NHL announces first round Stanley Cup playoff Game 1 dates

We’re a whole two days away from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs getting underway, and we know now officially when the puck is going to drop on the postseason.

On Thursday, the NHL released the dates for the opening games of the first round of the playoffs.

Things kick off on Saturday afternoon, April 18, with the Ottawa Senators visiting the Metropolitan Division champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. ET. It’s part of a trio of games, with the Minnesota Wild taking on the Dallas Stars in an exciting Central Division matchup (5:30 p.m. ET), with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins reigniting their rivalry in the later game (8 p.m. ET).

Sunday has a quartet of series openers. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche will face off against the team that finishes in the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will begin their best-of-seven, while the Buffalo Sabres play postseason hockey for the first time in 15 years after winning the Atlantic Division, taking on the Boston Bruins. Lastly, the Utah Mammoth, entering the postseason for the first time since moving from Arizona, takes on the Pacific Division champs, the Vegas Golden Knights.

All start times for Sunday’s games are yet to be determined.

The last Game 1 will be played on Monday, April 20, pitting the second- and third-place Pacific Division teams. Puck drop for that matchup won’t be announced until the participants are finalized.

The final three seeds out of the Pacific will be determined on Thursday night. The Edmonton Oilers (91 points) sit second in the division, holding a tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Kings (91 points). The Anaheim Ducks (90 points) have a chance to jump into second place with a win over the Nashville Predators, and the Oilers and Kings lose.