NHL playoff watch: Guide to all 15 games on Showdown Saturday

There are just three weeks until the start of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. As chaotic as the standings have been the past few weeks, it’s only going to get wilder now that the pressure is ramped up.

NHL fans are in for a treat on what’s been dubbed Showdown Saturday, with 15 games throughout the course of the day.

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And instead of the usual “eight games starting at 7 p.m. ET” trick, the start times have been staggered earlier in the day, too!

So without any further preamble, let’s dive right into the storylines ahead of each contest in regards to playoff positioning, the draft lottery and more:

Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning1 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Senators were in a playoff spot earlier this week, and are pushing to get there again. They enter play a point behind the Islanders and two behind the Bruins for the wild-card spots; importantly, Ottawa holds the regulation-wins tiebreaker over both of those clubs. On the other side, the Lightning still have designs on an Atlantic Division title; they are two points and two regulation wins behind the Sabres, with two games in hand.

Florida Panthers at New York Islanders1 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Well, we knew the Panthers might be a little out of sorts this season after two straight Cups (and a Cup Final appearance the year before that), and their playoff hopes are closing in on zero. However, they are in line for a top-10 draft pick, currently sitting No. 8 in the lottery standings. The Islanders are hanging on to a playoff spot by a thread; getting wins in games like this one against a non-playoff team are crucial.

Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

If you’d told a hockey fan prior to the season that this game would pit a team with a five-point Pacific Division lead against one battling it out for the No. 2 or 3 seed, they’d likely have replied, “Wow, good for the Ducks to eke their way in!” Instead, it’s Connor McDavid and friends whose playoff lives are in a bit more peril. A win here by Anaheim would put it seven points ahead of Edmonton, while a decision the other way would drop the Ducks’ lead to three.

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Minnesota Wild at Boston Bruins5 p.m. ET (NHL Network)

This will be the final meeting of the season between U.S. Olympic teammates Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman (Bruins) with Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber (Wild) — unless they meet again in the Cup Final. The Wild are on the cusp of clinching a spot, with a magic number of two; the Bruins have quite a bit more work to do, with the Senators and Red Wings nipping at their heels. Also of note: the B’s are just two points back of the Canadiens for the No. 3 spot in the Atlantic.

Dallas Stars at Pittsburgh Penguins5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Another green vs. yellow matchup! The Stars have clinched a postseason spot and are likely to be paired up with the Wild in Round 1, as they enter Saturday nine points back of the Avalanche for first in the Central. Pittsburgh has been swapping spots with the Blue Jackets and Islanders recently. As it stands heading into this one, the Penguins are the Metro’s No. 2 seed, one point and two regulation wins ahead of both Columbus and New York.

New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Hurricanes appear destined to win another Metro crown, with an eight-point lead over the Penguins. What remains to be won is the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed; Carolina enters the day tied in the standings with Buffalo, but ahead on the games played tiebreaker. Of note, they have five fewer regulation wins than the Sabres. As for the Devils, a late-season surge has been encouraging for 2026-27, but a playoff spot would require an extraordinary amount of help from opponents of the teams ahead of them. New Jersey sits No. 12 in the draft lottery standings.

San Jose Sharks at Columbus Blue Jackets5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Last season, the Blue Jackets remained in the playoff race until the final week of the season, ultimately just missing the cut by two points. This season, the Hockey Gods appear to be on their side, as they hold the Metro’s No. 3 spot heading into Saturday. They are a point behind the Penguins for second, and a tiebreaker ahead of the Islanders. San Jose finished 44 points out of a playoff spot in 2024-25, so the fact that they have any chance at all at this stage is a vast improvement. But if they are going to make it, they’ll need to start earning points more regularly; the Predators hold the second Western wild card six points ahead of the Sharks, and the Golden Knights are eight points ahead in the battle for third in the Pacific.

Seattle Kraken at Buffalo Sabres5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Kraken are even closer to the playoff mix than the Sharks — three points behind Nashville, five behind Vegas — but face an even more challenging opponent Saturday. The Sabres are on an epic run; as a result, they hold a two-point lead in the Atlantic Division, and are a tiebreaker behind Carolina for first overall in the East.

Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

This is the first matchup of the slate featuring two lottery-bound teams; unfortunately for the Leafs, their pick belongs to Boston unless it falls in the top five. As of now, Toronto is 10th in the lotto standings, in the middle of a cluster of eight teams between 71 and 76 points. One of the teams at the end of that cluster is the St. Louis Blues, who hold the No. 5 position with 71 points.

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Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Is it a bigger surprise that the Canadiens are on pace for 104 points, or that the Predators are in line to earn a playoff spot after how dreadful last season (and the start of this one) went? Montreal is four points (and seven regulation wins) back of Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic, and has a two-point edge on Boston to retain their No. 3 position. Nashville is just a point ahead of Los Angeles for the second Western wild card, and three points behind Utah for the first.

Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The NHL awards the Presidents’ Trophy to the team with the best regular-season record. In 2024-25, that team was the Jets. In 2025-26, that team will likely be the Avalanche. Sadly for the wonderful fans of Winnipeg, the Jets’ success last season didn’t carry over into this one, and they enter Saturday five points back of Nashville for the wild card. Maybe the club will have some lottery luck, and it enters the day in seventh in the draft standings.

Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings8 p.m. ET (ABC)

Time is running out for both of these teams to vault into a playoff spot. As play begins Saturday, the Red Wings are one point back of the second wild card, two back of the first, and four back of Montreal for the Atlantic’s No. 3 seed. The Flyers have four additional points to make up — although their pathway in the Metro is slightly easier, with the Blue Jackets five points ahead in the No. 3 spot and the Penguins six ahead for second.

Utah Mammoth at Los Angeles Kings9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

As the end of Anze Kopitar’s career comes into sight, the Kings remain alive for a playoff berth, but must surpass the Predators for a wild card (they are one point back), the Golden Knights for No. 3 in the Pacific (they are three points behind) … or the Mammoth themselves, who are four points ahead. One wrinkle: Los Angeles will almost certainly need to get ahead of teams on standings points, as they are well behind everyone else in the regulation wins column.

Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames10 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Here’s our other draft lottery positioning game of the day — although it’s exceedingly unlikely that any team “catches” the Canucks, who are 15 points clear of anyone else in the No. 1 position in the draft lottery standings. Calgary enters the day in fourth in the lottery standings, one point behind the Blackhawks and three behind the Rangers.

Washington Capitals at Vegas Golden Knights10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Will this be Alex Ovechkin’s final visit to Las Vegas as a member of the Capitals? If so, his team could really use the points as it looks to chase down even a wild-card spot. As the slate begins, the Caps are six points back of the Isles and Blue Jackets, although if they do get back in the mix, their regulation-wins total (currently 31) might well beat out anyone if it comes down to tiebreakers. As for the hosts, the Golden Knights appear much more likely to return to the playoffs — largely because of the relative weakness of the Pacific Division — but could certainly use any additional points they can get to bolster their chances.

Every team has around 10 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 Boston BruinsA2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Montreal Canadiens

M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 New York IslandersM2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 Columbus Blue Jackets

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Nashville PredatorsC2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild

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

Saturday’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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Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning, 1 p.m.Florida Panthers at New York Islanders, 1 p.m.Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers, 3:30 p.m.Minnesota Wild at Boston Bruins, 5 p.m. (NHLN)Dallas Stars at Pittsburgh Penguins, 5 p.m.New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m.San Jose Sharks at Columbus Blue Jackets, 5 p.m.Seattle Kraken at Buffalo Sabres, 5:30 p.m.Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m.Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators, 7 p.m.Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche, 7 p.m.Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings, 8 p.m. (ABC)Utah Mammoth at Los Angeles Kings, 9 p.m.Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames, 10 p.m.Washington Capitals at Vegas Golden Knights, 10:30 p.m.

Friday night’s scoreboard

Detroit Red Wings 5, Buffalo Sabres 2New York Rangers 6, Chicago Blackhawks 1

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 96Regulation wins: 37Playoff position: A1Games left: 9Points pace: 107.8Next game: vs. SEA (Saturday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Magic number: 10Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94Regulation wins: 35Playoff position: A2Games left: 11Points pace: 108.6Next game: vs. OTT (Saturday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Magic number: 12Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: A3Games left: 11Points pace: 103.9Next game: @ NSH (Saturday)Playoff chances: 93.8%Magic number: 16Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88Regulation wins: 29Playoff position: WC1Games left: 10Points pace: 100.2Next game: vs. MIN (Saturday)Playoff chances: 65%Magic number: 18Tragic number: N/A

Points: 86Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 97.9Next game: @ TB (Saturday)Playoff chances: 74.5%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 19

Points: 86Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 97.9Next game: vs. PHI (Saturday)Playoff chances: 32.1%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 19

Points: 75Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 84.3Next game: @ STL (Saturday)Playoff chances: ~0%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 6

Points: 73Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Points pace: 84.3Next game: @ NYI (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 8

Metro Division

Points: 96Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: M1Games left: 11Points pace: 110.9Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Magic number: 10Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88Regulation wins: 29Playoff position: M2Games left: 10Points pace: 100.2Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)Playoff chances: 90.1%Magic number: 18Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: M3Games left: 10Points pace: 99.1Next game: vs. SJ (Saturday)Playoff chances: 82.1%Magic number: 19Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: WC2Games left: 9Points pace: 97.7Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)Playoff chances: 49.1%Magic number: 19Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Points pace: 94.7Next game: @ DET (Saturday)Playoff chances: 10.8%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 17

Points: 81Regulation wins: 31Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 91.0Next game: @ VGK (Saturday)Playoff chances: 2.3%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 12

Points: 76Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Points pace: 87.8Next game: @ CAR (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0.3%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 11

Points: 67Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 75.3Next game: vs. NYI (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0%Magic number: N/ATragic number: OUT

Central Division

Points: 106Regulation wins: 42Playoff position: C1Games left: 11Points pace: 122.4Next game: vs. WPG (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Magic number: INTragic number: N/A

Points: 97Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: C2Games left: 10Points pace: 110.5Next game: @ PIT (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Magic number: INTragic number: N/A

Points: 94Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: C3Games left: 9Points pace: 105.6Next game: @ BOS (Saturday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Magic number: 2Tragic number: N/A

Points: 80Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: WC1Games left: 9Points pace: 89.9Next game: @ LA (Saturday)Playoff chances: 96.4%Magic number: 16Tragic number: N/A

Points: 77Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: WC2Games left: 10Points pace: 87.7Next game: vs. MTL (Saturday)Playoff chances: 34.9%Magic number: 19Tragic number: N/A

Points: 72Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 82.0Next game: @ COL (Saturday)Playoff chances: 2.3%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 15

Points: 71Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Points pace: 82.0Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)Playoff chances: 5.2%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 16

Points: 67Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 9Points pace: 75.3Next game: @ NJ (Sunday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 8

Pacific Division

Points: 86Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: P1Games left: 10Points pace: 97.9Next game: @ EDM (Saturday)Playoff chances: 99.9%Magic number: 10Tragic number: N/A

Points: 81Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: P2Games left: 9Points pace: 91.0Next game: vs. ANA (Saturday)Playoff chances: 94%Magic number: 15Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: P3Games left: 9Points pace: 88.7Next game: vs. WSH (Saturday)Playoff chances: 97.7%Magic number: 17Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76Regulation wins: 19Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 86.6Next game: vs. UTA (Saturday)Playoff chances: 38.2%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 19

Points: 74Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Points pace: 85.5Next game: @ BUF (Saturday)Playoff chances: 5.9%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 19

Points: 71Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 12Points pace: 83.2Next game: @ CBJ (Saturday)Playoff chances: 25.5%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 18

Points: 68Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 10Points pace: 77.4Next game: vs. VAN (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0.1%Magic number: N/ATragic number: 11

Points: 50Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Points pace: 57.8Next game: @ CGY (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0%Magic number: N/ATragic number: OUT

Note: An “x” with a team’s name means the club has clinched a playoff spot. An “e” means that the club has been mathematically eliminated.

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: 50Regulation wins: 14

Points: 67Regulation wins: 20

Points: 68Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71Regulation wins: 26

Points: 71Regulation wins: 20

Points: 72Regulation wins: 24

Points: 73Regulation wins: 27

Points: 74Regulation wins: 25

Points: 75Regulation wins: 23

Points: 76Regulation wins: 19

Points: 76Regulation wins: 25

Points: 81Regulation wins: 31