The Montreal Canadiens have already punched a ticket. The Edmonton Oilers are nearly there, too.

The Ottawa Senators also look be on course for a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, have some work to do — and need a lot of help.

Four of Canada’s seven NHL teams remain in the mix for the NHL’s annual spring dance, with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs all set to miss out.

The Canadiens clinched a second straight post-season berth last weekend, but are jockeying for position in the Atlantic Division with the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. Buffalo tops the ledger with 106 points, followed by Montreal (104) and Tampa Bay (102).

The Sabres, who hold the first tiebreaker with 41 regulation victories, have two games remaining on the schedule, while the Canadiens and Lightning each play three more times in the regular season.

Montreal, which fell to the Washington Capitals in last year’s first round, could face either of those clubs to open the playoffs, while other possibilities include Ottawa and the Boston Bruins.

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The Oilers are on the cusp of making the post-season a seventh year running, a stretch that includes back-to-back Cup final appearances against the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025.

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Edmonton leads the Pacific Division — a race captain Connor McDavid called a “pillow fight” last month because of its slow crawl to the finish line — with 90 points, one better than both the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. Each team has three games remaining, with the Oilers holding the tiebreaker thanks to 31 regulation victories.

The website MoneyPuck.com pegged Edmonton’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs at 99.98 per cent heading into Saturday after the league took Friday night off. Claiming the division crown would likely mean a first-round matchup with the Utah Mammoth.

The Senators have captured four of their last five games in regulation to push the club’s post-season chances to 92.1 per cent.

Ottawa occupies the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card berth with 94 points and three games remaining.

The Senators are two back of the Bruins for the first wild card, while the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders are three points adrift of Ottawa. The Columbus Blue Jackets have 90 points, followed by Washington with 89.

Boston, Ottawa, Detroit, New York, Columbus and Washington all have three games left.

The Senators, who made the playoffs a year ago for the first time since the franchise’s run to the 2017 conference final before bowing out to the Maple Leafs, could face the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round, while the Sabres, Canadiens and Lightning are also possible.

Winnipeg sat last in the overall standings on Jan. 8 with a 15-22-5 record. The Jets steadied themselves and have made 20-9-7 surge in the second half to stay in the playoff conversation in the top-heavy West.

Last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner with a league-topping 116 points, however, will need a lot to go right to get in.

Winnipeg currently sits on 82 points, three back of the Los Angeles Kings for the conference’s second wild-card slot. The Nashville Predators have 84 points, while the San Jose Sharks are at 81.

The Kings, Jets and Sharks have four games left, one more than the Predators.

Winnipeg still has a shot, but MoneyPuck.com had its chances at 12.6 per cent heading into the weekend. Snagging an improbable post-season appearance would also likely mean a first-round date with the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG – Josh Morrissey didn’t just return to the Winnipeg Jets lineup on Saturday — he made history, skating into the franchise’s record books.

Playing his first game since suffering an upper-body injury at the Milan Cortina Olympics 23 days ago, the star defenceman scored 1:49 into overtime to lift Winnipeg to a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in front of 14,294 at Canada Life Centre.

The game-winner was Morrissey’s 417th career point, officially moving him past Dustin Byfuglien for the most points by a blueliner in franchise history.

“It is pretty special,” Morrissey said of surpassing his former teammate. “I think about him and what he meant to me when I came into the league with his mentorship and friendship and I learned so much from him. Getting to play my first 50 games in the league beside him, it was pretty special.”

Morrissey had tied Byfuglien’s mark earlier in the night when he assisted on Gabriel Vilardi’s game-tying power-play goal with fewer than five minutes remaining in regulation.

His teammates were quick to praise his immediate impact and work ethic after missing time.

“He’s an elite player,” Vilardi said. “He was part of Team Canada for a reason. They missed him out there, obviously. It just shows how big of a difference maker he is for us.

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“I’m not sure what his minutes were, but I imagine they were in the high 20s again. He’s one of the top-tier defencemen in the league.”

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The milestone capped off a remarkably seamless return to game action for Morrissey, who, along with the goal and assist, finished with five shots and was a plus-1 in 24:27 of ice time.

“Honestly, my legs and conditioning, everything felt really good,” said Morrissey, who now has 91 goals and 326 assists in 719 career games.

“Wasn’t able to have an actual practice with the guys because of the schedule and all the optionals and days off. So it’s kind of right out of the bag skate drills into the game.”

Jets head coach Scott Arniel noted that Morrissey’s offensive gifts are only part of what makes him an elite talent, pointing to the defenceman’s evolution into a perennial Norris Trophy candidate and Olympian.

“It’s not just the last four years. He was in more of a checking role at one time and then as personnel changed here and guys left, he got put into that role as a top guy. He’s taken advantage of it,” Arniel said.

“Josh is the one that drives himself to be the best and he’s a guy that works his tail off in the summer. I’m really proud of the fact that he’s doing that from the red-line back, and then what he does offensively is his best gift.”

The Jets needed every bit of Morrissey’s composure in a game where they heavily outshot the Canucks but found themselves trailing 2-1 late in the third period. Rather than panicking, Winnipeg kept at it and was finally able to score the equalizer to force overtime.

“The crowd really wanted me to shoot, but I just didn’t feel the lane. And so, made the right read,” Morrissey said of the historic assist. “Thankfully, he (Vilardi) scored, and it makes me look smart. But, I mean, just an incredible play on his behalf. It’s a big time play at a big-time moment in that game.”

The milestone is a testament to longevity and consistency for the 2013 first-round pick.

“I am not sure I would have thought at the time that was attainable, but at the end of the day, I have just been fortunate to play with so many great players,” Morrissey said. “It is cool to think about … all the great players that I have gotten to play with.”

The victory extended Winnipeg’s point streak to six games (4-0-2) in what’s been a surprising run since the Olympic break, especially given the Jets were sellers during Friday’s NHL trade deadline and have been dealing with several injuries.

“Since the break, the guys have been playing fantastic hockey, scratching and clawing while never looking fazed,” Morrissey said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press