Stanley Cup Playoff races remarkably tight with less than 1 week to go

There are less than seven days remaining in the 2025-26 NHL regular season, and seven of 16 spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have yet to be claimed.

Also, two of the divisions still are up for grabs and extremely close.

In the Eastern Conference, the three teams atop the Atlantic Division are separated by four points. In the West, the three teams atop the Pacific Division are separated by one point.

The second wild card in the East has five teams separated by five points, and the second wild card in the West has four teams separated by four points.

Here is a deeper dive into every race entering the home stretch and what each team is facing.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Buffalo Sabres -- 49-23-8 -- 106 points -- 2 GR
Montreal Canadiens -- 47-22-10 -- 104 points -- 3 GR
Tampa Bay Lightning -- 48-25-6 – 102 points – 3 GR

Sabres: They have won three straight to move back into first place. Destiny is in their hands as Buffalo has the first tiebreaker (regulation wins) on Montreal and Tampa Bay.
Remaining games: April 13 at Blackhawks; April 15 vs. Stars

Canadiens: They moved ahead of the Lightning with a 2-1 home win on Thursday. They need to finish ahead of the Lightning in points to get second in the division since the Lightning have the first tiebreaker. Their final three games are all against teams fighting to get a postseason spot.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Blue Jackets; April 12 at Islanders, April 14 at Flyers

Lightning: They have lost the first three games of a road trip that concludes at the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Tampa Bay still can win the division, but will need lots of help.
Remaining games: April 11 at Bruins; April 13 vs. Red Wings;  April 15 vs. Rangers

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

Carolina Hurricanes -- 51-22-6 -- 108 points -- 3 GR
Pittsburgh Penguins -- 41-22-16 -- 98 points -- 3 GR
Philadelphia Flyers -- 40-27-12 -- 92 points -- 3 GR

Hurricanes: They have clinched first place in the division and still can win the top seed in the East. They would need to finish ahead of the Sabres in points, since Buffalo has the first tiebreaker.
Remaining games: April 11 at Mammoth; April 13 at Flyers; April 14 at Islanders

Penguins: They clinched their first playoff berth since the 2021-22 season Thursday, and also locked up second place in the division, which means they will have home-ice advantage for at least the first round. Next up, a home-and-home with the Washington Capitals, who are fighting for their playoff lives. This also could be the final games between Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh and Alex Ovechkin of Washington.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Capitals; April 12 at Capitals; April 14 at Blues

Flyers: They missed a chance to take full control of a playoff spot when they lost 6-3 in Detroit on Thursday. They enter the final three games of the season with a one-point lead on the New York Islanders and two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for third in the division, and each have the first tiebreaker on the Flyers.
Remaining games: April 11 at Jets; April 13 vs. Hurricanes, April 14 vs. Canadiens

EAST WILD CARD

Boston Bruins -- 43-26-10 -- 96 points -- 3 GR
Ottawa Senators -- 42-27-10 -- 94 points -- 3 GR
Detroit Red Wings -- 41-29-9 -- 91 points -- 3 GR
New York Islanders -- 43-31-5 -- 91 points -- 3 GR
Columbus Blue Jackets -- 39-28-12 -- 90 points -- 3 GR
Washington Capitals -- 40-30-9 -- 89 points -- 3 GR

Bruins: Though they appear to be in great shape to make the playoffs, their hold on the first wild card could be slipping. They have a two-point lead on the Senators, who own the first tiebreaker.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Lightning; April 12 at Blue Jackets; April 14 vs. Devils

Senators: They have gotten hot at the right time, winning three straight and four of five (4-1-0), but they are not home free yet. They will play a massive game at the Islanders on Saturday.
Remaining games: April 11 at Islanders; April 12 at Devils; April 15 vs. Maple Leafs

Red Wings: They saved their season (for the moment) with a win against the Flyers on Thursday. Their only hope to get in is to catch the Senators, who own the first tiebreaker on them. The Red Wings need to win out and get some help.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Devils; April 13 at Lightning; April 15 at Panthers

Islanders: The Peter DeBoer era began with a 5-3 win against the Maple Leafs on Thursday to put them one point behind the Flyers for third in the Metropolitan, which appears to be their only way in. We'll know a lot more about the Islanders' hopes after their game against the Senators on Saturday.
Remaining games:  April 11 vs. Senators; April 12 vs. Canadiens; April 14 vs. Hurricanes

Blue Jackets: They have just two wins in their past nine games (2-6-1) to fall dangerously close to missing the postseason. Like the Islanders, it appears their only chance to get in is finishing third in the Metro, but they would have to jump over the Islanders and Flyers to do it.
Remaining games:  April 11 at Canadiens; April 12 vs. Bruins; April 14 vs. Capitals

Capitals: They face perhaps the toughest road to get in, needing to jump over three teams, the Flyers, Islanders and Blue Jackets, to reach third in the Metro and get in.
Remaining games:  April 11 at Penguins; April 12 vs. Penguins; April 14 vs. Blue Jackets

WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL DIVISION

Colorado Avalanche -- 52-16-10 -- 114 points -- 4 GR
Dallas Stars -- 47-20-12 -- 106 points -- 3 GR
Minnesota Wild -- 45-22-12 -- 102 points -- 3 GR

Avalanche: The road to the Stanley Cup goes through Denver, with the Avalanche winning the Presidents' Trophy and earning home-ice advantage through the playoffs.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Golden Knights; April 13 at Oilers; April 14 at Flames; April 16 vs. Kraken

Stars: We know they will play the Wild in the first round and the series likely will start in Dallas, where they defeated Minnesota 5-4 on Thursday. Buckle up for an epic first-round series.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Rangers; April 13 at Maple Leafs; April 15 at Sabres

Wild: They will play the Stars in the first round and likely have to open in Dallas.
Remaining games: April 11 at Predators; April 13 at Blues; April 14 vs. Ducks

PACIFIC DIVISION

Edmonton Oilers -- 40-29-10 -- 90 points -- 3 GR
Vegas Golden Knights -- 36-26-17 -- 89 points -- 3 GR
Anaheim Ducks -- 42-32-5 -- 89 points -- 3 GR

Oilers: Connor McDavid has been on an absolute tear since the NHL resumed play following the 2026 Winter Olympics. He has 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 21 games to put Edmonton in first. But the tightest division race in hockey will come down to the wire.
Remaining games: April 11 at Kings; April 13 vs. Avalanche; April 16 vs. Canucks

Golden Knights: They are 4-0-1 since John Tortorella was hired as coach March 29. The Golden Knights still can win the division, but do not hold the tiebreaker on the Oilers, so they will have to pass them in points to do so.
Remaining games: April 11 at Avalanche; April 13 vs. Jets; April 15 vs. Kraken

Ducks: They had lost six straight (0-5-1) before a 6-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. They could still finish first in division, but also could fall to the first or second wild card with the Kings four points behind them and with one game in hand.
Remaining games: April 12 vs. Canucks; April 14 at Wild; April 16 at Predators

WEST WILD CARD

Utah Mammoth -- 42-30-6 -- 90 points -- 4 GR
Los Angeles Kings -- 33-26-19 -- 85 points -- 4 GR
Nashville Predators -- 37-32-10 -- 84 points -- 3 GR
Winnipeg Jets -- 35-31-12 -- 82 points -- 4 GR
San Jose Sharks -- 37-32-7 -- 81 points -- 4 GR

Mammoth: They clinched a berth Thursday with a 4-1 win against the Predators. Now their goal is to hold onto the first wild card and avoid playing the Avalanche in the first round.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Hurricanes; April 12 at Flames; April 14 vs. Jets; April 16 vs. Blues

Kings: They jumped back into a playoff spot with a 4-1 win against the Canucks on Thursday. They still can catch the Ducks for third in the Pacific, but holding on to the second wild card is paramount.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Oilers; April 13 at Kraken; April 14 at Canucks; April 16 at Flames

Predators: They fell behind the Kings with the loss to the Mammoth on Thursday, but they still own the first tiebreaker on the Kings, so they just need to finish tied in points with Los Angeles to get in.
Remaining games:  April 11 vs. Wild; April 13 vs. Sharks; April 16 vs. Ducks

Jets: Got a huge 3-2 win against the Blues on Thursday in what amounted to a make-or-break game for each team. They hold the tiebreaker on the Predators and Kings, so they still have a great chance to get in. Their game with the Flyers on Saturday will have repercussions on both conference races.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Flyers; April 13 at Golden Knights; April 14 at Mammoth; April 16 vs. Sharks

Sharks: Their postseason hopes took a big hit in a 6-1 loss at the Ducks on Thursday. They don't hold any tiebreakers other than on the Kings, so they likely will need to get more points than the Jets and Predators to get in.
Remaining games: April 11 vs. Canucks; April 13 at Predators; April 15 at Blackhawks; April 16 at Jets