Category: Ice Hockey

Flyers move into playoff position thanks to Martone, Vladar originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The postseason buzz felt real on Easter Sunday in South Philadelphia.

The Flyers climbed into playoff position with a 2-1 win over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Porter Martone scored his first career NHL goal to win it in OT.

Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers an early lead. Dan Vladar was excellent in net.

The Flyers (39-26-12) now hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with five games to go. They took advantage of a busy Saturday going completely in their favor while they watched from home.

“It doesn’t happen all the time, the fortune went our way,” Rick Tocchet said before the game. “But we’ve been trying to not worry about what’s happening on the scoreboard. Obviously you look at it, but to me, some of that doesn’t matter if you don’t win hockey games. This is a big game for us.”

Tocchet’s club played like it, continuing its surge down the stretch. The Flyers won for the 14th time in their last 20 games (14-5-1) and have a real chance to end their five-year playoff drought (more on that below).

They went to overtime for the 27th time this season. They’re 15-12 after regulation.

The Flyers took two of three games from the Bruins (43-26-9) in their regular-season series.

Lauren Hart sang “God Bless America” to set up Flyers vs. Bruins. pic.twitter.com/yRqcoedAin

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 5, 2026

• The Flyers are in third place with 90 points, one ahead of the Islanders. They also have a game in hand on New York.

With four games to go, the skidding Islanders sent shock waves through the league Sunday by firing head coach Patrick Roy and hiring Peter DeBoer.

In the division race, the Flyers are also battling the Blue Jackets and Capitals. Columbus has 88 points and was idle Sunday. Washington has 87 points and visits the Rangers tonight. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Capitals.

The Flyers entered the day in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Detroit lost in regulation to the Wild. Ottawa is currently playing the Hurricanes.

As of right now, the Flyers can focus on the division race. But we’ll update the latest on the wild card here when the Senators-Hurricanes game goes final.

• Vladar did his job once again, denying 18 of 19 shots.

The 28-year-old has given up just two goals over the last two games.

Boston cracked Vladar in the opening minute of the third period when Pavel Zacha scored a power play goal. Carl Grundstrom was in the penalty box for interference toward the end of the season period.

Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.

Dvorak struck just 4:19 minutes into the game. Martone sprung him with a crafty touch pass. The 19-year-old winger has not played like a teenager since signing his entry-level deal. He looks like he belongs.

Martone had a couple of looks with under five minutes left in regulation, but he couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Not long after denying Martone twice, Korpisalo turned away Tyson Foerster at the doorstep.

But Martone got Korpisalo in OT.

• The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Flyers move into playoff position thanks to Martone, Vladar originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The postseason buzz felt real on Easter Sunday in South Philadelphia.

The Flyers climbed into playoff position with a 2-1 overtime win over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Porter Martone scored his first career NHL goal to win it in OT. It came on a 5-on-3 power play and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

“It was awesome to get that win in front of these fans,” Martone said.

Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers an early lead and also assisted Martone’s winner. Dan Vladar was excellent in net. The goaltender pumped up the crowd when he skated back onto the ice as the game’s third star.

“All I heard before I came here was that the fans are passionate,” Vladar said. “I wanted to experience it myself and I did, so it was great.”

The Flyers (39-26-12) now hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with five games to go. They took advantage of a busy Saturday going completely in their favor while they watched from home.

“It doesn’t happen all the time, the fortune went our way,” Rick Tocchet said before the game. “But we’ve been trying to not worry about what’s happening on the scoreboard. Obviously you look at it, but to me, some of that doesn’t matter if you don’t win hockey games. This is a big game for us.”

Tocchet’s club played like it, continuing its surge down the stretch. The Flyers won for the 14th time in their last 20 games (14-5-1) and have a real chance to end their five-year playoff drought (more on that below).

“I think that West Coast trip, after going 3-0, I felt a little swagger from the guys coming off the plane,” Tocchet said. “That’s a tough trip. I think the week before, we had some tough games, some odd hours going to bed. Then we go on that West Coast trip, to go 3-0, I think that really added a lot of belief.”

The Flyers went to overtime for the 27th time this season. They’re 15-12 after regulation.

They took two of three games from the Bruins (43-26-9) in their regular-season series.

“I think this past month, just how we’ve been playing, it has been playoff hockey,” Noah Cates said. “For us to just stay above, be disciplined, not try to do something fancy or something stupid at the blue line, it speaks to the growth of the team — where we want to go, where we want to be, just how good we can be when we play that way.”

Lauren Hart sang “God Bless America” to set up Flyers vs. Bruins. pic.twitter.com/yRqcoedAin

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 5, 2026

• The Flyers are in third place with 90 points, one ahead of the Islanders. They also have a game in hand on New York.

With four games to go, the skidding Islanders sent shock waves through the league Sunday by firing head coach Patrick Roy and hiring Peter DeBoer.

In the division race, the Flyers are also battling the Blue Jackets and Capitals. Columbus has 88 points and was idle Sunday. Washington stayed at 87 points after being blown out by the Rangers. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Capitals.

The Flyers entered the day in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Detroit lost in regulation to the Wild. Ottawa beat the Hurricanes, so it holds the second wild-card position at 90 points.

As of right now, the Flyers can focus on the division race. They control their destiny for third place.

• Vladar did his job once again, denying 18 of 19 shots.

The 28-year-old has given up just two goals over the last two games.

Boston cracked Vladar in the opening minute of the third period when Pavel Zacha scored a power play goal. Carl Grundstrom was in the penalty box for interference toward the end of the second period.

Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.

Dvorak struck just 4:19 minutes into the game. Martone sprung him with a crafty touch pass.

“That’s not an easy play at all,” Dvorak said. “It was right on my tape, I didn’t even have to move my stick.”

The 19-year-old winger has not played like a teenager since signing his entry-level deal. He looks like he belongs.

“You can just tell he’s a hockey player, he loves the game,” Tocchet said. “Even on the bench, you tell him something, he’s a very engaged kid.”

Through his first four games, with the pressure of a playoff race, Martone has a goal, two assists and 20 shots.

“It’s impressive, not easy to do that coming from college and right into a playoff race,” Dvorak said. “He’s a big body, really smart, high hockey IQ player. That’s really important in this league.”

Martone had a couple of looks with under five minutes left in regulation, but he couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Not long after denying Martone twice, Korpisalo turned away Tyson Foerster at the doorstep.

But Martone got Korpisalo in OT.

“For me, just every shift, come back to the bench and reset,” the 2025 sixth overall pick said. “The goalie made two good saves on those. I knew if I got another chance, hopefully it would go in.”

• The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Only seven games remain in Anze Kopitar's final regular season of his NHL career, and that reality is beginning to set in.

On Saturday, ahead of the Los Angeles Kings' game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kopitar had a 1-on-1 interview with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who asked the captain several questions that looked back on in his illustrious career.

At one point, Kopitar was asked if there were a time in his career when he thought he wouldn't be a King.

"Honestly, I didn't, no," Los Angeles' captain said confidently. "I felt like L.A. was my team, it's where I belong, and it didn't really cross my mind to where I'd go somewhere else."

While Kopitar admitted he wouldn't want his career to pan out any other way in terms of what his home has been for the past 20 years, he played the hypothetical game.

Kings' Kopitar Proving He's Not Hanging Up His Skates Without An Honest FightLos Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is retiring at the end of this year. But with the way he's been playing lately, he's not interested in letting his career end without a fight to get into the post-season.

"(If) I really have to pick… probably Montreal," he admitted to Friedman. "I don't know, I just enjoy the city, I enjoyed playing there. Yeah, if I had to pick one, it'd probably be the Canadiens."

It's not surprising to hear Kopitar say he's enjoyed playing in Montreal. Just about every player in the NHL enjoys the festivities of playing at the Bell Centre against the Canadiens.

While it's not possible for Kopitar to switch teams at this point in the season - nor would he even entertain the idea - but he'd be a great fit for the Habs right about now.

The Canadiens are doing just fine as they're second in the Atlantic Division and are hovering around being a top-five team in the NHL at this stage of the season. But one weakness they have is the hole on the second line at the center position.

It would be fun for Habs fans to fantasize about having the Kings' all-time point scorer on their roster, but Kopitar wouldn't trade his time in Los Angeles for anything else.

And because he knows he's calling it quits at the end of this season, why not play around with some hypothetical scenarios as he looks back on his incredible NHL career?

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The New York Islanders announced that head coach Patrick Roy has been relieved of his duties. Peter DeBoer has been hired as his replacement. 

Believe Roy had two seasons left on his deal.

Per @FriedgeHNIC, there is term on DeBoer's contract.

This is not a till-end-of-season thing.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 5, 2026

This decision comes after the Islanders dropped four straight games, in which they played anything but competitive hockey, with the 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes the worst from a game-play perspective.

Roy, who replaced Lane Lambert halfway through the 2022-23 season, failed to make the playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the Islanders' bench. 

The Islanders went 88-76-20 under Roy.

 DeBoer, who was relieved of his duties as the Dallas Stars head coach after pulling Jake Oettinger just 7:09 into the game following two goals on two shots in Game 5 of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, has 18 years of NHL coaching experience. 

The grizzled veteran head coach has term on his new deal. Roy had two seasons left. 

The Islanders battle the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. 

The New York Islanders have announced that they have fired Montreal Canadiens legend Patrick Roy from their head coaching position and hired Pete DeBoer as his replacement.

The timing of this firing is surprising, as the Islanders have only four more games remaining this regular season. Now, with this news, DeBoer will be looking to lead the Islanders to the playoffs instead of Roy. 

However, the Islanders firing Roy comes with them in the middle of a four-game losing streak. They have lost lost seven out of their last 10 games and have the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington Capitals all right behind them for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Coaching firings don't normally happen this late into the NHL season, but Roy is now the second coach to be fired since late March. Crazy times in the NHL. 

#Isles News: New York Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice President Mathieu Darche announced today that Patrick Roy has been relieved of his coaching responsibilities. Peter DeBoer has been named Head Coach of the New York Islanders.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 5, 2026

The Islanders have fired head coach PatrickRoy with four games remaining in the regular season, general manager Mathieu Darche announced on Sunday. 

Peter DeBoer was named the new head coach in a hiring that is expected to last longer than the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

The Isles are expected to retain all of their assistant coaches for the time being, according to Arthur Staple.

Roy's firing comes amid a slump that has seen the Isles lose seven of the last 10 games, as they have gone from looking certain to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs to a team on the brink of seeing their season end. Roy had two years remaining on his contract.

New York, losers of four straight after a 4-3 defeat to Carolina on Saturday, enters Sunday one point ahead of Philadelphia and Columbus for the final spot as the third-place team in the Metropolitan division, but has two games in hand over the Flyers and one game over the Blue Jackets. 

The Isles are also in a precarious position when it comes to the wild card, as Ottawa (who occupy the final spot) and Detroit are both one point behind in the standings and with two games in hand. (The Boston Bruins, in the first wild card spot, enter Sunday five points ahead of the Islanders.)

The Islanders are back on the ice Thursday, at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

DeBoer comes to New York after spending three seasons behind the bench in Dallas, where he led the Stars to three consecutive conference finals appearances and a 149-58-29 regular season record. DeBoer was fired last June, with some of his public comments about goaltender Jake Oettinger after a Game 5 loss a week prior contributing to his dismissal. 

Before that, he spent three seasons in Vegas, leading the Golden Knights to the conference finals twice. He also spent five seasons as the head coach in San Jose, making the playoffs four times, four seasons with the Devils, with one postseason trip, and three unsuccessful seasons with Florida. 

He has made two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, but came up short with the Devils in 2012 and the Sharks in 2016.

DeBoer has a 662-447-152 record (.585 points percentage) during his 18-year head coaching career, and is 97-82 (.542 winning percentage) in the playoffs.

Roy, who was hired in January 2024 after New York fired Lane Lambert, went 20-12-5 down the stretch, but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He missed the playoffs in his second season and departed with a 97-78-22 record (.548 points percentage) for his time with the Islanders.

Patrick Roy lost the Islanders dressing room, and consequently his job, the way Mike Campbell went bankrupt: gradually, then suddenly.

A month ago, you could have made a case for Roy getting votes for the Jack Adams Trophy. But by Friday night, when he took the blame for the Islanders looking unready to play in the first period against the Flyers, everyone paying attention knew that he was on thin ice. A day later, when his team was again embarrassed by the Hurricanes, it was obvious both that the Islanders had tuned out Roy and that he was very much on the clock.

Turns out, Mathieu Darche had likely already made the decision by then to end Roy’s fascinating-yet-failing tenure behind the Islanders’ bench. With four games left in the season and the club likely to fall out of a playoff spot before Thursday’s home game against the Maple Leafs, Roy was replaced by Pete DeBoer.

The move was shocking given the timing, but perhaps not altogether surprising.

DeBoer, per multiple reports, was hired under a multiyear deal. This move would have required consent of ownership given that Roy had time left on his contract, but it is Darche who owns this bold and potentially defining decision.

It is a Lou Lamoriello-esque move from Lamoriello’s replacement, albeit one that — unlike Darche’s predecessor’s famous decision to fire Robbie Ftorek and hire Larry Robinson to coach the Devils in 2000 — seemed to hasten the inevitable.

Roy was hired by Lamoriello, not Darche, and although the two established a good working relationship, that fact always meant that the coach was likely to be the first person to take the blame under a new administration.

For now, The Post confirmed, the assistant coaching staff remains unchanged, though that may not remain true for long once the season is over.

Neither Darche nor DeBoer spoke publicly on Sunday, with the plan being for both to talk after the Islanders practice Monday.

At least in the short term, the task in front of DeBoer is obvious: get the Islanders to the playoffs and avoid what would be an utter calamity.

Up until the March 19 match in Ottawa, the Islanders had looked not just like a postseason lock, but a team that could potentially win a round.

Since then they are 3-7-0, losing control of their own destiny and a vibe that had been impeccable all year — driven by Matthew Schaefer’s ascendant rookie season — has turned aimless.

Captain Anders Lee said the team needed to stick together, a comment that seemed loaded with subtext, and MSG’s footage of the Islanders looking disinterested in what Roy had to say during a timeout the same night only added to the sense that something was not right.

Making matters even worse, Roy took the blame for his team being unready to play in the first period on Friday, only for them to be even worse in Saturday’s first period.

“100 percent,” Ryan Pulock said Saturday when asked whether Roy’s message was getting through. “He believes in us and we believe in him.”

As for the question of “Why now?” the answer is twofold.

First, if Roy had lost the faith of players and management, then there was little reason to think the Islanders’ best chance of making the playoffs was with him behind the bench.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Second, DeBoer has been considered the best candidate available all season after being fired by the Stars last spring. By hiring him now, Darche jumped a market that will be highly competitive in just a few weeks with Bruce Cassidy and Peter Laviolette among the big names still available.

Hiring DeBoer, a veteran coach with a proven track record across stops in Florida, San Jose, New Jersey, Vegas and Dallas, also sends a clear signal that the Islanders believe they are close to being a legitimate contender.

Though there will surely be severe ramifications to the roster during the offseason — very possibly including Lee’s exit as an unrestricted free agent — this is not a hire that screams retool.

Rather, it is one whose underlying currents indicate a busy offseason is to come, and that Darche has little intention of letting Schaefer’s years under an entry-level deal go to waste.

First, though, is the next four games. And, the Islanders had better hope, the playoffs.

There’s no rest for the weary Hurricanes as they have to take a quick trip North of the Border for the last time in the regular season to face off against an Ottawa team that’s—stop me if you heard this one before—fighting for its spot in the playoffs.

In the last two weeks—starting with the 5-1 win against the Penguins in Pittsburgh—the Canes have played seven games and six have been against opponents fighting for their playoff lives. The only team to catch them has been Montreal. The latest victim was the New York Islanders on Saturday who currently sit in third in the Metropolitan Division, and next up is an Ottawa team that would be Carolina’s opponent if the playoffs started today. Which they don’t.

What’s helped Carolina is that they have something to play for, and honestly may continue to have something up until the last day of the season thanks to a ridiculously close Atlantic Division. Entering Sunday, they lead Pittsburgh by 10 points for first place in the Metro. As Pittsburgh has only five games left—including a 3 PM tilt against Florida (that is not a typo, somehow the NHL scheduled Florida and Pittsburgh to play in Pittsburgh on back-to-back days)—the best they can hope for is a tie. Should that happen because Pittsburgh won every game in regulation and the Hurricanes lost all six of their remaining games in regulation, then Pittsburgh would actually be the Metro champs because they’d have 37 regulation wins to the Canes’ 36.

What that means for Carolina is that if Pittsburgh once again wins in regulation—and now that Florida is officially eliminated it’s tough to see them really fighting that hard even after being killed 9-4 on Saturday—the Canes will need to get their game at least to Overtime. That will provide them with at least a point, and officially clinch the division. If somehow Pittsburgh fails to win in regulation, however, then that also clinches the division for Carolina. Why? Well, the best Pittsburgh can do then would be to tie the Canes in regulation wins at 36, the next tiebreaker is regulation plus overtimes wins (ROW) and the Canes have an eight game lead on Pittsburgh there.

In short—it’s possible the Canes will have clinched the division officially before their game against the Senators finishes, and if not all they have to do is get their game to overtime. That will bring them their first division title since 2023. Of course then it’s a fight for the top seed in the East overall, and as Tampa proved by coming back to beat Boston they aren’t going to sit back since both Montreal and Buffalo are tied for second just two points behind them. The answer as to when you sit guys that aren’t 100% may be later than you’d think.

With the short turnaround of a 7 PM game at home and now a 5 PM game on the road, don’t expect a morning skate for Carolina, and it’s also likely that once again coach Rod Brind’Amour won’t be changing out the lines. Frederik Andersen should be between the pipes.

On the other side of the ice the Ottawa Senators are one of several teams in the East that…don’t seem to really want to claim a spot. The Boston Bruins have gotten points in seven of their last ten to build a six point cushion over the second wild card spot, so even with their loss to Tampa on Saturday they are playing solid hockey. The Islanders, Senators, Red Wings, and Blue Jackets have all stumbled as of late while the Flyers and Capitals have taken advantage to crawl back in the race. It’s created a log jam to where Ottawa is technically in the WC2 spot, but they are right now tied in points with Detroit, Philadelphia, and Columbus. The Islanders sit just one point ahead of this group but in third place in the Metro, while Washington is just one point back though with one fewer game remaining than most.

Ottawa is going to get the benefit of the same back-to-back at home that Carolina got last weekend. The Senators are already 0-1 in this pair having dropped a decision to a Minnesota Wild team still with an outside shot of catching Dallas for second in the Central and hosting round one. The loss was the fourth in five games for Ottawa, which feels like they’ve been dealing with one story after another off the ice this season. That includes this week when Captain Brady Tkachuk’s dad Keith had some comments on the Tkachuk Brothers’ podcast that seemed to disparage goalie Linus Ullmark.

Speaking of Ullmark, the question will be whether he does the same thing as Ilya Sorokin and start back-to-back games, or if Ottawa goes with James Reimer who hasn’t played since Tuesday night. The Senators are in an “every point matters” situation, and they may feel that their best chance is Ullmark instead of a rested Reimer. We’ll find out around game time.

Thus on one side we have a team possibly looking to clinch a division while keeping their play up against a potential playoff opponent again versus another that’s trying to claw and get every point and even qualify. It should be a good match. If you aren’t in Ottawa to see this in person, here’s how you can catch the action:

Time: 5 PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network in the Carolinas. Mike Maniscalco will handle play-by-play alongside Tripp Tracy doing color. Hanna Yates and Shane Willis will provide off-ice reports.

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network App for fans in the Carolinas. Outside the Carolinas, the game will be available on the ESPN app for any ESPN+/ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

Radio: The pregame on 99.9 The Fan starts at 4:30. At 5PM the Hurricanes Radio Network (consisting of 99.9, 730 The Game in Charlotte, ESPN New Bern 107.5/1490, and ESPN Greenville 107.5/1570) picks up the FDSN feed. You can also stream the call on the Hurricanes app.

Odds: Hurricanes -128 Moneyline, Puckline Hurricanes -1.5 at +194/Senators +106 Moneyline, Puckline +1.5 at -260, O/U 6.5 (+104 Over/-128 Under)

The Buffalo Sabres have ended their 14-season playoff drought and the Tampa Bay Lightning clinched a postseason berth for the ninth consecutive season.

The Montreal Canadiens can join those teams in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket on Sunday, April 5.

Also Sunday, the Carolina Hurricanes can clinch the Metropolitan Division title, and the Colorado Avalanche can clinch the Central Division and Western Conference titles.

The Eastern Conference bracket could also see some big changes. The Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers (88 points each) and the Washington Capitals (87) are in action.

The Senators currently hold the second wild-card spot in the East on a tiebreaker and could be passed by the other three teams. The Flyers could move past the idle New York Islanders (89) into third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders would drop out of a playoff spot if both the Flyers and Capitals win.

Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket, who can clinch today and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:

Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Buffalo

Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota

Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?

• The Montreal Canadiens will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point vs. the Devils or if the Red Wings or Senators lose.
• The Carolina Hurricanes will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if they get at least one point vs. the Senators or the Penguins fail to win in regulation.
• The Colorado Avalanche will clinch the Central Division and Western Conference titles if they defeat the Blues.

NHL games today (Sunday, April 5)

All times Eastern.

• Minnesota at Detroit, 1, TNT
• Florida at Pittsburgh, 3
• Boston at Philadelphia, 3:30, TNT
• Carolina at Ottawa, 5
• New Jersey at Montreal, 7
• Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 7, ESPN
• St. Louis at Colorado, 9:30, ESPN

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26

After April 4 games. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated

Metropolitan Division

• x-Carolina Hurricanes (104)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (94)
• New York Islanders (89)

Atlantic Division

• x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)
• Montreal Canadiens (100)
• x-Buffalo Sabres (100)

Wild card

• Boston Bruins (96)
• Ottawa Senators (88)

Sitting out of playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (88), Philadelphia Flyers (88), Columbus Blue Jackets (88), Washington Capitals (87), New Jersey Devils (81), z-Toronto Maple Leafs (78), z-Florida Panthers (77), z-New York Rangers (73)

NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26

After April 4 games. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated

Central Division

• x-Colorado Avalanche (110)
• x-Dallas Stars (102)
• x-Minnesota Wild (98)

Pacific Division

• Edmonton Oilers (87)
• Anaheim Ducks (87)
• Vegas Golden Knights (86)

Wild card

• Utah Mammoth (86)
• Nashville Predators (81)

Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (81), San Jose Sharks (79), Winnipeg Jets (78), St. Louis Blues (76), Seattle Kraken (75), Calgary Flames (72), z-Chicago Blackhawks (70), z-Vancouver Canucks (52)

NHL playoffs if they started today

NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 4:

• Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
• Pittsburgh (M2) vs. N.Y. Islanders (M3)
• Tampa Bay (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
• Montreal (A2) vs. Buffalo (A3)

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card

NHL Western Conference playoff bracket

Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 4.

• Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (WC2)
• Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
• Edmonton (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
• Anaheim (P2) vs. Vegas (P3)

The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card

More: Vegas Golden Knights fire coach Bruce Cassidy, hire John Tortorella

NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?

If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:

1. Regulation wins
2. Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
3. Total wins
4. Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
5. Goal differential
6. Total goals

When does the NHL regular season end?

The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.

When do the NHL playoffs start?

The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoffs standings, latest bracket, today's clinching scenarios

The Ottawa Senators are going cold at exactly the wrong time. On Saturday afternoon, they lost for the fourth time in five games (1-3-1), falling 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild at Canadian Tire Centre.

The good news is that the teams around them in the wild card race, Columbus, Detroit, and the Islanders, all lost in regulation as well. So the Sens are still holding down the final wild-card spot with six games left to play.

The other bit of good news was the return of Jake Sanderson, who missed 13 games with a shoulder injury.

But that's where the silver-lining playbook ends.

The Sens didn't seem overly inspired by their top defenseman's return on Saturday, and also learned that Tyler Kleven would be out indefinitely after being struck by a puck on the side of his head in Thursday's win over Buffalo.

Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves, but probably deserved a shutout. The Sens had some looks, but many of their 33 shots were from the perimeter or with no one at the net. Drake Batherson scored with under four minutes left in the game, chipping a puck into the net while lying on the ice.

It's the second time in three games that Batherson has been a shutout buster. He scored Tuesday in Florida, where the Sens were down 5-0. And on a day when the Sens' good news seemed to be rolled up with bad news, Batherson's goal was no different. He was struck by a shot on the play and headed down the tunnel afterward.

As for Minnesota, they jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on some good fortune.

Skating down the left wing midway through the first, Jonas Brodin drifted a light wrist shot on net, which Linus Ullmark normally would have steered out of harm's way. But it took a funny skip off the ice, then off Ullmark, straight into traffic, off Nikolas Matinpalo’s skate and into the net.

The next goal was more of a gift. Jordan Spence coughed it up at the offensive blue line for a 2-on-0 that was finished off by Ryan Hartman for a 2-0 Minnesota lead. Hartman is the guy who was suspended for eight games last year for slamming Tim Stutzle's face off the ice, showing a brutal misunderstanding of what a face-off means.

On Saturday, metaphorically at least, Hartman did that to the Senators again, scoring twice to lead the charge.

After the game, head coach Travis Green talked about the loss and took issue with a reporter describing the team as having a lack of urgency.

"When you ask if we played with enough urgency, I think it feels like you are asking if we tried hard enough," Green said. “That’s just easy to say when you lose. Our guys want to win. They want to win bad. Some guys didn’t have the best game, and that would have gone a long way for us to win.”

Green said there were three or four players in particular who didn't play well, but obviously didn't identify them. That's absolutely not his style, nor does he like to gush too long over individual players who have great games.

Despite the flat performance, the Senators, along with the Red Wings, Blue Jackets, and Flyers, will begin another day on Sunday, tied at 88 points. Ottawa will have the tiebreaker with a substantial lead in regulation wins.

The Sens will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at 5 pm in a battle of two teams on short rest. The 'Canes were busy doing Ottawa a huge favour on Saturday night with a 4-3 regulation victory over the Islanders.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Senators Get Hard-Fought Win, But Lose Yet Another Defenseman To Injury
Senators and Bell Media Announce New Long-Term Rights Extension
Sens Sign Two Of Their Drafted NCAA Prospects On Monday
TSN Analyst On Linus Ullmark: 'What He Did Was Completely Unacceptable'

If you looked at the standings on Sunday morning, you might have wondered if someone got confused when typing them up. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres both have clinched their playoff berth with 102 and 100 points, respectively. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens, which are second in the Atlantic Division with 100 points ahead of the Sabres, haven’t.

Simply put, the Habs are ahead of the Sabres because they have a game in hand; if they didn’t, Montreal would be third based on regulation wins. Buffalo has 38 regulation wins while Montreal only has 32. That’s also the reason why Montreal hasn’t clinched yet. The Ottawa Senators, currently in the second wild card spot, have 88 points with six games left to play, meaning they can still reach 100 points. If they did and the Habs didn’t get another point until the end of the season, they would qualify because they have 33 regulation wins to Montreal’s 32.

Canadiens Play With Fire But Escape With The Two Points
Canadiens Winger Flying Under The Radar While Having A Great Season
Canadiens’ Dobson Is Not Just About The Offense

Now, that won’t happen; it would take an unmitigated disaster for Montreal to go without another point by the end of the season. However, their low number of regulation wins may cost them home-ice advantage. Even if they win their six remaining games in regulation, they won’t have more regulation wins than the Sabres. If both teams ended up with 38 regulation wins, the next tie breaker would be the most wins, excluding shootout wins, reflected by the “ROW” column in the standings. As things stand, Montreal has the edge on Buffalo with 42 ROW to 41, but there’s still time for that to change.

In any case, there are three ways that the Canadiens can clinch a playoff birth on Easter Sunday: if the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Minnesota Wild in their 1:00 PM tilt, or if the Senators lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in their 5:00 PM duel, or if the Canadiens get at least one point against the New Jersey Devils.

With six games to play, the Canadiens have all but qualified, and it’s just a matter of mathematically qualifying. In other words, Montreal doesn’t have much to worry about, but they won’t be able to take it easy since they could still end up winning the division or even the conference. While getting home-ice advantage remains the goal, it’s interesting to note that Montreal has gotten 54 of its 100 points on the road and 46 at home. Still, having the last change and playing a game seven at home in the playoffs would be better than not having those advantages.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — The Islanders have four days now to figure this thing out, four days they must take advantage of before getting back into action Thursday at home against the Maple Leafs.

The extended break is something of a makeup after a schedule that has been condensed all year, and will allow other teams to make up games in hand. That means by Thursday, there is a very good chance the Islanders — currently third in the Metro despite their 4-3 loss to Carolina on Saturday night — will be out of a playoff spot.

After losing four straight games, a season high, and looking completely overwhelmed by the Hurricanes on Saturday, the break is at least coming at a decent time.

A mental reset certainly seems to be something this team needs right now. So does some practice time.

“We have some time off, the holiday. See family, spend some time,” Scott Mayfield said. “We’ll think about this one on the way home, wash it. It’s all about the next game. We gotta start getting some points to stay in our position.

“I don’t know what the other scores are but you can’t drop games like this. We haven’t done four in a row I think all season. It’s not a good week to do that but you can’t change that now.”

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Matthew Schaefer’s late assist on Anders Lee’s goal gave him the record for most points ever by an 18-year-old defenseman, passing Phil Housley’s 57.

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Roy’s move to insert Max Shabanov into the lineup for just his third game since the Olympic break paid off when Shabanov scored for the first time since Dec. 27.

Isaiah George also drew in for the Islanders, with Adam Boqvist and Kyle MacLean coming out as healthy scratches.

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Perhaps the only good news for the Islanders on Saturday came on the out-of-town scoreboard. The Red Wings, Senators and Blue Jackets all lost, though the Capitals did climb into the outer fringe of the playoff race with a win and the Penguins now seem out of reach after their victory over Florida.

The bad news is that the Islanders still do not control their own destiny, leading Detroit, Columbus, Ottawa and Philadelphia all by a point with one extra game played.

The Florida Panthers are officially not going to three-peat.

When the dust settled on Saturday’s NHL games, including the Panthers’ rough 9-4 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida found itself with an unwanted addition to their label in the standings.

The “e” next to Florida’s name stands for “Eliminated,” meaning there is nothing they can do with their remaining six games that will get them into the postseason.

As a result, Florida’s six-year playoff streak, the longest in franchise history by a wide margin, will come to an end.

There won’t be a fourth straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Florida’s players will not have to play the hardest hockey there is (Stanley Cup Playoff hockey) well into the month of June.

The good news is that there is no reason to worry that the Panthers won’t get right back to competing for the Stanley Cup next season.

Florida’s biggest issue this season was that there were so many key players who missed extended time with injury, including superstars Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.

Barring any unforeseen offseason injuries, the Panthers will arrive for training camp in September with a championship-caliber roster and a decent-sized chip on their shoulder.

Remember, the majority of Florida’s roster is locked up with long-term deals.

Barkov, Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Gus Forsling, Seth Jones, Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola are all signed through at least the end of the decade.

Additionally, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, Cole Reinhardt and Jesper Boqvist will each have one year left on their respective deals while Jonah Gadjovich, Uvis Balinskis and Dmitry Kulikov are all signed through the summer of 2028.

Now you may have noticed that among all those players’ names you just went through, there weren’t any goaltenders included.

Both of Florida’s netminders from this season, Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov, are set to become unrestricted free agents when July 1 arrives.

The Panthers and Bobrovsky have already been discussing a contract extension, and the expectation is that the veteran puck-stopper will remain with Florida for what could end up being the rest of his career.

Bobrovsky is currently wrapping up his 16th NHL season and will be 38 years old when Opening Night arrives in October.

It’s also worth noting that since its inception, Florida’s Goaltending Excellence Department has consistently targeted goalies who have performed well under Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice and within his defensive systems.

According to PuckPedia, the Panthers are expected to have just over $15.5 million in salary cap space to work with, thanks in-part to the cap rising from $95.5 million this year to $104 million next season.

Considering the stacked roster that Panthers General Manager Bill Zito will only be adding to this summer, it seems reasonable to expect that Florida will be able to re-take their place among the NHL’s top squads.

There is also one other element that hasn’t been mentioned yet in this story that could play a big part in Florida being a better squad when next season arrives.

In addition to the cash Zito has to work with this summer, he may also have a previously-traded first-round pick to play with at this Jume’s NHL Draft.

The first-round pick that Florida sent to Chicago in the Trade Deadline deal that brought Seth Jones to the Panthers is top-10 protected. That means if the Panthers finish low enough in the standings that they receive a selection anywhere in the top 10, they would keep this year’s pick and instead send their 2027 first rounder to the Blackhawks.

Depending how high that pick ends up – the top of this year’s draft has some serious talent to offer – it will be interesting to see what Zito and his colleagues ultimately decide to do with that selection.

A team as in win-now mode as the Panthers are might be wise to flip that pick ahead of the draft for someone at the NHL level who can join what Florida has going on in the present.

We’ll see how things play out in the coming weeks and months, but the bottom line is that despite the frustrating season, there are still plenty of things to be excited about in Pantherland.

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Photo caption: Mar 28, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice coaches against the New York Islanders during the first period at UBS Arena. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

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Brock Nelson has piled up the chances of late, but not necessarily enjoyed the fruits of his labor.

My Blues vs. Avalanche predictions and NHL picks see Nelson’s scoring prowess returning in an advantageous matchup against St. Louis.

Blues vs Avalanche prediction

Blues vs Avalanche best bet: Brock Nelson anytime goalscorer (+185)

Brock Nelson has generated 8.56 expected goals over his past 19 games but scored only three times.

Of the 16 players with 8.5 xG or more in that span, Nelson is the only one with fewer than six goals.

He's converted on just 6.5% of his shots. That’s less than half of his career finishing rate (14.6%), and a little more than a third of his shooting percentage since joining the Colorado Avalanche (18.7%).

The Blues rank 22nd in goals against, 22nd in save percentage, and 28th in PK%, making this a natural regression spot.

Blues vs Avalanche same-game parlay

Sam Malinski has three points and 19 shot attempts over two games without Cale Makar. He appears ready to pop in an expanded role.

Playing big minutes at 5-on-5 and quarterbacking the top power play with Nelson, there's a real correlation between the two players.

We’ll back Colorado on the moneyline to round out the SGP. They’re the league’s best team, and the St. Louis Blues have struggled mightily on the road, winning only 14 times in 38 tries.

Blues vs Avalanche SGP

• Brock Nelson anytime goalscorer
• Sam Malinski Over 0.5 points
• Avalanche moneyline

Blues vs Avalanche odds

• Moneyline: Blues +190 | Avalanche -230
• Puck Line: Blues +1.5 (-125) | Avalanche -1.5 (+105)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 | Under 6.5

Blues vs Avalanche trend

Brock Nelson has scored in 13 of his last 30 home games. Find more NHL betting trends for Blues vs. Avalanche.

How to watch Blues vs Avalanche

Blues vs Avalanche latest injuries

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In a fatal four-way death match for the final Wild Card berth in the East, the Ottawa Senators try to break the deadlock of teams stuck at 88 points when they host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.

Ottawa currently holds the final spot, but Detroit, Philly, and Columbus are all tied with the Senators at 88 points.

My Hurricanes vs. Senators predictions and NHL picks target the total, as Ottawa will need to keep up with Carolina's high-octane offense.

Hurricanes vs Senators prediction

Hurricanes vs Senators best bet: Over 6.5 (+105)

The Ottawa Senators lost 4-1 last night and it won't get any easier as they host the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that’s ripped off four wins in its last five.

The Canes are fourth in the league in scoring at better than 3.5 goals per game.

Meanwhile, Ottawa and its opponent have combined to score 7+ goals in nine of its last 12 games on the second night of a back-to-back. 

Hurricanes vs Senators same-game parlay

Tim Stutzle is in a bit of a scoring slump, going goalless in each of his last seven games, so the visiting Canes should help. Stutzle is the lone Senator who has scored in the two previous games against Carolina this season.

Brady Tkachuk ripped seven shots on net against Minnesota in the last game, and he’s got a generous total of 2.5 shots for today’s contest.

The Senators captain has registered 3+ shots on goal in eight of his last 10 games.

Hurricanes vs Senators SGP

• Over 6.5
• Tim Stutzle anytime goalscorer
• Brady Tkachuk Over 2.5 shots

Hurricanes vs Senators odds

• Moneyline: Hurricanes -125 | Senators +105
• Puck Line: Hurricanes -1.5 (+195) | Senators +1.5 (-240)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 | Under 6.5

Hurricanes vs Senators trend

The Senators have won each of their last nine home games on the second leg of a back-to-back. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Senators.

How to watch Hurricanes vs Senators

Hurricanes vs Senators latest injuries

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