The 2026 NHL regular season reaches its conclusion this coming Thursday, but the final field for the Stanley Cup Playoff could be set even before the final horn sounds on the night of April 16. As of Monday evening, 13 of the 16 postseason berths have already been clinched. With a handful of teams trying to keep their seasons alive and plenty still up for grabs in terms of seeding, the action on the ice is only heating up.
Over the course of the next few days, we’ll be tracking the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff picture here with updated results, plus clinching and seeding scenarios. Who’s in the mix, and who will be left out when the NHL postseason begins on Saturday?
Eastern Conference playoff bracket
M1: Carolina Hurricanes, 113 points
WC2: Ottawa Senators, 99 pointsM2: Pittsburgh Penguins, 98 points
M3: Philadelphia Flyers, 98 pointsA1: Buffalo Sabres, 109 points
WC1: Boston Bruins, 100 pointsA2: Tampa Bay Lightning, 106 points
A3: Montreal Canadiens, 106 points
TUESDAY NIGHT UPDATE:
- The Eastern Conference bracket is now officially set in stone as listed above. The Lightning secured home-ice advantage in their first-round series against the Canadiens, while the Bruins won and are locked in as the WC1 to face the Sabres in round one. As such, the Senators are WC2 and will take on the Hurricanes. The Western Conference bracket is still TBD, so scroll down for more info!
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE:
- The Flyers earned a playoff berth last night, so the Eastern Conference field is set with final seeding still to be determined.
- The Bruins can lock in as WC1 with a win tonight against the Devils in any fashion. If that occurs, the Senators will be locked in as WC2.
- The Lightning can earn home-ice advantage for their first-round series against the Canadiens if Montreal loses to the Flyers in regulation tonight.
MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE:
- The Flyers took a 3-2 shootout win over the Hurricanes on Monday night, punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoff. While the Capitals and Blue Jackets have been eliminated from postseason contention and will have their campaigns end when they face off tomorrow, there will be playoff hockey in Philadelphia for the first time since 2018.
- Despite Carolina’s loss, the Canes also secured the Eastern Conference title with thanks to their overtime point as well.
- The Sabres secured their first Atlantic Division title since 2010, just another feather in their cap after breaking a 14-year playoff drought.
Prior to the start of Monday’s games, seven of the eight Stanley Cup Playoff spots have already been secured in the Eastern Conference. Those challengers include the Hurricanes, Sabres, Lightning, Canadiens, Penguins, Senators and Bruins, as seen above in the as-is bracket. The lone playoff berth still up for grabs currently belongs to the Flyers, who are competing for the third slot in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals (93 points) and Columbus Blue Jackets (92 points).
It’s something of a foregone conclusion that Philadelphia will punch its ticket. While a win over the Hurricanes tonight will clinch that final playoff berth in the division and set up a matchup against the Penguins in the opening round, a loss would open the door for Washington and Columbus, neither of which plays on Monday night. Those two actually play against each other on Tuesday in what’ll be the final game of each team’s regular-season schedule, so one will inevitably be eliminated. Of course, that game won’t matter if the Flyers win on Monday, a distinct possibility with Carolina resting top players.
It gets pretty complicated, but here’s the path for the long-shot teams — the Capitals need a win on Tuesday with one or fewer points from Philly over its last two games. Likewise, the Blue Jackets must win on Tuesday, but the Flyers have to come out of their last two games with zero points.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes can lock up a conference title with a win tonight and will get the lower seed of the Bruins or Senators in the first round. The Atlantic Division race remains lively with the Sabres and Canadiens tied with 106 points apiece, though Buffalo has two games remaining to Montreal’s one. Whichever team clinches the division will get the other Wild Card foe to open the playoffs. Seeding is very much in flux though, so stay tuned over the coming days as the bracket shapes up.
Western Conference playoff bracket
C1: Colorado Avalanche, 119 points
WC2: Los Angeles Kings, 90 pointsC2: Dallas Stars, 112 points
C3: Minnesota Wild, 104 pointsP1: Vegas Golden Knights, 95 points
WC1: Utah Mammoth, 92 points
THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE:
- The Western Conference bracket is locked in as outlined above after going down to the wire! The Oilers won their final game 6-1 and secured second in the Pacific Division. They will have home-ice advantage and will face the Ducks in round one, who also won their last game of the regular season to finish third in the division.
- After an ugly 3-1 loss to close things out, the Kings remain in the second Wild Card and will take on the Avalanche.
THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE:
- Heading into the final day of the regular season, the final two Pacific Division seeds and the second Wild Card are all in flux. There are a ton of possible ways these final three can shake out, so stay tuned through the night for a final update.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE:
- The Golden Knights just beat the Kraken 4-1, clinching their fifth Pacific Division title in nine season. They’ll face the Utah Mammoth in round one.
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE:
- With the Pacific Division still uncertain along with WC2, there’s only one game of consequence on Wednesday evening. If the Golden Knights earn a single point against the Kraken, Vegas will win the division title and lock in a first-round series against the Mammoth.
- The Oilers, Ducks and Kings all play their final games on Thursday, which will decide the final order.
TUESDAY NIGHT UPDATE:
- The Western Conference bracket isn’t quite set after Tuesday night. With the Ducks’ loss in regulation, the Golden Knights have secured home ice for their opening-round series but are yet to win their division.
- The Mammoth are now locked into the WC1 spot. However, the race to decide the Pacific Division order and WC2 remains open between the Oilers, Ducks and Kings heading into the final two days of the regular season.
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE:
- After the Ducks and Kings both claimed their playoff berths last night, all that’s left up for grabs in the Western Conference is postseason seeding as the bracket takes shape.
- The Golden Knights can secure home-ice advantage tonight if the Ducks lose their game against the Wild.
- The Mammoth will lock in the WC1 spot tonight with one point against the Jets and a Kings loss. Alternatively, Utah can secure it with a win in regulation, plus help from a Ducks loss in regulation and a Kings loss.
- A regulation loss for the Kings and one point from the Ducks and Mammoth will leave Los Angeles locked into WC2.
MONDAY UPDATE:
- The Ducks officially clinched their spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff thanks to the Sharks’ win over the Predators on Monday night. Now, Anaheim lands back in the mix for the first time since 2018.
- With the Nashville loss and a win by Los Angeles in regulation, the Kings have clinched the final Western Conference playoff spot. They’ll have the opportunity to send Anze Kopitar into retirement on a high note.
- While the entire 16-team field is surprisingly set after tonight, seeding is still up for grabs in some series. Keep checking back through the next couple of days for updated info and scenarios!
In the Western Conference, there are two berths to the Stanley Cup Playoff still up for grabs. The Avalanche, Stars, Wild, Golden Knights, Mammoth and Oilers have all secured their trips to the dance, but the third Pacific Division berth and second Wild Card are still available heading into Monday’s action.
The most likely clinching scenario tonight is for the Ducks to secure the final postseason spot out of the Pacific Division. They don’t play tonight, but Anaheim can lock in if the San Jose Sharks beat the Nashville Predators. The Ducks do maintain a three-point lead over the Kings, and while the former has played one more game than the latter, it seems very likely that the final divisional berth will go to Anaheim.
Such an outcome will send a ripple effect downstream as Los Angeles continues to battle with the Predators for the last Wild Card spot. The Kings have 87 points through 79 games; the Preds have 86 through 80. As such, the situation definitely favors L.A., which can set its own playoff future in stone with a win over the Seattle Kraken tonight and a regulation loss from Nashville. However, a Predators win on Monday will keep both the Pacific and Wild Card races alive.
The interesting part here is that given the low point totals in that division with Vegas, Edmonton and Anaheim all at 90 as things stand, the seeding situation could change drastically over the final couple of days. While the Central Division duel between Dallas and Minnesota is locked in (and a testament to how the playoff format can actually do a disservice to top teams, despite how fun rivalry matchups are), the bracket in the Western Conference is very much fluid.
Stay Tuned…
This article will be updated over the final days of the regular season as the final postseason berths are earned and playoff matchups become official.
