NHL playoffs schedule 2026: Full bracket, dates, times, TV channels, live streams for road to Stanley Cup

NHL playoffs schedule 2026: Full bracket, dates, times, TV channels, live streams for road to Stanley Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Hockey fans, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially here. The 2026 version might be as good as ever, with a bracket that feels as wide open as any in recent memory.

Sixteen teams have the same quest: to take home Lord Stanley’s Cup. Only one will emerge victorious and etch its name into NHL history. The landscape has shifted dramatically this year, as for the first time in a decade, the defending champions will not be in the dance, as the Florida Panthers failed to qualify following their 2025 title run. That leaves the door wide open for the Colorado Avalanche, who enter the postseason as Presidents’ Trophy winners, and the Vegas Golden Knights, who look to recapture their 2023 magic under the late-season guidance of John Tortorella.

The storylines are everywhere you look. Connor McDavid is coming off another staggering 130-point season, desperate to finally bring a Cup back to Edmonton. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference features a nostalgic “Battle of Pennsylvania” between the Penguins and Flyers.

Then, of course, there’s the Buffalo Sabres, who finally shattered the longest playoff drought in NHL history by storming into the postseason as Atlantic Division champions. After 14 years on the outside looking in, Lindy Ruff’s squad has transformed from a December basement-dweller into a legitimate threat to go the distance.

From the breakout Sabres winning the Atlantic to the Utah Mammoth making their postseason debut, the stage is set for a wild ride. Here is the full schedule for every series of the 2026 NHL Playoffs.

NHL playoffs schedule, scores 2026

Second Round

Hurricanes vs. Flyers – Carolina wins 4-0

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

May 2

Game 1: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 0

—

May 4

Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (OT)

—

May 7

Game 3: Hurricanes 4, Flyers 1

—

May 9

Game 4: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (OT)

—

Sabres vs. Canadiens – Montreal leads 2-1

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

May 6

Game 1: Sabres 4, Canadiens 2

—

May 8

Game 2: Canadiens 5, Sabres 1

—

May 10

Game 3: Canadiens 6, Sabres 2

—

May 12

Game 4 at Montreal

7 p.m.

ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app

May 14

Game 5 at Buffalo

7 p.m.

TNT, truTV, DIRECTV

May 16

Game 6 at Montreal*

TBA

ABC or ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app

May 18

Game 7 at Buffalo*

TBA

ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app

* If necessary

Avalanche vs. Wild – Colorado leads 3-1

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

May 3

Game 1: Avalanche 9, Wild 6

—

May 5

Game 2: Avalanche 5, Wild 2

—

May 9

Game 3: Wild 5, Avalanche 1

—

May 11

Game 4: Avalanche 5, Wild 2

—

May 13

Game 5 at Colorado

8 p.m.

TNT, truTV, DIRECTV

May 15

Game 6 at Minnesota*

8 p.m.

ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app

May 17

Game 7 at Colorado*

TBA

TNT, truTV, DIRECTV

* If necessary

Golden Knights vs. Ducks – Tied 2-2

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

May 4

Game 1: Golden Knights 3, Ducks 1

—

May 6

Game 2: Ducks 3, Golden Knights 1

—

May 8

Game 3: Golden Knights 6, Ducks 2

—

May 10

Game 4: Ducks 4, Golden Knights 3

—

May 12

Game 5 at Vegas

9:30 p.m.

ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app

May 14

Game 6 at Anaheim

9:30 p.m.

TNT, truTV, DIRECTV

May 16

Game 7 at Vegas*

TBA

ABC or ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app

* If necessary

First Round

Sabres vs. Bruins – Buffalo wins 4-2

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 19

Game 1: Sabres 4, Bruins 3

—

April 21

Game 2: Bruins 4, Sabres 2

—

April 23

Game 3: Sabres 3, Bruins 1

—

April 26

Game 4: Sabres 6, Bruins 1

—

April 28

Game 5: Bruins 2, Sabres 1 (OT)

—

May 1

Game 6: Sabres 4, Bruins 1

—

Lightning vs. Canadiens – Montreal 4-3

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 19

Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)

—

April 21

Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)

—

April 24

Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)

—

April 26

Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2

—

April 29

Game 5: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2

—

May 1

Game 6: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0 (OT)

—

May 3

Game 7: Canadiens 2, Lightning 1

—

Hurricanes vs. Senators – Carolina wins 4-0

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 18

Game 1: Hurricanes 2, Senators 0

—

April 20

Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Senators 2 (2 OT)

—

April 23

Game 3: Hurricanes 2, Senators 1

—

April 25

Game 4: Hurricanes 4, Senators 2

—

Penguins vs. Flyers – Philadelphia wins 4-2

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 18

Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2

—

April 20

Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins

—

April 22

Game 3: Flyers 5, Penguins 2

—

April 25

Game 4: Penguins 4, Flyers 2

—

April 27

Game 5: Flyers 3, Penguins 2

—

April 29

Game 6: Flyers 1, Penguins 0 (OT)

—

Avalanche vs. Kings – Colorado wins 4-0

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 19

Game 1: Avalanche 2, Kings 1

—

April 21

Game 2: Avalanche 2, Kings 1 (OT)

—

April 23

Game 3: Avalanche 4, Kings 2

—

April 26

Game 4: Avalanche 5, Kings 1

—

Stars vs. Wild – Minnesota wins 4-2

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 18

Game 1: Wild 6, Stars 1

—

April 20

Game 2: Stars 4, Wild 2

—

April 22

Game 3: Stars 4, Wild 3 (2 OT)

—

April 25

Game 4: Wild 3, Stars 2 (OT)

—

April 28

Game 5: Wild 4, Stars 2

—

April 30

Game 6: Wild 5, Stars 2

—

Golden Knights vs. Mammoth – Vegas wins 4-2

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 19

Game 1: Golden Knights 4, Mammoth 2

—

April 21

Game 2: Mammoth 3, Golden Knights 2

—

April 24

Game 3: Mammoth 4, Golden Knights 2

—

April 27

Game 4: Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 4 (OT)

—

April 29

Game 5: Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 4 (2 OT)

—

May 1

Game 6: Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 1

—

Oilers vs. Ducks – Anaheim wins 4-2

Date

Game

Time (ET)

Watch

April 20

Game 1: Oilers 4, Ducks 3

—

April 22

Game 2: Ducks 6, Oilers 4

—

April 24

Game 3: Ducks 7, Oilers 4

—

April 26

Game 4: Ducks 4, Oilers 3 (OT)

—

April 28

Game 5: Oilers 4, Ducks 1

—

April 30

Game 6: Ducks 5, Oilers 2

—

Where to watch NHL playoffs 2026

TV channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, TBS, truTV
Live streams: DIRECTV,fubo, ESPN app

The Stanley Cup Playoffs will be broadcast across ESPN and TNT Sports platforms, with six different channels being destinations for games. The Stanley Cup Final will be exclusively on ABC.

Fans can live stream every game from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on DIRECTV. Games appearing on ESPN networks, including ABC, can also be streamed live on fubo and the ESPN app.

Catch every game – try DIRECTV FREE today! Stream live MLB, March Madness, soccer and more with must-have sports channels like TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, FS1, and NFL Network—all included with DIRECTV.

Start your FREE trial now and never miss a moment of the action. No contracts, no hassle, just wall-to-wall sports and entertainment.

NHL playoffs bracket 2026

Click here for the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket, updated live as series are completed.

NHL bracket

How will the 2026 NHL playoffs work?

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs follow a divisional bracket system where 16 teams — eight from each conference —compete in four rounds of best-of-seven series. The top three teams in each of the league’s four divisions qualify automatically, while the final four spots are awarded to the two wild card teams in each conference with the highest remaining point totals.

In the opening round, the division winner with the best record in their conference faces the wild card with the fewest points, while the other division winner plays the wild card with the higher point total. The remaining first-round series feature the second- and third-place teams from each division facing off against one another.

Every series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the higher-seeded team hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. Home-ice advantage is determined by division seeding in the first two rounds and moves to the team with the better regular-season record for the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.

Postseason hockey also introduces continuous 20-minute, five-on-five overtime periods where the first goal scored ends the game, as there are no shootouts in the playoffs.

How many teams make the NHL playoffs?

Sixteen teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eight from both the Eastern and Western Conference. This includes the top three teams in all four divisions — Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific, Central — and four wild card teams, two from each conference.

How many rounds are in the NHL playoffs?

There are four rounds in the NHL playoffs, each consisting of a best-of-seven series. To win the Stanley Cup, a team must advance through the First Round, the Second Round (Division Finals), and the Conference Finals, before finally winning the Stanley Cup Final.

Because every round requires four victories to advance, a champion must win a total of 16 games over the course of the postseason.

How many games are in a series?

All series in the Stanley Cup playoffs follow a seven-game format.

The matchups are played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, where the team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the lower seed hosts Games 3, 4, and 6. This structure remains consistent from the opening series through the Final, ensuring that the team with the better regular-season standing always has the opportunity to host a potential Game 7 in front of their home crowd.