The NHL’s regular season is winding down this week, and the chase for the Stanley Cup is almost here.
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.
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 know
- April 17: Final day of regular season
- April 19: First-round series begin
- Late-May, early-June: 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 Basics
- 16 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 Round
- The division winner with the best record in each conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lesser record
- The 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 Round
- First-round winners within each bracket play one another to determine the four participants in the Conference Finals.
Conference Finals & Stanley Cup Final
- In 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 2025
- TV: 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)
