Races are razor‑thin
The NHL’s playoff races remain remarkably tight with less than a week to go — teams traded results like Edmonton losing 1‑0 to the Kings yet still retaining possible paths into the postseason ( ).
With six days left in the National Hockey League regular season, seven of 16 playoff spots were still open on Saturday. (nhl.com) The standings were packed at both ends of the bracket. In the Eastern Conference, Buffalo led the Atlantic Division with 106 points, while Montreal and Tampa Bay were tied at 104; in the Western Conference, Edmonton had 90 points, with Vegas and Anaheim at 89 in the Pacific Division. (nhl.com, espn.com) The wild-card lines were just as narrow. Ottawa and Boston held the two Eastern Conference wild cards at 96 points, with Washington, Detroit and the New York Islanders all within six points, while Utah led the Western Conference wild-card race with 90 points and Los Angeles sat second at 87. (espn.com) Saturday showed how little separation there is between winning, losing and still staying alive. Los Angeles beat Edmonton 1-0 behind 27 saves from Anton Forsberg, a result that strengthened the Kings’ push while leaving the Oilers in first place in the Pacific by one point. (nhl.com, espn.com) That squeeze exists because the National Hockey League uses a two-point standings system and tiebreakers that start with regulation wins. A single regulation loss can drop a team behind a rival that plays later the same day, and a single win can swing home-ice position or a division title. (usatoday.com, nhl.com) Buffalo controlled the Atlantic race because it held the regulation-wins tiebreaker over both Montreal and Tampa Bay. Montreal, which had three games left, also needed to finish ahead of Tampa Bay in points because the Lightning owned that tiebreaker. (nhl.com) The schedule was adding pressure, not relief. Montreal’s final three games were all against teams still chasing postseason spots, and Pittsburgh’s closing home-and-home with Washington came with the Capitals still fighting for their playoff lives. (nhl.com) Some races were already settled enough to shape the bracket. Carolina had clinched first in the Metropolitan Division, Pittsburgh had locked up second and its first playoff berth since the 2021-22 season, and Colorado had already secured first in the Central Division. (nhl.com, espn.com) Everything else was still moving on April 11 and April 12, with scoreboards, tiebreakers and remaining games all part of the same race. In a season where one point separated the top three teams in the Pacific, even a 1-0 result was not enough to settle much of anything. (nhl.com, nhl.com, espn.com)
