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Macklin Celebrini - San Jose Sharks - In Play! magazine
The unpredictability of NHL games was on full display Wednesday as 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini tallied four points to spark a late rally and help the Sharks momentarily overtake three teams to move into a playoff spot. File photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine.
02
Apr

NHL APRIL 1, 2026 – COMEBACK ATTEMPTS ACROSS THE BOARD ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

The unpredictability of NHL games was on full display Wednesday as 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini tallied four points to spark a late rally and help the Sharks momentarily overtake three teams to move into a playoff spot. A mere 27 seconds later, 343 miles away in Los Angeles, the Kings claimed an overtime win – after surrendering a third-period lead – to displace the Sharks as Wild Card 2. That sequence of events also prevented the Wild (idle) from securing a playoff spot, something only two teams have done with only 14 game days left in the season. Earlier in the night, Vancouver – one of only two teams eliminated from postseason contention – scored eight goals to defeat Colorado, the League’s No. 1 seed since Nov. 1.

  • After hitting the 100-point milestone in his last outing, Celebrini (2-2—4) added another long list of achievements Wednesday by factoring on all four goals to rally the Sharks to within a point of a playoff spot, with a game in hand. The NHL sophomore became the fourth teenager in the past 30 years to score 40 goals in a season and the first Sharks player of any age to hit the milestone in a dozen years. Teammate Will Smith (1-2—3) added three points of his own as San Jose scored a go-ahead goal in the final minute of regulation for a second straight game – a first in franchise history and the sixth instance in NHL history, following the 2018-19 Bruins (March 7-9, 2019), 2005-06 Red Wings (April 15-17, 2006), 2002-03 Senators (March 22-25, 2003), 1999-00 Maple Leafs (Jan. 27-29, 2000) and 1976-77 Sabres (Nov. 17-20, 1976).
  • Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, the only remaining players from the Kings’ two Stanley Cup wins, both assisted on the overtime winner to help the Kings (30-26-18, 78 points) overtake the Predators (34-31-9, 77 points) for Wild Card 2. Nashville held that position entering play and will look to regain it tonight when the teams clash in one of two upcoming head-to-heads between the clubs (also April 6). Wednesday marked the Kings’ 29th overtime game of the season, one back of the League benchmark.
  • Nathan MacKinnon became the first player to reach the 50-goal mark this season, but Brock Boeser netted his seventh career hat trick to help Vancouver win 8-6 – despite Colorado erasing a four-goal deficit to tie the game in the third period. MacKinnon, who now holds a three-goal lead in the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race, became the second player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to be the NHL’s “first to 50” in a season, following Milan Hejduk in 2002-03.

FOURTEEN DAYS TO DECIDE 14 PLAYOFF TEAMS

With 14 game days and only 122 contests remaining in the 2025-26 NHL regular season, there still are 28 clubs in contention to secure the 14 remaining berths in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – which begin Saturday, April 18. Every matchup on tonight’s schedule includes at least one team either in a playoff spot or within three points of one.

Thirteen of 14 games Thursday are intraconference battles including:

  • Sabres at Senators: The 100-point Sabres can clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2011, ending the longest wait between appearances in NHL history. The Senators, who clinched on April 8 last year to end the lengthiest stretch between postseason appearances in their history, have an opportunity to jump back into Wild Card 2.
  • Penguins at Lightning: The No. 2 seeds in their respective divisions, two clubs who have claimed back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in the past 10 years will continue their push for both a playoff spot and home ice in the First Round. Tampa Bay will be in line to clinch with a win and some help. Sidney Crosby needs one point to tie Steve Yzerman for seventh place on the all-time list and three to guarantee yet another point-per-game season (he set the NHL record last year with his 20th).
  • Bruins at Panthers: Sitting in Wild Card 1 since St. Patrick’s Day, Boston can secure a fifth straight win as it aims to distance itself from the rest of the pack. The Bruins’ current six-point edge ahead of the Blue Jackets is the largest lead Wild Card 1 has had over Wild Card 2 in the Eastern Conference the entire season. That difference has been two points or less for 88% of the 2025-26 campaign.
  • Canadiens at Rangers: The Canadiens could move within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division as they take the League’s longest active winning streak (6-0-0) into Manhattan. Cole Caufield (47 goals) and Nick Suzuki (92 points) are tracking down the first 50-goal and 100-point seasons by a Canadiens player in 35-plus years. The last time Montreal had players hit each milestone in the same campaign was 1979-80 (50 goals: Guy Lafleur & Pierre Larouche; 100 points: Lafleur).
  • Detroit Red Wings at Flyers: After holding a playoff spot for more than three months (Dec. 8-March 21), Detroit could have an opportunity to jump back into the bracket Thursday when they face Philadelphia – a team that now shares their point total after a recent surge. The Flyers, an NHL-best 8-2-1 since March 11, last held a playoff spot on Jan. 12 when they ranked third in the Metropolitan Division.
  • Blue Jackets at Hurricanes: The scenarios are plentiful for both Columbus and Carolina as they complete a home-and-home set. The Blue Jackets could move into third place in the Metropolitan Division, maintain Wild Card 2 or fall out of the bracket on Thursday as they seek their first playoff appearance since 2020. Carolina, meanwhile, will be in position to clinch a playoff spot for a franchise-record eighth straight season.
  • Capitals at Devils (ESPN+, Hulu): With only seven games remaining on their schedule, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals continue their playoff push after claiming points in nine of their past 11 games (7-2-2 since March 9). Washington can’t jump back into the bracket – a place they last found themselves Jan. 14 – on Thursday but they could have a chance to move within a point of Wild Card 2. As the anniversary of his NHL record-setting goal approaches, Ovechkin has added more accolades recently, passing Jaromir Jagr for the most game-winning goals in NHL history (including playoffs) on Tuesday, climbing into fourth place on the all-time hat tricks list March 26 and joining Wayne Gretzky in the 1,000-goal club (including playoffs) March 22.
  • Jets at Stars: After battling for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season, Dallas and Winnipeg are on opposite sides of the playoff race this year – the Stars were the second team to clinch and the Jets have surged into the race thanks to a 10-4-4 record since Connor Hellebuyck returned from the Olympics with a gold medal. Winnipeg’s .667 points percentage since the Olympic break ranks second in the Western Conference over that span.
  • Canucks at Wild: Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes will face his former team for the first time as he and the Wild aim to clinch a playoff spot. Hughes needs one assist and three points to claim the single-season franchise records among Minnesota defensemen. In the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44), only two defensemen have set a major single-season franchise record (goals, assists or points) after being acquired in-season: Dmitri Mironov in 1996-97 (G, A, PTS for ANA) and Jim Mair in 1972-73 (G, A, PTS for NYI). The last player of any position to achieve that feat was forward Joe Thornton in 2005-06, who established a new Sharks record for assists in one campaign after being acquired from the Bruins.
  • Blackhawks at Oilers: The second-place Oilers (38-28-9, 85 points) look to close the gap on the Pacific Division-leading Ducks (41-29-5, 87 points), who they defeated during their current four-game winning streak. Connor McDavid can extend his goal streak to at least six games for the third time in his career – only three Oilers skaters have recorded as many runs of that length: Wayne Gretzky (7x), Jari Kurri (4x) and Glenn Anderson (4x).
  • Flames at Golden Knights: Vegas will look to move to 2-0-0 under new head coach John Tortorella as they push for an eighth playoff berth in nine NHL seasons. Captain Mark Stone (254-445—699 in 759 GP) sits one point shy of 700 in his career and has done so thanks to 131-257—388 (393 GP) with Vegas – the most by any Golden Knights player since joining the franchise on Feb. 25, 2019.
  • Mammoth at Kraken (ESPN+, Hulu): Just like the East, the difference between Wild Card 1 and Wild Card 2 has been two points or less for 88% of the season in the West. Utah’s depth has been on full display throughout their first two seasons as Logan Cooley (45-53—98 in 121 GP) sits two points shy of becoming the franchise’s fifth 100-point performer. The Mammoth can become the third franchise in NHL history to feature five triple-digit producers through their first two campaigns, alongside the Nordiques (6) and Whalers (5).
  • Predators at Kings: Los Angeles (30-26-18, 78 points) leapfrogged Nashville (34-31-9, 77 points) for the second Wild Card spot last night with a win against St. Louis, marking the first time that Kings have occupied a playoff spot since March 20. The Kings and Predators face off twice in the next five days as they jockey among a group of six teams separated by four points in the Western Conference.
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Guest Writer