Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Golden Knights can clinch Pacific, lock in series with Mammoth

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2026 NHL postseason.

With two days left in the regular season, all 16 playoff spots have been filled, and all four matchups in the Eastern Conference have been determined. But teams are still jockeying for positioning in the Pacific Division, and three of the four matchups in the West are up in the air. 

Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

Clinching scenario

The Vegas Golden Knights will clinch the Pacific Division title and lock in a Pacific 1 vs. Wild Card 1 Western Conference First Round series against the Utah Mammoth:

* If they get at least one point against the Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; KHN/Prime, KING 5, SCRIPPS, KONG, SNP, TVAS).

On Tap

There are six games on the NHL schedule Tuesday, one with playoff implications:

Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; KHN/Prime, KING 5, SCRIPPS, KONG, SNP, TVAS)

The Golden Knights can clinch the Pacific Division if they earn at least one point in their regular-season finale. They are two points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers, who hold the regulation-wins tiebreaker (31-29) and finish their schedule against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Vegas (38-26-17) is 6-0-1 since John Tortorella took over for Bruce Cassidy as coach. It is looking for its fifth division title since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18, which would be the most in the League in that span. Seattle (34-35-11) has been eliminated from playoff contention and is 2-6-1 in its past nine games.

If playoffs started Wednesday

Western Conference

(1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Utah Mammoth

(2P) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Anaheim Ducks

(1C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Los Angeles Kings

(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3C) Minnesota Wild

Eastern Conference

(1A) Buffalo Sabres vs. (WC1) Boston Bruins

(2A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3A) Montreal Canadiens

(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC2) Ottawa Senators

(2M) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3M) Philadelphia Flyers

About last night

There were nine games on the NHL schedule Tuesday, five with playoff implications:

Boston Bruins 4, New Jersey Devils 0

The Bruins clinched the first wild card from the Eastern Conference and will face the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference First Round. David Pastrnak reached 100 points with an assist, and Mark Kastelic scored twice for Boston (45-17-10), which finished the regular season with back-to-back wins after losing five straight. Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season. The Devils (42-37-3) missed the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.

Philadelphia Flyers 4, Montreal Canadiens 2

The Canadiens will finish third in the Atlantic Division and not have home-ice advantage against the Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round because of the loss. Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans scored for Montreal (48-24-10), which had a six-game road winning streak end. Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists, and Oliver Bonk had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut for Philadelphia (43-27-12), which finished the regular season with three straight wins. Locked into third place and a first-round matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers rested several top players.

Minnesota Wild 3, Anaheim Ducks 2

The Ducks remained third in the Pacific Division, three points behind the first-place Golden Knights and one behind the second-place Oilers. Each team has one game to go. Mason McTavish scored twice for Anaheim (42-33-6), who are 1-6-2 in its past nine. Hunter Haight scored his first NHL goal and Jesper Wallstedt made 35 saves for Minnesota (46-24-12). Locked into third in the Central Division and a matchup with the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference First Round, the Wild rested 10 regulars.

Utah Mammoth 5, Winnipeg Jets 3

The Mammoth clinched the first wild card from the Western Conference. Nick Schmaltz scored twice on the power play, Logan Cooley had a goal and an assist, and Clayton Keller extended his point streak to a franchise-record nine games for Utah (43-32-6), which has won six of eight. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist for Winnipeg (35-34-12), which has lost three straight and is eliminated from playoff contention.

Vancouver Canucks 4, Los Angeles Kings 3 (OT)

The Kings gained ground in the Pacific Division with a point. They hold the second wild card in the West and are tied with the Ducks at 90 points, but the Ducks are third in the Pacific with the regulation-wins tiebreaker (25-22). They are one point behind the Oilers, who are second in the division. Each team has one game to go. Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere scored for Los Angeles (35-26-20), which is 6-0-2 in April. Jake DeBrusk scored in overtime, and Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves for Vancouver (25-48-8), which has been eliminated from playoff contention.