The Vegas Golden Knights can lock in a playoff matchup on Wednesday and set the stage for an intriguing last day of the regular season on Thursday.
The gates to the Stanley Cup playoffs are completely shut, but like on Tuesday, there are still other aspects to look forward to.
For instance, not every team that has clinched a post-season berth knows who they will face in the first round.
The Art Ross Trophy race, Rocket Richard Trophy race and rookie scoring leaders are updated daily as well, although after Tuesday's matchups, we're getting a clearer picture of who will finish on top of those.
With just two more days until the 2025-26 regular season is officially complete, here's what you need to know about the seeding in the NHL standings and how much of a race is left for each NHL award that can be won once the campaign is over.
Western Conference Playoff Race
- With just one game remaining for most Western Conference teams, still only one playoff matchup is confirmed, and that's between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
- The Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings can all get shifted around in the Pacific Division standings in their regular-season finale.
Of those teams, the Golden Knights end their season the soonest, with Game 82 coming on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken at 10 p.m. ET.
If they earn one point, they'll clinch the Pacific Division and take on the Utah Mammoth in the first round of the playoffs. If Vegas loses, the Oilers could overtake them for the division title with a win in their final game.
- The Mammoth are secured in the first wild-card position in the Western Conference, thanks to a 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Eastern Conference Playoff Race
In contrast to the uncertain finish in the Western Conference, every first-round series in the Eastern Conference is confirmed.
- With a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils, the Boston Bruins locked themselves in the first wild-card spot in the conference, setting them up to face the Buffalo Sabres in the opening round of the post-season.
- Boston's result means the Ottawa Senators will face the top team in the East, the Carolina Hurricanes. Ottawa's last game of the season comes on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they can't improve in the standings regardless.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens were a confirmed matchup before Tuesday's fixtures. But Montreal's 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 82 helped Tampa Bay secure home-ice advantage for that series.
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy Race
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 53 goals, one game left (Colorado is idle)
2. Cole Caufield, Montreal: 51 goals, no games left
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 48 goals, one game left (Edmonton is idle)
Art Ross Trophy Race
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 134 points, one game left
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay: 130 points, one game left (Tampa Bay plays NY Rangers at 7 p.m. ET)
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 127 points, one game left
Rookie Scoring Race
1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal: 62 points, no games left
2. Beckett Sennecke, Anaheim: 60 points, one game left (Anaheim is idle)
3. Matthew Schaefer, NY Islanders: 59 points, no games left
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