Before Saturday, there was a lot of anticipation that several teams would clinch playoff berths (and others would be mathematically eliminated) – to put it mildly, that anticipation was met.
ottawa senators And boston bruins clinched the Eastern Wild Card after New Jersey Devils defeated detroit red wings In regulation, the Red Wings were thus eliminated as well.
out west, vegas golden knights Secured their spot with overtime win – and first place in the Pacific Division colorado avalancheWhen edmonton oilers secured a playoff ticket despite losing to Los Angeles Kings. In this process, st louis blues And seattle kraken Were thrown out.
There is one spot left in the East (the No. 3 seed in the Metro), and two spots are open in the West – with the added possibility of a considerable seeding in the Pacific Region. Here’s what we’re watching on Sunday:
pittsburgh penguins But washington capitals
3 PM ET (TNT)
The first game of the day is the Penguins at the Capitals, a matchup the Caps won in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Caps stay alive in the playoff race with any type of win, or an overtime/shootout loss; A regulation loss eliminates them. The Penguins are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Metro.
montreal canadiens But New York Islanders
6 PM ET (ESPN+)
Like the Caps, the Islanders need any kind of win or OT/shootout loss to stay alive in the race for the No. 3 metro spot; A regulation loss eliminates them. The Canadiens will finish no worse than third in the Atlantic, and could still finish in first place – but they should have more standings points than the Sabers and Lightning, as their regulation win total (33) is very low by comparison.
boston bruins But columbus blue jackets
6 p.m. ET (NHL Network)
The Blue Jacket has a little more room than the Caps and Isles – but not by much. A loss doesn’t eliminate them, but time is running out to catch the Flyers in third place. Due to tiebreakers, Boston fell behind Ottawa with a loss on Saturday; If both teams finish tied on points, the Sens will be the higher of the two wild cards. Why does that matter? The first wild card will (likely) face the Atlantic Division champion, while the second wild card (again, most likely) will face the Hurricanes in Round 1.
ottawa senators But New Jersey Devils
7 PM ET (ESPN+)
With their spot in the postseason secured (albeit with the aforementioned seeding situation to resolve), will the Senators take their foot off the gas? And can the Devils beat another team ahead of them in the standings for the second straight day?
vancouver canucks But anaheim ducks
8 PM ET (ESPN+)
The Ducks missed out on clinching a playoff spot based on Saturday’s results, but can correct that mistake with either a win or an OT/shootout loss to the Canucks. Like Montreal, Anaheim is still in contention for the division title; But like the Canadiens, the Ducks will also lose to any team ahead of them in the RW tiebreaker, so they need all the points they can get. The Canucks have been locked in as the No. 1 seed in the draft lottery order for some time now, so they will have no lower than No. 3 in the June draft.
utah mammoth But calgary flames
9 PM ET (ESPN+)
Mammoth has one Little More work will be required to lock down the first wild-card position; A win here brings them two points closer. Why is that important? The first wild card will face the Pacific Division champion in the first round, while the second wild card will face the powerful colorado avalanche. On the other hand, the Flames could finish second overall in the draft lottery rankings – or outside the top five – depending on how their final three games go, as well as what their fellow lottery teams do.
Each team has three or fewer games remaining before the regular season ends on Thursday, and we’ll help you keep track of it all on NHL Playoff Watch. We’ll provide details on all of the playoff races as we move through the final stages – as well as the teams vying for a spot in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
Note: Playoff odds are through statelets.
Proceed:
Current playoff matchups
today’s program
last night’s score
extended position
race for the number 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
eastern conference
A1 buffalo saber vs wc1 ottawa senators
A2 tampa bay lightning vs a3 montreal canadiens
M1 carolina storm vs wc2 boston bruins
m2 pittsburgh penguins vs m3 philadelphia flyers
western conference
C1 colorado avalanche vs wc2 Los Angeles Kings
C2 dallas stars vs c3 minnesota wild
P1 vegas golden knights vs wc1 utah mammoth
P2 edmonton oilers vs p3 anaheim ducks
today’s games
Note: All times are ET. Not all games are on TNT or NHL Network Available to stream on ESPN+ (Local blackout restrictions apply).
pittsburgh penguins But washington capitals3pm (TNT)
montreal canadiens But New York Islandersat 6 pm
boston bruins But columbus blue jackets6pm (NHLN)
ottawa senators But New Jersey Devilsat 7 pm
vancouver canucks But anaheim ducks8 pm
utah mammoth But calgary flames9 pm
last night’s scoreboard
tampa bay lightning 2, boston bruins 1
ottawa senators 3, New York Islanders 0
washington capitals 6, pittsburgh penguins 3
Los Angeles Kings 1, edmonton oilers 0
New Jersey Devils 5, detroit red wings 3
st louis blues 5, chicago blackhawks 3
Nashville Predators 2, minnesota wild 1
dallas stars 2, New York Rangers 0
carolina storm 4, utah mammoth 1
Florida Panthers 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 2
columbus blue jackets 5, montreal canadiens 2
philadelphia flyers 7, winnipeg jets 1
seattle kraken 4, calgary flames 1
vegas golden knights 3, colorado avalanche 2 (OT)
vancouver canucks 4, san jose sharks 3 (SO)
extended position
Note: “x” next to the team name means the club has clinched a playoff spot; “y” means they have achieved division; A “z” indicates they have achieved the best record in the conference; A “P” means they have clinched the top overall seed. The “E” means the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff spot when their magic number reaches zero and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.
Atlantic Division
0:57
Emil Lilleberg makes late Lightning move
Emil Lilleberg scored a clutch goal off a rebound for the Lightning.
metro division
0:47
Shawn Couturier lights the lamp for the Flyers
shawn couturier lit the lamp
Central Division
0:46
Steven Stamkos lights the lamp for the Predators
Steven Stamkos lights the lamp
Pacific Division
0:35
Artemi Panarin scored for the Kings
Artemi Panarin scored for the Kings
Race for number 1 selection
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes last is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the drawing for the No. 1 pick. Full details of the process can be found here. Topping the draft boards this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward from Penn State.
*Note: The Maple Leafs have a favorite over the Bruins unless they finish in the top five. The Red Wings have the Blues with no strings attached.
