NHL Playoff Races Heat Up as Multiple Teams Eye Clinching Berths April 9

Three years of playoff absence could end for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, when they visit New Jersey with a straightforward path to the postseason: beat the Devils in any fashion and the drought is over. The Penguins, sitting at 40-22-16, have not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2021-22, when a 16-season postseason streak finally snapped. A win at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET, SN-PIT, MSGSN) is the cleanest route, though Pittsburgh also clinches by earning at least one point while Columbus loses to Buffalo, or if the Islanders fall to Toronto and Columbus loses in regulation.

While Pittsburgh's fate plays out in the East, the most dominant team in hockey has one piece of unfinished business in Denver. The Colorado Avalanche (51-16-10), who wrapped up the Central Division title and the Western Conference on April 7, host the eliminated Calgary Flames at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET) needing only a win to claim the Presidents' Trophy. Colorado can also clinch the trophy if Carolina loses in regulation against Chicago, regardless of the Avalanche result. Beyond the trophy, the Avalanche are within striking range of the franchise's own record: Colorado posted 119 points during its 2021-22 Stanley Cup championship run, and with five games remaining, a peak of 122 points is mathematically possible.

A Colorado clinch tonight carries tactical consequences. Coach Jared Bednar would gain the leverage to rest stars like Nathan MacKinnon across the final stretch, entering a projected first-round series against the Nashville Predators with a fresh roster rather than one grinding for seeding points.

The most historically charged scenario unfolds simultaneously in Salt Lake City, where the Utah Mammoth host Nashville at 9 p.m. ET. A regulation win, combined with Anaheim defeating San Jose, would give Utah its first playoff berth. The Mammoth, carrying the core that represented Arizona before the franchise relocated, have not reached the postseason since 2020. The team is riding momentum after Clayton Keller's overtime winner delivered a 6-5 victory over Edmonton on Tuesday. A Mammoth clinch would almost certainly lock in an Oilers-Mammoth first-round matchup, turning Tuesday's thriller into a Round 1 preview.

The idle Boston Bruins (43-26-10) need a three-game parlay to clinch: Toronto must beat the Islanders in regulation, Philadelphia must beat Detroit in regulation, and Buffalo must beat Columbus in regulation, all simultaneously. Miss any one result and Boston waits another day.

The idle Edmonton Oilers (40-29-10), coming off Connor McDavid's hat trick Wednesday, can clinch a berth if the Sharks lose, Nashville loses in regulation, and Winnipeg fails to win in regulation. It is a combination of results that makes Utah's outcome directly relevant to Edmonton's postseason status.

For the Seattle Kraken, the arithmetic is less forgiving. Seattle must beat Vegas (10 p.m. ET) while also watching the Predators lose in regulation to Utah. Both results are required, and the margin for error in the Kraken's final week disappeared long before Thursday arrived.