Honestly, if you’re looking at the standings for hockey playoffs right now and your head isn't spinning, you probably aren't paying close enough attention. It’s mid-January 2026. The NHL season is at that weird, frantic midway point where the pretenders start falling off and the heavy hitters are basically just trying to survive the grind.
But here’s the thing: most fans just look at the points. That’s a mistake.
Points tell you who won last night, but they don't always tell you who’s actually going to be playing in May. Between the "loser point" for overtime defeats and the chaotic nature of the wild card race, the picture is a lot messier than the surface-level table suggests.
The Current State of the 2026 Playoff Picture
The Eastern Conference is currently a complete bloodbath.
As of January 18, 2026, the Carolina Hurricanes are sitting pretty at the top of the Metropolitan Division with 64 points. They’ve been remarkably consistent, but the gap between them and the pack isn't as wide as they’d like.
Over in the Atlantic, it’s even tighter. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings are essentially neck-and-neck, both hovering around 62 points. Detroit has been the surprise of the year for many, finally seeing that long-term rebuild pay off in a major way.
Down in the West?
The Colorado Avalanche are simply in another stratosphere. They have 74 points. 74! That’s a massive lead over the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, who are fighting for the second and third spots in the Central.
The Pacific Division is where things get truly weird. The Vegas Golden Knights lead with 58 points, but the Edmonton Oilers are right there at 54, despite having a season that’s felt like a total roller coaster. One week they look unbeatable, the next they can't buy a save.
Breaking Down the Wild Card Chaos
This is where the standings for hockey playoffs get really interesting. The wild card is designed to keep things competitive, but it also creates some absolute heartbreakers.
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In the East, the Buffalo Sabres (57 points) and Boston Bruins (58 points) currently hold those two elusive spots. But look at the teams breathing down their necks:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are right there with 56 points.
- The Washington Capitals are also sitting at 54.
- Even the Montreal Canadiens are in the mix, showing way more life than anyone expected this season.
If the playoffs started today, you’d see some wild matchups. Imagine Carolina having to face a desperate Buffalo team in the first round, or Colorado dealing with a scrappy San Jose Sharks squad that’s somehow clawed its way into a wild card position with 51 points.
Why Points Percentage Is the Only Metric That Matters
If you want to sound like an expert at the bar, stop talking about total points.
Talk about points percentage.
Because teams play different numbers of games due to scheduling quirks, total points can be a lie. A team might be "in" a playoff spot today because they've played 50 games, while a team with 46 games played is technically "behind" them but actually in a better position to qualify.
For instance, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a win-loss percentage of roughly .630. Compare that to some of the bubble teams in the Atlantic who are hovering around .500. The math eventually catches up.
The "Loser Point" Trap
We have to talk about the OTL (Overtime Loss).
The NHL is the only major league that rewards you for losing, provided you do it late enough. The Pittsburgh Penguins have 11 overtime losses. That’s 11 points they earned for games they technically lost.
Without those "charity points," the Pens would be nowhere near the standings for hockey playoffs. But because they can drag games into the extra frame, they stay relevant. Is it fair? Probably not. Does it make the standings more dramatic? Absolutely.
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Understanding the Divisional Bracket System
The NHL doesn't just take the top eight teams from each conference and rank them 1 through 8 anymore.
They use a divisional-based bracket.
- Top 3 in each division get an automatic ticket. That’s 12 teams.
- The next 2 highest-placed teams in the conference, regardless of division, get the wild cards.
- The division winner with the most points in the conference plays the wild card team with the fewest points.
- The other division winner plays the other wild card team.
- The #2 and #3 teams in each division play each other.
This system is why we often see bitter rivals like the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings or the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins play each other year after year in the first round. It’s great for TV ratings, but it’s brutal for the players.
Home Ice Advantage: It's Not Just About the Fans
Home ice is massive.
Statistically, teams like the Colorado Avalanche are nearly impossible to beat at home—they currently have a 19-1-3 record in their own building. If you’re a wild card team traveling to Denver for Game 1, you’re already fighting an uphill battle against the altitude and a crowd that’s been loud since the pre-game warmups.
The Real Threats Nobody Is Talking About
Everyone looks at the top of the standings, but the "bubble" teams are often the most dangerous.
Why? Because they’ve been playing playoff-intensity hockey since January just to get in.
Take the Utah Mammoth.
They are currently holding a wild card spot with 52 points. They’re a young, fast team with nothing to lose. If they sneak into the standings for hockey playoffs, they’re going to be a nightmare for a veteran team like the Golden Knights who might be nursing some late-season injuries.
Then there’s the Seattle Kraken.
They aren't flashy. They don't have a 50-goal scorer. But they play a system that is incredibly hard to break down. They currently have 51 points and a goal differential that suggests they’re better than their record.
How to Track the Standings Like a Pro
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, don't just check the NHL app once a week.
The landscape shifts every single night.
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Watch the "Games in Hand"
If Team A has 60 points in 50 games and Team B has 58 points in 45 games, Team B is actually the favorite. Those five extra games are opportunities to leapfrog the competition.
Look at Regulation Wins (RW)
This is the first tiebreaker.
If two teams end the season with the same number of points, the team with more wins in regulation (not overtime or shootouts) gets the higher seed. Teams like the Carolina Hurricanes usually lead in this category because they tend to finish business early.
The Trade Deadline Impact
By early March, the standings for hockey playoffs will look very different because of the trade deadline. Teams on the bubble will sell their future for a "rental" player—usually a veteran defenseman or a gritty third-line center—just to push them over the edge.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
So, what should you actually do with all this information?
First, ignore the "Last 10" column if a team has been playing a lot of bottom-feeders. A 7-3-0 record looks great until you realize those seven wins came against teams already planning their summer vacations.
Second, pay attention to injuries to goaltenders.
A team like the New York Islanders relies heavily on elite goaltending to mask their defensive lapses. If their starter goes down in late March, their spot in the standings will evaporate faster than you can say "Five-hole."
Finally, keep an eye on the schedule strength.
Some teams have a "back-loaded" schedule with a lot of road games in April. Those are the teams most likely to stumble at the finish line.
Keep your eyes on the standings for hockey playoffs, but look deeper than the point totals. The real story is always in the percentages, the tiebreakers, and the grit of the teams fighting for those final two wild card spots.
To stay truly informed, you should start by calculating the "true" standings of your favorite team by looking at their points percentage rather than their raw point total. Next, identify which teams in their division have the most games in hand, as those are the "hidden" threats that could bump them out of a seed. Finally, track the Regulation Wins (RW) column weekly—it’s the most common tiebreaker that decides who gets home-ice advantage and who starts their postseason on a plane.