With the 2025-26 season almost over, let's look at four NHL teams that have been big surprises by shooting up the standings.
With April almost here, we are rapidly approaching the completion of the 2025-26 season.
It has been a very eventful campaign in the NHL, and this final stretch of the season will be a blast to watch. This is especially so with so many teams fighting for playoff spots.
This season has also seen multiple teams surprise in a major way. Let's look at four specific clubs that have been big surprises in 2025-26.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres may have had a tough start to the season, going 11-14-4, but they are now one of the NHL's best teams.
Buffalo is currently at the top of the Atlantic Division standings with a 44-20-8 record and 96 points.
They not only should make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, but they are looking like legitimate contenders in the process.
The Sabres have also gone 30-6-4 in their last 40 games, leading the NHL in points percentage in that span, so they have been simply dominant.
When it seemed like all hope was lost on the Sabres to end the drought, it was nearly crazy to predict this woukd happen.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets' playoff hopes looked very low for a decent chunk of the season, sitting last in the Metropolitan Division when they fired coach Dean Evason.
But they have been on fire since the hiring of new coach Rick Bowness. The Blue Jackets are 19-4-4 since Bowness took over the bench and have jumped to third in the Metro with a 38-23-11 record.
The Blue Jackets' dominance during the second half of the season has been quite the surprise, ranking just behind the Sabres in points percentage under Bowness.
They now have a good chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2020. This was not the general expectation for them before the season.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were expected to be one of the top contenders to land potential No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna at the 2026 NHL draft.
Instead, the Penguins have been sticking around in the playoff race all season and are not going away yet.
The Penguins are second in the Metropolitan Division with a 36-20-16 record and 88 points.
A big reason for their success has been veterans Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson. They have turned back the clock this season, with Malkin getting 52 points in 50 games and Karlsson posting 57 points in 67 games.
Another nice surprise is the play of off-season acquisitions Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau. Both have career highs in goals and points, with Mantha recording 26 goals and 53 points in 72 games, and Brazeau scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games.
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks brought in coach Joel Quenneville, center Mikael Granlund and left winger Chris Kreider during the off-season, so they were expected to take a step.
That said, they weren't expected to lead the Pacific Division, let alone make the playoffs.
However, with April almost here, the Ducks are at the top of the Pacific standings with a 41-27-4 record.
While the Ducks were already heading in the right direction with their rebuild, not many expected them to take this major step forward this season. The future is looking incredibly bright in Anaheim.
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