NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2026: First Round Schedule

0:00It's April 17th. Welcome in. This is NHL News Today, where team coverage meets AI. The NHL just dropped the full schedule for the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Caking Off Saturday, April 18th. It starts with the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Ottawa Senators at 3 p.m. Eastern, followed by the Dallas Stars taking on the Minnesota while that. 5.30 p.m. and the Pittsburgh Penguins facing the Philadelphia Flyers at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 19th ramps up with four series, Buffalo Sabers versus Boston Bruins at 7.30 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning against Montreal. Canadians at 5.45 p.m. Colorado Avalanche hosting Los Angeles Kings at 3 p.m. and Vegas Golden Knights versus Utah Mammoth at 10 p.m. Monday, April 20th sees the Edmonton Oilers host the Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m. Rounding out the eight best of seven matchups across the league. Fans can catch the action on ESPN, TNT, TBS, and Canadian channels like SportsNet,

1:01CBC, and TVAS, though some later game times in broadcasts are. Still to be determined and everything subject to change. Mark your calendars, hockey heads. This two-month grind for the Cup is about to deliver rivalries, upsets, and non-stop drama from the jump.