NHL Hockey 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 22, 2026, 9:30 AM ET
NHL Playoff Picture & Divisional Races
The intense push for playoff positioning continued across the league this weekend, with the Metro Division top four teams espn.com all scheduled for action on Sunday as projections tightened considerably. Saturday featured an 11-game slate espn.com where every contest carried significant weight regarding both postseason seeding and the final draft lottery standings, forcing teams to battle for every available point. Meanwhile, the competition for the league's supreme regular-season honor saw several contenders making late pushes, keeping the race for the Presidents' Trophy close espn.com entering the final stretch of games. These late-season results are also drastically altering the outlook for teams that failed to meet expectations, as reflected in the latest 32-team power rankings espn.com that compare current point totals against preseason over/under targets.
Key Injuries Rock Contenders
Several major franchises dealt with significant setbacks to key personnel over the last 72 hours, immediately impacting their playoff viability. The Toronto Maple Leafs espn.com announced that captain Auston Matthews underwent successful MCL surgery on Thursday, placing his recovery timeline at an expected 12 weeks, effectively removing him from the lineup until deep into the postseason, if at all. Adding to Toronto's woes, backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz missed Saturday's expected start espn.com after absorbing a puck to the throat during warmups the previous day. Elsewhere, the Chicago Blackhawks espn.com were shorthanded for their Friday matchup against Colorado, scratching defenseman Louis Crevier and forward Andrew Mangiapane due to unspecified ailments.
Franchise Realignment
In administrative news, the New York Islanders espn.com confirmed plans to relocate their American Hockey League affiliate, moving the team from its current home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton, Ontario, beginning next season. This move repositions the top farm club for the Islanders into a more central Canadian market, potentially altering player development pipelines for the organization heading into the next competitive cycle.