NHL playoff standings: How high will the Sharks finish?

The Pacific Division has been the NHL’s most difficult to figure out when it comes to projections for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

As play begins Tuesday, the Anaheim Ducks are in first, with 77 points through 67 games, followed by the Vegas Golden Knights (76 through 67) and Edmonton Oilers (75 through 68). Those teams have been flipping positions all season, and it’s been a similar scenario for the three clubs behind them: The Seattle Kraken hold the second wild card, with 71 points in 66 games, with the Los Angeles Kings (71 through 67) and San Jose Sharks (70 through 65) battling for that spot.

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The projections from Stathletes have the Golden Knights and Ducks both finishing with 96 points, followed by the Oilers at 91.6 and the Sharks at 87.9. Given that the Sharks haven’t qualified for the playoffs since 2018-19, any postseason opportunity is a welcome change.

Of course, earning the second wild card comes with a first-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars — the Sharks have a win and two losses against both clubs. Could San Jose sneak into one of the higher positions in the Pacific?

That journey continues Tuesday with a game against the Oilers (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Sharks have a win and an overtime loss to the Oilers so far, with an additional game on the books for April 8. These “four-point swing” games are critical, and they have two more such games left against the Ducks as well.

Aside from the games against the Oilers and Ducks, the Sharks play 13 more games this season, with just one current playoff team on the docket: the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

So while San Jose starts this final stretch of the season five to seven points behind its divisional competition, the opportunity is certainly there to eclipse all of those teams based on that strength of remaining schedule.

Every team has around 15 games remaining before the regular season concludes April 16, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch every day. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2026 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:Current playoff matchupsToday’s scheduleLast night’s scoresExpanded standingsRace for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Buffalo Sabres vs. WC1 Detroit Red WingsA2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens

M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Boston BruinsM2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 New York Islanders

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Seattle KrakenC2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild

P1 Anaheim Ducks vs. WC1 Utah MammothP2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Tuesday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

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New York Islanders at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m.San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.Florida Panthers at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.Buffalo Sabres at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.Tampa Bay Lightning at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m. (TNT)

Monday night’s scoreboard

Detroit Red Wings 5, Calgary Flames 2New Jersey Devils 4, Boston Bruins 3 (OT)Los Angeles Kings 4, New York Rangers 1Utah Mammoth 6, Dallas Stars 3Pittsburgh Penguins 7, Colorado Avalanche 2

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 88Regulation wins: 34Playoff position: A1Games left: 15Points pace: 107.7Next game: @ VGK (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 99.8%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84Regulation wins: 31Playoff position: A2Games left: 17Points pace: 106.0Next game: @ SEA (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 99.6%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: A3Games left: 16Points pace: 101.9Next game: vs. BOS (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 93.5%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: WC1Games left: 14Points pace: 98.9Next game: vs. MTL (Thursday)Playoff chances: 27%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 81Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: WC2Games left: 15Points pace: 99.1Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 73.2%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 77Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 95.7Next game: @ WSH (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 65.2%Tragic number: 28

Points: 70Regulation wins: 21Playoff position: N/AGames left: 14Points pace: 84.4Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 17

Points: 69Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 85.7Next game: @ VAN (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 20

Metro Division

Points: 90Regulation wins: 31Playoff position: M1Games left: 16Points pace: 111.8Next game: @ CBJ (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 83Regulation wins: 29Playoff position: M2Games left: 15Points pace: 101.6Next game: @ CAR (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 81.5%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 81Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: M3Games left: 15Points pace: 99.1Next game: @ TOR (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 68.8%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 98.2Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 77.2%Tragic number: 30

Points: 74Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 91.9Next game: @ ANA (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 7%Tragic number: 25

Points: 74Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 14Points pace: 89.2Next game: vs. OTT (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 6.3%Tragic number: 21

Points: 70Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: N/AGames left: 15Points pace: 85.7Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 1%Tragic number: 19

Points: 64Regulation wins: 19Playoff position: N/AGames left: 15Points pace: 78.3Next game: vs. NJ (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 13

Central Division

Points: 97Regulation wins: 39Playoff position: C1Games left: 16Points pace: 120.5Next game: vs. DAL (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: C2Games left: 15Points pace: 115.1Next game: @ COL (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: C3Games left: 14Points pace: 106.1Next game: @ CHI (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: WC1Games left: 14Points pace: 91.7Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)Playoff chances: 96.6%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 67Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 83.2Next game: @ WPG (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 3.3%Tragic number: 28

Points: 66Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 82Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 1.7%Tragic number: 27

Points: 64Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: N/AGames left: 15Points pace: 78.3Next game: @ CGY (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 0.8%Tragic number: 23

Points: 61Regulation wins: 18Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 75.8Next game: vs. MIN (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 0.5%Tragic number: 22

Pacific Division

Points: 77Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: P1Games left: 15Points pace: 94.2Next game: vs. PHI (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 99.6%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: P2Games left: 15Points pace: 93.0Next game: vs. BUF (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 96.4%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 75Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: P3Games left: 14Points pace: 90.4Next game: vs. SJ (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 86.1%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 71Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: WC2Games left: 16Points pace: 88.2Next game: vs. TB (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 32.3%Tragic number: N/A

Points: 71Regulation wins: 18Playoff position: N/AGames left: 15Points pace: 86.9Next game: vs. PHI (Thursday)Playoff chances: 18.1%Tragic number: 30

Points: 70Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 17Points pace: 88.3Next game: @ EDM (Tuesday)Playoff chances: 64.7%Tragic number: 33

Points: 59Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: N/AGames left: 15Points pace: 72.2Next game: vs. STL (Wednesday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 18

Points: 48Regulation wins: 13Playoff position: N/AGames left: 16Points pace: 59.6Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)Playoff chances: ~0%Tragic number: 9

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Atop draft boards for this summer is Gavin McKenna, a forward for Penn State.

Points: 48Regulation wins: 13

Points: 59Regulation wins: 22

Points: 61Regulation wins: 18

Points: 64Regulation wins: 19

Points: 64Regulation wins: 24

Points: 66Regulation wins: 23

Points: 67Regulation wins: 22

Points: 69Regulation wins: 26

Points: 70Regulation wins: 21

Points: 70Regulation wins: 22

Points: 70Regulation wins: 20

Points: 71Regulation wins: 18