Personality Life

NHL Play-offs Schedule, Dates, Time, News, And Scores

Get to know the official NHL Play-offs Schedule, Dates, Time, News, favourite team to win the cup, and current scores as well.

The best time of year in the NHL is almost here, with the Stanley Cup playoffs just around the corner.

The regular season concludes Thursday night, and the postseason begins this weekend.

All 16 teams have been confirmed for the playoffs following a wild turn of events in which the Washington Capitals — despite finishing the regular season with an eye-opening minus-37 goal differential — snuck into the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

When Does The NHL Play-offs Begin?

The official start date for the first round is Saturday, April 20. The postseason was supposed to begin on Monday, April 22, but the league pushed the start date two days earlier.

While the Western Conference matchups have yet to be determined, all four Eastern Conference first round head-to-head battles have been officially announced, with dates and start times for each Game 1 this weekend, as follows:

Saturday, Apr. 20:

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders, 5 p.m. ET

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 8 p.m. ET

Sunday, Apr. 21:

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 12:30 p.m. ET

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals, 3 p.m. ET

Where Can I Watch The 2024 NHL Play-offs?

The NHL play-offs will be split between ESPN and TNT in the United States, as they have been for the previous two seasons. The media conglomerates are in their third year of a seven-year agreement with the NHL to host the play-offs and Stanley Cup Final.

ESPN and TNT will split the first three rounds, except for Saturday night games, which will air on ABC. The main difference this year is that the Stanley Cup Final will be broadcast on ESPN rather than TNT in 2023.

If you don’t have cable but want to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, FuboTV offers a free trial.

Who Are The Favourites To Win The Cup?

In what appears to be one of the most open playoff races in recent memory, the Carolina Hurricanes are the odds-on favorites at 7/1 (+700) to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Here are the current odds for each of the 16 teams that qualified for this year’s play-offs to win the Stanley Cup.