The NHL’s regular season concludes tonight with seven games remaining before 16 teams battle in the chase for the Stanley Cup, starting this weekend.
The New Jersey Devils know they will be facing the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, while the New York Rangers will be watching from the sidelines after getting eliminated from playoff contention this weekend just one year removed from winning the Presidents’ trophy, aka owning the best record in the regular season.
Here’s what you need to know as the NHL playoffs near:
When do NHL playoffs 2025 start?
The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begin Saturday, April 19.
NHL playoffs schedule: Dates to knowApril 19:Â First-round series begin. See the complete schedule here.Late-May, early-June:Â Stanley Cup Final starts (can end no later than Monday, June 23).
Watch NHL playoffs live on ESPN+
What is the Stanley Cup playoff series format?
From the NHL’s website:
The Basics16 teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.The format is a set bracket that is largely division-based with wild cards.The top three teams in each division will make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs.The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season record and regardless of division.It is possible for one division in each conference to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends just three.Home-ice advantage through the first two rounds goes to the team that placed higher in the regular-season standings.Each of the four rounds is a best-of-7 and has a 2-2-1-1-1 format; the first team to win four games advances to the next round.The First RoundThe division winner with the best record in each conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lesser recordThe wild card team with the better record will play the other division winner.The teams finishing second and third in each division will meet within the bracket headed by their respective division winners.The Second RoundFirst-round winners within each bracket play one another to determine the four participants in the Conference Finals.Conference Finals & Stanley Cup FinalIn the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, home-ice advantage goes to the team that had the better regular-season record – regardless of the teams’ final standing in their respective divisions.How to watch NHL playoffs 2025TV: ESPN, ABC and TNT will broadcast all of the Stanley Cup playoff games in the United States.
Watch NHL playoffs live on Fubo (free trial)