The Montreal Canadiens have already punched a ticket. The Edmonton Oilers are almost there, too.
The Ottawa Senators additionally look be on target for a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets, in the meantime, have some work to do — and wish lots of assist.
4 of Canada’s seven NHL groups stay within the combine for the NHL’s annual spring dance, with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs all set to overlook out.
The Canadiens clinched a second straight post-season berth final weekend, however are jockeying for place within the Atlantic Division with the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. Buffalo tops the ledger with 106 factors, adopted by Montreal (104) and Tampa Bay (102).
The Sabres, who maintain the primary tiebreaker with 41 regulation victories, have two video games remaining on the schedule, whereas the Canadiens and Lightning every play three extra occasions within the common season.
Montreal, which fell to the Washington Capitals in final yr’s first spherical, might face both of these golf equipment to open the playoffs, whereas different potentialities embrace Ottawa and the Boston Bruins.
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The Oilers are on the cusp of creating the post-season a seventh yr working, a stretch that features back-to-back Cup remaining appearances in opposition to the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025.
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Edmonton leads the Pacific Division — a race captain Connor McDavid referred to as a “pillow combat” final month due to its sluggish crawl to the end line — with 90 factors, one higher than each the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Geese.
Every workforce has three video games remaining, with the Oilers holding the tiebreaker due to 31 regulation victories.
The web site MoneyPuck.com pegged Edmonton’s possibilities of qualifying for the playoffs at 99.98 per cent heading into Saturday after the league took Friday evening off. Claiming the division crown would seemingly imply a first-round matchup with the Utah Mammoth.
The Senators have captured 4 of their final 5 video games in regulation to push the membership’s post-season possibilities to 92.1 per cent.
Ottawa occupies the Jap Convention’s second wild-card berth with 94 factors and three video games remaining.
The Senators are two again of the Bruins for the primary wild card, whereas the Detroit Crimson Wings and New York Islanders are three factors adrift of Ottawa. The Columbus Blue Jackets have 90 factors, adopted by Washington with 89.
Boston, Ottawa, Detroit, New York, Columbus and Washington all have three video games left.
The Senators, who made the playoffs a yr in the past for the primary time because the franchise’s run to the 2017 convention remaining earlier than bowing out to the Maple Leafs, might face the Carolina Hurricanes within the opening spherical, whereas the Sabres, Canadiens and Lightning are additionally potential.
Winnipeg sat final within the general standings on Jan. 8 with a 15-22-5 report. The Jets steadied themselves and have made 20-9-7 surge within the second half to remain within the playoff dialog within the top-heavy West.
Final season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner with a league-topping 116 factors, nevertheless, will want rather a lot to go proper to get in.
Winnipeg presently sits on 82 factors, three again of the Los Angeles Kings for the convention’s second wild-card slot. The Nashville Predators have 84 factors, whereas the San Jose Sharks are at 81.
The Kings, Jets and Sharks have 4 video games left, yet one more than the Predators.
Winnipeg nonetheless has a shot, however MoneyPuck.com had its possibilities at 12.6 per cent heading into the weekend. Snagging an inconceivable post-season look would additionally seemingly imply a first-round date with the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed April 10, 2026.
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