The 2026 NHL playoff field could become set Monday night as the final three postseason spots are available for clinching.
The Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings all have scenarios to claim their postseason berths and close the door on all the other hopefuls around the league.
The Flyers will clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2020 with a win over the Carolina Hurricanes in any fashion Monday night. The Hurricanes do have something to play for, though, as a single point Monday will lock up the top seed in the Eastern Conference for them, setting up a battle with the second wild-card team in the first round.
A Flyers win would eliminate the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets from playoff contention.
The Buffalo Sabres are still in the fight for the top seed in the East and will lock up the Atlantic Division crown with regulation win over the Chicago Blackhawks Monday and any result other than a Lightning win in regulation as Tampa Bay plays the Detroit Red Wings.
A combination of scenarios could see the full Eastern playoff bracket formed, with the Montreal Canadiens and Lightning meeting in the first round and the Flyers facing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan. All that would be leftto be decidedin that case is whether the then-top-seeded Hurricanes face the Ottawa Senators (currently in the second wild-card spot) or the Boston Bruins (currently in the top wild-card spot).
Plenty of seeding remains up for grabs in the Western playoff picture, but the Ducks and Kings will look to close out the field on Monday.
The Ducks, who could still wind up as the top seed out of the Pacific Division, will clinch while idle if the San Jose Sharks defeat the Nashville Predators in any fashion.
The Kings currently sit in the final wild-card spot and book their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Seattle Kraken in any fashion and if the Sharks win in regulation against the Predators.
If the Ducks and Kings clinch Monday, the Predators, Winnipeg Jets and Sharks will all be officially eliminated.
The Colorado Avalanche have already clinched the top seed in the West, with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild locked into a first-round battle in the Central Division.
The Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers and Ducks all still have a chance to clinch the top seed in the Pacific, which would set up a date with the top wild-card team, currently the Utah Mammoth, in the first round.