Points in the standings: the difference is huge in the East compared to the West

In the past, it was always said that the Western Conference was more powerful than the Eastern Conference. But there seems to be a change in the air in the National Hockey League.

For example?

There is a significant gap in the standings when you look at the two conferences. The teams in the East have many more points than those in the West, after all…

The difference is notable: the number of points needed to make the playoffs in the East is expected to be 98.

But in the West, that number is only 88… and that's where we see how different it is.

Math unlikely to change much down the stretch…

DNQ cutoff line in East looks like it will be 98 points. And in West…88 points.

— Kevin Paul Dupont (@GlobeKPD) March 8, 2026

Is it simply a question of parity? Are the teams in the West relatively equally good, which is why the standings are so close?

At the same time, four of the six recent Stanley Cup winners are from the East (Lightning (twice) and Panthers (twice)…)

In all this, it should be noted that the Canadiens now have 78 points after yesterday's win against the Kings in Los Angeles. Logically, the Habs would need 20 more points to technically qualify for the playoffs… and they still have 20 games to play before the end of the regular season.
Unless there's a surprise—or unless the club collapses in the final stretch of the season— the Canadiens should easily secure their ticket to the spring dance. That said, the Habs (who didn't improve at the trade deadline) will have to be careful because the other clubs in the East continue to be successful…

After all, the standings are tighter than ever. And the Canadiens must continue to win if they want to qualify for the playoffs…

In brief

– Alert to poolers.

Gabriel Landeskog will be out for a few weeks https://t.co/AANSGAEGz2

— Renaud Lavoie (@RLavoieTVA) March 8, 2026

— Logical.

From @NHLPlayerSafety: #isles Bo Horvat has been fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct for an incident involving San Jose's bench.pic.twitter.com/gryrB7UiZR

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 8, 2026

– He's so good.

Lane Hutson with the Habs in his sophomore season:

• 11 goals
• 53 assists (3rd among defensemen)
• 64 points in 62 games (4th among defensemen)
• On pace to score 85 points (tying Larry Robinson's MTL Canadiens franchise record from 1977)
• 22 years old pic.twitter.com/eDAmzCQwaX

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 8, 2026

— Yes.

Officially, the Hawks don't have a captain, but unofficially, it's a different story.https://t.co/o6vJRKNtWX

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 8, 2026

— Nice lineup.

The CHL has named their top 50 players of the last 50 years and there's no shortage of star power on it! #CHL50

Vote for your personal top 10 and help determine @CHLHockey‘s final rankings here https://t.co/ErTkGOmafZ pic.twitter.com/zz6QNR5bAP

— NHL (@NHL) March 8, 2026