The 2026 NHL Playoff schedule starts on April 19th, 2026. The playoffs wrap up with the Stanley Cup Finals in June 2026. The NHL playoff rounds are all best-of-seven match affairs. All dates are based on the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff schedule until the NHL confirms the dates for us later in the season. It’s never too early to plan though from my experience.
When do the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Start?
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs start up on April 19th, 2026 with the first round of play. We’ll likely see a lot of movement right up to the end of the 2025-26 NHL regular season for the 2026 NHL Playoff picture. They always start a few weeks after college basketball fans finish up with March Madness. The opening round of play will go through May 3rd, 2026. The Stanley Cup Finals will start on or around June 9th, 2026 and go until a team wins four games. The start date of the playoffs can change a big based on when the league decides to start up the postseason fun for us. You can look at the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff bracket as well to get a feel for 2026.
2026 NHL Playoff Schedule
There are four rounds of play in the 2026 NHL Playoff schedule. If you want to see which teams won (and came in second) for the Stanley Cup winners list, we have that posted up for you. Here’s the 2026 NHL Playoff schedule.
- First Round: April 19-May 3.
- Second Round: May 4 – TBD
- Conference Finals: TBD
- Stanley Cup Finals: June 9-TBD (Last Possible day is June 23, 2026)
When do the Stanley Cup Finals 2026 Take Place?
The 2026 Stanley Cup Finals start on or around June 9th, 2026. If the series goes to a game seven, the last possible date for a game is June 23rd, 2026.
What is the 2026 NHL Playoff TV Schedule?
The 2026 NHL Playoff TV schedule varies depending on if you live in the U.S. or Canada. We’ll get specific game assignments closer to the playoffs starting from the NHL and TV networks. We have confirmation that we will get games on TNT, TBS, TruTV, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, Hulu, and ESPN+ for the American fans. For those who live in Canada, the games will be shown on CBC and Sportsnet. We also may see additional streaming options put into place before we hit the postseason.
2026 NHL Playoff Schedule
The 2026 NHL Playoff schedule starts on April 19th, 2026. There are 16 teams who earn spots in the playoffs. This breaks down to eight teams from each conference. The two dates that are confirmed by the league are the start date (April 19th), and the date of a game seven (if required) for the Stanley Cup Finals (June 23rd).
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – First Round
| MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Seed 1 vs. Seed 8 | April 19- May 4 | TBD | TBD |
| Seed 2 vs. Seed 7 | April 19- May 4 | TBD | TBD |
| Seed 3 vs. Seed 6 | April 19- May 4 | TBD | TBD |
| Seed 4 vs. Seed 5 | April 19- May 4 | TBD | TBD |
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Second Round
| MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Winner of 1-8 vs. Winner of 4-5. | May 5- TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Winner of 2-7 vs. Winner of 3-6. | May 5 – TBD | TBD | TBD |
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Conference Finals
| MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Winner of 1-4-5-8 vs. Winner of 2-3-6-7. | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Stanley Cup Finals Schedule – 2026
| MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Game 1 | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 2 | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 3 | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 4 | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 5* | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 6* | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
| Game 7* | June TBD – 23 | TBD | TBD |
