2026 NHL Playoffs: Expected start date, schedule, how to watch, format

The 2024/25 NHL season is behind us, with the Florida Panthers defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games to capture their second-straight Stanley Cup.

In this article, we look ahead to next year's edition of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a potential start date and schedule, as well as the format of the playoffs and how to watch and stream all the action.

The start of the 2026 NHL Playoffs could come later than usual due to the Winter Olympics taking place in February, at which NHL players will participate for the first time in over a decade. During the winter games in Italy, the NHL plans to go on a brief hiatus.

With that said, let's take a look at what to expect come the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

2026 NHL Playoffs expected start date

An expected start date for the 2026 NHL Playoffs is Saturday, April 25, 2026.

The NHL doesn't release its season-long schedule including playoffs all at once like other leagues, such as the NFL, but we can deduce when the playoffs might start based on schedules from previous years.

In the 2024/25 season, the NHL regular season concluded on Thursday, April 17 and the playoffs began two days later on Saturday, April 19. The 4-Nations Faceoff took place over eight days in February 2025, while the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place over 16 days from February 6-22.

That said, the Olympic break will likely push back the NHL regular season another week. With the league starting the playoffs on a Saturday each of the past two seasons, we are eyeing April 25 as the potential start date for the 2026 NHL Playoffs.

How to watch the 2026 NHL Playoffs, TV channel and streaming

The 2026 NHL Playoffs will be broadcast by ESPN and TNT/Max in the United States.

The 2026 Stanley Cup Final will be broadcast by ABC.

Ahead of the 2021/22 NHL season, the league signed a seven-year deal to give the exclusive broadcast rights to ESPN and TNT/Max. The deal reads that, in even years, ABC will broadcast the Stanley Cup Final, and in odd years, TNT gets the Cup final.

NHL Playoffs qualification and format

Qualification

• 16 teams qualify for the playoffs, including eight from each conference (Eastern and Western).
• Top 3 teams in each of the four divisions (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific) automatically qualify for the playoffs.
• Two Wild Card spots in each conference are filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, regardless of division.

Format

The NHL Playoffs consist of four rounds, with each series being best-of-7, meaning the first team to win four games advances. Each series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the higher seed hosts the first two games, Game 5 and Game 7, if necessary, while the lower-seeded team hosts Games 3, 4 and 6.

First-round matchups are determined by regular season standings and seeding in each conference. The top-seeded teams in each division face off against the two Wild Card teams, while the second- and third-placed finishers in each division face off.

If the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division (A1) wins its opening round series, it faces the winner of A2 vs. A3. This format leads to plenty of renewed regular season and playoff rivalries, as teams from the same division face off against one another. The winners of each second round series meet in their respective conference finals, with the winners of those advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

Home-ice advantage is determined by seeding over the first two rounds. In the conference finals and Cup final, home-ice advantage is determined by regular season record.

There is no re-seeding in the NHL Playoffs.