2026 Stanley Cup playoffs
Tournament details
Dates April 18 – June 21, 2026
Teams 16
Defending champions Florida Panthers
(did not qualify)
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The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs is the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2025–26 season. The playoffs began on April 18, 2026 and will conclude with the Stanley Cup Final with the series ending no later than June 21.[1]

The Colorado Avalanche qualified for the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e., best record) during the regular season. The Buffalo Sabres ended their NHL-record 14-year playoff drought, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2011. The Anaheim Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2018, ending their eight-year playoff drought. The Philadelphia Flyers also ended their six-year playoff drought. The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2015–16 season, ending what was the longest playoff streak in the NHL. The longest active playoff streak is now held jointly by the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning, who have qualified for the playoffs every year since 2018. Additionally, the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers failed to qualify for the playoffs, becoming the first defending champions to fail to qualify since the 2014–15 Los Angeles Kings and also became the first two-time defending champion to miss the playoffs since the 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens.[2] The Winnipeg Jets also became the fifth defending Presidents' Trophy winner to fail to qualify for the playoffs. This is also the first time in league history that consecutive Presidents' Trophy winners failed to make the playoffs. The Utah Mammoth tied the Seattle Kraken as the second-fastest expansion team to clinch their first playoff berth, doing so in their second season. For the first time since 1966, none of the New York metropolitan area-based teams (the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers) qualified for the playoffs.[3]

Playoff seeds

Further information: Stanley Cup playoffs § Current format

This is the eleventh year in which the top three teams in each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference (for a total of eight playoff teams from each conference).

The following teams qualified for the playoffs:[4]

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

  1. Buffalo Sabres, Atlantic Division champions – 109 points
  2. Tampa Bay Lightning – 106 points (40 RWs)
  3. Montreal Canadiens – 106 points (34 RWs)

Metropolitan Division

  1. Carolina Hurricanes, Metropolitan Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions – 113 points
  2. Pittsburgh Penguins – 98 points (34 RWs)
  3. Philadelphia Flyers – 98 points (27 RWs)

Wild Cards

  1. Boston Bruins – 100 points
  2. Ottawa Senators – 99 points

Western Conference

Central Division

  1. Colorado Avalanche, Central Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 121 points
  2. Dallas Stars – 112 points
  3. Minnesota Wild – 104 points

Pacific Division

  1. Vegas Golden Knights, Pacific Division champions – 95 points
  2. Edmonton Oilers – 93 points
  3. Anaheim Ducks – 92 points

Wild Cards

  1. Utah Mammoth – 92 points
  2. Los Angeles Kings – 90 points

Playoff bracket

In each round, teams are competing in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage is playing at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team is playy at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division made the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference, for a total of eight teams from each conference.

In the first round, the lower seeded wild card in the conference is playing against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card is playing against the other division winner, and both wild cards are de facto #4 seeds. The other series will match the second and third-place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home-ice advantage is awarded to the team with the better seed. Thereafter, it is awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

First round Second round Conference finals Stanley Cup Final
                       
A1 Buffalo 0
WC1 Boston 0
 
 
A2 Tampa Bay 0
A3 Montreal 1
 
Eastern Conference
 
M1 Carolina 1
WC2 Ottawa 0
 
 
M2 Pittsburgh 0
M3 Philadelphia 1
 
 
C1 Colorado 1
WC2 Los Angeles 0
 
 
C2 Dallas 0
C3 Minnesota 1
 
Western Conference
 
P1 Vegas 0
WC1 Utah 0
 
 
P2 Edmonton 0
P3 Anaheim 0
Legend
  • A1, A2, A3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Atlantic Division, respectively
  • M1, M2, M3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Metropolitan Division, respectively
  • C1, C2, C3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Central Division, respectively
  • P1, P2, P3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Pacific Division, respectively
  • WC1, WC2 – The first and second place Wild Card teams, respectively

First round

Note: All times listed are in EDT (UTC–4). Potential games are listed in italics if necessary.

Eastern Conference first round

(A1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (WC1) Boston Bruins

The Buffalo Sabres finished first in the Atlantic Division with 109 points. The Boston Bruins earned 100 points to finish as the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. This will be the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams with Boston winning six of the eight previous series. They last met in the 2010 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which Boston won in six games. The Sabres qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Boston won three of the four games in the regular season series.

April 19 Boston Bruins 7:30 p.m. Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center ESPN, SN1, SN360
April 21 Boston Bruins 7:30 p.m. Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center ESPN, SN360
April 23 Buffalo Sabres 7:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden TNT, TruTV, SN360
April 26 Buffalo Sabres 2:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden TNT, TruTV, SN
April 28 Boston Bruins TBD Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center
May 1 Buffalo Sabres TBD Boston Bruins TD Garden
May 3 Boston Bruins TBD Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center
Series starts April 19

(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (A3) Montreal Canadiens

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division with 106 points. The Montreal Canadiens also earned 106 points to finish third in the Atlantic Division as Tampa Bay won the first tie-breaker of regulation wins. This is the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams with Tampa Bay winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, which Tampa Bay won in five games. These teams split their four-game regular season series.

April 19 Montreal Canadiens 4–3 OT Tampa Bay Lightning Benchmark International Arena  
Josh Anderson (1) – 13:24 First period No scoring
Juraj Slafkovsky (1) – pp – 19:36 Second period 12:15 – pp – Darren Raddysh (1)
12:44 – Brandon Hagel (1)
Juraj Slafkovsky (2) – pp – 05:56 Third period 08:58 – pp – Brandon Hagel (2)
No scoring First overtime period No scoring
Jakub Dobes 20 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Andrei Vasilevskiy 15 saves / 18 shots
April 21 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Benchmark International Arena ESPN2, CBC, SN
April 24 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre TNT, TruTV, CBC, SN
April 26 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre ESPN, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP
April 29 Montreal Canadiens TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Benchmark International Arena
May 1 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
May 3 Montreal Canadiens TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Benchmark International Arena
Montreal leads series 1–0

(M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC2) Ottawa Senators

The Carolina Hurricanes finished first in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference earning 113 points. The Ottawa Senators earned 99 points to finish as the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. This is the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Carolina won two of the three games in the regular season series.

April 18 Ottawa Senators 0–2 Carolina Hurricanes Lenovo Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 02:11 – Logan Stankoven (1)
No scoring Third period 07:15 – Taylor Hall (1)
Linus Ullmark 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Frederik Andersen 22 saves / 22 shots
April 20 Ottawa Senators 7:30 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes Lenovo Center ESPN2, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP
April 23 Carolina Hurricanes 7:30 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre TBS, CBC, SN
April 25 Carolina Hurricanes 3:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre TBS, TruTV, SN
April 27 Ottawa Senators TBD Carolina Hurricanes Lenovo Center
April 30 Carolina Hurricanes TBD Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
May 2 Ottawa Senators TBD Carolina Hurricanes Lenovo Center
Carolina leads series 1–0

(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M3) Philadelphia Flyers

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division with 98 points. The Philadelphia Flyers also earned 98 points to finish third in the Metropolitan Division as Pittsburgh won the first tie-breaker of regulation wins. This is the eighth playoff meeting between these two intrastate rivals, with Philadelphia winning four of the seven previous series. They last met in the 2018 Eastern Conference first round, which Pittsburgh won in six games. The Flyers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. These teams split their four-game regular season series.

April 18 Philadelphia Flyers 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Jamie Drysdale (1) – 09:19 Second period 15:51 – Evgeni Malkin (1)
Travis Sanheim (1) – 10:00
Porter Martone (1) – 17:23		 Third period 18:59 – Bryan Rust (1)
Daniel Vladar 15 saves / 17 shots Goalie stats Stuart Skinner 17 saves / 20 shots
April 20 Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena ESPN, SN360
April 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Xfinity Mobile Arena TNT, TruTV, SNE, SNO, SNP, SN360
April 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Xfinity Mobile Arena TNT, TruTV, SN
April 27 Philadelphia Flyers TBD Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
April 29 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Philadelphia Flyers Xfinity Mobile Arena
May 2 Philadelphia Flyers TBD Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
Philadelphia leads series 1–0

Western Conference first round

(C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Los Angeles Kings

The Colorado Avalanche earned the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular season team with 121 points. The Los Angeles Kings earned 90 points to finish as the second wild card in the Western Conference. This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams with Colorado winning both previous series. They last met in the 2002 Western Conference quarterfinals, which Colorado won in seven games. Colorado won all three games in the regular season series.

April 19 Los Angeles Kings 1–2 Colorado Avalanche Ball Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 15:29 – Artturi Lehkonen (1)
Artemi Panarin (1) – pp – 17:38 Third period 05:50 – Logan O'Connor (1)
Anton Forsberg 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Scott Wedgewood 24 saves / 25 shots
April 21 Los Angeles Kings 10:00 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Ball Arena ESPN, SN360
April 23 Colorado Avalanche 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles Kings Crypto.com Arena TNT, TruTV, SN, SN360
April 26 Colorado Avalanche 4:30 p.m. Los Angeles Kings Crypto.com Arena TNT, TruTV, SNP, SNW, SN360
April 29 Los Angeles Kings TBD Colorado Avalanche Ball Arena
May 1 Colorado Avalanche TBD Los Angeles Kings Crypto.com Arena
May 3 Los Angeles Kings TBD Colorado Avalanche Ball Arena
Colorado leads series 1–0

(C2) Dallas Stars vs. (C3) Minnesota Wild

The Dallas Stars finished second in the Central Division with 112 points. The Minnesota Wild earned 104 points to finish third in the Central. This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams with Dallas winning both previous series. They last met in the 2023 Western Conference first round, which Dallas won in six games. These teams split their four-games in the regular season.

April 18 Minnesota Wild 6–1 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Joel Eriksson Ek (1) – pp – 05:35 First period No scoring
Kirill Kaprizov (1) – 00:56
Ryan Hartman (1) – 03:28
Matt Boldy (1) – 06:30		 Second period 15:10 – pp – Jason Robertson (1)
Joel Eriksson Ek (2) – pp – 08:13
Matt Boldy (2) – en – 16:52		 Third period No scoring
Jesper Wallstedt 27 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Jake Oettinger 23 saves / 28 shots
April 20 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. Dallas Stars American Airlines Center ESPN, SN360
April 22 Dallas Stars 9:30 p.m. Minnesota Wild Grand Casino Arena TNT, TruTV, SN360
April 25 Dallas Stars 5:30 p.m. Minnesota Wild Grand Casino Arena TNT, TruTV, SNO, SNP, SNW
April 28 Minnesota Wild TBD Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
April 30 Dallas Stars TBD Minnesota Wild Grand Casino Arena
May 2 Minnesota Wild TBD Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
Minnesota leads series 1–0

(P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Utah Mammoth

The Vegas Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division with 95 points. The Utah Mammoth earned 92 points to finish as the first wild card in the Western Conference. This will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams and the first playoff series for the Mammoth. Utah won two of the three games in the regular season series.

April 19 Utah Mammoth 10:00 p.m. Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena ESPN, CBC, SN
April 21 Utah Mammoth 9:30 p.m. Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena ESPN2, CBC, SN
April 24 Vegas Golden Knights 9:30 p.m. Utah Mammoth Delta Center TBS, SN360
April 27 Vegas Golden Knights TBD Utah Mammoth Delta Center ESPN
April 29 Utah Mammoth TBD Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
May 1 Vegas Golden Knights TBD Utah Mammoth Delta Center
May 3 Utah Mammoth TBD Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
Series starts April 19

(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Anaheim Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division with 93 points. The Anaheim Ducks earned 92 points to finish third in the Pacific. This will be the third playoff meeting between these two teams with both teams splitting the two previous series. They last met in the 2017 Western Conference second round, which Anaheim won in seven games. The Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Edmonton won two of the three games in the regular season series.

April 20 Anaheim Ducks 10:00 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place ESPN2, CBC, SN
April 22 Anaheim Ducks 10:00 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place TBS, CBC, SN
April 24 Edmonton Oilers 10:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center TNT, TruTV, CBC, SN
April 26 Edmonton Oilers 9:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center ESPN, CBC, SN
April 28 Anaheim Ducks TBD Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
April 30 Edmonton Oilers TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
May 2 Anaheim Ducks TBD Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
Series starts April 20

Player statistics

Skaters

These were the top ten skaters based on points, following the conclusion of games played on April 18, 2026. Players in bold are currently active in the playoffs.[5]

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Matt Boldy Minnesota Wild 1 2 1 3 +2 2
Joel Eriksson Ek Minnesota Wild 1 2 1 3 +1 0
Kirill Kaprizov Minnesota Wild 1 1 2 3 +3 0
Mats Zuccarello Minnesota Wild 1 0 3 3 +2 0
Taylor Hall Carolina Hurricanes 1 1 1 2 +2 0
Ryan Hartman Minnesota Wild 1 1 1 2 +2 0
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 1 1 1 2 +2 0
Logan Stankoven Carolina Hurricanes 1 1 1 2 +2 0
Jackson Blake Carolina Hurricanes 1 0 2 2 +2 2
Rasmus Ristolainen Philadelphia Flyers 1 0 2 2 –1 2

Goaltenders

This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage, with at least 60 minutes played, following the conclusion of games played on April 18, 2026. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded. Players in bold are currently active in the playoffs.[6]

Player Team GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
Frederik Andersen Carolina Hurricanes 1 1 0 22 0 0.00 1.000 1 60:00
Jesper Wallstedt Minnesota Wild 1 1 0 28 1 1.00 .964 0 60:00
Daniel Vladar Philadelphia Flyers 1 1 0 17 2 2.00 .882 0 60:00

Media

Canada

This is the 12th and final postseason of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deal with Rogers Sports & Media before a new 12-season contract begins next (2026–27) season.[7][8] Games will air across the Sportsnet networks and CBC under the Hockey Night in Canada brand. For first and second-round U.S.–U.S. games not on CBC, Sportsnet generally simulcasts the U.S. feed instead of producing their own telecast. The 2026 Stanley Cup Final will be simulcast on both CBC and Sportsnet.[9]

Sportsnet+ will stream all games.[9]

United States

This is the fifth season of the league's seven-year U.S. national broadcast rights deals with the ESPN family of networks and TNT Sports.[10]

First- and second-round games are split between ESPN-produced telecasts (either on ESPN, ABC, or ESPN2) and TNT Sports-produced telecasts (either on TNT or TBS, with selected simulcasts on TruTV). Each U.S. team's regional broadcaster also televised local coverage of first-round games.[11][12]

ESPN opened the playoffs with three games on April 18, to be followed by two more on Sunday, April 19. TNT will have two games on April 19 as well. Remaining first round games will have ESPN or ESPN2 broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays, then TNT or TBS from Wednesdays to Saturdays. Sunday, April 26 will follow the same format as April 19, with ESPN showing two games and TNT airing two as well.[13]

The ESPN networks have the first choice of which conference final series to air, and TNT Sports will broadcast the other conference finals. As per the alternating rotation, ABC has coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.[10]

The ESPN app and HBO Max will stream all ESPN-produced games and TNT Sports-produced games, respectively.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "2025–26 Key Dates" (PDF). National Hockey League. September 9, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  2. ^ Ganzi, Joey (April 8, 2026). "Panthers Can Benefit From Missing the Playoffs This Season". Yardbarker. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  3. ^ Campbell, Ken (April 13, 2026). "Look, Ma, No Playoff Teams! What Went Wrong In New York And Who Will Fix It?". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  4. ^ "NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  5. ^ "NHL Stats - NHL.com". NHL Enterprises, L. P. April 18, 2026. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  6. ^ "NHL Stats - NHL.com". NHL Enterprises, L. P. April 18, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  7. ^ Rosen, Dan (November 26, 2013). "NHL, Rogers announce landmark 12-year deal". NHL.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  8. ^ "NHL, Rogers announce 12-year national rights media deal". April 2, 2025. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Sportsnet Announces 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Coverage Details, Beginning April 18". Rogers Sports and Media (Press release). April 17, 2026.
  10. ^ a b "NHL moving to Turner Sports is $1 billion risk-reward for hockey". CNBC. April 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs presented by GEICO begin Saturday on ESPN". ESPN Press Room (Press release). April 18, 2026.
  12. ^ a b "TNT Sports Announces Commentators for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by GEICO First Round Games on Sunday, April 19". wbd.com (Press release). April 18, 2026.
  13. ^ "2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs 1st round schedule". www.nhl.com. Retrieved April 18, 2026.