Walk into any sports bar right now and you'll hear the same frantic debate. Who's in? Who's out? It's January 15, 2026, and the NHL standings are a total mess of "could-be's" and "almost-there's." We aren't actually in the playoffs yet—puck drop for the postseason doesn't happen until April—but if the season ended tonight, the bracket would look absolutely wild.
The Colorado Avalanche are basically playing a different sport than everyone else. Honestly, with 74 points already, they could probably stop playing for three weeks and still keep the top seed in the West. But for the rest of the league, it's a bloodbath.
If you're wondering what hockey teams are in the playoffs as of this morning, you’ve got to look at the "current snapshot." This is the part of the year where a single overtime loss can drop a team from third in their division to the second wild card spot in about three hours.
The Eastern Conference: Chaos in the Atlantic
The Atlantic Division is, frankly, a nightmare. The Tampa Bay Lightning are currently riding an insane 11-game winning streak. They’ve leapfrogged the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens to grab the top spot. It’s kinda funny seeing Montreal up there considering where they were a couple of years ago, but they’ve held on to the third seed with 59 points.
Here is the current "in" list for the East if we started the tournament today:
- Tampa Bay Lightning (Atlantic 1)
- Detroit Red Wings (Atlantic 2)
- Montreal Canadiens (Atlantic 3)
- Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan 1)
- New York Islanders (Metropolitan 2)
- Washington Capitals (Metropolitan 3)
- Boston Bruins (Wild Card 1)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (Wild Card 2)
Look at those wild card spots. The Bruins and the Maple Leafs are currently holding on for dear life. Toronto has 53 points, but the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins are sitting right there at 52. One bad weekend for the Leafs and they are watching the playoffs from the golf course. It’s that tight.
The Metropolitan is a bit more stable at the top. Carolina has been a machine, and the Islanders have surprisingly solid goaltending keeping them ahead of Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals. But honestly, the gap between the third seed and the teams out of the race is almost non-existent.
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Western Conference: Colorado and Everyone Else
The West is a bit of a weird story this year. You have the Avalanche, who have only lost four games in regulation all season. Four! They are currently sitting on 74 points. To put that in perspective, the next closest team in their own division, the Dallas Stars, has 63.
The Pacific Division is much more of a "wait and see" situation. The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers are tied at 54 points. It feels like 2024 all over again with those two fighting for the crown.
If the playoffs started right now, these are the Western teams getting in:
- Colorado Avalanche (Central 1)
- Dallas Stars (Central 2)
- Minnesota Wild (Central 3)
- Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific 1)
- Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2)
- Seattle Kraken (Pacific 3)
- Utah Mammoth (Wild Card 1)
- San Jose Sharks (Wild Card 2)
Yeah, you read that right. The Utah Mammoth—the team everyone was skeptical about—are currently in a playoff spot. And the San Jose Sharks, who were at the bottom of the ocean for years, are holding the final wild card. The Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators are right on their heels, though, both sitting just one or two points back.
Why the "Playoff Picture" is About to Change
Everything I just told you is basically written in sand. Why? Because the 2026 Winter Olympics are coming up in February.
The NHL is taking a 19-day break for the Milano Cortina games. This is huge. Usually, teams use the mid-February stretch to either collapse or make a push. This year, the best players in the world are going to Italy to burn themselves out playing for gold, while the "rest of the guys" get nearly three weeks of vacation.
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When the league returns on February 25, we are going to see some weird stuff. A team like the Avalanche, who will probably send half their roster to the Olympics, might come back exhausted. Meanwhile, a team like the Buffalo Sabres, who might only send a few players, could come back fresh and go on a tear.
If you are betting on what hockey teams are in the playoffs come April, don't sleep on the "Post-Olympic Surge."
Key Matchups to Watch This Week
Since you’re tracking the playoff race, tonight (January 15) has some massive "four-point games." That’s what coaches call them when you play a team you’re fighting for a spot.
Tonight, the Islanders are at the Oilers. That’s two teams currently in playoff positions but neither is safe. If Edmonton loses, they could potentially drop into a wild card spot if the Kraken win their game against Boston.
Then you have Maple Leafs vs. Golden Knights. Toronto is desperate. They are currently the last team in the East. If they lose and the Sabres beat the Canadiens tonight, the Leafs fall out of the playoff picture entirely. For a team with that much payroll, that is a disaster scenario.
The "Bubble" Teams: Who is Snubbed?
It sucks to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan right now. They have 52 points, which is better than some teams in the Western Conference playoff spots, but they are currently on the outside looking in because the East is so top-heavy.
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The Philadelphia Flyers are in the same boat. They are playing "meaningful hockey" in January, which is a win for them, but the math is getting hard. They need to leapfrog both the Penguins and the Sabres just to get a shot at Toronto's wild card spot.
In the West, the Los Angeles Kings are the team to watch. They have 48 points and a massive game against the Ducks coming up on Friday. They are basically one winning streak away from kicking the Sharks out of that final spot.
What You Should Do Next
If you're trying to keep track of the movement, stop looking at "Wins" and start looking at "Games in Hand." For example, the Buffalo Sabres have played 44 games while the Bruins have played 47. Those three extra games for Buffalo are basically "banked" points if they can win them.
Actionable Steps for Fans:
- Check the "ROW" Stat: Regulation Plus Overtime Wins is the first tiebreaker. If two teams have 54 points, the team with more ROW gets the higher seed.
- Watch the Atlantic Division on Mondays: The new "Prime Monday Night Hockey" usually features Atlantic teams this year, and that’s where the most movement is happening.
- Mark February 25 on your calendar: That is the day the NHL returns from the Olympic break. The standings will likely flip upside down within ten days of that restart.
The race for the 16 spots is only halfway over. While Colorado feels like a lock, the difference between a playoff berth and a draft lottery pick for about 12 other teams is going to come down to the final week in April. Keep an eye on the point percentages—they usually tell a truer story than the total points this time of year.