senators will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Islanders and the Red Wings lose.<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point against the Kings. They also clinch if the Jets fail to win in regulation.<\/p>\n

The Vegas Golden Knights will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Avalanche. They’d also clinch if they get one point and the Jets and Predators lose. Third option: The Sharks lose and the Jets and Predators lose in regulation.<\/p>\n

The idle Anaheim Ducks will clinch a playoff berth if the Sharks lose and the Jets and Predators lose in regulation.<\/p>\n

NHL games today (Saturday, April 11)<\/p>\n

All times p.m. ET<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay at Boston, 12:30, ABC<\/p>\n

Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, 1<\/p>\n

Washington at Pittsburgh, 3, ABC<\/p>\n

Edmonton at Los Angeles, 4<\/p>\n

Minnesota at Nashville, 5<\/p>\n

N.Y. Rangers at Dallas, 5<\/p>\n

Philadelphia at Winnipeg, 7<\/p>\n

Vancouver at San Jose, 10<\/p>\n

NHL playoff standingsNHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26<\/p>\n

After April 9 games.\u00a0x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.<\/p>\n

Metropolitan Division<\/p>\n

y-Carolina Hurricanes (108)<\/p>\n

x-Pittsburgh Penguins (98)<\/p>\n

Atlantic Division<\/p>\n

x-Montreal Canadiens (104)<\/p>\n

x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)<\/p>\n

Wild card<\/p>\n

Sitting out of playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (91), New York Islanders (91), Columbus Blue Jackets (90), Washington Capitals (89),\u00a0z-New Jersey Devils (83),\u00a0z-Florida Panthers (78),\u00a0z-Toronto Maple Leafs (78),\u00a0z-New York Rangers (75)<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26<\/p>\n

After April 9 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.<\/p>\n

Central Division<\/p>\n

y-Colorado Avalanche (114) – Presidents’ Trophy winners<\/p>\n

Pacific Division<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights (89)<\/p>\n

Wild card<\/p>\n

Sitting out of playoff position:\u00a0Nashville Predators (84), Winnipeg Jets (82), San Jose Sharks (81), St. Louis Blues (78), Seattle Kraken (77),\u00a0z-Calgary Flames (73),\u00a0z-Chicago Blackhawks (70),\u00a0z-Vancouver Canucks (52)<\/p>\n

NHL playoffs if they started todayNHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket<\/p>\n

Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 9:<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh (M2) vs. Philadelphia (M3)<\/p>\n

Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)<\/p>\n

Montreal (A2) vs. Tampa Bay (A3)<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0Key: M –\u00a0Metropolitan Division.\u00a0A –\u00a0Atlantic Division.\u00a0WC –\u00a0wild card<\/p>\n

NHL Western Conference playoff bracket<\/p>\n

Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 9.<\/p>\n

Colorado (C1) vs. Los Angeles (WC2)<\/p>\n

Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)<\/p>\n

Edmonton (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)<\/p>\n

Vegas (P2) vs. Anaheim (P3)<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0Key: C –\u00a0Central Division\u00a0P –\u00a0Pacific Division.\u00a0WC –\u00a0wild card<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?<\/p>\n

If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:<\/p>\n

Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)<\/p>\n

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 more than two clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any odd games) shall be used to determine standings.<\/p>\n

When does the NHL regular season end?<\/p>\n

The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.<\/p>\n

When do the NHL playoffs start?<\/p>\n

The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoff bracket, clinching scenarios and 2026 standings<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NHL‘s busy 15-game schedule on Saturday, April 11 could provide more clarity in the playoff race. Five…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[463,464],"tags":[426,233,193,521,71,95,895,265,894,194,37,192,230,196,599,2217,146,896,62,5,122,189,793,145,3153,161,264,231,576,4,60,25,118,1467,56,1469,1885,3358,1108,519,168,2686,234,768,534,14,104,718,540,66,893,39,190,109,2071,77,18],"class_list":{"0":"post-550224","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-alex-ovechkin","10":"tag-anaheim-ducks","11":"tag-avalanche","12":"tag-blackhawks","13":"tag-blues","14":"tag-boston-bruins","15":"tag-calgary","16":"tag-canadiens","17":"tag-canucks","18":"tag-carolina","19":"tag-chicago","20":"tag-colorado","21":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","22":"tag-dallas","23":"tag-detroit","24":"tag-eastern-conference","25":"tag-edmonton-oilers","26":"tag-flames","27":"tag-florida","28":"tag-hockey","29":"tag-islanders","30":"tag-lightning","31":"tag-los-angeles","32":"tag-los-angeles-kings","33":"tag-mammoth","34":"tag-minnesota","35":"tag-montreal","36":"tag-nashville-predators","37":"tag-new-jersey","38":"tag-nhl","39":"tag-nhl-playoffs","40":"tag-ottawa-senators","41":"tag-penguins","42":"tag-philadelphia","43":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","44":"tag-pittsburgh","45":"tag-playoff-berth","46":"tag-red-wings","47":"tag-sabres","48":"tag-san-jose","49":"tag-san-jose-sharks","50":"tag-seattle","51":"tag-seattle-kraken","52":"tag-sidney-crosby","53":"tag-st-louis","54":"tag-stanley-cup","55":"tag-stanley-cup-playoffs","56":"tag-stanley-cup-playoffs-nhl","57":"tag-tampa-bay","58":"tag-toronto","59":"tag-vancouver","60":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","61":"tag-washington","62":"tag-washington-capitals","63":"tag-western-conference","64":"tag-winnipeg","65":"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\/550224","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=550224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}