Three NHL teams moved up in the playoff races during a busy 15-game schedule on Tuesday, March 24.
The surging Buffalo Sabres can do the same during Wednesday night’s two-game schedule.
Buffalo has a chance to move into the top seed in the Eastern Conference when it hosts the Boston Bruins, passing the idle Carolina Hurricanes if it wins.
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The Sabres have gone 33-6-5 since Dec. 9. They replaced general manager Kevyn Adams with Jarmo Kekalainen two games into that run as they try to end a record 14-game playoff drought.
The Sabres lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points in the Atlantic Division race and will have played two more games by the end of the night.
Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and the Edmonton Oilers (Pacific) and Columbus Blue Jackets (Metropolitan) moved into second place in their respective divisions. They would have home-ice advantage in the first round if they finish the season that way.
Here’s what to know about the NHL standings, tiebreaker procedures and playoff field 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?
No team can clinch today. But the New York Rangers will be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
NHL games today (Wednesday, March 25)
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N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 7:30
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 24. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
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Columbus Blue Jackets (87)
Atlantic Division
Wild card
Sitting out of playoff position: New York Islanders (85), Detroit Red Wings (84), Philadelphia Flyers (80), Washington Capitals (79), New Jersey Devils (74), Florida Panthers (73), Toronto Maple Leafs (73), New York Rangers (65)
NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 24. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
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Central Division
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x-Colorado Avalanche (104)
Pacific Division
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Vegas Golden Knights (78)
Wild card
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (74), Seattle Kraken (72), Winnipeg Jets (72), San Jose Sharks (70), St. Louis Blues (69), Calgary Flames (67), Chicago Blackhawks (67), 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 24.
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Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
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Columbus (M2) vs. Pittsburgh (M3)
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Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
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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 24.
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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
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.
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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 standings, latest 2026 bracket, tiebreaker scenarios
