NHL Playoff Bracket Update: March 9 — The West Is Set, the East Is a War

Twenty games left. April 16 is the finish line. And the 2026 NHL playoffs are starting to look a lot more like a settled bracket — at least out West. In the East, three teams are going to fight through the final weeks of the regular season for two spots, and it’s not going to be clean.

Here’s where everything stands as of today.

The Western Bracket: Basically Locked

The Colorado Avalanche are C1 and running away with it. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are playing like they have a grudge against the rest of the league, and the Nazem Kadri acquisition at the deadline gave them the legitimate second-line centre they’ve been missing since Kadri left the first time. Colorado is the class of the West. If you’re not talking about them as the Stanley Cup favourite, you’re not paying attention.

Dallas is sitting C2, Jason Robertson doing his thing. Minnesota holds C3. That Central Division bracket is as clean as it gets — three teams that legitimately belong in the playoffs.

In the Pacific, the Anaheim Ducks have quietly built something real. P1. The Utah Mammoth are in as WC1 — yes, Utah, which is a headline that still hasn’t fully sunk in. Vegas holds P2. Edmonton sits P3, and whatever you think of the Connor McDavid Oilers in the regular season, they’re always more dangerous come April than their seed suggests.

The only real drama left out West is the second wild card. Seattle currently holds that WC2 spot, but the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators are both sitting at 64 points — three back of the Kraken. That’s roughly a game and a half in the standings with 20 to play. Winnable? Yes. But the Kings and Predators would need to run it down while Seattle keeps stumbling. Neither of those things is guaranteed.

The projected Western matchups right now:

• Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken
• Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild
• Anaheim Ducks vs. Utah Mammoth
• Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers

The Eastern Bracket: Two Spots, Three Teams

This is where things get ugly — in the best possible way.

The Leaders Are Set

Carolina Hurricanes are M1 at 86 points in 62 games. They’re on a pace north of 113 points over 82 games and their playoff odds are essentially 100%. The Canes have been the most consistent team in the East all season and the bracket would reward them accordingly.

Tampa Bay Lightning sit at A1 with 80 points in 60 games. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Jon Cooper’s system are still built for May and June. Don’t overthink Tampa.

Buffalo Sabres are locked in at A2 — also 80 points, but in 62 games, so slightly behind Tampa on pace. The Sabres adding Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn, and Sam Carrick at the deadline was about getting tougher for a playoff run. Montreal sits A3 with 76 points in 61 games.

Metropolitan Division rounds out: Pittsburgh at M2, Islanders at M3.

Projected Eastern matchups right now:

• Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings (WC1)
• Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens (A3)
• Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins (WC2)
• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders

The Wild Card Fight That’s Going to Give Fans Ulcers

Here’s what actually matters in the East between now and April 16: two wild card spots, three serious teams.

Detroit Red Wings currently hold WC1 at 77 points. Boston Bruins are WC2. And the Columbus Blue Jackets are sitting just three points back of the Bruins, knocking on the door for the second wild card.

Three points in late March is nothing. That’s a single regulation win plus an OT loss. The Blue Jackets are absolutely alive.

What makes this race fascinating is the chaos of it. All three teams still have head-to-head games to play. Boston has been inconsistent enough this season that nobody should feel safe putting them in the bracket yet. Detroit has earned their spot — they’ve been the surprise of the Eastern Conference this year — but 20 games is a long time to hold a position.

Columbus is the underdog, but underdogs don’t need much. A stretch of five or six wins in a row while Boston coughs it up and Detroit runs into a tough schedule? That’s a realistic sequence of events.

Florida Panthers are effectively eliminated — sitting 10 points back of that second wild card. Don’t wait around for a Panthers comeback.

What I’m Watching This Week

The Western wild card battle between Seattle, LA, and Nashville deserves more attention than it’s getting nationally. The Kings have the kind of depth to go on a run, and Nashville under their new structure has played tighter hockey down the stretch than earlier in the season. Seattle has been inconsistent enough that this race isn’t over.

In the East, every Columbus, Detroit, and Boston game matters. Check the standings every morning. This is the time of year where you refresh the app after the late games and find out someone just changed the picture.

The bracket is tightening. The teams worth being scared of in the West are obvious. In the East, it’s a genuine melee for that last spot — and the team that survives it might actually be loose and dangerous by the time they hit the playoffs.

We’ve got 20 games left. It’s the best time of year.

Who do you think grabs that second Eastern wild card — Boston, Detroit, or does Columbus pull off the heist? Drop your take on social media or in the comments.