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The quest for the Lord Stanley’s Cup has not failed to deliver, with the first round almost finished — just one Game 7 awaits between the Canadiens and Lightning tonight.
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The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs have already had heart-stopping drama, overtime heroics, and unexpected upsets. Whether you’re tracking every grueling battle, checking the series prices, or scouting the road to the Cup Finals, our NHL playoff bracket hub has you covered.
Follow along for live bracket updates, updated series prices, and postseason format details to help guide your NHL picks and playoff pools.
NHL playoff bracket if the playoffs started todayLive digital bracket
Follow along with our up-to-date bracket below as we track each series through to the end of the Stanley Cup Final, and make sure you keep up on which teams have the best Stanley Cup odds. You can also track the progress of individual players with our Conn Smythe Trophy odds page.
2026 NHL Playoff matchups
Here are the current series odds for the lone remaining first-round matchup:
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(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (A3) Montreal Canadiens – Tied 3-3
Team
To win
-155
Montreal
+135
Second round matchupsSeries tied 0-0
Team
To win
Carolina
-700
Philadelphia
+450
Hurricanes vs Flyers series schedule
Game 1: Saturday, May 2 (Carolina 3, Philadelphia 0)
Game 6: Wednesday, May 13
(2) Buffalo Sabres vs (A2/3) Tampa Bay Lightning/Montreal Canadiens series odds and scheduleSeries tied 0-0
Team
To win
Buffalo
TBD
Tampa Bay/Montreal
TBD
Sabres vs Lightning/Canadiens series scheduleSeries tied 0-0
Team
To win
Colorado
-230
Minnesota
+185
Avalanche vs Wild series schedule
Game 5: Wednesday, May 13
Series tied 0-0
Team
To win
Vegas
-190
Anaheim
+155
Golden Knights vs Ducks series schedule
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2026 NHL Playoffs schedule
Event
Date
First Round
April 18-May 3
Second Round begins
May 2
Conference Finals begin
May 22
Stanley Cup Finals
June 3-21
NHL playoff format
The NHL playoffs are a 16-team, four-round, best-of-seven tournament used to determine the Stanley Cup champion. Eight teams qualify from each conference: the top three teams in each division plus two wild-card teams in each conference.
In the First Round, the division winner with the better record in each conference plays the lower-ranked wild card, the other division winner plays the other wild card, and the second- and third-place teams in each division face each other.
The NHL uses a fixed bracket, so teams are not re-seeded after each round. First-round winners advance to the Second Round, then to the Conference Finals, and finally to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Eastern Conference champion plays the Western Conference champion.
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Every playoff round is a best-of-seven series, and the first team to win four games advances or, in the Stanley Cup Final, wins the championship.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.