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In sports, there's nothing quite like playoff hockey. The 2025 NHL Playoffs are here, and the path to the Stanley Cup has been set for every contender in the league. For fans, that means it's time to circle dates on calendars and plan out watch parties.
Two Florida teams will be worth monitoring. The reigning champion Panthers have the second-shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. The Lightning, meanwhile, sit at +1000 to win it all. However, it's the Colorado Avalanche (+650) who serve as the odds-on favorites on most sportsbooks.
A whopping 10 different teams entered opening weekend of the playoffs with odds of +1200 or shorter. Translation: it's a wide-open race. And if any team has a chance to win it all, every game will be worth watching.
Looking forward to postseason hockey? Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL playoff bracket 2025
First Round
Eastern Conference
| (A1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators | Toronto leads 3-1 |
| (A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (A3) Florida Panthers | Florida leads 3-1 |
| (M1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens | Washington leads 3-1 |
| (M2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (M3) New Jersey Devils | Carolina leads 3-1 |
Western Conference
| (C1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC2) St. Louis Blues | Series tied 2-2 |
| (C2) Dallas Stars vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche | Series tied 2-2 |
| (P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Minnesota Wild | Series tied 2-2 |
| (P2) Los Angeles Kings vs. (P3) Edmonton Oilers | Series tied 2-2 |
NHL playoffs schedule, scores 2025
First Round
Maple Leafs vs. Senators
| April 20 | Game 1: Leafs 6, Senators 2 | — | — |
| April 22 | Game 2: Leafs 3, Senators 2 (OT) | — | — |
| April 24 | Game 3: Leafs 3, Senators 2 (OT) | — | — |
| April 26 | Game 4: Senators 4, Leafs 3 (OT) | — | — |
| April 29 | Game 5 at Leafs | 7 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| May 1 | Game 6* at Senators | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 3 | Game 7* at Leafs | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Lightning vs. Panthers
| April 22 | Game 1: Panthers 6, Lightning 2 | — | — |
| April 24 | Game 2: Panthers 2, Lightning 0 | — | — |
| April 26 | Game 3: Lightning 5, Panthers 1 | — | — |
| April 28 | Game 4: Panthers 4, Lightning 2 | — | — |
| April 30 | Game 5 at Tampa Bay | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2, Fubo |
| May 2 | Game 6* at Florida | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 4 | Game 7* at Tampa Bay | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Capitals vs. Canadiens
| April 21 | Game 1: Capitals 3, Canadiens 2 (OT) | — | — |
| April 23 | Game 2: Capitals 3, Canadiens 1 | — | — |
| April 25 | Game 3: Canadiens 6, Capitals 3 | — | — |
| April 27 | Game 4: Capitals 5, Canadiens 2 | — | — |
| April 30 | Game 5 at Capitals | 7 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| May 2 | Game 6* at Canadiens | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 4 | Game 7* at Capitals | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Hurricanes vs. Devils
| April 20 | Game 1: Hurricanes 4, Devils 1 | — | — |
| April 22 | Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Devils 1 | — | — |
| April 25 | Game 3: Devils 3, Hurricanes 2 | — | — |
| April 27 | Game 4: Hurricanes 5, Devils 2 | — | — |
| April 29 | Game 5 at Hurricanes | 7:30 p.m. | TBS, Sling |
| May 2 | Game 6* at Devils | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 4 | Game 7* at Hurricanes | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Jets vs. Blues
| April 19 | Game 1: Jets 5, Blues 3 | — | — |
| April 21 | Game 2: Jets 2, Blues 1 | — | — |
| April 24 | Game 3: Blues 7, Jets 2 | — | — |
| April 27 | Game 4: Blues 5, Jets 1 | — | — |
| April 30 | Game 5 at Winnipeg | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| May 2 | Game 6 at St. Louis | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 4 | Game 7* at Winnipeg | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Kings vs. Oilers
| April 21 | Game 1: Kings 6, Oilers 5 | — | — |
| April 23 | Game 2: Kings 6, Oilers 2 | — | — |
| April 25 | Game 3: Oilers 7, Kings 4 | — | — |
| April 27 | Game 4: Oilers 4, Kings 3 (OT) | — | — |
| April 29 | Game 5 at Los Angeles | 10 p.m. | TBS, Sling |
| May 1 | Game 6 at Edmonton | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 3 | Game 7* at Los Angeles | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Golden Knights vs. Wild
| April 20 | Game 1: Golden Knights 4, Wild 2 | — | — |
| April 22 | Game 2: Wild 5, Golden Knights 2 | — | — |
| April 24 | Game 3: Wild 5, Golden Knights 2 | — | — |
| April 26 | Game 4: Golden Knights 4, Wild 3 (OT) | — | — |
| April 29 | Game 5 at Vegas | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| May 1 | Game 6 at Minnesota | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 3 | Game 7* at Vegas | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
Avalanche vs. Stars
| April 19 | Game 1: Avalanche 5, Stars 1 | — | — |
| April 21 | Game 2: Stars 4, Avalanche 3 (OT) | — | — |
| April 23 | Game 3: Stars 2, Avalanche 1 (OT) | — | — |
| April 26 | Game 4: Avalanche 4, Stars 0 | — | — |
| April 28 | Game 5 at Dallas | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| May 1 | Game 6 at Colorado | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
| May 3 | Game 7* at Dallas | TBA | TBA, Fubo or Sling |
* If necessary
What channel is the 2025 NHL playoffs on?
- TV channel (U.S.): ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, TBS, truTV
- TV channel (Canada): Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
The NHL playoffs will be split in the United States between the ESPN family of networks and the Turner channels. The two media corporations are in the fourth year of their seven-year contracts with the league.
ESPN and TNT are splitting the second-round series, as well as the conference final. The Stanley Cup Final will air on ABC.
In Canada, all the playoff games will be aired on Sportsnet and CBC in English and TVA Sports in French.
NHL playoffs 2025 live streams
Fans in the United States and Canada looking to watch the NHL playoffs have options even if they don't have cable. Games on ESPN's platforms can be streamed through ESPN+ or through Fubo, while those on TNT's network of channels can be streamed through the TNT app and Sling.
Canadians have streaming options as well, with Sportsnet games available to stream on SN NOW and CBC games streamable through CBC Gem.
NHL Playoffs 2025 radio coverage
- Radio station: SiriusXM
Fans can listen to the 2025 NHL Playoffs on SiriusXM, with live play-by-play coverage for every game of the postseason.
New subscribers can enjoy SiriusXM for free for four months. Listen to live NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.
How will the 2025 NHL playoffs work?
Sixteen teams qualify for the NHL playoffs, eight from each conference. The top three teams in each division will get the top six seeds in their respective conference's playoff bracket. The remaining two spots in each conference will be filled with the next two highest-placed finishers, regardless of division. So, theoretically, one division could send five teams to the playoffs while the other sends only three.
In the first round, the division winner with the best record in each conference will face the worst wild-card team. Then, the teams that finished second and third in their division will face off. The winners from those games will play each other in the second round. Those winners will duke it out in the conference finals, sending one representative to the Stanley Cup Finals from each conference. Each round of the playoffs is best-of-seven, so the first team to win four games will advance.
NHL standings 2025
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
| Seed | Team | Games | Record | Points |
| 1 | Maple Leafs - X | 82 | 52-26-4 | 108 |
| 2 | Lightning - X | 82 | 47-27-8 | 102 |
| 3 | Panthers - X | 82 | 47-31-4 | 98 |
Metropolitan Division
| Seed | Team | Games | Record | Points |
| 1 | Capitals - X | 82 | 51-22-9 | 111 |
| 2 | Hurricanes - X | 82 | 47-30-5 | 99 |
| 3 | Devils - X | 82 | 42-33-7 | 91 |
Wild Card
| Seed | Team | Games | Record | Points |
| 1 | Senators - X | 82 | 45-30-7 | 97 |
| 2 | Canadiens -X | 82 | 40-31-11 | 91 |
| Blue Jackets - E | 82 | 40-33-9 | 89 | |
| Red Wings - E | 82 | 39-35-8 | 86 | |
| Rangers - E | 82 | 39-36-7 | 85 | |
| Islanders - E | 82 | 35-35-12 | 82 | |
| Penguins - E | 82 | 34-36-12 | 80 | |
| Sabres - E | 82 | 36-39-7 | 79 | |
| Flyers - E | 82 | 33-39-10 | 76 | |
| Bruins - E | 82 | 33-39-10 | 76 |
X = clinched playoff
E = eliminated
Western Conference
Central Division
| Seed | Team | Games | Record | Points |
| 1 | Jets - X | 82 | 56-22-4 | 116 |
| 2 | Stars - X | 82 | 50-26-6 | 106 |
| 3 | Avalanche - X | 82 | 49-29-4 | 102 |
Pacific Division
| Seed | Team | Games | Record | Points |
| 1 | Golden Knights - X | 82 | 50-22-10 | 110 |
| 2 | Kings - X | 82 | 48-25-9 | 105 |
| 3 | Oilers - X | 82 | 48-29-5 | 101 |
Wild Card
| Seed | Team | Games | Record | Points |
| 1 | Wild - X | 82 | 45-30-7 | 97 |
| 2 | Blues - X | 82 | 44-30-8 | 96 |
| Flames - E | 82 | 41-27-14 | 96 | |
| Canucks - E | 82 | 38-30-14 | 90 | |
| Utah - E | 82 | 38-31-13 | 89 | |
| Ducks - E | 82 | 35-37-10 | 80 | |
| Kraken - E | 82 | 35-41-6 | 76 | |
| Predators - E | 82 | 30-44-8 | 68 | |
| Blackhawks - E | 82 | 25-46-11 | 61 | |
| Sharks - E | 82 | 20-50-12 | 52 |
X = clinched playoff
E = eliminated
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