ATLANTIC DIVISION
Buffalo Sabres – 1st in Atlantic Division
The Sabres sat last in the Eastern Conference through November, but since Dec. 1 no team in the NHL has had a better record than Buffalo, who on April 4 clinched the franchise’s return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs ending a 14-season drought. The only tie to Buffalo’s last trip to the postseason is Lindy Ruff, who has guided the Sabres back to the playoffs in his second tour of duty with the franchise and was behind the bench in their previous postseason appearance in 2011. The majority of Buffalo’s core will be making their postseason debut: Captain and top defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, three-time 40-goal scorer Tage Thompson and homegrown talents Owen Power, Jack Quinn and Zach Benson. Local product and fan-favorite Alex Tuch (Syracuse, N.Y.) has topped 30 goals in three of the last four seasons and brings 66 games (w/ VGK: 2018 to 2021) of playoff experience to the fold as do the three Stanley Cup winners on the roster: Bowen Byram (2022 w/ COL) and in-season deadline acquisitions Luke Schenn (2020 & 2021 w/ TBL) and Tanner Pearson (2014 w/ LAK).
Key Players: Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch, Josh Doan
Tampa Bay Lightning – 2nd in Atlantic Division
Across the previous 10 playoff years, no team has more postseason appearances (10), series wins (15) or Stanley Cups (2; tied) than the Lightning have since 2015-16. With that being said, Tampa Bay will look to advance out of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since falling in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final – which was their third straight trip to the definitive series after winning in 2020 & 2021. A lot of familiar, proven playoff performers remain from those championship teams including head coach Jon Cooper behind the bench: Nikita Kucherov, who led all players in playoff scoring in 2020 and 2021, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has more playoff wins than any active goaltender and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021, Brayden Point, who led all players in postseason goals in 2020 and 2021 and defenseman Victor Hedman (injured), who has more playoff points than any active defenseman and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2020. In total, the current Lightning roster has combined for 18 Stanley Cup rings, the highest total among teams in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Key Players: Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point
Montreal Canadiens – 3rd in Atlantic Division
The youngest team to qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (average age 26.08; 2nd only to CHI among all teams) not only clinched a playoff spot for a second straight season (after doing it on their final day of the campaign in 2024-25) but did so riding the performances of young stars. Captain Nick Suzuki (age 26) became the first Canadiens player to record a 100-point season in 40 years (Mats Naslund in 1985-86), Cole Caufield (age 25) the first Montreal player to notch a 50-goal season in 36 years (Stephane Richer in 1989-90), Lane Hutson (age 22) the first Canadiens defenseman with a 75-point season in 40 years (Larry Robinson in 1985-86) and Juraj Slafkovsky (age 22) set new career highs in every offensive category including his first career 30-goal season. In addition, Montreal boasts the 2025-26 rookie points leader (Ivan Demidov, age 20) and a goaltender who led all rookies in wins and ranked top-10 League-wide in that category (Jakub Dobes, age 24). After falling to the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Capitals in the First Round in 2025 as surprise playoff participants, the young Canadiens core, firmly entrenched among the Atlantic Division’s top teams, will look to advance past the opening round for the first time since a surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
Key Players: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky
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METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Carolina Hurricanes – 1st in Metropolitan Division
The Hurricanes are set to make their franchise-record eighth consecutive playoff appearance and have earned a series win in each of those runs (including 2020 SCQ), one of five teams in NHL history with a streak that long. The entirety of the stretch, including three trips to the Conference Finals, have come since Rod Brind’Amour arrived on the scene as head coach prior to the 2018-19 season. For the eighth time across the last nine seasons, the Hurricanes are led in regular-season points by Sebastian Aho, who is also a consistent playoff performer and holds all-time franchise records for playoff goals, assists and points. In fact, four of the five all-time top playoff producers in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history are currently with the team, a tribute to the deep runs Carolina has gone on in consecutive seasons: Aho (1st), Andrei Svechnikov (2nd), Seth Jarvis (4th) and Jaccob Slavin (5th). A key factor for the Hurricanes could be their ability to control play – according to NHL Edge Carolina spent a League-leading 45.5% of even-strength time in the offensive zone this season (a category they have finished first in every season since NHL Edge tracking started in 2021-22). When the puck is in their defensive zone, they have a goaltending tandem of first-year netminder Brandon Bussi, who put together multiple nine-game win streaks this season, as well as veteran netminder Frederik Andersen, who ranks fourth among active goaltenders with 46 career playoff victories.
Key Players: Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Jaccob Slavin, Nikolaj Ehlers
Pittsburgh Penguins – 2nd in Metropolitan Division
After finishing 11 points outside the playoff line in 2024-25, the longtime Penguins trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang – who have combined to win three Stanley Cups with the franchise – are back in the postseason for the first time since 2022. Crosby and Malkin will participate in their 16th postseason together – they have advanced past the opening round eight times previously but not since 2018. Crosby, who has won the Conn Smythe Trophy twice (Malkin has the other during their tenure), ranks among the top five in NHL history for playoff assists (5th; 130) and points (t-5th; 201) in range of climbing both lists. Three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, who joined the Penguins prior to the 2023-24 season, has 67 games of playoff experience but has not participated since helping the Sharks reach the 2019 Conference Finals. The four veterans with loads of playoff experience will get their first taste of postseason action in multiple years and look to lead a new-look Penguins roster that includes two-time Stanley Cup finalist goaltender Stuart Skinner, 18-year-old rookie Ben Kindel and team goal leader Anthony Mantha (career-high 33 goals) on a deep run.
Key Players: Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
Philadelphia Flyers – 3rd in Metropolitan Division
The Flyers opened the season by bringing back former player and Jack Adams Award-winning head coach Rick Tocchet to lead them back into the postseason for the first time since 2020, and although the team was eight points out of a playoff spot at the Olympic break, they reeled off a 17-7-1 record after the NHL’s return from Milan to lock in third spot in the division. Of the 16 teams to qualify for the postseason, only the Canadiens and Sabres have a younger roster than the Flyers (average age 27.72) with impact producers Travis Konecny (age 29), Trevor Zegras (age 25), Owen Tippett (age 27), and Matvei Michkov (age 21) all under the age of 30. Forward Porter Martone (age 19), the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, joined the team after his season at Michigan State and has averaged over a point per game since joining the team (4-6—10 in 9 GP). With Konecny, defenseman Travis Sanheim and captain Sean Couturier the lone holdovers from their last postseason appearance in 2020, a new-look Flyers team will head into the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Key Players: Trevor Zegras, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Matvei Michkov
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EASTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD
Boston Bruins – Wild Card 1
While the Bruins have seen quite a bit of turnover since their last trip to the postseason in 2024 (Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and Trent Frederic are among the long-time Bruins that have moved on since then), a pillar at every position remains and has helped guide Boston back to the postseason after a short one-year absence: David Pastrnak at forward, Charlie McAvoy on defense and Jeremy Swayman in goal. Pastrnak has recorded 100 points in four straight regular seasons and enters the playoffs one goal shy of becoming the eighth player to score 40 postseason goals for the Bruins franchise and can climb within the top 10 on the Original Six franchise’s all-time playoffs points list. McAvoy and Swayman tasted a championship already this season – they both represented Team USA in the country’s gold medal-winning entry at the Olympics – with McAvoy among the top producing defensemen in the League since returning from Milan. The departures of the aforementioned veterans have helped bring in a mix of young players: Fraser Minten (age 21) scored 17 goals as a rookie with a plus-21 rating and homegrown draft pick 19-year-old James Hagens (7th overall in 2025) earned an assist in his NHL debut after arriving from Boston College in April.
Key Players: David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, Morgan Geekie
Ottawa Senators – Wild Card 2
The Senators have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12 to 2012-13 and will look to advance past the opening round for the first time since a Conference Finals appearance in 2017. The depth of the Senators roster has been built through years of drafting and development, including homegrown picks captain Brady Tkachuk (4th overall in 2018), who led Ottawa with 4-3—7 in 6 GP last postseason, leading scorer Tim Stutzle (3rd overall in 2020), first-time 30-goal scorer Drake Batherson (121st overall in 2017) and two of their top defensemen in Jake Sanderson (5th overall in 2020) and Thomas Chabot (18th overall in 2015). The mix of home developed talent with key veteran additions over the past few seasons such as Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, forward Claude Giroux (101 GP in playoffs) and Stanley Cup winners Nick Cousins (2024 w/ FLA), Michael Amadio (2023 w/ VGK) and Lars Eller (2018 w/ WSH) have Ottawa in the hunt for a second straight season.
Key Players: Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Claude Giroux
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CENTRAL DIVISION
Colorado Avalanche – 1st in Central Division
The high-scoring Avalanche (3.63 G/GP in 2025-26; 1st) led the overall NHL standings every day from Nov. 1 through to the end of the season to lock in the franchise’s fourth Presidents’ Trophy and first since 2020-21. While Colorado didn’t win the Stanley Cup in 2021, they did the season after, and most of the key players from that 2022 Stanley Cup-winning team are back for another run: Leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon (who claimed his first career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and whose career 1.32 P/GP rate in the playoffs ranks fifth all-time; min. 50 GP), Conn Smythe Trophy recipient and two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar (whose career 1.08 P/GP rate in the playoffs is tied for second best all-time among defensemen; min. 50 GP), captain Gabriel Landeskog (who played his first full regular season since that 2022 championship) and veteran forward Nazem Kadri, who returned at the NHL Trade Deadline after departing as a free agent the summer immediately following the 2022 Cup win. Colorado not only boasts the highest-scoring offense in the League, the goaltending tandem of Scott Wedgewood (45 GP) and Mackenzie Blackwood (39 GP) combined to win the William M. Jennings Trophy after backstopping the Avalanche to the fewest goals against allowed in 2025-26.
Key Players: Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri
Dallas Stars – 2nd in Central Division
After three consecutive trips to the Conference Finals, the Stars return to the postseason with a new head coach in Glen Gulutzan, in his second tenure with the franchise, but much of the same core looking to take another deep run and push further to the Stanley Cup Final. The Stars roster includes veteran forward Mikko Rantanen, who will appear in his 100th career playoff game in Game 1 and has a career point-per-game rate of 1.24 in the postseason (7th-highest all-time; min. 75 GP). In his first postseason with the Stars, Rantanen scored nine goals in 18 games including back-to-back hat tricks in Game 7 of the First Round and Game 1 of the Second Round. Dallas’ deep offense also makes them the only team in the 2025-26 regular season to boast two 45-goal scorers in Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. Johnston has five career game-winning goals in the playoffs and is tied with Mike Modano (3) and Al MacAdam (3) for the most series-clinching goals in franchise history. At just 26 years of age, top defenseman Miro Heiskanen already has 93 games of playoff experience and holds the franchise mark for most points by a defenseman in a playoff year (26 in 2020). Heiskanen enters the postseason eight points back of Sergei Zubov for most career postseason points by a Stars/North Stars blueliner.
Key Players: Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen
Minnesota Wild – 3rd in Central Division
The Wild took a big swing this season acquiring Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12. Minnesota then reeled off the eighth-best record in the League after the trade with Hughes setting a new single-season mark for points by a defenseman (in just 48 GP). Hughes is one of three Wild skaters that helped Team USA earn a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 alongside forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Brock Faber and the three will look to build off that championship experience to help Minnesota advance past the opening round for the first time since 2014-15 – the trio will look to join a short list of eight players who won Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup in the same season. Four-time 40-goal scorer Kirill Kaprizov drives the offense up front, holding the all-time franchise record for goals in the regular season and two back or surpassing Zach Parise for first on the all-time playoff goals list. An intriguing storyline could be the Trade Deadline acquisition of veteran Nick Foligno to play alongside his brother, Marcus Foligno – the pair could be the first brothers to be on the same Cup-winning team since Scott Niedermayer and Rob Niedermayer (2007 w/ ANA).
Key Players: Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber
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PACIFIC DIVISION
Vegas Golden Knights – 1st in Pacific Division
In just nine years of existence as an NHL franchise, the Golden Knights have finished the regular season as the top seed in their division four times (including in 2025-26), qualified for the playoffs eight times, advanced past the opening round of the postseason five times and made it all the way to two Stanley Cup Finals (winning in 2023). Vegas’ active roster includes 11 players who have won a Stanley Cup (tied for the most among playoff teams) including captain Mark Stone, who has the most playoff goals (tied) in franchise history and scored a hat trick in the 2023 Cup-clinching win, Jack Eichel, who has led the team in playoff points every year since arriving in 2021-22, and Shea Theodore, who holds every major offensive franchise record by a defenseman (regular season and playoffs). A key to Vegas’ success has been the ability to add high-end players to strengthen their group – this season that included forward Mitch Marner, who produced the most points in a debut season in franchise history and had been in the playoffs nine consecutive seasons with the Maple Leafs before joining Vegas, and in-season, defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
Key Players: Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore
Edmonton Oilers – 2nd in Pacific Division
Connor McDavid captured his sixth career Art Ross Trophy in the regular season, has led all players in postseason scoring three times (including each of the last two campaigns) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2024. After consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid and the Oilers will look to return once again to capture McDavid’s first-ever Stanley Cup win and the first by the franchise since 1990. Edmonton has no shortage of playoff performers: McDavid’s career playoff point-per-game rate of 1.56 ranks third in NHL history (min. 25 GP), while Leon Draisaitl’s 1.47 rate ranks fifth all-time. Bouchard has a career 1.08 point-per-game rate in the playoffs, tied with Cale Makar for second all-time among defensemen behind only Bobby Orr (1.24 P/GP). What will be new for the Oilers is the goaltender, with Connor Ingram entering as the starter. Ingram has four games of postseason experience (2022 w/ NSH).
Key Players: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman
Anaheim Ducks – 3rd in Pacific Division
In their first season with three-time Stanley Cup-winning head coach Joel Quenneville behind the bench, the Ducks qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2018. Gone are the Ducks playoff heroes of seasons past – Anaheim qualified for the postseason 12 times in a 15-season stretch from 2002-03 to 2017-18 including a Stanley Cup win in 2007 – such as Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, replaced by a rising cast of young stars that includes leading scorer Cutter Gauthier (age 22), Anaheim’s first 40-goal scorer since Perry in 2013-14; Leo Carlsson (age 21), whose 0.96 point-per-game rate was the highest in a season by an Anaheim skater since Getzlaf in 2017-18; the productive Beckett Sennecke (age 20), just the second rookie in Ducks history to record a 60-point season; and Jackson LaCombe (age 25), whose career-high 58 points was the highest total by a Ducks defenseman since Lubomir Visnovsky in 2010-11. To help guide the young group, the Ducks have added veterans with loads of playoff experience in recent years including: Alex Killorn (140 GP; 2 Stanley Cups), John Carlson (137 GP; 1 Stanley Cup) and Chris Kreider (123 GP; in search of first Stanley Cup).
Key Players: Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, John Carlson
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WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD
Utah Mammoth – Wild Card 1
For the first time in NHL history postseason hockey will be played in the state of Utah, with the Mammoth looking to join the NHL’s two other most recent franchises, the Golden Knights and Kraken, in advancing past the opening round in their debut trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While offensive catalysts leading scorer Clayton Keller (9 GP), 40-goal producer Dylan Guenther (debut) and Logan Cooley (debut) have little playoff experience going in, the Mammoth do have Stanley Cup winning pedigree on the roster, particularly on defense with two-time winners Mikhail Sergachev (2020 & 2021 w/ TBL) and Ian Cole (2016 & 2017 w/ PIT) as well as Nate Schmidt (2025 w/ FLA). Workhorse starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka appeared in more games than any goaltender this season (63 GP) and willalso make his postseason debut. Vejmelka finished the 2025-26 season with 38 wins, second only to Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (39).
Key Players: Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Karel Vejmelka
Los Angeles Kings – Wild Card 2
Prior to the 2025-26 season Anze Kopitar, the longest-tenured player and captain (10 seasons) in franchise history, announced this would be his last in the NHL. On March 14, Kopitar checked one thing off the final season checklist, dethroning Marcel Dionne for first on the franchise’s all-time points list. A two-time Stanley Cup champion already (2012 & 2014), Kopitar will now look to end his career hoisting the Stanley Cup one more time. He’ll attempt to do so alongside veteran defenseman Drew Doughty, the only other remnant from those two Cup wins, and a group of complimentary high-end forwards including four-time 30-goal scorer Adrian Kempe, 23-year-old Quinton Byfield who notched his third straight 20-goal season and veteran producer Artemi Panarin, who averaged over a point per game since joining the Kings Feb. 4 (9-18—27 in 26 GP). In order to give Kopitar a Hollywood send-off, the Kings will need to advance past the opening round for the first time since winning the Cup in 2014.
Key Players: Anze Kopitar, Artemi Panarin, Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe
