NHL Playoffs And Awards Watch: What's Still Up For Grabs
No more teams can punch their tickets to the NHL playoffs.
The Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings booked their place in the post-season on Monday.
With that, a couple of first-round playoff matchups have been confirmed. In addition, other teams have clinched their division or conference. The playoff picture and the final NHL standings are getting clearer, with one or two games remaining for every team.
Who's Hot And Cold In The NHL: Welcome To The Goalie Show
Three NHL goaltenders dominated the spotlight for the right reasons this week, while a Predators winger and Kings center were ice-cold as the Stanley Cup playoffs loom large. Who was hot this past week – and who's not?
Eastern Conference Playoff Race
- The Flyers snatched the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in a dramatic 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
With that shootout win for Philadelphia on Monday, it's confirmed they will see state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the opening round. The Penguins will have home-ice advantage for that series.
The Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets were ultimately eliminated from playoff contention, as they were the remaining two teams in the East in the hunt for a spot in the post-season before Tuesday.
- Speaking of the Hurricanes, because they got a point against the Flyers, they've officially clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history. Between the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, Carolina will see whoever finishes in the second wild-card spot.
- Another confirmed first-round matchup is between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. It's still to be determined who has home-ice advantage for that series.
- The Buffalo Sabres have clinched the Atlantic Division thanks to their 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It's pretty remarkable that the Sabres have been able to earn the divisional title after their 14-year playoff drought, the firing of GM Kevyn Adams and being out of a playoff position as late as Jan. 13.
Buffalo will take on whoever finishes in the first wild-card position.
Buffalo's Back, Baby!
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) March 23, 2026
Our 2026 Playoff Special features the @BuffaloSabres!
Plus we visit with Dominik Hasek in Czechia, and commemorate the Rangers' centennial by counting down their top 100 players of all-time: https://t.co/smKk3NQdgQpic.twitter.com/41d8ZtRZNa
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy Race
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 52 goals, two games left (Colorado plays Calgary at 9 p.m. ET)
2. Cole Caufield, Montreal: 51 goals, one game left (Montreal plays Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET)
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 48 goals, one game left (Edmonton is idle)
Art Ross Trophy Race
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 134 points, one game left
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay: 130 points, one game left (Tampa Bay is idle)
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 126 points, two games left
Rookie Scoring Race
1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal: 62 points, one game left
2. Beckett Sennecke, Anaheim: 60 points, two games left (Anaheim plays Minnesota at 8 p.m. ET)
3. Matthew Schaefer, NY Islanders: 59 points, one game left (New York plays Carolina at 7 p.m. ET)
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Hockey News
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 8:20 AM.