NHL games on Tuesday, March 31 brought about a shift in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost in regulation and dropped out of the top seed in the conference and out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Buffalo Sabres’ victory gave them the division lead and the Carolina Hurricanes’ win gave them the top seed in the East.
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The Wednesday, April 1 games could affect the Western Conference standings.
The Los Angeles Kings could pass the idle Nashville Predators and move into the second wild card spot if they win. A San Jose Sharks victory would let them pass the Predators based on percentage points because they’ll have played one less game.
Also Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild can become the third NHL team to clinch a 2026 postseason berth.
Here’s what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:
Who’s in the 2026 NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: None
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Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas
Who can clinch today?
The idle Minnesota Wild will clinch a playoff berth if the Kings lose to the Blues or if the Sharks lose to the Ducks in regulation.
NHL games today (Wednesday, April 1)
All times p.m.Eastern
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Vancouver at Colorado, 8:30
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St. Louis at Los Angeles, 9
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Anaheim at San Jose, 9, TNT
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 31. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
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Carolina Hurricanes (100)
Atlantic Division
Wild card
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Columbus Blue Jackets (88)
Sitting out of playoff position: Ottawa Senators (86), Detroit Red Wings (86), Philadelphia Flyers (86), Washington Capitals (85), New Jersey Devils (78), Toronto Maple Leafs (77), Florida Panthers (75), z-New York Rangers (71)
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NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 31. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Central Division
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x-Colorado Avalanche (108)
Pacific Division
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Vegas Golden Knights (82)
Wild card
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (76), Winnipeg Jets (76), San Jose Sharks (75), Seattle Kraken (75), St. Louis Blues (73), Calgary Flames (70), Chicago Blackhawks (68), z-Vancouver Canucks (50)
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 31.
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Carolina (M1) vs. Columbus (WC1)
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Pittsburgh (M2) vs. N.Y. Islanders (M3)
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Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC2)
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Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Montreal (A3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M – Metropolitan Division. A – Atlantic Division. WC – wild card
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NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 31.
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Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (WC2)
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Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
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Anaheim (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
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Edmonton (P2) vs. Vegas (P3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C – Central Division P – Pacific Division. WC – wild card
More: Vegas Golden Knights fire coach Bruce Cassidy, hire John Tortorella
NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:
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Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
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Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
When does the NHL regular season end?
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are expected to begin on Saturday, April 18.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoff bracket 2026, latest standings and tiebreaker scenarios
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