All 16 NHL playoff berths are filled with three days left in the regular season and more playoff series have been set.

The Eastern Conference first round series are official after the Boston Bruins won 4-0 to clinch the first wild card seed.

The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Ottawa Senators, the Buffalo Sabres will play the Bruins and the other two series are Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers.

The Utah Mammoth could clinch the top wild-card seed in the West later Tuesday, but the Pacific Division seeds won't be decided until later in the week.

The most-anticipated game had no playoff implications as Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin skated off a 2-1 winner in his season finale. The NHL's all-time leading scorer hasn't said whether he'll return for another season. He faced the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team against which he scored two goals in his NHL debut in 2005. He picked up an assist.

Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket, Tuesday's clinching scenarios and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season before the postseason begins on April 18:

Wild beat Ducks: What it means

Anaheim's 3-2 regulation loss means it doesn't advance in the Pacific Division race and could possibly drop. The Ducks stay at 90 points and the Kings (89) and Mammoth (90) are in action. If both win, Anaheim would drop to the second wild card, meaning a first round matchup against the Avalanche. The Ducks' loss also means the Golden Knights can finish no lower than second in the Pacific, meaning home ice advantage in the first round.

Hurricanes beat Islanders: What it means

Carolina's 2-1 win gives them 113 points. The Hurricanes will have home-ice through the playoffs unless they face the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. Islanders standout rookie Matthew Schaefer was held without a point. He finishes with a record-tying 23 goals by a rookie defenseman, matching Brian Leetch's mark.

Flyers beat Canadiens: What it means

Montreal's 4-2 loss locks them in at third place in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens will open on the road at Tampa. The Flyers will open in Pittsburgh.

Bruins beat Devils: What it means

Boston's 4-0 victory gives them the first wild card seed in the East. They will face the Sabres in the first round and the Hurricanes will face the Senators. The other series are Flyers-Penguins and Canadiens-Lightning.

Alex Ovechkin leaves the ice a winner

If this is Alex Ovechkin's final NHL game, he leaves the ice a winner, 2-1 against the Blue Jackets. He drew an assist on the game winning and finishes with a record 929 goals, 758 assists and 1,687 points in 1,753 career games. He played all 82 games this season and led the Capitals with 32 goals and 64 points at age 40.

He high-fived his teammates as he went off the ice, clapped his hands to acknowledge fans chanting, "Ovi, Ovi," and then skated directly to the dressing room. Ovechkin says he will talk to his family and the team in the offseason and he decides whether to retire or come back for a 22nd season.

Blue Jackets pull goalie

Alex Ovechkin shoots wide of the open net as the puck rolls on him. Fans chanting, "Ovi."

Capitals score on power play

Miles Wood is called for high-sticking. Alex Ovechkin gets off a few shots. Jakob Chychrun scores to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. Ovechkin gets an assist. That's No. 758 for his career.

Ducks, Wild tied after one period

Score is 1-1. The Ducks can move into second place in the Pacific Division if they win.

Capitals go on power play

Alex Ovechkin is in his office in the left faceoff circle. He moves closer to the net and gets off a shot, but Columbus kills that penalty, too.

Alex Ovechkin, Capitals start third period

The Capitals are on the power play. Blue Jackets kill it off.

Canadiens trail Flyers after two periods

Matvei Michkov gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead with his 20th goal of the season, but Jake Evans scored with 11 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-2. If Montreal loses in regulation, Tampa Bay gets home ice in their upcoming first round series.

Bruins have big lead after two periods

Boston is 4-0 against New Jersey. They clinch the first wild card in the Eastern Conference with a victory.

Capitals, Blue Jackets tied after two periods

Columbus' Boone Jenner and Washington's Anthony Beauvillier scored in the period for a 1-1 tie. Alex Ovechkin has one shot and the Capitals will be on the power play to start the third period.

Canadiens get one goal back

Brendan Gallagher cuts the Flyers' lead to 2-1. Montreal needs at least one point in this game to have a chance at home ice in their first round series against Tampa Bay.

Second period underway in Columbus

Washington-Columbus was scoreless, but Boone Jenner just put the Blue Jackets up 1-0. Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who hasn't decided whether this is his last season, had no shots and one hit in the first period.

Flyers lead Canadiens after one

It's 2-0 with Philadelphia goals from Porter Martone and Oliver Bonk. If the Canadiens lose, the Lightning clinch second in the Atlantic Division and home ice in the Tampa Bay-Montreal first round series.

Bruins take big lead

Boston has a 4-0 lead after one period against the Devils. Mark Kastelic has scored twice and Morgan Geekie has scored his 39th goal and Viktor Arvidsson his 25th. If this keeps up, the Bruins clinch the first wild card seed and a first round matchup with the Buffalo Sabres.

TJ Oshie interview with Alex Ovechkin

"Whenever you do step away, what do you think you're going to miss most?" — @TJOshie77

"I didn't step away yet so..." — Alex Ovechkin 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/a3v7QcU4Yk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 14, 2026

Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?

Eastern Conference: Carolina, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Boston, Ottawa

Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Vegas, Edmonton, Anaheim, Utah, Los Angeles

Who can clinch an NHL playoff seed today?

The Bruins will clinch the first wild card in the East if they beat the New Jersey Devils. That would set up a first round meeting with the Sabres. The Ottawa Senators would face the Carolina Hurricanes. Update: The Bruins won and clinched the first wild card.
The idle Lightning will clinch second in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the first round if the Montreal Canadiens lose in regulation. Update: The Canadiens lost to the Flyers and start the first round series at Tampa Bay.
The Mammoth will clinch the first wild card in the West if they beat the Winnipeg Jets and the Los Angeles Kings lose. They'd also clinch if they get one point and the Kings lose in regulation. Utah would face the Pacific Division winner in the first round.
The Kings would finish as the second wild card if they lose in regulation and the Anaheim Ducks and Mammoth pick up at least one point. The Kings would face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. The Kings could move into the third seed in the Pacific if they win on Tuesday and the Ducks lose.

NHL games today (Tuesday, April 14)

Bruins 4, Devils 0
Hurricanes 2, Islanders 1
Flyers 4, Canadiens 2
Capitals 2, Blue Jackets 1
Wild 3, Ducks 2
Winnipeg at Utah, 9
Colorado at Calgary, 9
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 9:30, ESPN
Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10

NHL playoff standings

NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26

After April 13 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.

Metropolitan Division

y-Carolina Hurricanes (113) Eastern Conference winner
x-Pittsburgh Penguins (98)
x-Philadelphia Flyers (98)

Atlantic Division

y-Buffalo Sabres (108)
x-Tampa Bay Lightning (106)
x-Montreal Canadiens (106)

Wild card

x-Boston Bruins (100)
x-Ottawa Senators (97)

Out of the playoffs: z-Washington Capitals (95), z-Columbus Blue Jackets (92), z-Detroit Red Wings (92), z-New York Islanders (91), z-New Jersey Devils (87), z-Florida Panthers (82), z-Toronto Maple Leafs (78), z-New York Rangers (75)

NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26

After completed April 13 games. x-clinched playoff spot. y-clinched division. z-eliminated.

Central Division

y-Colorado Avalanche (117) - Presidents' Trophy winner
x-Dallas Stars (110)
x-Minnesota Wild (104)

Pacific Division

x-Vegas Golden Knights (93)
x-Edmonton Oilers (91)
x-Anaheim Ducks (90)

Wild card

x-Utah Mammoth (90)
x-Los Angeles Kings (89)

Out of the playoffs: z-Nashville Predators (86), z-San Jose Sharks (84), z-Winnipeg Jets (82), z-St. Louis Blues (82), z-Seattle Kraken (79), z-Calgary Flames (75), z-Chicago Blackhawks (70), z-Vancouver Canucks (56)

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 14:

Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2) This series is set
Pittsburgh (M2) vs. Philadelphia (M3) This series is set
Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1) This series is set
Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Montreal (A3) This series is set

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 13.

Colorado (C1) vs. Los Angeles (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3). This series is set
Vegas (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
Edmonton (P2) vs. Anaheim (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

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:

Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
Total wins
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. When more than two clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any odd games) shall be used to determine standings.
Goal differential
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 Saturday, April 18.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2025 NHL playoff schedule, picture, bracket, tiebreaker scenarios

Miles Wood

Streak History

News

Season Chart

Last 10 Games