Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Oilers, Golden Knights meet in possible 1st-round preview

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

There are 22 days left in the regular season and the races in each of the four divisions are tight. The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the next two highest-place finishers in each conference reach the playoffs.

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

On Tap

There are 13 games on the NHL schedule Thursday, all with playoff implications.

Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS)

The Oilers (35-28-9) and Golden Knights (32-26-14) meet in a potential first-round playoff matchup. Edmonton leads Vegas by one point in the battle for second in the Pacific Division. Forward Connor McDavid is two points away from his fourth season with at least 120 points for Edmonton, which trails the Anaheim Ducks by five points for first in the Pacific. Vegas, which is 1-4-0 in its past five games, leads the Los Angeles Kings by four points for third in the Pacific.

Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNP)

The Wild (40-20-12), who continue a three-game road trip they opened with a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, are moving closer to being locked into third in the Central Division. Minnesota, which is 2-4-1 in its past seven, is five points behind the second-place Dallas Stars, and 12 points ahead of the fourth-place Utah Mammoth. The Panthers (35-32-3) are 12 points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, FDSNOH)

The Blue Jackets (38-22-11) have climbed into second in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins, by going 19-3-4 since Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as their coach Jan. 12. It’s the first time they’ve occupied one of the top two spots in their division since Oct. 15, 2021, four days into the 2021-22 season. The Canadiens (39-21-10) are third in the Atlantic Division, five points behind the second-place Lightning and tied in points with the fourth-place Boston Bruins, who have played two more games and hold the first wild card from the East. Montreal has won three of its past four games and is 6-3-1 in its past.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, SN-PIT)

The Senators (38-24-9), who hold the second wild card in the East, will try for their fifth straight win. Ottawa is tied in points (85) with the New York Islanders but has a game in hand and holds the regulation-wins tiebreaker (32-26). The Senators are three points behind Boston, which holds the first wild card. The Senators, who are 10-2-2 since the Olympic break, continue to win despite a slew of injuries to defensemen (Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen, Thomas Chabot, Dennis Gilbert, Lassi Thomson). The Penguins (35-20-16) have lost their past two games to drop to third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the second-place Blue Jackets, and one point ahead of the fourth-place Islanders. Pittsburgh has allowed at least four goals in four consecutive games and eight of its past 11.

Seattle Kraken at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, KHN/Prime, KONG, SNO, SNE)

The Lightning (44-21-5) are second in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the first-place Buffalo Sabres with two games in hand, and five ahead of the third-place Canadiens, after going 4-0-1 in their past five games. Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in his past five games to move into first in the NHL with 120 points (40 goals, 80 assists), two ahead of McDavid. The Kraken (31-29-10) trail the Nashville Predators by five points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference after losing their past four games (0-3-1).

Dallas Stars at New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET; Victory+, MSGSN)

The Stars (43-17-11) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) since a 2-1 shootout victory against the Colorado Avalanche on March 18 to fall seven points behind the Avalanche in the battle for first in the Central, but they have already clinched a playoff berth.  Forward Wyatt Johnston has scored six goals in his past seven games to reach 40 for the first time and tie for third in the NHL. The Islanders (40-27-5) have lost three of their past four games to fall out of a playoff spot. New York is tied with Ottawa in points for the second wild card in the East, but Ottawa has a game in hand and holds the regulation-wins tiebreaker (32-26). The Islanders trail the Penguins by one point for third in the Metropolitan Division and are two points behind the second-place Blue Jackets.

Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; CHSN, NBCSP)

The Flyers (34-24-12) are five points behind the Senators for the second wild card from the East after having a six-game point streak (5-0-1) snapped in a 3-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Blackhawks (27-31-13) trail the Predators by 10 points for the second wild card from the West.

San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, NBCSCA)

The Sharks (32-31-6) and the Blues (29-30-11) are each battling to stay within reach in the West. The Sharks, who will try to snap a five-game losing streak, are seven points behind the Predators for the second wild card with two games in hand. The Blues are 9-2-2 since the Olympic break but trail the Predators by eight points.

New Jersey Devils at Nashville Predators (8 p.m.ET; FDSNSO, MSGSN2)

The Predators (34-28-9) will look to strengthen their playoff position by extending their winning streak to six games. Nashville, which holds the second wild card in the West, trails Utah by three points for the first wild card and is three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. Forward Filip Forsberg has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) during the Predators’ winning streak. Forward Jack Hughes has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) during a six-game point streak for the Devils (36-32-2), who are 8-3-0 in their past 11 games, but trail the Senators by 11 points for the second wild card from the East.

Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, ALT, KTVD)

The Avalanche (47-13-10), who have clinched a playoff berth, have won three in a row to extend their lead on the Stars for first in the Central Division to seven points. Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 46 goals, two ahead of Montreal’s Cole Caufield Although the Jets (30-29-12) are 8-3-4 since the Olympic break, including wins in their past two, they trail the Predators by five points for the second wild card from the West.

Washington Capitals at Utah Mammoth (9 p.m. ET; Utah16, MNMT)

The Mammoth (37-29-6) will try to add to their three-point lead on the Predators for the first wild card from the West after losing two of the first three games of their four-game homestand. The Capitals (35-28-9), who are 1-5-0 in their past six road games, trail the Senators by six points for the second wild card from the East.

Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, KCOP-13, Victory+)

The Ducks (40-27-4) have built a five-point lead on the Oilers for first in the Pacific Division with a 4-0-1 surge, including wins in their past three. Anaheim forward Beckett Sennecke continues to lead the League’s rookies with 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists) in 71 games, including four (one goal, three assists) in his past three games. The Flames (30-34-7) have a season-high four-game winning streak but trail the Predators by 10 points for the second wild card from the West.

Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FDSNW)

The Kings (28-25-18) will try for their first win in five games (0-1-3) after falling three points behind the Predators for the second wild card from the West. Forward Artemi Panarin has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 15 games with the Kings since being acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Feb. 4. The Canucks (21-41-8) have been eliminated from playoff contention.

If playoffs started Thursday

Western Conference

(1P) Anaheim Ducks vs. (WC1) Utah Mammoth
(2P) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Vegas Golden Knights
(1C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators
(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3P) 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) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (3M) Pittsburgh Penguins

About last night

There were two games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, and each had playoff implications: 

Boston Bruins 4, Buffalo Sabres 3 (OT)

Pavel Zacha scored 38 seconds into overtime, and the Bruins edged the Sabres in a potential first-round playoff matchup. Boston (40-24-8) moved three points ahead of the Senators for the first wild card from the East and pulled even in points with the Canadiens for third in the Atlantic Division but have played two more games. David Pastrnak had three points (one goal, two assists) to extend his point streak to 11 games (seven goals, 11 assists) for Boston. Jason Zucker scored twice for Buffalo (44-20-8), which extended its Atlantic Division lead on Tampa Bay to three points. The Sabres also pulled even in points with Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference but have played one more game.

Toronto Maple Leafs 4, New York Rangers 3

Dakota Joshua had a goal and an assist and Joseph Woll made 40 saves for the Maple Leafs (31-29-13), who trail the Senators by 10 points for the second wild card from the East. Mika Zibanejad scored twice for the Rangers (28-35-9), but they could not overcome a 3-0 deficit and were eliminated from playoff contention.