April 15 is tax day in the United States, so here’s another reminder to get those done (if the thousands of ads during the past few weeks didn’t do the trick).
But April 15 is also the penultimate day of the 2025-26 NHL regular season. Ten teams have completed their seasons already — including seven of eight in the Metro Division — while some other teams have two games left.
Although we know the identity of the 16 postseason teams, not every spot has been clinched for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs — or the NHL draft lottery, which will take place on May 5.
Here’s what is on the line in Wednesday’s six games:
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Dallas Stars at Buffalo Sabres7 p.m. ET (TNT)
There was a possible world where this rematch of the 1999 Stanley Cup Final would have had consequences for both teams. In the version of reality that has come to pass, however, the results will not impact either team’s postseason standing; the Stars are locked in as the No. 2 seed in the Central Division, while the Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division title.
New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
With the Canadiens’ loss on Tuesday, this game means a lot less to the Lightning, who are now locked in as the higher seed in their opening-round series with Montreal. On the Rangers’ side, their draft lottery position is not yet secure. Currently, they are No. 3, but a win here moves them down to No. 4 (pending the Flames’ result on Thursday).
Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
The Panthers’ are taking a one-year break from the postseason — they’ve earned it, with three straight trips to the Cup Final and two Cups. The Red Wings are continuing what is now the NHL’s longest postseason drought, with their last appearance in 2016.
Florida is in a pack of teams with 82 or 84 points, currently sitting eighth in the draft lottery order. Why does this matter? Their first-round pick will head to the Blackhawks if it’s not in the top 10. Detroit’s first-rounder is headed to St. Louis unconditionally, and they are currently 15th in the draft lotto order.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Prior to the Bruins’ season-ending win on Tuesday, the Senators had a chance to leap over them with a win, becoming the first wild card instead of the second. As it stands, they are locked in as WC2, with an opening-round matchup with the Hurricanes on tap.
Like the Panthers, the Leafs are paying strict attention to their final spot in the draft order for trade condition-related reasons; their first-rounder will be shipped up to Boston unless it lands in the top five. They’re currently fifth in the lottery order, and would move into sixth with a win here (pending the Kraken’s final two games). Finishing fifth wouldn’t guarantee anything however, as the possibility remains that teams could jump ahead of them on May 5. Tense times in Toronto.
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San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Well, if nothing else, this game will be a showcase of two of the top young talents in the NHL, both of whom were recent No. 1 overall picks.
San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini became the rare NHL teenager to score 100 points, he looked right at home playing a key role for the superstar-laden Team Canada the Olympics, and he’s drawn consideration for the Hart Trophy as league MVP — all in just his second pro campaign. Chicago’s Connor Bedard got off to a good start, but an injury derailed his third season for a bit. Nevertheless, he’ll easily finish with the highest point total of his career.
As it pertains to the standings, both teams are lottery-bound; the Blackhawks are locked in to the No. 2 spot behind the Canucks, while the Sharks are members of the group of 82/84-point teams mentioned above, although with two games remaining, they could drop as low as 12th if they win both.
Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights10 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
And in the final game of the night, there are some actual playoff seeding concerns on the line! Vegas is currently first in the Pacific, with 93 points and 29 regulation wins. A win or a loss in overtime/shootout in this game clinches the division for them, and a matchup with the first wild-card Mammoth in Round 1. A regulation loss means that the Oilers can pass them with a win against the Canucks on Thursday.
The Kraken said goodbye to playoff chances last week, and currently sit sixth in the draft lottery order. They can move up to fifth — with a Maple Leafs win tonight and by losing their final two — or could drop down to eighth with two wins (pending results elsewhere).
The regular season concludes on Thursday, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all of the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2026 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:Current playoff matchupsToday’s scheduleLast night’s scoresExpanded standingsRace for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Buffalo Sabres vs. WC1 Boston BruinsA2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Ottawa SenatorsM2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers
Western Conference
C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Los Angeles KingsC2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Utah MammothP2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Anaheim Ducks
Today’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Dallas Stars at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. (TNT)New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m.San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Last night’s scoreboard
Boston Bruins 4, New Jersey Devils 0Carolina Hurricanes 2, New York Islanders 1Philadelphia Flyers 4, Montreal Canadiens 2Washington Capitals 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1Minnesota Wild 3, Anaheim Ducks 2Utah Mammoth 5, Winnipeg Jets 3Colorado Avalanche 3, Calgary Flames 1St. Louis Blues 7, Pittsburgh Penguins 5Vancouver Canucks 4, Los Angeles Kings 3 (OT)
Expanded standings
Note: An “x” with a team’s name means the club has clinched a playoff spot; a “y” means that they have clinched the division; a “z” indicates that they have clinched the best record in the conference; a “p” means they have clinched the top overall seed. An “e” means that the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff spot when their magic number reaches zero and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.
Atlantic Division
Enhanced standings: Atlantic Division
Team GP PTS RW Seed GR Next Game Chances Pace Max TragicNumber MagicNumber y – Sabres 81 108 42 A1 1 vs. DAL (Weds) 100.0 109 110 N/A IN x – Lightning 81 106 40 A2 1 vs. NYR (Weds) 100.0 107 108 N/A IN x – Canadiens 82 106 34 A3 0 N/A 100.0 106 106 N/A IN x – Bruins 82 100 33 WC1 0 N/A 100.0 100 100 N/A IN x – Senators 81 97 37 WC2 1 vs. TOR (Weds) 100.0 98 99 N/A IN e – Red Wings 81 92 30 N/A 1 @ FLA (Weds) 0.0 93 94 OUT N/A e – Panthers 81 82 31 N/A 1 vs. DET (Weds) 0.0 83 84 OUT N/A e – Maple Leafs 81 78 23 N/A 1 @ OTT (Weds) 0.0 79 80 OUT N/AMetro Division
Enhanced standings: Metropolitan Division
Team GP PTS RW Seed GR Next Game Chances Pace Max TragicNumber MagicNumber z – Hurricanes 82 113 39 M1 0 N/A 100.0 113 113 N/A IN x – Penguins 82 98 34 M2 0 N/A 100.0 98 98 N/A IN x – Flyers 82 98 27 M3 0 N/A 100.0 98 98 N/A IN e – Capitals 82 95 37 N/A 0 N/A 0.0 95 95 OUT N/A e – Blue Jackets 82 92 28 N/A 0 N/A 0.0 92 92 OUT N/A e – Islanders 82 91 29 N/A 0 N/A 0.0 91 91 OUT N/A e – Devils 82 87 29 N/A 0 N/A 0.0 87 87 OUT N/A e – Rangers 81 75 24 N/A 1 @ TB (Weds) 0.0 76 77 OUT N/ACentral Division
Enhanced standings: Central Division
Team GP PTS RW Seed GR Next Game Chances Pace Max TragicNumber MagicNumber p – Avalanche 81 119 47 C1 1 vs. SEA (Thurs) 100.0 120 121 N/A IN x – Stars 81 110 38 C2 1 @ BUF (Weds) 100.0 111 112 N/A IN x – Wild 82 104 31 C3 0 N/A 100.0 104 104 N/A IN x – Mammoth 81 92 33 WC1 1 vs. STL (Thurs) 100.0 93 94 N/A IN e – Predators 81 86 28 N/A 1 vs. ANA (Thurs) 0.0 87 88 OUT N/A e – Blues 81 84 32 N/A 1 @ UTA (Thurs) 0.0 85 86 OUT N/A e – Jets 81 82 28 N/A 1 vs. SJ (Thurs) 0.0 83 84 OUT N/A e – Blackhawks 81 70 21 N/A 1 vs. SJ (Weds) 0.0 71 72 OUT N/APacific Division
Enhanced standings: Pacific Division
Team GP PTS RW Seed GR Next Game Chances Pace Max TragicNumber MagicNumber x – Golden Knights 81 93 29 P1 1 vs. SEA (Weds) 100.0 94 95 N/A IN x – Oilers 81 91 31 P2 1 vs. VAN (Thurs) 100.0 92 93 N/A IN x – Ducks 81 90 25 P3 1 @ NSH (Thurs) 100.0 91 92 N/A IN x – Kings 81 90 22 WC2 1 @ CGY (Thurs) 100.0 91 92 N/A IN e – Sharks 80 84 26 N/A 2 @ CHI (Weds) 0.0 86 88 OUT N/A e – Kraken 80 79 26 N/A 2 @ VGK (Weds) 0.0 81 83 OUT N/A e – Flames 81 75 26 N/A 1 vs. LA (Thurs) 0.0 76 77 OUT N/A e – Canucks 81 58 15 N/A 1 @ EDM (Thurs) 0.0 59 60 OUT N/ARace for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Atop draft boards for this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward for Penn State.
Draft lottery standings
*Note: The Maple Leafs’ pick belongs to the Bruins, unless it lands in the top five. The Panthers’ pick belongs to the Flames, unless it lands in the top 10. The Red Wings’ pick belongs to the Blues, unconditionally.
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