NHL Playoff Schedule 2026 Game 1 Dates Announced for 1st-Round Bracket Matchups
Bleacher Report • • sports
Key Points:
- The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs will begin Saturday with a triple-header featuring Ottawa at Carolina, Minnesota at Dallas, and Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, all broadcast on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVAS.
- Sunday will continue with four first-round games, including Montreal at Tampa Bay, Boston at Buffalo, and Utah at Vegas, while Colorado's opponent and Monday's matchups depend on Thursday's regular-season outcomes.
- The final playoff seeding in the Pacific Division remains uncertain, with Edmonton, Anaheim, and Los Angeles battling for positions in the last regular-season games on Thursday.
- A regulation win for Edmonton against Vancouver would secure a first-round matchup against either Anaheim or Los Angeles, while a loss combined with wins by the Ducks and Kings could pit Edmonton against the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche.
- The 2026 playoffs will not feature the Florida Panthers for the first time in three years due to injuries, and six teams that missed last year’s playoffs have qualified this season, marking the second-highest playoff turnover in NHL history.
