NHL playoff bracket 2026: Full schedule, TV channels, scores for hockey’s road to Stanley Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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For hockey fans, it’s the best time of the year. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially here, and after a regular season defined by historic turnarounds and shifting divisional powers, the 2026 bracket is one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.
In the Eastern Conference, the field is a mix of battle-tested giants and long-awaited homecomings. The headline is the Buffalo Sabres, who not only snapped an NHL-record 14-season postseason drought but did so by capturing the Atlantic Division title. They’ll open against a Boston Bruins squad that returned to form after a year away, setting up a clash between Buffalo’s high-octane offense and Boston’s elite defensive structure. Meanwhile, the Battle of Pennsylvania is back, as the Penguins and Flyers renew their fierce rivalry in a first-round series for the first time since 2018.
Over in the West, the Colorado Avalanche have secured the Presidents’ Trophy, ensuring the road to the Cup runs through Denver. However, they face a gauntlet of contenders, including a Dallas Stars team that looks dangerous after a franchise-record winning streak and a Vegas Golden Knights squad that has found a new gear since John Tortorella took over the bench.
From the emergence of young stars like Cole Caufield to the enduring brilliance of veterans like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, the stage is set for two months of high-stakes, sudden-death drama. With six teams qualifying for the postseason after missing out last year, the hunger for a deep run has never been higher. Let the chase for 16 wins begin.
The Sporting News has the complete bracket and schedule throughout the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. Check it out below.
NHL playoff bracket 2026
Click here for the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket, updated live as series are completed.
SN
First Round
Eastern Conference
| Matchup | Series |
|---|---|
| (A1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (WC1) Boston Bruins | Tied 1-1 |
| (A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (A3) Montreal Canadiens | Tied 1-1 |
| (M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC2) Ottawa Senators | Carolina leads 2-0 |
| (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M3) Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia leads 2-0 |
Western Conference
| Matchup | Series |
|---|---|
| (C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Los Angeles Kings | Colorado leads 2-0 |
| (C2) Dallas Stars vs. (C3) Minnesota Wild | Tied 1-1 |
| (P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Utah Mammoth | Tied 1-1 |
| (P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Anaheim Ducks | Edmonton leads 1-0 |
NHL playoffs schedule, scores 2026
First Round
Sabres vs. Bruins – Series tied 1-1
| 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 at Bruins | 7:00 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 26 | Game 4: Sabres at Bruins | 2:00 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 28 | Game 5: Bruins at Sabres | TBD | TBD |
| May 1 | Game 6*: Sabres at Bruins | TBD | TBD |
| May 3 | Game 7*: Bruins at Sabres | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Lightning vs. Canadiens – Series tied 1-1
| 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: Lightning at Canadiens | 7:00 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 26 | Game 4: Lightning at Canadiens | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app |
| April 29 | Game 5: Canadiens at Lightning | TBD | TBD |
| May 1 | Game 6*: Lightning at Canadiens | TBD | TBD |
| May 3 | Game 7*: Canadiens at Lightning | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Hurricanes vs. Senators – Carolina leads 2-0
| 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 at Senators | 7:30 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| April 25 | Game 4: Hurricanes at Senators | 3:00 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 27 | Game 5*: Senators at Hurricanes | TBD | TBD |
| April 30 | Game 6*: Hurricanes at Senators | TBD | TBD |
| May 2 | Game 7*: Senators at Hurricanes | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Penguins vs. Flyers – Philadelphia leads 2-0
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Watch |
| April 18 | Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 | — | — |
| April 20 | Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins | — | — |
| April 22 | Game 3: Penguins at Flyers | 7:00 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 25 | Game 4: Penguins at Flyers | 8:00 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 27 | Game 5*: Flyers at Penguins | TBD | TBD |
| April 29 | Game 6*: Penguins at Flyers | TBD | TBD |
| May 2 | Game 7*: Flyers at Penguins | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Avalanche vs. Kings – Colorado leads 2-0
| 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 at Kings | 10:00 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 26 | Game 4: Avalanche at Kings | 4:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 29 | Game 5*: Kings at Avalanche | TBD | TBD |
| May 1 | Game 6*: Avalanche at Kings | TBD | TBD |
| May 3 | Game 7*: Kings at Avalanche | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Stars vs. Wild – Series tied 1-1
| 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 at Wild | 9:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 25 | Game 4: Stars at Wild | 5:30 p.m. | TBS, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 28 | Game 5: Wild at Stars | TBD | TBD |
| April 30 | Game 6*: Stars at Wild | TBD | TBD |
| May 2 | Game 7*: Wild at Stars | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth – Series tied 1-1
| 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: Golden Knights at Mammoth | 9:30 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| April 27 | Game 4: Golden Knights at Mammoth | TBD | ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app |
| April 29 | Game 5: Mammoth at Golden Knights | TBD | TBD |
| May 1 | Game 6*: Golden Knights at Mammoth | TBD | TBD |
| May 3 | Game 7*: Mammoth at Golden Knights | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Oilers vs. Ducks – Edmonton leads 1-0
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Watch |
| April 20 | Game 1: Oilers 4, Ducks 3 | — | — |
| April 22 | Game 2: Ducks at Oilers | 10:00 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| April 24 | Game 3: Oilers at Ducks | 10:00 p.m. | TNT, truTV, DIRECTV |
| April 26 | Game 4: Oilers at Ducks | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN, DIRECTV, fubo, ESPN app |
| April 28 | Game 5*: Ducks at Oilers | TBD | TBD |
| April 30 | Game 6*: Oilers at Ducks | TBD | TBD |
| May 2 | Game 7*: Ducks at Oilers | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
Where to watch NHL playoffs 2026
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.
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How will the 2026 NHL playoffs work?
Sixteen teams qualify for the NHL playoffs, eight from each conference. This includes the top three seeds from each division, who earn automatic berths. The remaining four spots are filled by the two highest-placed finishers in each conference outside of the automatic qualifiers, regardless of their division.
The NHL uses a fixed, division-based bracket. There is no reseeding between rounds, meaning teams can map out their potential path to the Final from Day 1. The division winner with the best record in the conference plays the wild card with the fewer points. The other division winner plays the wild card with more points. Meanwhile, the teams that finished second and third in each division face off against one another. The winners of the first-round series within each divisional bracket meet to determine who moves on to the Conference Finals, then the final four teams battle for their respective conference titles.
The Eastern Conference champion and Western Conference champion then meet in the Stanley Cup Final.