The NHL playoff standings are the fastest way to read a season, and this page tracks all of them: every division, the wild-card race in each conference with each team’s gap to the line, the clinch letters and the tiebreak columns that settle the close calls. These NHL playoff standings are rebuilt each morning from the NHL’s official feed once games are being played. Below the tables we set out the bracket, how the format works, how the playoff-odds markets read the same numbers, and the dates that frame the 2026-27 season. 19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC).
Last updated 13 November 2026. The tables below are the live 2026-27 standings. Clubs have played between nine and eleven games, so the order will still move a long way, and a hot fortnight counts for more now than it will in March. We rebuild this page every day. Clinch letters: x playoff spot, y division, z conference, p Presidents’ Trophy, e eliminated.
What to watch (editor’s note, 5 Nov): Carolina Hurricanes lead the league on 26 points from 17 games at +24. Of the seven Canadian clubs, four currently sit inside the top sixteen: Edmonton (2), Montréal (6), Ottawa (7) and Toronto (15). Outside it sit Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Clubs have played between 13 and 17 games, so the order will still move a long way. A hot fortnight counts for more now than it will in March, and the playoff-yes markets price that volatility in.
Eastern Conference playoff standings
Atlantic Division
| # | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | P% | RW | ROW | GD | L10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 28 | .737 | 11 | 13 | +17 | 6-2-2 | W2 |
| 2 | Montréal Canadiens | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 28 | .737 | 8 | 10 | +10 | 8-0-2 | W1 |
| 3 | Boston Bruins | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | .711 | 10 | 12 | +24 | 6-3-1 | L1 |
| 4 | Ottawa Senators | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | .650 | 9 | 10 | +4 | 5-3-2 | W1 |
| 5 | Florida Panthers | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 24 | .600 | 9 | 11 | +5 | 6-4-0 | W2 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 19 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 20 | .526 | 6 | 8 | -13 | 4-4-2 | OT1 |
| 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 21 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 18 | .429 | 7 | 8 | -6 | 3-7-0 | L5 |
| 8 | Detroit Red Wings | 20 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 17 | .425 | 5 | 5 | -9 | 3-7-0 | L5 |
Metropolitan Division
| # | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | P% | RW | ROW | GD | L10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 32 | .800 | 14 | 15 | +36 | 8-1-1 | W3 |
| 2 | New Jersey Devils | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 28 | .700 | 9 | 13 | +16 | 8-2-0 | W1 |
| 3 | New York Rangers | 20 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 23 | .575 | 11 | 11 | +3 | 5-5-0 | W1 |
| 4 | Washington Capitals | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 | .588 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 6-4-0 | L1 |
| 5 | New York Islanders | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 20 | .556 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 4-3-3 | W1 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 19 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 16 | .421 | 3 | 5 | -6 | 4-5-1 | W1 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 21 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 16 | .381 | 5 | 5 | -22 | 3-4-3 | OT1 |
| 8 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | .412 | 2 | 5 | -12 | 4-6-0 | L3 |
Eastern Conference wild card race
| Team | Division | GP | PTS | P% | ROW | GD | Gap to the line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC1 | Ottawa Senators | Atlantic | 20 | 26 | .650 | 10 | +4 | +2 |
| WC2 | Florida Panthers | Atlantic | 20 | 24 | .600 | 11 | +5 | +0 |
| 3 | Washington Capitals | Metropolitan | 17 | 20 | .588 | 10 | 0 | -4 |
| 4 | Buffalo Sabres | Atlantic | 19 | 20 | .526 | 8 | -13 | -4 |
| 5 | New York Islanders | Metropolitan | 18 | 20 | .556 | 7 | 0 | -4 |
| 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Atlantic | 21 | 18 | .429 | 8 | -6 | -6 |
| 7 | Detroit Red Wings | Atlantic | 20 | 17 | .425 | 5 | -9 | -7 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Metropolitan | 19 | 16 | .421 | 5 | -6 | -8 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Flyers | Metropolitan | 21 | 16 | .381 | 5 | -22 | -8 |
| 10 | Columbus Blue Jackets | Metropolitan | 17 | 14 | .412 | 5 | -12 | -10 |
Western Conference playoff picture
Central Division
| # | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | P% | RW | ROW | GD | L10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Wild | 21 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 32 | .762 | 13 | 14 | +24 | 8-0-2 | W2 |
| 2 | Colorado Avalanche | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | .625 | 11 | 11 | +18 | 6-2-2 | OT1 |
| 3 | Nashville Predators | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 25 | .658 | 8 | 9 | +6 | 7-1-2 | W6 |
| 4 | Utah Mammoth | 20 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 22 | .550 | 8 | 10 | -3 | 3-5-2 | OT1 |
| 5 | Dallas Stars | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 22 | .611 | 7 | 9 | +3 | 6-3-1 | L1 |
| 6 | Winnipeg Jets | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 21 | .525 | 8 | 9 | -7 | 5-5-0 | W5 |
| 7 | St. Louis Blues | 19 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 20 | .526 | 8 | 8 | -1 | 5-4-1 | W2 |
| 8 | Chicago Blackhawks | 19 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 11 | .289 | 3 | 5 | -36 | 2-7-1 | W1 |
Pacific Division
| # | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | P% | RW | ROW | GD | L10 | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Oilers | 20 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 31 | .775 | 11 | 13 | +23 | 6-2-2 | W3 |
| 2 | Vegas Golden Knights | 20 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 28 | .700 | 11 | 12 | +15 | 5-3-2 | W4 |
| 3 | Anaheim Ducks | 19 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 21 | .553 | 9 | 10 | +1 | 6-3-1 | L1 |
| 4 | Seattle Kraken | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 19 | .559 | 6 | 7 | -3 | 4-5-1 | L2 |
| 5 | San Jose Sharks | 21 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 18 | .429 | 2 | 6 | -21 | 2-7-1 | OT1 |
| 6 | Calgary Flames | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 17 | .447 | 7 | 8 | -19 | 5-4-1 | L1 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Kings | 17 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 12 | .353 | 3 | 5 | -13 | 4-6-0 | L3 |
| 8 | Vancouver Canucks | 20 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 7 | .175 | 1 | 3 | -34 | 1-9-0 | L6 |
Western Conference wild card race
| Team | Division | GP | PTS | P% | ROW | GD | Gap to the line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC1 | Utah Mammoth | Central | 20 | 22 | .550 | 10 | -3 | +0 |
| WC2 | Dallas Stars | Central | 18 | 22 | .611 | 9 | +3 | +0 |
| 3 | Winnipeg Jets | Central | 20 | 21 | .525 | 9 | -7 | -1 |
| 4 | St. Louis Blues | Central | 19 | 20 | .526 | 8 | -1 | -2 |
| 5 | Seattle Kraken | Pacific | 17 | 19 | .559 | 7 | -3 | -3 |
| 6 | San Jose Sharks | Pacific | 21 | 18 | .429 | 6 | -21 | -4 |
| 7 | Calgary Flames | Pacific | 19 | 17 | .447 | 8 | -19 | -5 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Kings | Pacific | 17 | 12 | .353 | 5 | -13 | -10 |
| 9 | Chicago Blackhawks | Central | 19 | 11 | .289 | 5 | -36 | -11 |
| 10 | Vancouver Canucks | Pacific | 20 | 7 | .175 | 3 | -34 | -15 |
Canadian teams in the NHL playoff standings
| Team | Conf | Position | GP | PTS | P% | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | West | 7th in the wild-card race, 5 points short of the line | 19 | 17 | .447 | too early to call |
| Edmonton Oilers | West | 1st in the Pacific | 20 | 31 | .775 | too early to call |
| Montréal Canadiens | East | 2nd in the Atlantic | 19 | 28 | .737 | too early to call |
| Ottawa Senators | East | Wild card 1 | 20 | 26 | .650 | too early to call |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | East | 6th in the wild-card race, 6 points short of the line | 21 | 18 | .429 | too early to call |
| Vancouver Canucks | West | 10th in the wild-card race, 15 points short of the line | 20 | 7 | .175 | too early to call |
| Winnipeg Jets | West | 3rd in the wild-card race, 1 point short of the line | 20 | 21 | .525 | too early to call |
The NHL playoff bracket
The NHL playoff standings feed straight into the bracket, and the seeding rules are worth knowing. Sixteen teams, eight per conference. The wild cards cross over: the wild card with the weaker record plays the division winner with the better record, and the other two division winners take the remaining wild card. The second and third-placed teams in each division play each other.
Here is how the 2026 bracket was seeded off the table above. It is the reference point until this season’s NHL playoff standings have enough games behind them to seed a new one.
| Eastern first round | Seed | Points | Opponent | Seed | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina v Ottawa | M1 | 113 | Ottawa Senators | WC2 | 99 |
| Buffalo v Boston | A1 | 109 | Boston Bruins | WC1 | 100 |
| Tampa Bay v Montréal | A2 | 106 | Montréal Canadiens | A3 | 106 |
| Pittsburgh v Philadelphia | M2 | 98 | Philadelphia Flyers | M3 | 98 |
| Western first round | Seed | Points | Opponent | Seed | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado v Los Angeles | C1 | 121 | Los Angeles Kings | WC2 | 90 |
| Vegas v Utah | P1 | 95 | Utah Mammoth | WC1 | 92 |
| Dallas v Minnesota | C2 | 112 | Minnesota Wild | C3 | 104 |
| Edmonton v Anaheim | P2 | 93 | Anaheim Ducks | P3 | 92 |
Carolina came through it to win the Stanley Cup, from second in the standings, and Vegas reached the final from 13th. That is worth holding on to when you read any NHL playoff standings in March: the table seeds the bracket, it does not decide it. Two of the four Eastern ties above were separated by nothing at all, with Tampa Bay and Montréal level on 106 and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia level on 98.
Outright prices for this season are on our NHL Stanley Cup odds page and qualifying prices on NHL playoff odds.
How the NHL playoff format works
The NHL playoff standings send sixteen teams through, eight per conference: the top three in each of the four divisions, plus two wild cards per conference, which go to the two best remaining records regardless of division. That is why a fourth-place team in a strong division can make it while a third-place team in a weak one cannot; the wild card is a conference race, not a division one. In the first round each division winner plays a wild card, with the conference’s better division winner drawing the lower wild card, and second plays third within each division. The bracket then stays fixed, so the path to the Final is known the night the field is set. Which clubs sit in which division, with their arenas and Stanley Cup records, is on our NHL teams page.
Ties in points are broken first by games played, with the team that has played fewer ranked higher, which in-season means the better points percentage. Then come regulation wins, regulation plus overtime wins, total wins, points in the head-to-head games, goal differential and finally goals scored. The second and third steps are the RW and ROW columns above, and they decide more races than people expect: a shootout win earns the same two points as any other win but counts for nothing in the tiebreaker until the fourth step, total wins. The overtime loss point is the other quirk. Every game past regulation puts three points into the standings instead of two, which is why teams playing a lot of overtime can look better in points than in wins.
Playoff odds: what the market and the arithmetic say
Alongside the NHL playoff standings, Ontario and Alberta sportsbooks post a yes/no market on each team making the playoffs before opening night and reprice it through the season, and the Stanley Cup odds board is the other side of the same question. The table above is the arithmetic behind both. East: the last spot went to the Ottawa Senators with 99 points, and the first team out was the Washington Capitals on 95. West: the last spot went to the Los Angeles Kings with 90 points, and the first team out was the St. Louis Blues on 86. In most seasons the last spot lands somewhere in the low to mid nineties, so a team on a 100-point pace is comfortable, a team on a 92-point pace is in the race, and a team on an 85-point pace needs a run.
Two things to hold on to before you bet a playoff market on these NHL playoff standings. Early pace is noise: a team’s points percentage after 15 games has a loose relationship with where it finishes, and the market knows it, so October prices already assume regression. And the schedule is not even: a team that has banked home games or is about to face a run of back-to-backs will not keep its pace, which is why our power rankings look past the points column. The Saturday predictions column and the injury report carry the week-to-week context, and the futures betting guide covers how these markets settle.
Key dates for the 2026-27 season
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Preseason begins | 19 September 2026 |
| Regular season opens | 29 September 2026 |
| Regular season ends | 10 April 2027 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs begin | within days of the regular-season finale |
| Latest possible Final date | 10 June 2027 |
If a race in these tables changes your view of a season-long market, these are the NHL sportsbooks we rate for Canadians, listed by province, with the full comparison on our NHL betting sites page:
Where these NHL playoff standings come from
Every table in these NHL playoff standings is generated from the NHL’s official feed, including the wild-card order, clinch letters and tiebreak columns, which is the same data behind NHL.com’s standings page. Once the season is under way we rebuild this page each morning Eastern time so it reflects the previous night’s games. The stamp at the top says exactly when it last ran. Regular-season games only. The Stanley Cup winners page holds the historical record once the bracket is done, and the NHL betting hub covers the markets and the rules.
NHL playoff standings FAQ
Sixteen, eight from each conference: the top three teams in each of the four divisions plus two wild cards per conference, awarded to the two best remaining records regardless of division.
After the three automatic spots in each division are filled, the two best remaining teams in the conference take the wild cards. Wild card one plays the conference’s weaker division winner and wild card two plays the stronger one, then the bracket is fixed for the rest of the playoffs.
Points first, then regulation wins, then regulation plus overtime wins, then points earned in the head-to-head games, then goal differential, then total goals scored. Shootout wins never count in the tiebreaker.
Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers made the 2026 playoffs; Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks missed. That was last season. The tables above are the live 2026-27 standings, rebuilt daily.
In 2025-26 the last spot in the East went to Ottawa with 99 points and Washington missed on 95, while in the West Los Angeles took the last spot with 90 and St. Louis missed on 86. Most seasons the line falls in the low to mid nineties.
The 2026-27 regular season ends on 10 April 2027 and the playoffs begin within days of that, with the Stanley Cup Final scheduled to finish no later than 10 June 2027.
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