Stanley Cup playoffs field set as NHL regular season winds down
Three NHL teams clinched Stanley Cup playoff berths on Monday, April 13. They squeezed in just before the door closed on the 2025-26 postseason field. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings earned spots in the Western Conference, while the Philadelphia Flyers snagged the final Eastern Conference berth.
With that, the playoff field is set with three days remaining in the regular season. Although dangling questions about seeding and matchups remain, 16 teams are in the postseason. After that, the Stanley Cup playoffs begin Saturday, April 18.
MORE: Oilers coach trusts goalie Connor Ingram’s form ahead of NHL playoffs NHL Public Relations trumpeted the news early on Tuesday, April 14, with interesting statistics about the field. Six teams that didn’t qualify in 2025 Buffalo Sabres Boston Bruins Pittsburgh Penguins Philadelphia Flyers Utah Mammoth Anaheim Ducks Seven teams with new head coaches Sabres (Lindy Ruff, second stint) Penguins (Dan Muse) Flyers (Rick Tocchet) Bruins (Marco Sturm) Ducks (Joel Quenneville) Vegas Golden Knights (John Tortorella) Dallas Stars (Glen Gulutzan, second stint) Last four spots in Eastern Conference last season Penguins Sabres Bruins Flyers In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes clinched the No. 1 seed and will meet the second wild card in the first round.
The Boston Bruins lead the Ottawa Senators by one point for the top wild card with one game remaining for each team. The top wild-card team will face off against the Atlantic Division champion Buffalo Sabres, who ended an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought. Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (22) and defenseman Bowen Byram (4) celebrate the goal by left wing Jason Zucker (17) against the New York Rangers.
| Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images The No. 2 vs. No.