Wild On Verge of Clinching Playoff Spot, Maple Leafs Facing Elimination

One Western Conference team and one Eastern Conference team face opposite ends of the playoff spectrum during tonight's five-game slate.

Mar 28, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

With the regular season entering the final stretch, Monday night's slate carries significant postseason weight across both conferences. While only five games are on the schedule, the implications stretch beyond that, particularly for the Minnesota Wild and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have found themselves on opposite ends of the playoff spectrum.

Tonight's Playoff Scenarios

The Wild enter the night with a chance to officially punch their ticket to playoffs, a milestone that caps off a steady and resilient campaign in a wild Western Conference race. Minnesota's path to clinching consists of a San Jose Sharks loss in regulation against the St. Louis Blues and a Vegas Golden Knights loss in any fashion against the Vancouver Canucks.

On the other side of the league, Toronto's elimination scenario consists of a regulation loss against the Anaheim Ducks and a New York Islanders point against the Pittsburgh Penguins. For a franchise with heavy expectations, this season has been nothing short of disappointing. Even if they manage to make it to Tuesday without being eliminated, the chances of the team making playoffs is razor thin.

Toronto has experienced quite a few hardships this season, losing star forward Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights as a free agent in the offseason and losing their captain Auston Matthews to injury, it wasn't expected that they would have a long stretch into the offseason, if at all. The team holds a 31-30-13 record on the season, sitting 24th in the league with 75 points.

Mar 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) center John Tavares (91) and left wing Matthew Knies (23) talk before a face off against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Wild, on the other hand, have experienced success this season following the acquisition of star defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a blockbuster mid-season trade. The team currently holds a 41-21-12 record with 94 points and sits 7th in the league.

Elsewhere on the schedule, matchups like the Canucks versus Vegas and their new head coach, as well as the Calgary Flames against the Colorado Avalanche, also carry playoff positioning implications. Every point matters tonight, and teams already in playoff positions are battling for favorable matchups and home-ice advantage.

The full game slate consists of:

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders - 7:00 PM EST
Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche - 8:30 PM EST
Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks - 10:00 PM EST
Vancouver Canucks at Vegas Golden Knights - 10:00 PM EST
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks - 10:00 PM EST

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