At the onset of the week, the Colorado Avalanche became the first team to clinch a 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs berth, reaching the 100-point mark with a victory against Chicago. Colorado currently holds the best NHL betting record in the league and sits four points ahead of the Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Central Division as of March 22. In the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks lead a tightly contested Pacific Division with 80 points. Following closely are the Edmonton Oilers, at 77 points, and the Vegas Golden Knights, at 76 points.
The Minnesota Wild remain firmly in a playoff position with 92 points. While the Utah Mammoth holds the first wild card spot with 78 points. The final wild card position in the West is a multi-team battle involving the Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, and San Jose Sharks.
The Eastern Conference offshore betting features the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes tied for the most points with 94 each. Buffalo leads the Atlantic Division. While Carolina holds the top seed in the Metropolitan Division. In turn, the Tampa Bay Lightning remain in pursuit of the division lead with 90 points. And then the Pittsburgh Penguins hold second in the Metropolitan with 86 points.
The most intense NHL betting odds battle in the East is for the wild-card spots. To show, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins are currently tied at 86 points apiece. The Detroit Red Wings sit just two points back with 84 points, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have surged into the hunt with 85 points.
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Injuries to key stars are significantly impacting several contenders as the regular season enters its final 25 days. To illuminate, Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby has been sidelined since mid-February with a lower-body injury sustained during the 2026 Winter Olympics. He has recently resumed skating with the team.
The Edmonton Oilers are monitoring star forward Leon Draisaitl, who is expected to miss some time. In Detroit, the Red Wings are struggling with a depleted center core as captain Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp are both sidelined during a critical stretch.
The landscape of the playoff race was further altered by several impactful moves at the March 6 trade deadline. As an example, the Colorado Avalanche solidified their status as championship favorites by reacquiring center Nazem Kadri and adding Nicolas Roy, thus creating the league’s deepest center group.
While some contenders like Carolina chose to make only minor additions, these deadline acquisitions are expected to play pivotal roles as teams jockey for final seeding before the postseason begins in mid-April.
Key NHL matchups from March 23 through March 29, 2026, feature critical division battles and cross-conference showdowns that will impact the final playoff seeding.
A packed slate on March 24 includes the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs facing the Boston Bruins in a classic Atlantic Division rivalry.
Late on in the week, the Edmonton Oilers take on the Vegas Golden Knights on March 26 in a game with significant Pacific Division implications. The Colorado Avalanche also visits the Winnipeg Jets that evening.
Finally, the week concludes on March 29 with several nationally televised games, including the Florida Panthers at the New York Rangers and the Vegas Golden Knights at the Dallas Stars.