The Central Division and Metropolitan Division title races have been settled but the other two NHL division races are tight.
After games on Tuesday, April 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens are tied atop the Atlantic Division with 102 points each. In the Pacific Division race, the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights are tied with 88 points and the Anaheim Ducks are one point back at 87.
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So which team has the edge for the division title and which would finish second and have home-ice advantage in the second round?
That comes down to tiebreakers.
Here’s an explanation of NHL tiebreakers and how they will affect the 2026 playoff races:
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 more than two clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any odd games) shall be used to determine standings.
How NHL tiebreakers affect the Atlantic Division race
The Lightning and Sabres entered Wednesday’s game tied with 39 regulation wins, so that would go to the second tiebreaker. Tampa Bay leads 44 to 42 in ROW, giving it the division lead. The Canadiens have only 32 regulation wins and can’t catch the other two teams in that category, so they’d have to finish ahead of the Lightning and Sabres in points to finish first or second in the division.
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Buffalo plays on Wednesday and Thursday, April 9, while Tampa Bay visits Montreal on Thursday.
How NHL tiebreakers affect the Pacific Division race
Edmonton leads Vegas 30-28 in regulation wins and in ROW 39-35, so the Golden Knights will have to finish with more points or regulation wins than the Oilers to win the division. Anaheim has only 24 regulation wins.
How NHL tiebreakers affect the race for the Eastern Conference top seed
The Carolina Hurricanes have 106 points, but if the Lightning or Sabres can catch them, they have three more regulation wins than the Hurricanes.
How NHL tiebreakers affect the Eastern Conference wild-card race
The Boston Bruins (96 points) and Ottawa Senators (92) hold the two spots, with four other teams within five points of Ottawa. The Senators have the most regulation wins in that group (35) with only the Washington Capitals (33) able to catch them in that category, but they’re five points back. Ottawa would take the first wild-card slot if they and Boston are tied in points at season’s end.
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How NHL tiebreakers affect the Western Conference wild-card race
The Utah Mammoth (88 points) are trending toward finishing with the first wild-card spot. The Nashville Predators (84) are sitting in the second wild-card spot, but they have played one or two more games than their closest pursuers: the Los Angeles Kings (83), San Jose Sharks (81), Winnipeg Jets (80) and St. Louis Blues (78).
The Kings currently have only 19 regulation wins, so they’d lose out in the event of a tie. The Predators have 27, the Sharks have 25, the Jets have 27 and the Blues have 29. The Sharks have the most ROW at 35 if it comes down to a second tiebreaker.
Nashville and Winnipeg are currently tied in regulation wins and ROW, but the Predators have three more total wins. If it comes down to a fourth tiebreaker between those teams. the Jets have the edge in the season series.
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How NHL tiebreakers affect the second seed in the Central Division
The Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild first-round series is the only one that is set, but home-ice advantage hasn’t been determined. The Stars lead by two points and by an insurmountable five regulation wins, so the Wild can’t win a tiebreaker. They would get home ice only if they finish with more points.
The teams play in Dallas on Thursday, April 9.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How NHL tiebreakers could affect 2026 playoff bracket, standings
