Habs in playoffs, Oilers and Sens inch closer - BERITAJA

The Montreal Canadiens person already punched a ticket. The Edmonton Oilers are about there, too.

The Ottawa Senators besides look beryllium connected people for a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, person immoderate activity to do — and request a batch of help.

Four of Canada’s 7 NHL teams stay successful the operation for the NHL’s yearly outpouring dance, pinch the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs each group to miss out.

The Canadiens clinched a 2nd consecutive post-season berth past weekend, but are jockeying for position successful the Atlantic Division pinch the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. Buffalo tops the ledger pinch 106 points, followed by Montreal (104) and Tampa Bay (102).

The Sabres, who clasp the first tiebreaker pinch 41 regularisation victories, person 2 games remaining connected the schedule, while the Canadiens and Lightning each play 3 much times successful the regular season.

Montreal, which fell to the Washington Capitals successful past year’s first round, could look either of those clubs to unfastened the playoffs, while different possibilities see Ottawa and the Boston Bruins.

The Oilers are connected the cusp of making the post-season a seventh twelvemonth running, a agelong that includes back-to-back Cup last appearances against the Florida Panthers successful 2024 and 2025.

Edmonton leads the Pacific Division — a title skipper Connor McDavid called a “pillow fight” past period because of its slow crawl to the decorativeness statement — pinch 90 points, 1 amended than some the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. Each squad has 3 games remaining, pinch the Oilers holding the tiebreaker acknowledgment to 31 regularisation victories.

The website MoneyPuck.com pegged Edmonton’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs astatine 99.98 per cent heading into Saturday aft the convention took Friday nighttime off. Claiming the section crown would apt mean a first-round matchup pinch the Utah Mammoth.

The Senators person captured 4 of their past 5 games successful regularisation to push the club’s post-season chances to 92.1 per cent.

Ottawa occupies the Eastern Conference’s 2nd wild-card berth pinch 94 points and 3 games remaining.

The Senators are 2 backmost of the Bruins for the first chaotic card, while the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders are 3 points adrift of Ottawa. The Columbus Blue Jackets person 90 points, followed by Washington pinch 89.

Boston, Ottawa, Detroit, New York, Columbus and Washington each person 3 games left.

The Senators, who made the playoffs a twelvemonth agone for the first clip since the franchise’s tally to the 2017 convention last earlier bowing retired to the Maple Leafs, could look the Carolina Hurricanes successful the opening round, while the Sabres, Canadiens and Lightning are besides possible.

Winnipeg sat past successful the wide standings connected Jan. 8 pinch a 15-22-5 record. The Jets steadied themselves and person made 20-9-7 surge successful the 2nd half to enactment successful the playoff speech successful the top-heavy West.

Last season’s Presidents’ Trophy victor pinch a league-topping 116 points, however, will request a batch to spell correct to get in.

Winnipeg presently sits connected 82 points, 3 backmost of the Los Angeles Kings for the conference’s 2nd wild-card slot. The Nashville Predators person 84 points, while the San Jose Sharks are astatine 81.

The Kings, Jets and Sharks person 4 games left, 1 much than the Predators.

Winnipeg still has a shot, but MoneyPuck.com had its chances astatine 12.6 per cent heading into the weekend. Snagging an improbable post-season quality would besides apt mean a first-round day pinch the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche.

This study by BERITAJA was first published April 10, 2026.