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.

Related Videos

1:09
DIALOG and HNTB selected to design ICE District event park in downtown Edmonton

Previous Video

Next Video

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.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.

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

Two Winnipeg Jets stars were at the opposite sides of the border Tuesday ahead of the team’s first game back from the Olympic break.

Kyle Connor returned to the Jets instead of joining his U.S. men’s hockey teammates at the White House, while goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stayed stateside and attended U.S. President Donald Trump’s state of the union address that night.

Trump announced that Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots in the 2-1 gold-medal victory against Canada Sunday, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.

Hellebuyck, whose 41 saves included a crucial desperation paddle stop on defenceman Devon Toews, tapped his heart as those in the chamber applauded.

“Watching him have the game of his life was incredible,” said Connor, who only played two games during the Winter Olympics.

“He was fantastic, and being a part of it was an experience I’ll never forget.”

1:36
Why U.S. men’s hockey team is facing backlash for call with Trump

The 29-year-old forward told reporters after practice that he “just wanted to get back,” given that the team plays in Vancouver against the Canucks Wednesday night.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters Monday that Connor was expected to be with his U.S. teammates Tuesday.

“It’s a big second half, so I wanted to make sure I was ready,” Connor said.

“It’s a quick turnaround. Obviously, I haven’t been playing, so I wanted to get a practice under me and be ready for that game.”

The U.S. men’s team chartered into Miami on a flight from Italy on Monday and dined together in Miami Beach before visiting a nightclub where hundreds of fans clamoured to get inside.

They then made their way to Washington Tuesday. Videos and photos shared on social media by Trump administration aides showed the hockey players posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico. They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has posted portraits of every U.S. president just steps away from the Oval Office, where they were welcomed by Trump.

As they approached the Oval Office, some of the players popped into the press office’s open door to flash their medals. It was the Americans’ first gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1980.

0:31
U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team declines Trump’s invite to attend State of the Union

With the Olympics in the rearview mirror, the Jets must now pivot back to the reality of the NHL’s stretch run.

Winnipeg is currently 11 points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Jets have 26 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, which will be played over a stretch of just 51 days.

Backup goalie Eric Comrie is expected to start Wednesday’s road game against the Canucks, with Hellebuyck slated to return to the crease on Friday when the Jets visit the Anaheim Ducks.

The Jets will also be without defenceman Josh Morrissey Wednesday as he returns from Italy to be evaluated by team doctors after suffering an undisclosed injury in Canada’s opening game.

When Hellebuyck does return, the Jets are hoping his Olympic high will provide a much-needed spark for a team trying to string together wins.

“The confidence that he has in himself doesn’t waver,” captain Adam Lowry said Monday.

“To know his game is at an elite level at the world stage, I’d expect he can carry that over coming back to us.”

— with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.