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  5. Playoff Tiebreakers

NHL Playoff Tiebreakers 2026-27

Every tie in the standings that decides a playoff place — a division title, a guaranteed spot, a wild card, the first-round draw — broken step by step by the NHL's own procedure.
2026-27 · As the standings standUpdated Wednesday, Oct 7, 2026 · 1:16 PM ET
Where these numbers come from: Provisional: each tie is broken as the standings stand today, and the next result can change it. Games played, regulation wins, ROW, wins, goal differential and goals for are the league's own standings figures; head-to-head is counted from the season's games.
PLAYOFF PLACES

Ties that decide a playoff place

4 POINTS EACHAtlantic Division · 2nd–6thDecides the division’s third guaranteed playoff place.
Atlantic Division · 2nd–6th, 4 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
2Ottawa Senators32224/4+210
3Tampa Bay Lightning32220/0+18
4Buffalo Sabres31220/0−110
5Toronto Maple Leafs41220/2011
6Boston Bruins41220/2−29
  1. Fewer games played: OTT = TB = BUF ahead of TOR = BOS
  2. Regulation wins: OTT = TB ahead of BUF
  3. Goal differential: OTT ahead of TB
  4. Goal differential: TOR ahead of BOS
4 POINTS EACHEastern Conference wild-card race · 1st–3rdDecides the second wild card: one club is in, the other is out.
Eastern Conference wild-card race · 1st–3rd, 4 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
1Buffalo Sabres31220/0−110
2Toronto Maple Leafs41220/0011
3Boston Bruins41220/0−29
  1. Fewer games played: BUF ahead of TOR = BOS
  2. Goal differential: TOR ahead of BOS
6 POINTS EACHWestern Conference division winnersDecides which division winner has the better record — and so plays the second wild card.
Western Conference division winners, 6 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
1Utah Mammoth43330/0+917
2Vegas Golden Knights43330/0+717
  1. Goal differential: UTA ahead of VGK
5 POINTS EACHCentral Division · 2nd–3rdDecides second and third in the division — home ice when they meet in the first round.
Central Division · 2nd–3rd, 5 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
2Minnesota Wild32220/0+49
3Winnipeg Jets32220/0+19
  1. Goal differential: MIN ahead of WPG
4 POINTS EACHPacific Division · 3rd–6thDecides the division’s third guaranteed playoff place.
Pacific Division · 3rd–6th, 4 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
3Anaheim Ducks21220/0+27
4San Jose Sharks30220/0−39
5Seattle Kraken42220/0+415
6Vancouver Canucks41220/0+119
  1. Fewer games played: ANA ahead of SJ ahead of SEA = VAN
  2. Regulation wins: SEA ahead of VAN
4 POINTS EACHWestern Conference wild-card race · 1st–4thDecides the second wild card: one club is in, the other is out.
Western Conference wild-card race · 1st–4th, 4 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
1Colorado Avalanche22220/0+914
2San Jose Sharks30220/0−39
3Seattle Kraken42220/0+415
4Vancouver Canucks41220/0+119
  1. Fewer games played: COL ahead of SJ ahead of SEA = VAN
  2. Regulation wins: SEA ahead of VAN
ELSEWHERE

Other ties in the standings

2 POINTS EACHEastern Conference wild-card race · 5th–10th
Eastern Conference wild-card race · 5th–10th, 2 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
5Washington Capitals21110/0+16
6Columbus Blue Jackets21110/007
7New York Islanders31112/2+29
8Detroit Red Wings31110/0−17
9New Jersey Devils30112/4−76
10Philadelphia Flyers40001/2−125
  1. Fewer games played: WSH = CBJ ahead of NYI = DET = NJ ahead of PHI
  2. Goal differential: WSH ahead of CBJ
  3. Regulation wins: NYI = DET ahead of NJ
  4. Goal differential: NYI ahead of DET
2 POINTS EACHWestern Conference wild-card race · 6th–8th
Western Conference wild-card race · 6th–8th, 2 points each
TeamGPRWROWWH2HGDGF
6St. Louis Blues31112/4−37
7Dallas Stars31110/206
8Chicago Blackhawks41112/2−89
  1. Fewer games played: DAL = STL ahead of CHI
  2. Head-to-head points: STL ahead of DAL
The league’s own standings list these clubs DAL, STL, CHI.
THE RULES

How the NHL breaks a tie in points

  1. Fewer games played — the same thing, while points are level, as a better points percentage.
  2. More regulation wins (RW): wins in 60 minutes.
  3. More regulation and overtime wins (ROW): every win but a shootout.
  4. More wins of any kind.
  5. More points in the games among the tied clubs, as a share of the points available. When two of them meet an odd number of times, the first game in the city that hosts the extra one is left out.
  6. Better goal differential over the whole season, counting a shootout win as one goal.
  7. More goals for over the whole season, counted the same way.
METHOD

How to read this page

A tie is any two or more clubs level on points. Each is broken where it decides something: within a division for the top three places, across the conference for the wild cards, and between the two division winners for the first-round draw.

Whenever a step separates some of the clubs but leaves others level, the procedure starts again from the top for the clubs still level. Only head-to-head can come out differently the second time, because it counts only the games among the clubs still tied.

Head-to-head counts two points for a win and one for an overtime or shootout loss. A one-goal game the feed has not yet marked as regulation or overtime cannot be scored, so a tie that reaches it waits.

The league’s own standings order is shown where it differs from the procedure here.

FAQ

Questions

Who wins the NHL tiebreaker between the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins?
As the standings stand, the Ottawa Senators, on fewer games played. They are level on 4 points (Atlantic Division · 2nd–6th).
How are ties broken in the NHL standings?
Clubs level on points are separated by fewer games played, then regulation wins, then regulation and overtime wins, then total wins, then points in the games between them, then season goal differential, then goals for.
What are RW and ROW in the NHL standings?
RW is regulation wins — games won in 60 minutes. ROW is regulation and overtime wins: every win except one decided by a shootout. They are the second and third tiebreakers.
What is the odd game in the NHL tiebreaker?
When two tied clubs play each other an odd number of times, one city hosts the extra game. The first game played in that city is left out of their head-to-head points, so both clubs have had the same number of home games.
SEE ALSO

More from this section

NHL playoff standingsNHL wild card standingsNHL playoff pictureNHL playoff bracketNHL standings
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TEAMS

Every NHL team

  • Anaheim Ducks
  • Boston Bruins
  • Buffalo Sabres
  • Calgary Flames
  • Carolina Hurricanes
  • Chicago Blackhawks
  • Colorado Avalanche
  • Columbus Blue Jackets
  • Dallas Stars
  • Detroit Red Wings
  • Edmonton Oilers
  • Florida Panthers
  • Los Angeles Kings
  • Minnesota Wild
  • Montreal Canadiens
  • Nashville Predators
  • New Jersey Devils
  • New York Islanders
  • New York Rangers
  • Ottawa Senators
  • Philadelphia Flyers
  • Pittsburgh Penguins
  • San Jose Sharks
  • Seattle Kraken
  • St. Louis Blues
  • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Utah Mammoth
  • Vancouver Canucks
  • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Washington Capitals
  • Winnipeg Jets