The 2026 NHL playoff races in both conferences being this chaotic with nine days left is legitimately the best regular season finish in years

Let me try to summarise where things stand with less than ten days to go in the regular season.

In the East: Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Montreal are in a three-way tie for the Atlantic Division lead. The Ottawa Senators are clinging to the second wild card by two points over the Red Wings, Blue Jackets and Islanders — four teams within two points. The Flyers have surged into third in the Metropolitan, going 14-6-1 since the Olympics. The Panthers have been eliminated, which still feels strange to type two years after back-to-back Cups.

In the West: Colorado has clinched the Central and the Conference. The Pacific has Edmonton and Vegas tied for first, both with 88 points and four games to play, Edmonton holding the regulation wins tiebreaker. San Jose are making a genuine run at the second wild card, five wins in their last six. Winnipeg is also somehow still alive.

Six teams in the East, five in the West all fighting for spots or seeding with single-digit games left. The Senators extending their lead over Tampa with a 5-1 third period on Tuesday. Buffalo visiting MSG Wednesday knowing a win puts them alone atop the Atlantic. Carolina clinching first in the Metro on a Jaccob Slavin overtime goal.

The Devils being eliminated after firing GM Tom Fitzgerald two days earlier. The Kings going to a shootout to stay in a wild card spot. Columbus keeping the Blue Jackets alive with Adam Fantilli tying it late and Zach Werenski winning it in the shootout.

This has been a genuinely chaotic stretch of hockey and April 18 can't come fast enough. Who do you think is the most dangerous team nobody is talking about?