NHL playoff field set

The Stanley Cup playoff bracket is set, and the 2026 postseason opens Saturday, April 18, with three Game 1s on the NHL schedule. (nhl.com) The National Hockey League posted full first-round dates, start times and national TV assignments on April 16 for all eight best-of-seven series. Saturday’s openers start with Ottawa at Carolina at 3 p.m. Eastern, followed by Minnesota at Dallas and Montreal at Tampa Bay. (nhl.com) The finalized bracket has Buffalo vs. Boston, Tampa Bay vs. Montreal, Carolina vs. Ottawa and Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia in the East. In the West, it is Colorado vs. Los Angeles, Dallas vs. Minnesota, Vegas vs. Utah and Edmonton vs. Anaheim. (nhl.com) The format is still the NHL’s division-heavy setup: the top three teams in each division qualify automatically, and two wild cards in each conference fill out the 16-team field. That structure produced a Buffalo-Boston series between the Atlantic winner and the East’s first wild card, and a Dallas-Minnesota series between the Central’s No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. (nhl.com) Buffalo brings the sharpest turnaround in the field after ending the longest active playoff drought in NHL history. The Sabres are back for the first time since 2010-11, and they open at home after winning the Atlantic Division. (nhl.com) This bracket also guarantees a new Stanley Cup champion. The NHL said the 2026 playoffs are the first since 2015 to begin without the defending champion returning to the field. (nhl.com) Dallas-Minnesota arrives with recent history. The Stars’ playoff page says the clubs have met twice in the postseason since 2016, and Dallas won both series in six games, including the 2023 first round. (nhl.com) The league’s bracket challenge stays open through Monday, April 20, before the first scheduled Game 2, which gives fans one more round of picks after the opening results. By then, the playoff field that spent the final week sorting out seeds and matchups will finally be on the ice. (nhl.com)