NHL Stanley Cup Final Schedule Scenarios Released for 2026 Playoff Bracket Ahead of ECF G5

The start date of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final will depend on the results of Friday night's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The Final will start Tuesday, June 2 if the Carolina Hurricanes clinch a series victory in Game 5, the NHL announced Thursday.

Should the Montreal Canadiens force Game 6, the Final will start Thursday, June 4.

Puck drop for Game 5 between the Hurricanes and Canadiens is set for 8 p.m. ET Friday in Raleigh.

The Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead in the series Wednesday night with a 4-0 shutout victory in Montreal.

The Canadiens will need find some answers on offense to extend their series against the Canes after getting outshot 44-18 in the Game 4 loss.

Hurricanes-Canadiens Highlights

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Whichever team emerges from the East will be set to face the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Knights clinched their ticket to the Final on Tuesday by completing their Western Conference Final sweep of the Colorado Avalanche with a 2-1 Game 4 victory.

Avalanche-Golden Knights Highlights

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Regardless of whether the Canadiens or Hurricanes win the East, the Golden Knights will be starting out the Cup Final on the road.

Both the Canadiens (48 wins, 106 points) and Hurricanes (53 wins, 113 points) finished the regular season ranked well above the Golden Knights, who won a weak Pacific vision with 39 wins and 95 points.

The Knights are the first team since the 2002 Hurricanes to reach the Cup Final after winning fewer than 40 games in a season, per ESPN Insights.

That didn't stop Vegas from sweeping the President's Trophy winners from the conference finals and earning a week off before the final series.

The Hurricanes showed some rust early in the Eastern Conference Final after their own second-round sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers, which may have contributed to the Canes starting out the third round with a 6-2 Game 1 loss at home.

The Golden Knights will look to avoid a similar loss of momentum before the franchise resumes its quest to win a second Stanley Cup in four years.