Stanley Cup Playoff Push 2026: Too Close for Comfort

We are now down to the final 33 days of the 2025-26 NHL season. 33 days. Barely over a month. And this week will be a chaotic one in the sports world. The big dance will start on the 17th with the First Four. That same day, the World Baseball Classic will crown a champion (a new one due to Japan being eliminated already), and the Stanley Cup and NBA playoff races will get tighter and tighter. The NBA races will be another story, but regarding the subject at hand: oh man!

A lot of changes in the last seven days. Still no clinches yet, but surprisingly, no eliminations this late in the season--despite how terrible some teams look. Speaking of changes, let's start with one big one that happened in the last week:

Atlantic Division

It's the middle of March, and the Buffalo Sabres are in first place. I want to say that again, because it sounds so good. The Buffalo Sabres are in first place in the Atlantic Division with barely over a month left in the season. Winning nine of your last 10 while the Tampa Bay Lightning suddenly freefall will do that. Buffalo hasn't won a division title since the 2009-10 season, but they stand with a four point lead in the Atlantic. The Bolts are in second place, just two points ahead of the Montréal Canadiens, who are barely holding on to third place.

Metropolitan Division

The Carolina Hurricanes are continuing their quest to run away with the Metro, as they currently hold the Eastern Conference's top spot with 90 points. A nine point lead over both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders, who both have 81 points, but Pittsburgh's game in hand puts them ahead of the Islanders in the race for second place. The Canes and Isles have been on a roll, but the Penguins have struggled; a 4-3-3 record in their last ten games. Playing without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will do that, but at least they will get Malkin back very soon.

Wild Cards

In the Wild Card race, it's still the same two teams, but there's a switch. The Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings both have 80 points, but Boston has a game in hand, putting the in the WC1 spot, while Detroit drops to the WC2 spot. Both teams are two points behind the Canadiens, but in the Wild Card race, they sit just one point ahead of the surging Columbus Blue Jackets, who have lost just once in regulation in their last 10 games. So yeah, the East's Wild Card race is getting heated, with not only Boston, Detroit, and Columbus in the thick of things, but the Ottawa Senators (6-2-2 in their last 10) have an outside shot as well.

Central Division

For the love of Pete, can the Dallas Stars please lose in regulation?! 14-0-1 in their last 15 games. At least we gave them the one in that record. The Colorado Avalanche's Central Division lead is now down to three points, and there are two meetings left between the Stars and Avs. The Minnesota Wild continue to be part of the Top 3, but it does look like the Wild will be starting the playoffs on the road should they get in. At the risk of sounding a bit biased, the Central Division's portion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs should be the most delicious out of the four divisions.

Pacific Division

And then there's the Pacific Division, which is still a hot mess this season. With 33 days left, the Vegas Golden Knights are back at the top of the heap, leading by one point over the Anaheim Ducks. The Edmonton Oilers complete the Top 3, with the three teams separated by three points, but nobody in the Pacific has clinched a winning season yet. The Ducks have the best "Last 10" record out of the three teams: at 6-4. Holy moley, this division is not good at all.

Wild Cards

We have a change to the Wild Card picture in the West! The Utah Mammoth still hold the WC1 position with 74 points (which is actually one point higher than third place in the Pacific, holy moley). Regarding the WC2 spot, that's where it gets interesting. There's a logjam for that position, but the team leading the pack is none other than the San Jose Sharks. It wasn't easy getting there. Just a few days ago, the Los Angeles Kings moved up to that spot, but they were knocked down with their loss on Saturday. The Sharks' win on that same day moved them up above the playoff line, but they have the Kings and Seattle Kraken both one point behind, while the Nashville Predators are only three points out. The Sharks have yet to make the playoffs in this decade. If they do, Mike Grier better be the unanimous choice for GM of the Year. This team was supposed to spend the next decade in rebuilding hell, yet here they are. They are not only competing for a playoff spot, they are sitting right above the playoff line with just over a month left. A lot can happen in a month, so we'll see how things go.

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We should expect at least one team to clinch a playoff spot in the next week. The Avalanche should definitely clinch, and I expect the Stars to do the same, and maybe the Wild. It's going to be quite an eventful week in the NHL, which includes my birthday on the 18th. The Avs beating down the Stars on Wednesday would make a perfect birthday present!