Division Pressure Heatmap

Which divisions have the tightest playoff races? Ranked by Playoff Pressure Index.

🔥 Hottest Divisions Across All Leagues

Eastern Conference🏒 NHL🔥 Inferno

Eastern Conference is a pressure cooker — 10 teams under significant playoff pressure.

10.0

normalized

Eastern Conference🏀 NBA🟡 Warm

Eastern Conference has moderate competitive tension with clear tiers emerging.

10.0

normalized

Western Conference🏀 NBA🟡 Warm

Western Conference has moderate competitive tension with clear tiers emerging.

10.0

normalized

National Football Conference🏈 NFL🟠 Hot

National Football Conference has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

10.0

normalized

American League⚾ MLB🟠 Hot

American League has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

10.0

normalized

American Football Conference🏈 NFL🟠 Hot

American Football Conference has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

9.9

normalized

Western Conference🏒 NHL🟠 Hot

Western Conference has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

9.9

normalized

National League⚾ MLB🟠 Hot

National League has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

9.7

normalized

🏒 NHL Divisions

Hottest: Eastern Conference (6.0)

Eastern Conference

🔥 Inferno

6.0

heat score

Eastern Conference is a pressure cooker — 10 teams under significant playoff pressure.

8/16 in playoffs3 on bubbleVolatility: High10/16 under pressure5 near cutlineTightest: 0.0% gap

#9 Pittsburgh Penguins

8.0

#11 Columbus Blue Jackets

7.7

#13 New York Rangers

7.5

#10 Carolina Hurricanes

7.2

#12 Philadelphia Flyers

7.0

#14 New Jersey Devils

7.0

#15 Tampa Bay Lightning

7.0

#16 Boston Bruins

7.0

#7 Washington Capitals

6.5

#8 New York Islanders

6.5

5.2

5.2

4.0

4.0

#2 Toronto Maple Leafs

3.5

#1 Montreal Canadiens

2.8

Western Conference

🟠 Hot

5.9

heat score

Western Conference has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

8/16 in playoffs3 on bubbleVolatility: High10/16 under pressure5 near cutlineTightest: 0.0% gap

#9 Nashville Predators

8.0

#11 Vegas Golden Knights

7.7

7.5

7.2

7.0

7.0

7.0

7.0

6.5

#8 Colorado Avalanche

6.5

#5 Vancouver Canucks

5.2

#6 Anaheim Ducks

5.2

#4 Chicago Blackhawks

4.0

#3 Minnesota Wild

3.3

#1 Edmonton Oilers

2.8

#2 Dallas Stars

2.8

🏀 NBA Divisions

Hottest: Eastern Conference (2.0)

Eastern Conference

🟡 Warm

2.0

heat score

Eastern Conference has moderate competitive tension with clear tiers emerging.

15/15 in playoffsVolatility: Low0/15 under pressureTightest: 0.0% gap

#0 Atlanta Hawks

2.0

#0 Boston Celtics

2.0

#0 Chicago Bulls

2.0

#0 Cleveland Cavaliers

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

#0 Philadelphia 76ers

2.0

#0 Washington Wizards

2.0

#0 Toronto Raptors

2.0

#0 Charlotte Hornets

2.0

Western Conference

🟡 Warm

2.0

heat score

Western Conference has moderate competitive tension with clear tiers emerging.

15/15 in playoffsVolatility: Low0/15 under pressureTightest: 0.0% gap

#0 New Orleans Pelicans

2.0

#0 Dallas Mavericks

2.0

#0 Denver Nuggets

2.0

#0 Golden State Warriors

2.0

#0 Houston Rockets

2.0

#0 LA Clippers

2.0

#0 Los Angeles Lakers

2.0

#0 Minnesota Timberwolves

2.0

#0 Phoenix Suns

2.0

#0 Portland Trail Blazers

2.0

#0 Sacramento Kings

2.0

#0 San Antonio Spurs

2.0

#0 Oklahoma City Thunder

2.0

#0 Utah Jazz

2.0

#0 Memphis Grizzlies

2.0

🏈 NFL Divisions

Hottest: National Football Conference (5.5)

National Football Conference

🟠 Hot

5.5

heat score

National Football Conference has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

7/16 in playoffs3 on bubbleVolatility: Medium9/16 under pressure5 near cutlineTightest: 0.0% gap

#10 Washington Commanders

7.2

#12 Dallas Cowboys

7.0

#8 Seattle Seahawks

6.8

#9 Detroit Lions

6.7

#11 Green Bay Packers

6.5

#13 Los Angeles Rams

6.5

#14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6.5

#15 Atlanta Falcons

6.5

#16 New Orleans Saints

6.5

#6 Philadelphia Eagles

5.3

5.3

4.7

4.0

2.8

#3 San Francisco 49ers

2.8

#1 Minnesota Vikings

2.3

American Football Conference

🟠 Hot

5.4

heat score

American Football Conference has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

7/16 in playoffs3 on bubbleVolatility: Medium9/16 under pressure5 near cutlineTightest: 0.0% gap

#10 Indianapolis Colts

7.2

#12 Tennessee Titans

7.0

#8 Pittsburgh Steelers

6.8

6.7

6.5

6.5

6.5

#15 Los Angeles Chargers

6.5

#16 New England Patriots

6.5

#6 New York Jets

5.3

#7 Cincinnati Bengals

5.3

#4 Kansas City Chiefs

4.0

#5 Las Vegas Raiders

4.0

#2 Baltimore Ravens

2.8

#3 Jacksonville Jaguars

2.8

#1 Buffalo Bills

2.3

⚾ MLB Divisions

Hottest: American League (5.6)

American League

🟠 Hot

5.6

heat score

American League has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

6/15 in playoffs3 on bubbleVolatility: High10/15 under pressure5 near cutlineTightest: 0.3% gap

#7 Houston Astros

8.0

#14 Athletics

8.0

#13 Kansas City Royals

7.5

#9 Baltimore Orioles

7.2

#8 Toronto Blue Jays

6.7

#12 Seattle Mariners

6.5

#15 Los Angeles Angels

6.5

6.3

6.0

5.8

5.3

3.3

3.0

1.8

#2 Cleveland Guardians

1.8

National League

🟠 Hot

5.4

heat score

National League has a competitive race with 3 teams on the bubble.

6/15 in playoffs3 on bubbleVolatility: High9/15 under pressure5 near cutlineTightest: 0.3% gap

#7 Arizona Diamondbacks

8.0

#10 St. Louis Cardinals

7.5

#9 Miami Marlins

7.2

#12 Cincinnati Reds

7.0

#14 San Francisco Giants

6.5

#11 Washington Nationals

6.3

#15 Colorado Rockies

6.3

#6 Philadelphia Phillies

6.0

#13 New York Mets

5.8

#8 Pittsburgh Pirates

5.3

#5 San Diego Padres

4.3

#4 Chicago Cubs

4.0

#3 Atlanta Braves

3.3

#2 Los Angeles Dodgers

2.1

#1 Milwaukee Brewers

1.8

Playoff Pressure Index aggregated per division. Higher = more competitive tension.