NHL
Jordan Ramsay
April 8, 2026

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Possible McDavid vs. Celebrini matchup; Stars vs. Wild locked in

With nine days left in the NHL’s regular season, the focus turns to clinching playoff spots and playoff seeding.

We officially have one confirmed series with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild locked into a first-round matchup, but there’s still a lot left to be determined.

Let’s take a look a how the NHL playoff scenarios could change on Wednesday, April 8.

Wednesday, April 8

There are only three games on tap for Wednesday’s schedule and no playoff clinching scenarios, but all three matchups have playoff implications. Here’s what the schedule looks like:

Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET

Washignton Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m. ET

Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m. ET

Sabres at Rangers

It’s a tight race in the Atlantic Division, with the Sabres, Lightning and Canadiens all even at 102 points with four games remaining each. Buffalo has already clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 14 years and Wednesday gives them a chance to overtake sole possession for first in the Atlantic against a Rangers team that is dead last in the Eastern Conference.

Capitals at Maple Leafs

The Capitals are barely clinging to hope in the playoff race as they have the least amount of points of Eastern Conference teams not already eliminated from postseason contention. Wednesday is a huge opportunity for Washington to gain ground in the wild card race. A win against the already-eliminated Maple Leafs puts the Caps three points out of a wild card spot, although they’ll have played one more game than the teams they are chasing in the standings.

Oilers at Sharks

Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini highlight a Pacific Division clash that could be a first round playoff preview. The Oilers are hot at the right time and technically lead the division, but they can’t afford to slow down as their 88 points is matched by Vegas, while Anaheim is close behind at 87 points. San Jose will be playing desperate as they are three points out of a wild card spot, although they have games in-hand on their closest competition.