Buckle up, folks. The best time of the hockey year is finally here — the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2024 edition of hockey's postseason is set to kick off with 16 teams eyeing Lord Stanley's Cup. There are plenty of intriguing storylines right off the bat in the first round, and there is certainly no shortage of star power.
Can the Golden Knights repeat as Stanley Cup champions? Is this the year Connor McDavid and the Oilers raise the Cup? Can the Rangers break the Presidents' Trophy curse?
MORE: Watch the 2024 NHL playoffs on ESPN with Fubo
The Sporting News has the full schedule for every conference final series of the 2023 NHL playoffs.
You can see the latest 2024 Stanley Cup odds at BetMGM.
NHL playoffs schedule 2024
First Round
Eastern Conference: (A1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning — Panthers win 4-1
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | Result |
| 1 | Sunday, April 21 | at Florida | FINAL | Panthers 3, Lightning 2 |
| 2 | Tuesday, April 23 | at Florida | FINAL | Panthers 3, Lightning 2 (OT) |
| 3 | Thursday, April 25 | at Tampa Bay | FINAL | Panthers 5, Lightning 3 |
| 4 | Saturday, April 27 | at Tampa Bay | FINAL | Lightning 6, Panthers 3 |
| 5 | Monday, April 29 | at Florida | FINAL | Panthers 6, Lightning 1 |
Eastern Conference: (A2) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV Channel/Result |
| 1 | Saturday, April 20 | at Boston | FINAL | Bruins 5, Maple Leafs 1 |
| 2 | Monday, April 22 | at Boston | FINAL | Maple Leafs 3, Bruins 2 |
| 3 | Wednesday, April 24 | at Toronto | FINAL | Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 2 |
| 4 | Saturday, April 27 | at Toronto | FINAL | Bruins 3, Maple Leafs 1 |
| 5 | Tuesday, April 30 | at Boston | 7 p.m. | ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS |
| 6* | Thursday, May 2 | at Toronto | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Saturday, May 4 | at Boston | TBD | TBD |
Eastern Conference: (M1) New York Rangers vs. (WC2) Washington Capitals — Rangers win 4-0
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | Result |
| 1 | Sunday, April 21 | at New York | FINAL | Rangers 4, Capitals 1 |
| 2 | Tuesday, April 23 | at New York | FINAL | Rangers 4, Capitals 3 |
| 3 | Friday, April 26 | at Washington | FINAL | Rangers 3, Capitals 1 |
| 4 | Sunday, April 28 | at Washington | FINAL | Rangers 4, Capitals 2 |
Eastern Conference: (M2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (M3) New York Islanders
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV Channel/Result |
| 1 | Saturday, April 20 | at Carolina | FINAL | Hurricanes 3, Islanders 1 |
| 2 | Monday, April 22 | at Carolina | FINAL | Hurricanes 5, Islanders 3 |
| 3 | Thursday, April 25 | at New York | FINAL | Hurricanes 3, Islanders 2 |
| 4 | Saturday, April 27 | at New York | FINAL | Islanders 3, Hurricanes 2 (2OT) |
| 5 | Tuesday, April 30 | at Carolina | 7:30 p.m. | TBS, SN360, TVAS |
| 6* | Thursday, May 2 | at New York | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Saturday, May 4 | at Carolina | TBD | TBD |
Western Conference: (C1) Dallas Stars vs. (WC2) Vegas Golden Knights
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
| 1 | Monday, April 22 | at Dallas | FINAL | Golden Knights 4, Stars 3 |
| 2 | Wednesday, April 24 | at Dallas | FINAL | Golden Knights 3, Stars 1 |
| 3 | Saturday, April 27 | at Vegas | FINAL | Stars 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT) |
| 4 | Monday, April 29 | at Vegas | FINAL | Stars 4, Golden Knights 2 |
| 5 | Wednesday, May 1 | at Dallas | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 6* | Friday, May 3 | at Vegas | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Sunday, May 5 | at Dallas | TBD | TBD |
Western Conference: (C2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV Channel/Result |
| 1 | Sunday, April 21 | at Winnipeg | FINAL | Jets 7, Avalanche 6 |
| 2 | Tuesday, April 23 | at Winnipeg | FINAL | Avalanche 5, Jets 2 |
| 3 | Friday, April 26 | at Colorado | FINAL | Avalanche 6, Jets 2 |
| 4 | Sunday, April 28 | at Colorado | FINAL | Avalanche 5, Jets 1 |
| 5 | Tuesday, April 30 | at Winnipeg | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN, SNW, CBC, TVAS |
| 6* | Thursday, May 2 | at Colorado | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Saturday, May 4 | at Winnipeg | TBD | TBD |
Western Conference: (P1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV Channel/Result |
| 1 | Sunday, April 21 | at Vancouver | FINAL | Canucks 4, Predators 2 |
| 2 | Tuesday, April 23 | at Vancouver | FINAL | Predators 4, Canucks 1 |
| 3 | Friday, April 26 | at Nashville | FINAL | Canucks 2, Predators 1 |
| 4 | Sunday, April 28 | at Nashville | FINAL | Canucks 4, Predators 3 (OT) |
| 5 | Tuesday, April 30 | at Vancouver | 10 p.m. | TBS, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS |
| 6* | Friday, May 3 | at Nashville | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Sunday, May 5 | at Vancouver | TBD | TBD |
Western Conference: (P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV Channel/Result |
| 1 | Monday, April 22 | at Edmonton | FINAL | Oilers 7, Kings 4 |
| 2 | Wednesday, April 24 | at Edmonton | FINAL | Kings 5, Oilers 4 (OT) |
| 3 | Friday, April 26 | at Los Angeles | FINAL | Oilers 6, Kings 1 |
| 4 | Sunday, April 28 | at Los Angeles | FINAL | Oilers 1, Kings 0 |
| 5 | Wednesday, May 1 | at Edmonton | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| 6* | Friday, May 3 | at Los Angeles | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Sunday, May 5 | at Edmonton | TBD | TBD |
MORE: SN's expert picks, predictions for 2024 NHL playoff bracket
What channel is the 2024 NHL playoffs on?
- TV channel (U.S.): ESPN, ABC, TNT, TBS
- TV channel (Canada): Sportsnet, CBC
The NHL playoffs will be split in the United States between the ESPN family of networks and the Turner networks. The two media corporations are in the third year of their seven-year contracts with the league.
In the first round, Saturday night games will air on ABC. Other first-round contests may air on ESPN and TNT's other channels, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, TBS, or TruTV.
ESPN and TNT are splitting the second-round series, as well as the conference final. Since TNT aired the Stanley Cup Final last year, it's back to ESPN in 2024.
In Canada, all the playoff games will be aired on Sportsnet and CBC.
How to stream the 2024 NHL playoffs
Fans in the United States looking to stream the NHL playoffs have options. Games on ESPN's platforms can be streamed through ESPN+ or through Fubo, while those on TNT can be streamed through the TNT app and SlingTV.
MORE: Watch the 2024 NHL playoffs on TNT with Sling TV
For the Canadian audience, games on Sportsnet are available to stream on SN NOW. Any contests on CBC can be streamed through CBC Gem.
How many rounds are in the NHL playoffs?
There are four rounds in the Stanley Cup playoffs — first round, second round, conference finals, and finals.
In the first round, the top team in the conference plays the second wild-card team. The other division winner takes on the other wild-card team. The No. 2 team from a division plays the No. 3 team from the same division.
After that, the teams do not get reseeded in the second round. Rather, the series winner with the No. 2 and No. 3 teams for a division plays the winner of the series, and their division winner plays the wild card team.
For example, for this postseason, let's say the Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Lightning place first through third in the Atlantic in that order. The winner of the Bruins' first-round series against the wild-card team faces the winner of the Maple Leafs-Lightning matchup.
Then, the last two teams in each conference square off in the conference finals. Each conference winner then gets to fight for the Stanley Cup in the finals.
How many games are in a series?
Every series, no matter the round, will play a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games advances to the next round.
Each series is played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, which means the team with the better record plays Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 at its home arena, while its opponent hosts Games 3, 4, and 6. Only the first four games in the series are guaranteed, with Games 5, 6, and 7 played if necessary.