Here’s everything you need to know about the NHL playoffs, including the format and key rules.
The 2024-25 NHL regular season began with 32 teams chasing Lord Stanley. Now, the number of potential Stanley Cup champions is down to 16.
The field and bracket for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs were finalized on the penultimate night of the regular season on April 16, and the postseason got underway a few days later.
The Winnipeg Jets entered the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed after winning their first-ever Presidents' Trophy. Winnipeg now looks to capture the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.
The Eastern Conference bracket, which is led by Alexander Ovechkin and Washington Capitals, features the defending champion Florida Panthers. Florida last year graduated from the list of Stanley Cup title-less franchises, and the Panthers sit four series victories away from joining an exclusive group of repeat champs.
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Connor McDavid and the reigning Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, will be trying to repeat what the Panthers did last year -- rebound from a Cup Final loss with a championship. Edmonton and Winnipeg are among five teams in the field who have a chance to snap Canada's decades-long Stanley Cup drought.
With the first round underway, here's what to know about the NHL playoffs:
How many teams make the NHL playoffs?
Half of the 32-team league qualifies for the postseason, with eight East teams and eight West squads making up the field.
There are four total divisions -- the East's Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions, and the West's Central and Pacific Divisions -- and the top three finishers in each earn playoff berths. The postseason bracket is then rounded out by wild-card berths, which are awarded to the two best remaining teams in each conference.
How do the NHL playoffs work?
Division winners face wild-card teams in the first round. The top-ranked division winner in each conference draws the second-ranked wild-card team while the second-ranked division faces the top-ranked wild card. The rest of Round 1 pits the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in each division up against one another.
All NHL postseason series are best of seven where the higher seed has home-ice advantage in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
Do the NHL playoffs reseed teams?
The NHL playoffs feature a bracket format and don't reseed teams after the first round.
What teams are in the NHL playoffs?
Here's a full look at the playoff field:
Eastern Conference
- Washington Capitals (Metropolitan and East No. 1 seed)
- Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan No. 2 seed)
- New Jersey Devils (Metropolitan No. 3 seed)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (Atlantic No. 1 seed)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (Atlantic No. 2 seed)
- Florida Panthers (Atlantic No. 3 seed)
- Ottawa Senators (wild card No. 1)
- Montreal Canadiens (wild card No. 2)
Western Conference
- Winnipeg Jets (Central and West No. 1 seed)
- Dallas Stars (Central No. 2 seed)
- Colorado Avalanche (Central No. 3 seed)
- Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific No. 1 seed)
- Los Angeles Kings (Pacific No. 2 seed)
- Edmonton Oilers (Pacific No. 3 seed)
- Minnesota Wild (wild card No. 1)
- St. Louis Blues (wild card No. 2)
What's the NHL playoff bracket?
And here are the first-round matchups:
Eastern Conference
- Maple Leafs (A1) vs. Senators (WC1)
- Lightning (A2) vs. Panthers (A3)
- Capitals (M1) vs. Canadiens (WC2)
- Hurricanes (M2) vs. Devils (M3)
Western Conference
- Jets (C1) vs. Blues (WC2)
- Stars (C2) vs. Avalanche (C3)
- Golden Knights (P1) vs. Wild (WC1)
- Kings (P2) vs. Oilers (P3)
What's the schedule for the first round of the NHL playoffs?
Here's the first-round schedule (this section will be updated as more schedule details are announced, * = if necessary):
Eastern Conference
Maple Leafs (A1) vs. Senators (WC1) -- Toronto leads series 2-0
- Game 1: Maple Leafs 6, Senators 2
- Game 2: Maple Leafs 3, Senators 2 (OT)
- Game 3: Maple Leafs at Senators -- Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Game 4: Maple Leafs at Senators -- Saturday, April 26, 7 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5*: Senators at Maple Leafs -- Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Maple Leafs at Senators -- Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Senators at Maple Leafs -- Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Lightning (A2) vs. Panthers (A3) -- Florida leads series 1-0
- Game 1: Panthers 6, Lightning 2
- Game 2: Panthers at Lightning -- Thursday, April 24, 6:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 3: Lightning at Panthers -- Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 4: Lightning at Panthers -- Monday, April 28, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 5*: Panthers at Lightning -- Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Lightning at Panthers -- Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Panthers at Lightning -- Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Capitals (M1) vs. Canadiens (WC2) -- Washington leads series 2-0
- Game 1: Capitals 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
- Game 2: Capitals 3, Canadiens 1
- Game 3: Capitals at Canadiens -- Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV
- Game 4: Capitals at Canadiens -- Sunday, April 27, 6:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5*: Canadiens at Capitals -- Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Capitals at Canadiens -- Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Canadiens at Capitals -- Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Hurricanes (M2) vs. Devils (M3) -- Carolina leads series 2-0
- Game 1: Hurricanes 4, Devils 1
- Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Devils 1
- Game 3: Hurricanes at Devils -- Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET, TBS
- Game 4: Hurricanes at Devils -- Sunday, April 27, 3:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5*: Devils at Hurricanes -- Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Hurricanes at Devils -- Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Devils at Hurricanes -- Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Western Conference
Jets (C1) vs. Blues (WC2) -- Winnipeg leads series 2-0
- Game 1: Jets 5, Blues 3
- Game 2: Jets 2, Blues 1
- Game 3: Jets at Blues -- Thursday, April 24, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Game 4: Jets at Blues -- Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5*: Blues at Jets -- Wednesday, April 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Jets at Blues -- Friday, May 2, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Blues at Jets -- Sunday, May 4, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Stars (C2) vs. Avalanche (C3) -- Series tied 1-1
- Game 1: Avalanche 5, Stars 1
- Game 2: Stars 4, Avalanche 3 (OT)
- Game 3: Stars 2, Avalanche 1 (OT)
- Game 4: Stars at Avalanche -- Saturday, April 26, 9:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5: Avalanche at Stars -- Monday, April 28, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 6*: Stars at Avalanche -- Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Avalanche at Stars -- Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Golden Knights (P1) vs. Wild (WC1) -- Series tied 1-1
- Game 1: Golden Knights 4, Wild 2
- Game 2: Wild 5, Golden Knights 2
- Game 3: Golden Knights at Wild -- Thursday, April 24, 9 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 4: Golden Knights at Wild -- Saturday, April 26, 4 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5: Wild at Golden Knights -- Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Golden Knights at Wild -- Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Wild at Golden Knights -- Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Kings (P2) vs. Oilers (P3) -- Los Angeles leads series 1-0
- Game 1: Kings 6, Oilers 5
- Game 2: Kings 6, Oilers 2
- Game 3: Kings at Oilers -- Friday, April 25, 10 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV
- Game 4: Kings at Oilers -- Sunday, April 27, 9:30 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
- Game 5*: Oilers at Kings -- Tuesday, April 29, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 6*: Kings at Oilers -- Thursday, May 1, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 7*: Oilers at Kings -- Saturday, May 3, time TBD, TV channel TBD
Where to watch and stream games in the 2025 NHL playoffs
First-round games will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS and truTV.
Games airing on ESPN's family of networks can be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
TNT, TBS and truTV broadcasts are available to stream on Max. Games on TNT can also be streamed on TNTDrama.com and the TNT app, while TBS broadcasts are available to stream on TBS.com and the TBS app. Simulcasts shown on truTV can be streamed on truTV.com and the truTV app, as well.
