2026 NHL Playoff Schedule
The 2025-2026 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs tournament will kickoff on April 18, 2026, and ends after the Stanley Cup Finals. The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket will set between 16-teams in two conferences.
2026 NHL Playoff Bracket:
Eastern Conference:
- A-1
- A-2
- A-3
- M-1
- M-2
- M-3
- WC-1
- WC-2
Western Conference
- C-1
- C-2
- C-3
- P-1
- P-2
- P-3
- WC-1
- WC-2
When do the NHL playoffs start in 2026?
The 2026 NHL playoffs’ tentative round 1 games scheduled on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and is expected to end the Stanley Cup finals on June 22, 2026.
2026 NHL Playoff Schedule:
- Schedule has not set yet
2026 Stanley Cup Finals Schedule:
- Schedule has not set yet
What about the Stanley Cup?
The league championship series is known as the Stanley Cup playoff championship, and the winner is awarded the trophy donated by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston.
Who is the defending champion of the 2025 Stanley Cup finals?
The Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs are favorites to win the 2025 Stanley Cup finals.
When is the 4 Nations Face-Off 2026 taking place?
The United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland featured 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb 11-19, 2026. Total of seven games played in Montreal and Boston. Team Canada won the final championship 3-2 over the USA in 2025.
2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are on what TV channel?
According to the broadcast rights, ESPN and Turner Sports show NHL games live in the U.S. Canadian fans can stream NHL’s Out-of-market games on Sportsnet Now Premium and the entire season exclusively on the Sportsnet media network, but a deal with Sportsnet that Saturday Hockey Night in Canada will air on CBC Television.
How NHL playoffs format does work?
In each conference, 8 teams qualify for the playoffs. The first, second, and third rank teams are automatically selected for the playoffs. The two highest records of additional teams will be played in the wild cards. The most points-taking team will earn the home-field advantage from each conference in the playoffs. Each round will be the best-of-seven series that needs 4 wins.
Please Note: All the NHL game schedules you see here are unofficial and subject to change. Get the official NHL games schedule by visiting nhl.com/schedule.