NHL Hockey 24 Hours

Last updated: April 13, 2026, 2:30 PM ET

NHL Playoff Races & Eliminations

With the regular season winding down, playoff seeding and the draft lottery order are coming into sharp focus across the league as teams contest the final available slots. The pressure proved too much for the New York Islanders, whose postseason dreams were dashed following a decisive 4-1 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night, ending a stretch where they held a playoff position for much of the campaign. Meanwhile, in a somber post-game moment after the Capitals' 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh, star forward Alex Ovechkin politely declined farewell handshakes with Sidney Crosby, fueling speculation about his potential retirement plans following the season's conclusion.

League Awards Assessment

As internal voting processes ramp up, the debate over the league’s most valuable player continues, with the Ted Lindsay Award often serving as a strong indicator of the consensus best player, even as the Hart Trophy retains superior institutional prestige. to the final 2026 NHL Awards projections, the panel of PHWA voters has established Nikita Kucherov as the current frontrunner for the MVP trophy, signaling a tight race among the top candidates across several major award categories.