NHL Race Tightens

Three National Hockey League playoff spots were still open entering Sunday, April 12, with five days left in the regular season and most teams down to three games or fewer. (nhl.com) Boston and Ottawa locked up the Eastern Conference wild cards on Saturday, April 11, after New Jersey beat Detroit in regulation and knocked the Red Wings out. Vegas also clinched in the West that night, while Edmonton got in despite a loss and St. Louis and Seattle were eliminated. (espn.com) That left one Eastern berth unsettled: third place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh had already secured second in the division, while Philadelphia led the race for third with 94 points, ahead of Columbus with 92 and the Islanders and Capitals with 91. (espn.com) Washington’s margin was especially thin Sunday. The Capitals stayed alive with any win or an overtime or shootout loss to Pittsburgh, but a regulation loss would eliminate them. (espn.com) New York faced a similar equation. The Islanders could stay alive with a win or an overtime or shootout loss to Montreal, but a regulation loss would end their chase for the Metropolitan Division’s last automatic playoff slot. (espn.com) The Western Conference still had two openings, and the Pacific Division race was packed at the top. On April 11, the National Hockey League said seven of 16 playoff spots were still unclaimed and the top three teams in the Pacific were separated by one point. (nhl.com) The East had its own traffic jam above the wild cards. Buffalo led the Atlantic on April 11 with 106 points, while Montreal and Tampa Bay each had 104, leaving first, second and third place in that division separated by two points. (nhl.com) That seeding fight mattered for Boston even after its berth was secure. NESN reported the Bruins clinched on April 11, were tied with Ottawa at 96 points with two games left, and still could finish as either the first or second wild card. (nesn.com) It mattered for Pittsburgh too, though in a different way. SportsNet Pittsburgh reported the Penguins clinched on April 9, are locked into second in the Metropolitan Division, and were waiting to see whether Philadelphia, the Islanders, the Capitals or Columbus would become their first-round opponent. (sportsnetpittsburgh.com) The postseason itself now has a firm start date. The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday, April 18, but outlet reports said Boston’s exact Game 1 date and Pittsburgh’s exact Game 1 time were still not announced as the standings sorted themselves out. (nesn.com) (sportsnetpittsburgh.com)