The Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild each had an opportunity to clinch NHL playoff berths on Thursday as part of a 14-game slate across the league. Two clubs had already secured postseason spots entering the day, and all three teams could join them with the right results.

The Sabres, who carry a 14-year playoff drought — the longest in NHL history — held a magic number of two entering Thursday. A victory over the Ottawa Senators in their 7 p.m. ET matchup would clinch a playoff berth for Buffalo. The Hurricanes also had a magic number of two and could clinch with a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. ET.

The Wild entered Thursday with a magic number of one. Minnesota could secure its playoff berth with either a win of any kind or an overtime or shootout loss against the Vancouver Canucks at 8 p.m. ET. A team clinches a playoff spot when its magic number reaches zero; a team is eliminated when its tragic number reaches zero.

Each NHL club has fewer than 10 games remaining in the regular season, which is scheduled to end on April 16, 2026. The Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers were all tied in standings points entering Thursday. Detroit and Philadelphia faced each other in one of Thursday's games at 7 p.m. ET.

In NHL standings, an "x" next to a team's name indicates the team has clinched a playoff spot, and an "e" indicates the team has been mathematically eliminated.

Thursday's schedule also included the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET), the Boston Bruins at the Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET), the Montreal Canadiens at the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET), and the Washington Capitals at the New Jersey Devils (7:30 p.m. ET). Later games featured the Winnipeg Jets at the Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET), the Chicago Blackhawks at the Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET), the Calgary Flames at the Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET), the Toronto Maple Leafs at the San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET), the Utah Mammoth at the Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET), and the Nashville Predators at the Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET).

Based on current standings, projected Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchups would be the Sabres against the Bruins, the Lightning against the Canadiens, the Hurricanes against the Blue Jackets, and the Penguins against the New York Islanders. In the Western Conference, the projected matchups would be the Colorado Avalanche against the Kings, the Stars against the Wild, the Anaheim Ducks against the Mammoth, and the Oilers against the Golden Knights. Playoff projections are provided by Stathletes.