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Last updated: April 14, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

NHL Playoff Picture Solidifies Amid Key Wins

The Western Conference playoff bracket began to solidify as the San Jose Sharks edged the Nashville Predators 3-2 Monday night, a result that officially clinched a postseason berth for the idle Anaheim Ducks, marking their first appearance since 2015 despite the Ducks holding a mediocre 3-5-2 record over their last ten outings. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference saw dramatic developments when the Philadelphia Flyers, under first-year coach Rick Tocchet, defeated the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout before a packed home arena, securing the Flyers' first playoff spot since 2020. With only a few regular-season games remaining, the remaining matchups across the league were critical for determining final seeding and the draft lottery positioning for non-contenders.

Player Milestones & League News

The final week of the regular season was marked by farewells and injury setbacks. Veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick, 40, concluded his decorated career, which featured three Stanley Cup championships, by making 14 saves in the New York Rangers' narrow 3-2 defeat in what was Quick's final NHL game. On the injury front, Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann's season has been prematurely terminated; he will miss the final three contests due to a lower-body injury sustained recently. Separately, off the ice, the Florida Panthers organization announced plans to launch a new girls' travel hockey program beginning later this year, which will operate out of the team's current and former practice facilities, with Granato's brother overseeing the initiative.

Award Contenders Heat Up

As the focus shifts toward the postseason, the debate over league MVP remains active, even as the final voting panels convene for major hardware. While the Hart Memorial Trophy winner is often considered the league's definitive best player, the Ted Lindsay Award, voted on by the players, presents a strong case for its own measure of supremacy. Current projections from a panel of PHWA voters show Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov maintaining his lead among the finalists for the MVP award, though several other categories remain hotly contested heading into the final 2026 NHL Awards watch.