NHL playoff watch: Is Mammoth-Golden Knights a first-round preview? - ESPN

With less than a month left in the 2025-26 NHL regular season, fans have been closely watching the standings to keep track of the current playoff matchups — and how they could shift in the final weeks.

Unless something truly disastrous happens for any of the top three teams in the Central Division, the Utah Mammoth's most likely path to a playoff spot is via the wild card. And as of now, it's looking more likely than not that their subsequent first-round opponent will be the winner of the Pacific Division.

Given how tight those standings are, any of the top three teams — the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights — could be on the other side of the ice for the first playoff series in Mammoth history.

On Thursday, the Mammoth will get another chance to set the tone against the Golden Knights specifically, as the teams face off for their final regular-season matchup (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu). Each team has won one game against the other this season.

So how likely is it that these two meet up in Round 1? Stathletes gives the Mammoth a 91.5% chance of finishing in the top wild-card spot, but it's a little foggier in the Pacific.

The Ducks, with 78 points through 68 games, have a 52.2% chance of winning the Pacific title; the Golden Knights, with 76 through 68, have the second-highest chance, at 41.2%. The Oilers — who will be without Leon Draisaitl for the rest of the regular season — have just a 5.2% chance.

Is Thursday's matchup the start of a beautiful Utah-Vegas rivalry? This is one to watch closely.

Every team has about 15 games remaining before the regular season concludes April 16, and we'll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch every day. As we traverse the final stretch, we'll