2026 NHL Playoff Bracket: Standings, Playoff Picture & Schedule

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday, April 18th. All 16 teams are locked into the field and the regular season wraps up today. Six of eight first-round matchups are officially confirmed, with only the Colorado and Edmonton series opponents still being finalized tonight.

You’ll find everything you need to follow the 2026 NHL playoff race below, including the current playoff bracket, standings, confirmed first-round matchups, which teams have clinched or been eliminated, schedule info and more.

Current 2026 Playoff Bracket | NHL Playoff Picture | First-Round Matchups | Clinching & Elimination Tracker | NHL Playoff Schedule | NHL Playoff FAQs

Current 2026 Playoff Bracket

2026 NHL Playoff Bracket — updated in real-time based on current standings.

The NHL playoff bracket above shows the 2026 postseason field. All 16 teams have clinched their spots. Six of eight first-round matchups are officially locked, with the final seeding being decided tonight.

2026 NHL Playoff Picture

The 2026 NHL playoff picture is set. All 16 teams are in, today is the final day of the regular season, and Round 1 starts Saturday. Here’s where things stand across both conferences.

2026 NHL Eastern Conference Standings

The Eastern Conference field is fully set. Carolina (113 pts) won the Metropolitan Division and owns the best record in the East. Buffalo (108 pts) won the Atlantic, ending the longest active playoff drought in the NHL — the Sabres hadn’t been to the postseason since 2010-11.

Tampa Bay (106 pts) and Montreal (106 pts) round out the Atlantic top three. Boston (100 pts) and Ottawa (97 pts) hold the two wild card spots.

Pittsburgh (98 pts) and Philadelphia (98 pts) finish second and third in the Metro for an in-state playoff series.

2026 NHL Western Conference Standings

Colorado (119 pts) has clinched the Presidents’ Trophy and is on pace for one of the best regular seasons in recent NHL history. Dallas (110 pts) and Minnesota (104 pts) round out the Central Division top three.

The Pacific Division seeding is nearly settled. Vegas (93 pts) clinched the division title and will face Utah (92 pts) in the first round — that matchup is now locked. Edmonton (91 pts) and Anaheim (90 pts) round out the Pacific playoff teams. The LA Kings (90 pts) hold the second wild card.

2026 NHL First-Round Playoff Matchups

Six of eight first-round matchups are officially confirmed heading into the final day of the regular season. The only matchups still being determined are Colorado’s and Edmonton’s opponents, as the WC2 slot and P2/P3 seeding are decided tonight. Here are the first-round matchups for the 2026 NHL Playoffs.

Matchups as of April 16, 2026. 🔒 = Officially confirmed. Colorado’s and Edmonton’s opponents will be finalized after tonight’s games.

The Pittsburgh-Philadelphia matchup is a Pennsylvania rivalry rematch — the two teams haven’t met in the playoffs since 2018. Anaheim’s playoff return is another big story; the Ducks hadn’t made the postseason since 2018 either.

2026 NHL Playoff Tracker: Clinching & Elimination

All 16 playoff teams are locked in for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here’s the full breakdown of who clinched and who’s been eliminated from contention.

Updated April 16, 2026.

The biggest story on the eliminated side is the Florida Panthers. The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions collapsed down the stretch and missed the playoffs entirely. Toronto missing the postseason rounds out the major eliminations.

The Capitals being bounced is another big one. That leaves Alex Ovechkin’s future in serious doubt as he heads into his age-41 season on an expiring contract. Check the latest Stanley Cup odds to see which teams oddsmakers like to hoist the trophy.

2026 NHL Playoff Schedule

The 2025-26 NHL regular season ends today, Thursday, April 16th. The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin two days later on Saturday, April 18th. The Conference Semifinals are projected to start around May 6th, Conference Finals around May 22nd, and the Stanley Cup Final beginning no earlier than June 4th.

The NHL has announced Game 1 dates for the opening weekend. Saturday’s triple-header kicks off with Ottawa at Carolina at 3 pm ET, followed by Minnesota at Dallas at 5:30 pm ET and Philadelphia at Pittsburgh at 8 pm ET. All three games air on ESPN.

Sunday features four more Game 1s: Montreal at Tampa Bay, Boston at Buffalo, Utah at Vegas, and the remaining series TBD after tonight’s Pacific Division results. Colorado’s first-round opponent and Monday’s schedule will be finalized after Thursday’s games.

All series are best-of-seven, played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. Check out the latest NHL odds for daily game lines and pricing.

Best NHL Playoff Betting Apps

Looking for the best sportsbook promos for betting on the 2026 NHL Playoffs? Here are the top sign-up offers available right now at NHL betting apps.

Hit the links on the left side of the table to get the full breakdown on each promo. The links on the right will take you straight to each sportsbook’s sign-up page with our best promo code already applied.

NHL Playoff Format

16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs — eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference. The top three teams in each division (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific) automatically qualify. The remaining two spots per conference go to the next two highest-placed teams by record, regardless of division. Those are your wild card teams.

How is the NHL Playoff Bracket Set Up?

The NHL playoff bracket is division-based, not conference-wide. Each conference has two divisional brackets, and the first-round matchups are set as follows:

• The division winner with the best record in the conference faces the wild card with the lesser record
• The other division winner faces the wild card with the better record
• The second and third place teams in each division play each other within their respective divisional bracket

The bracket is fixed — there is no reseeding between rounds. First-round winners within the same divisional bracket meet in the second round. The two divisional bracket winners then face off in the Conference Finals.

Home-ice advantage in the first two rounds goes to the team that placed higher in the regular-season standings. From the Conference Finals onward, home ice goes to the team with the better regular-season record, regardless of seeding.

NHL Playoff Bracket FAQs

When do the 2026 NHL Playoffs start?

The 2026 NHL Playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 18th, 2026, two days after the regular season ends on April 16th.

How many games are in the NHL playoffs?

Each series is a best-of-seven following a 2-2-1-1-1 structure. The winning team will need to win 16 games total, but the champion could play as many as 28 games if all four of their series go the full seven games. The maximum number of games in one playoff (all teams combined) is 105.

When was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup?

The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Canadian teams have made the finals seven times since then, most recently the Edmonton Oilers in 2024.

Who has the best record in the NHL in 2025-26?

The Colorado Avalanche have the best record in the NHL with 119 points. They have clinched the Presidents' Trophy and are on pace for one of the best regular seasons in recent NHL history. The Carolina Hurricanes lead the Eastern Conference with 113 points.

What are the 2026 NHL first-round playoff matchups?

The 2026 NHL first-round matchups are: East — Carolina vs Ottawa, Buffalo vs Boston, Tampa Bay vs Montreal, Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia. West — Colorado vs TBD (WC2), Dallas vs Minnesota, Vegas vs Utah, Edmonton vs TBD (P3). Six of eight matchups are locked. Colorado's and Edmonton's opponents depend on the final night of the regular season.

Which NHL teams missed the 2026 playoffs?

Notable teams that missed the 2026 NHL playoffs include the Florida Panthers (back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions), Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders. The defending champion Panthers missing the playoffs is one of the biggest stories of the season.