NHL playoff watch: What's at stake in all 15 games on Saturday

Two weeks from Saturday, the opening faceoff of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs will occur on the networks of ESPN. As of now, nine spots have been clinched -- including the No. 1 overall seed in the league and the Metro Division title -- but that leaves seven more up for grabs.

But with 15 games on the schedule today, hockey fans are calling it "Supreme Saturday," with the possibility of a handful of more spots being locked in before the final buzzer of the evening.

So what's at stake in each game? Here's a snapshot of each matchup, from the first puck drop at 12:30 p.m. ET all the way until the last game, which gets underway at 10 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins
12:30 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)

Although the Lightning have clinched a playoff spot, they can improve their position in the Atlantic Division bracket, sitting two points behind the Canadiens for second and four points behind the Sabres for first. If they win the division title, their first-round matchup could be against the first wild card, which could be these very same Bruins. Boston clinches a playoff spot with a win; a loss of any stripe makes it a little more interesting throughout the rest of the day.

Ottawa Senators at New York Islanders
1 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Sens are currently in possession of the second wild-card spot, with a three-point edge on the Islanders. A win doesn't win them the spot -- the Red Wings could still catch them, pending their result Saturday -- but it would mean the Islanders would not be the ones doing so. However, New York does have another way into the playoffs: the Metro Division's No. 3 seed. The Islanders enter Saturday one point back of the Flyers, but with four additional regulation wins should the two teams tie in points by season's end.

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins
3 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)

Will this be the last time Alex Ovechkin plays against the Penguins in Pittsburgh? We won't know that perhaps until the summer. But, there are playoff stakes in play here, too. The Penguins are locked in to the No. 2 seed in the Metro. (The Flyers can catch up in points, but lose the RW tiebreaker.) On the other side, the Caps essentially need to win out and get some help from the opponents of the teams ahead of them. They are three points back of Philly heading into this game but also have two teams between them and the Flyers.

Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings
4 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

It's unlikely that these two teams would play one another for a fifth straight first round but not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Edmonton enters this one atop the Pacific Division, with a one-point lead on the Golden Knights and Ducks (and an edge of three and six RW, respectively); they can clinch a playoff berth with a win here and some help. The Kings are five points back of the Oilers, and currently in possession of the second Western wild card, one point ahead of the Predators and three up on the Jets. Earning points in every game is crucial for L.A., as the team has just 20 regulation wins, which will be fewer than any other possible playoff team with which they would need a tiebreaker.

New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings
5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

If the Devils were in the Western Conference, they'd be two back of the Kings for the wild card. As it stands, they're mathematically eliminated and trying to play spoiler. Simultaneously, they are 11th in the draft lottery order, meaning they are in the final spot that could jump up to No. 1 should they win the draw. The Red Wings are still battling for the final playoff spot in the East, but opportunities are running out. They enter this game three points back of the Senators -- and six back in the RW column, meaning they'll need to jump over them outright to earn the ticket.

St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks
5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

At various times, this classic Norris Division rivalry would have had major playoff implications come April 11. Instead, this one is all about positioning in the draft lottery. Chicago enters the day in second, with 70 points and 21 regulation wins. The Blues are mathematically alive for the postseason as play begins but have no room to spare (either themselves or via wins by the teams ahead of them). They are one of three teams entering play with 78 points, and sit in eighth in the draft lottery order.

Minnesota Wild at Nashville Predators
5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The Wild are locked in to a first-round matchup against the Stars as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Central, but they are still fighting for home-ice advantage in that series, entering play four points back of Dallas. The Preds are a point back of the Kings for the second wild-card spot (and a first-round matchup against the Avalanche). As noted above, the Preds do have the RW tiebreak advantage over L.A., but they need to start stringing together some W's for that to matter.

New York Rangers at Dallas Stars
5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Speaking of the Stars, they can clinch home-ice advantage in the series against the Wild with a win over the Rangers; any other result and things stay interesting. As for the Rangers, they were the first team in the East to be mathematically eliminated, but some (relatively) strong post-elimination play has them fourth in the draft lottery order, two behind the Flames for third and two ahead of the Kraken for fifth.

Carolina Hurricanes at Utah Mammoth
5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

There's not much left on the line for the Hurricanes. Carolina is currently the No. 1 seed in the East but holds just a two-point edge over Buffalo. A win here -- and a loss by the Sabres on Monday against Chicago -- clinches home ice through the East bracket. The home side has clinched a playoff spot, and needs a win of any kind and a Kings loss of any kind to clinch the first wild-card position -- and a first-round matchup against the Pacific champ.

Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs
7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Last season, these two clubs staged an epic showdown in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. This season ... well, things didn't exactly go as planned for either side -- although Toronto's Auston Matthews and Florida's Matthew Tkachuk won Olympic gold with Team USA. The Leafs and Panthers enter play with 78 points, tied with St. Louis in the draft lottery order, and one behind fifth-place Seattle. As we know, if Toronto lands in the top five, they can retain their pick; if they don't, it goes to Boston thanks to the trade for Brandon Carlo last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens
7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

As of their March 24 win over the Flyers, the Blue Jackets appeared to be a sure thing to end their playoff drought; alas, in the time since -- starting with a loss to the Canadiens -- they have gone 1-6-1, and their playoff hopes are now on the brink. They are four points back of the Senators (and will not win the RW tiebreaker) but still just two back of the Flyers (against whom they currently have a two-regulation win edge). Unfortunately, Montreal really wants this W, too; a win pulls them even with the Sabres in standings points (106), though they would still be behind due to the RW tiebreaker.

Philadelphia Flyers at Winnipeg Jets
7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Speaking of the Flyers, their turnaround has been remarkable, from a team some thought was still rebuilding to currently the No. 3 team in the Metro. As the saying goes, they control their own destiny with three games remaining and a one-point margin over the peloton chasing them. The Jets are three points back of the Kings for the second Western wild card but do hold a substantial edge in regulation wins should they tie by season's end. Can Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor pull off the Olympic-Stanley Cup double?

Calgary Flames at Seattle Kraken
7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Having been eliminated this week, the Flames are keeping close tabs on the draft lottery order; they enter play in third, with 73 points and 25 regulation wins behind Chicago's 70 points and 21 RW. The Kraken are hanging on to playoff hopes by just a sea troll hair, but are simultaneously fifth in the draft lotto order. They begin play Saturday two behind the Rangers for fourth, and four back of the Flames for third.

Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche
8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)

Of the two teams, the Golden Knights clearly need a win here more, with a one-point deficit in the Pacific Division race and just a tiebreaker lead over the Ducks in the 2-vs.-3 seeding. But despite having clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, the Avs know that this is a team they could see down the road in the Western Conference finals. Might there be some message sending in this one?

Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks
10 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

For a while there, it looked like the Sharks were going to pull off a wild, basement-to-playoffs run this season. That's looking more unlikely by the day, although the door remains slightly ajar, with a four-point deficit to make up on the Kings in the final week. As for the Canucks, it became clear early on that this team was not going to be too dangerous this season, and Vancouver clinched the worst record in the league over a week ago. The Canucks will draft no worse than third overall in the first round this June as the front office works to put a more competitive team on the ice next season.

Every team has four or fewer games remaining before the regular season concludes on Thursday, and we'll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. 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 matchups
Today's schedule
Last night's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Buffalo Sabres vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
A2 Montreal Canadiens vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning

M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Ottawa Senators
M2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Los Angeles Kings
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild

P1 Edmonton Oilers vs. WC1 Utah Mammoth
P2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. P3 Anaheim Ducks

Today's games

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

Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins, 12:30 p.m. (ABC)
Ottawa Senators at New York Islanders, 1 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 p.m. (ABC)
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings, 4 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings, 5 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks, 5 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at Nashville Predators, 5 p.m.
New York Rangers at Dallas Stars, 5 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Utah Mammoth, 5 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Seattle Kraken, 7 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche, 8 p.m. (ABC)
Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m.

Last night's scoreboard

There were no games on Friday.

Expanded standings

Note: An "x" with a team's name means the club has clinched a playoff spot; a "y" means that they have clinched the division; a "z" indicates that they have clinched the best record in the conference; a "p" means they have clinched the top overall seed. An "e" means that the club has been mathematically eliminated. Teams clinch a playoff spot when their magic number reaches zero and are mathematically eliminated when their tragic number reaches zero.

Atlantic Division

Metro Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

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.

*Note: The Maple Leafs' pick belongs to the Bruins, unless it lands in the top five.