Stars’ dream seeding, matchup scenarios for 2026 NHL Playoffs

It is a battle that involves the best and most consistent teams in hockey. The Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild have been in a three-way fight for superiority in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The winner of the battle is likely to finish with the best record in the NHL and gain home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Avalanche got out of the starting gate faster than any other team in the league, and they built up a huge lead in the first half of the season. However, the Avs have cooled down in the second half and the Stars have been surging. The Avs and Stars both have 13 games to go in the regular season and Colorado leads the way with 102 points. However, the Stars are hot on their heels and have reached the 97-point mark.

It seems that the Avalanche and Stars have separated themselves from the Wild. Minnesota is in third place in the division with 92 points. The Wild have a boatload of talent with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes leading the way, but they don’t appear to have a legitimate chance of catching the division leaders with 11 games to go in the regular season.

While the teams at the top of the Central Division may be the best in hockey — minor apologies to the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference — the Pacific Division appears to be the worst. The first place Anaheim Ducks have 80 points, and that’s well below the third-place Wild. The second-place Edmonton Oilers (77 points) and third-place Vegas Golden Knights (76 points) are among the most disappointing teams in the NHL.

Stars have been on a major roll and have made up ground on the Avs

The Stars have been remarkably hot since the end of January. While they dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Wild Saturday, they have recorded a 15-1-2 mark since their January 23 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

If they can finish the regular season in dominant fashion and can overtake the Avalanche and superstar Nathan MacKinnon, the Stars would have a huge edge in their opening playoff matchup.

The winner of the Central will have the best record in the Western Conference and that would set up a meeting with the No. 2 Wild-Card team in the conference. That would be the Nashville Predators at this point, although that could change as the Los Angeles Kings and Seattle Kraken appear to have a decent chance of overtaking the Preds.

That’s a huge advantage for the Central winner. Nashville has worked hard to get back in the playoff picture, but that should be a relatively easy matchup for the elite Central winner.

However, the second-place team in the Central would face a gauntlet of an assignment in the playoffs. If the Stars remain in second place, explosive Jason Robertson (38 goals a598 points) nd 82 points), Wyatt Johnston (37 goals and 74 points), Mikko Rantanen (69 points) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (would have to meet the Wild in the first round. That first-round series looks like a possible war of attrition that could go an agonizing seven games.

The winner of that game would get the first-place Avs in the second round. The Avs should be in an excellent position after their series with the Preds, Kings or Kraken.

It doesn’t always work out that way, but the winner of the division has much easier playoff road than the second- and third-place teams.

Even if Stars can’t catch Avs, they can’t fall below Wild

Dallas has a five-point lead on Minnesota, and if they can maintain that edge, they will have home-ice advantage in the series. That is a minor edge at this point, but the Stars are better off having it than not. Playing a 7th game at the American Airlines Center would be quite an advantage for the Stars. They are 22-8-4 at home this season.

The Stars are also quite good on the road as their 21-7-7 mark indicates, but having the seventh game at home should be especially effective for goaltender Jake Oettinger.

If the Stars survive against the Wild and can take down the Avalanche in the second round, Dallas may have something of a walkover in the Western Conference Finals. While the Pacific Division-leading Ducks have been overachievers this season, the Oilers and Golden Knights have had brutal seasons.

Could either of those big-name teams turn things around in the postseason? It’s possible, but both have played poorly. The Stars are better than any of the teams they could potentially face in the Western Conference Finals.

That would set up a Stanley Cup Finals against teams like the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning or Carolina Hurricanes, and any of those opponents would provide compelling theater for hockey fans

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