The San Jose Sharks have thrust themselves back into serious Stanley Cup Playoffs contention with their 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After a rough 0-5-1 stretch, the Sharks have ripped off four straight wins, all in regulation, which is significant. With 74 games played this season, the Sharks have 79 points, tying the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators. The San Jose Sharks currently sit in the 2nd and final wild card spot in the Western Conference because both LA and NSH have played 75 games. San Jose has the edge due to points % (.534).

With eight games left, two against the Predators, every night becomes a standings watch night. The Kings and Predators went to overtime, and eventually a shootout, which helped the Sharks. Although a 3-point night wasn’t the best outcome, the Predators’ victory was.

Preds win in the eighth (!) round of the shootout.

The Sharks, Kings, and Predators all have 79 points. The Sharks, having played one less game, are WC2 via points percentage.

— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) April 3, 2026

Once all the teams have played the same number of games, the tiebreaker shifts from points % to regulation wins (RW). The Kings are in the worst position among the teams fighting for the final spot. LA has been to 30 overtime games this season, tying an NHL record.

As it currently stands, the San Jose Sharks have 24 regulation wins, one behind Nashville (25), and five ahead of LA (19). The Sharks and Predators have two more matchups this season, with the first of those coming Saturday. If the Sharks can beat NSH in regulation on Saturday, they will control their own destiny.

Not only would they be two points ahead of the Preds, but they would be tied on the first tiebreaker, RW. If they finish the regulation season tied on points and regulation wins, the second tiebreaker is ROW (regulation + overtime wins). Shootout wins don’t count in the ROW category.

The Sharks have been terrific in overtime this season. They’ve got a 10-6 record in games that end during the 3-on-3 overtime period. Out of 19 games that have gone past the third period, only three made it to a shootout. That means the Sharks ROW sits at 34. That leads the Predators (30), Kings (26), and Winnipeg Jets (30). Beating the Predators in any way will help the Sharks, but a regulation win gives Team Teal more control over their destiny.

There is one problem heading into Saturday: Nashville is on a 14-game win streak against San Jose. The Sharks haven’t beaten the Predators since Nov. 9, 2019.

Per @MoneyPuckdotcom, the #SJSharks‘ chances of making the playoffs are the highest among the teams they are fighting with. Last night’s win in reg was huge.

SJ- 42.1%
LAK – 32.1%
NSH – 25.4%
WPG – 5.1%
SEA – 4.1%
STL – 2.2%

— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) April 3, 2026