NHL Standings 2025-26: Latest Playoff Picture After Thanksgiving Games

The NHL standings have tightened as Thanksgiving week flips the psychological “quarter-pole” of the 2025-26 season, and several surprise clubs are muscling into the playoff picture. Eastern Conference snapshot Tampa Bay has reclaimed its familiar perch atop the Atlantic Division with 28 points from 23 games, driven by a power-play that is striking at nearly 30 percent and Andrei Vasilevskiy’s .929 save rate. Boston and Detroit trail by a single win, setting up a three-horse sprint that could last all winter. In the Metropolitan, the New Jersey Devils (15-7-1, 31 pts) have opened a four-point cushion thanks to Jack Hughes’ league-best 37 points; the Carolina Hurricanes and Islanders are trading places almost nightly. Western Conference headline Colorado owns the NHL’s best record (22-1-0!) and a staggering +38 goal differential. The Avalanche’s top line of MacKinnon, Rantanen and rookie phenom Zakharov is averaging 4.1 goals per 60 at five-on-five, a pace unseen since the mid-’80s Oilers. Dallas has matched Colorado in points (22) but needed three extra games to do it, while Minnesota has rediscovered its defensive structure and sits third in the Central. In the Pacific, Anaheim’s kids are running wild; Mason McTavish leads all 21-and-under skaters with 13 goals, pushing the Ducks two points clear of Seattle. Early Wild-Card chaos Only six points separate the East’s 5th-place Rangers from the 12th-place Blue Jackets, so nightly swings are dramatic. Out West, Utah’s expansion Mammoth are hanging around .500 and remain just one weekend away from a wild-card berth, an outcome no model predicted in September. Key trends to watch • Special teams: seven of the league’s top-10 power plays are in playoff position; Buffalo (29th PP) is already five points adrift. • Overtime killers: Dallas is 6-1 past regulation, a big reason it’s keeping pace with Colorado despite a weaker goal differential. • Strength of schedule: Boston’s next nine games are against teams below .500, a chance to vault the Lightning before the December holiday break. Why it matters for the playoff picture Since 2005, 77 % of clubs holding a playoff spot on U.S. Thanksgiving have gone on to qualify in April. That makes this weekend’s table more than trivia; it’s a historically reliable forecast. Fans tracking NHL standings daily will want to bookmark the league’s standings hub and monitor point-percentage, the truest measure when game counts diverge. Bottom line With the Colorado Avalanche flirting with record territory, Eastern heavyweights jostling for home-ice, and a wide-open wild-card chase, the NHL standings are already delivering mid-season drama. Keep refreshing—every night is moving day.