NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket 2026 Dates, Matchups, Game Times and TV Schedule Info

All 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams were confirmed entering the NHL regular season's final day, but there was still the matter of figuring out the Pacific Division's second and third seeds as well as the Western Conference's second wild card.

That has been cleared up. Edmonton will be the No. 2 seed after crushing the last-place Vancouver Canucks. They will play the Anaheim Ducks, who beat the Nashville Predators to get the third seed. The Los Angeles Kings got the Western Conference's No. 2 wild card and will get a brutal draw against the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche.

The playoff matchups are as follows:

Eastern Conference Bracket and Matchups

• Buffalo Sabres (No. 1 Atlantic) vs. Boston Bruins (No. 1 East Wild Card)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (No. 2 Atlantic) vs. Montreal Canadiens (No. 3 Atlantic)
• Carolina Hurricanes (No. 1 Metropolitan) vs. Ottawa Senators (No. 2 East Wild Card)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 2 Metropolitan) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (No. 3 Metropolitan)
• Semifinals: Sabres/Bruins winner vs. Lightning/Canadiens winner; Hurricanes/Senators winner vs. Penguins/Flyers winner

Western Conference Bracket and Matchups

• Colorado Avalanche (No. 1 Central) vs. Los Angeles Kings (No. 2 West Wild Card)
• Dallas Stars (No. 2 Central) vs. Minnesota Wild (No. 3 Central)
• Vegas Golden Knights (No. 1 Pacific) vs. Utah Mammoth (No. 1 West Wild Card)
• Edmonton Oilers (No. 2 Pacific) vs. Anaheim Ducks (No. 3 Pacific)
• Semifinals: Avalanche/Kings winner vs. Stars/Wild winner; Golden Knights/Mammoth winner vs. Oilers/Ducks winner

Stanley Cup Playoff Schedule via NHL.com (All First Games of Best-of-7 First Round Series)

Saturday, April 18

• 3 p.m. ET, Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes; ESPN
• 5:30 p.m. ET, Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars; ESPN
• 8 p.m. ET, Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins; ESPN

Sunday, April 19

• 3 p.m. ET, Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche; TNT
• 5:45 p.m. ET, Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning; TNT
• 7:30 p.m. ET, Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres; ESPN

• 10 p.m. ET, Utah Mammoth at Vegas Golden Knights; ESPN

Monday, April 20

• Time/TV TBD, Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers

Here's a look at five storylines heading into the playoffs.

Colorado Rolls Into Playoffs as NHL's Best Team

The Avalanche have been dominant nearly all season. They lost just two of their first 40 regulation games en route to the Presidents' Trophy. On paper, this looks like the NHL's strongest team. They were first in goals scored and first in goals against.

Six of their players have 20 or more goals, led by Nathan MacKinnon's 53. His 57 plus-minus also leads the NHL. Former Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Nečas has been tremendous in his first full years with the Avs, hitting the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. The goaltending has been spectacular, led by Scott Wedgewood in his 42 starts (NHL-leading .920 save percentage and 2.07 GAA).

Overall, Colorado is the team to beat. The problem is the Avs, should they advanced to the second round, are going to have a brutal draw against either the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild. The Stars finished third in points this year overall, and the Wild had 104. Still, Colorado won't be a pushover either and could very well win its second Stanley Cup in five years.

Sabres Shooting for First Stanley Cup

Not only did the Buffalo Sabres break a 14-year playoff drought earlier this season, but they also won their division for the first time since 2007.

Buffalo is now trying for its first-ever Stanley Cup. Things looked awfully bleak to start with three straight regulation losses by a combined 10-2 score. The Sabres later lost eight of nine to fall to 5-8-4.

However, the Sabres dug out of that hole and enjoyed a stretch of 10 straight wins and 16 of 18. They later won 12 of 13 games from February 25 to March 21.

Buffalo cooled down a bit, with five losses in seven games over late March and early April, but they rallied for four straight wins to earn the division crown.

Their depth has been tremendous, with 13 players scoring 11 or more goals. Tage Thompson leads the team in goals (40) and assists (41).

Ultimately, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Buffalo stay hot in the springtime and finally hoist the Cup.

Oilers Trying To Hoist the Cup Again Once and for All

The Edmonton Oilers lost the Stanley Cup in the past two years in heartbreaking fashion to the Florida Panthers.

After four seasons of amassing 101 or more points, the Oilers regressed a bit in 2025-26 (93 points), but they still managed to take second in the Pacific Division.

On the glass half-empty side, this has been an extremely rough year on the defensive end, with Edmonton finishing 26th in goals allowed per game. Four Oiler goalies combined for an .883 save percentage and 3.12 GAA.

However, the glass half-full side still has the NHL's best player in Connor McDavid, whose 86 assists and 134 points led the league. With him and Leon Draisaitl leading the show, Edmonton could very well get back to the Stanley Cup.

This is a battle-tested team that's proved its worth in the playoffs. The issues are whether the defense and goaltending can do enough to keep them alive.

Penguins Return to the Playoffs

Led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins used to be a mainstay in the NHL playoffs, making 16 straight postseasons and winning three Stanley Cups.

However, the Pens got cold of late, missing the playoffs three straight years.

They are back, though, and took second in the Metropolitan with 98 points under first-year head coach Dan Muse.

Crosby, at age 38, led the team with 74 points on 29 goals and 45 assists. Malkin, at age 39, pitched in 19 goals and 42 assists.

The Penguins' calling card has been their offense, as they finished third in goals scored with 290. The other end has been an issue, with the Penguins finishing No. 24 in goals allowed. They've allowed 4.26 goals per game in their last 15 contests.

It will be interesting to see how the Penguins fare soon enough as Crosby and Malkin search for their fourth Stanley Cup.

Vegas Rolls Into Stanley Cup Playoffs on a Heater

The struggling Vegas Golden Knights made a big change as the season wound down, firing head coach Bruce Cassidy and replacing him with John Tortorella.

The Golden Knights have since gone 7-0-1, and that was good enough for them to win the Pacific Division.

Vegas has outscored its opponents by 17 goals during that eight-game stretch. Goaltender Carter Hart, who had missed three months with a lower body injury, has been on fire, going 6-0-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .930 save percentage. Jack Eichel has had two goals and nine assists in his last six games and leads the team with 90 points (27 goals, 63 assists). Six skaters have at least 23 goals and 58 points.

This could be a very scary team in the Western Conference playoffs. The Golden Knights are capable of beating anyone and could stay hot here entering their matchup with the Utah Mammoth.