NHL Standings: First round of the playoffs is looking like the battle of Pennsylvania

The Islanders have had a 3-7-0 record from March 19th, which cost Patrick Roy his job as head coach after NYI fell completely out of the playoff picture. The Blue Jackets did their part to hold the door open for others to catch up, posting a 1-6-1 record since March 22nd. The Washington Capitals were looking like they could be that surprise team, especially after this past Tuesday when the Caps defeated the Flyers 6-4 to mark their third straight win and put themselves in a surprisingly strong position to make a late run at things.

That run stopped rather suddenly with losses to New Jersey (7-3) on Thursday and then last night to the Rangers with an 8-1 score that punts on the season. That left an unlikely team to walk through the door opened up by the Islanders and Blue Jackets faltering. And it was those Flyers who have done just that.

Despite the loss to Washington on Tuesday, Philadelphia was 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games before that, quietly sneaking back into the picture as the trouble started on Long Island and in Columbus. That strong March gave Philadelphia the juice to pop up and defeat NYI on Friday night to create a big change in the standings. The Flyers would follow it up with a 2-1 OT win against Boston that featured Porter Martone’s first career goal as the game winner.

Suddenly, the battle of Pennsylvania could add another chapter in the 2026 playoffs. There is now a 52% chance that the first round of these Stanley Cup Playoffs features the battle of Pennsylvania. pic.