The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs will begin on April 19, 2025, and will end by June 23, 2025. The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history. They are the first Canadian team to do so since the 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest active playoff streak at nine seasons, making it every year since 2017.
The Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, ending their eight-year streak. The New York Rangers, last season's Presidents' Trophy winners, missed the playoffs as well. The Ottawa Senators qualified for the first time since 2017, ending a long drought. All U.S.-based Original Six teams missed the playoffs—a first in NHL history. All three Eastern Canadian teams (Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa) made the playoffs together for the first time since 2017.
NHL Playoff Schedule
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday with two Western Conference First Round games, as per the official website of the NHL. The Winnipeg Jets, who won the Presidents' Trophy and finished first in the Central Division, will face the St. Louis Blues, the second wild card team from the West, at 6 p.m. ET. The Dallas Stars, who finished second in the Central, will play the third-place Colorado Avalanche at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Three more series start Sunday. The Carolina Hurricanes play the New Jersey Devils at 3 p.m. ET. The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Ottawa Senators in the Battle of Ontario at 7 p.m. ET. The Vegas Golden Knights meet the Minnesota Wild at 10 p.m. ET.
On Monday, the Washington Capitals face the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. ET, and the Los Angeles Kings take on the Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET. On Tuesday, the defending champion Florida Panthers begin their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 8:30 p.m. ET.
NHL Playoffs First Round Eastern Conference
Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 20 | Ottawa Senators | 7:00 p.m. | Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena | CBC, SN, ESPN2 |
| April 22 | Ottawa Senators | 7:30 p.m. | Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena | CBC, SN, ESPN2 |
| April 24 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7:00 p.m. | Ottawa Senators | Canadian Tire Centre | CBC, SNP, SNO, SNE, ESPN2 |
| April 26 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7:00 p.m. | Ottawa Senators | Canadian Tire Centre | CBC, SN, TBS, truTV |
| April 29 | Ottawa Senators | TBD | Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena | — |
| May 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | TBD | Ottawa Senators | Canadian Tire Centre | — |
| May 3 | Ottawa Senators | TBD | Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena | — |
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 22 | Florida Panthers | 8:30 p.m. | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | SN360, ESPN |
| April 24 | Florida Panthers | 6:30 p.m. | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | SN360, TBS, truTV |
| April 26 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1:00 p.m. | Florida Panthers | Amerant Bank Arena | SN, TBS, truTV |
| April 28 | Tampa Bay Lightning | TBD | Florida Panthers | Amerant Bank Arena | ESPN |
| April 30 | Florida Panthers | TBD | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | — |
| May 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | TBD | Florida Panthers | Amerant Bank Arena | — |
| May 4 | Florida Panthers | TBD | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | — |
Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 21 | Montreal Canadiens | 7:00 p.m. | Washington Capitals | Capital One Arena | SN, ESPN |
| April 23 | Montreal Canadiens | 7:00 p.m. | Washington Capitals | Capital One Arena | CBC, SN, ESPN |
| April 25 | Washington Capitals | 7:00 p.m. | Montreal Canadiens | Bell Centre | CBC, SN, TNT, truTV |
| April 27 | Washington Capitals | 6:30 p.m. | Montreal Canadiens | Bell Centre | CBC, SN, TBS, truTV |
| April 30 | Montreal Canadiens | TBD | Washington Capitals | Capital One Arena | — |
| May 2 | Washington Capitals | TBD | Montreal Canadiens | Bell Centre | — |
| May 4 | Montreal Canadiens | TBD | Washington Capitals | Capital One Arena | — |
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 20 | New Jersey Devils | 3:00 p.m. | Carolina Hurricanes | Lenovo Center | SN, SN360, ESPN |
| April 22 | New Jersey Devils | 6:00 p.m. | Carolina Hurricanes | Lenovo Center | SN360, ESPN |
| April 25 | Carolina Hurricanes | 8:00 p.m. | New Jersey Devils | Prudential Center | SN360, TBS |
| April 27 | Carolina Hurricanes | 3:30 p.m. | New Jersey Devils | Prudential Center | SN, SN360, TBS, truTV |
| April 29 | New Jersey Devils | TBD | Carolina Hurricanes | Lenovo Center | — |
| May 2 | Carolina Hurricanes | TBD | New Jersey Devils | Prudential Center | — |
| May 4 | New Jersey Devils | TBD | Carolina Hurricanes | Lenovo Center | — |
NHL Playoffs First Round Western Conference
Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 19 | St. Louis Blues | 6:00 p.m. | Winnipeg Jets | Canada Life Centre | CBC, SN, TNT, truTV |
| April 21 | St. Louis Blues | 7:30 p.m. | Winnipeg Jets | Canada Life Centre | CBC, ESPN2 |
| April 24 | Winnipeg Jets | 9:30 p.m. | St. Louis Blues | Enterprise Center | CBC, SN, ESPN2 |
| April 27 | Winnipeg Jets | 1:00 p.m. | St. Louis Blues | Enterprise Center | CBC, SN, TBS, truTV |
| April 30 | St. Louis Blues | TBD | Winnipeg Jets | Canada Life Centre | — |
| May 2 | Winnipeg Jets | TBD | St. Louis Blues | Enterprise Center | — |
| May 4 | St. Louis Blues | TBD | Winnipeg Jets | Canada Life Centre | — |
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 19 | Colorado Avalanche | 8:30 p.m. | Dallas Stars | American Airlines Center | SN, SN360, TNT, truTV |
| April 21 | Colorado Avalanche | 9:30 p.m. | Dallas Stars | American Airlines Center | SN360, ESPN |
| April 23 | Dallas Stars | 9:30 p.m. | Colorado Avalanche | Ball Arena | SN360, ESPN |
| April 26 | Dallas Stars | 9:30 p.m. | Colorado Avalanche | Ball Arena | SN, TBS, truTV |
| April 28 | Colorado Avalanche | TBD | Dallas Stars | American Airlines Center | — |
| May 1 | Dallas Stars | TBD | Colorado Avalanche | Ball Arena | — |
| May 3 | Colorado Avalanche | TBD | Dallas Stars | American Airlines Center | — |
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 20 | Minnesota Wild | 10:00 p.m. | Vegas Golden Knights | T-Mobile Arena | SN, SN360, ESPN |
| April 22 | Minnesota Wild | 11:00 p.m. | Vegas Golden Knights | T-Mobile Arena | SN, SN360, ESPN |
| April 24 | Vegas Golden Knights | 9:00 p.m. | Minnesota Wild | Xcel Energy Center | SN360, TBS, truTV |
| April 26 | Vegas Golden Knights | 4:00 p.m. | Minnesota Wild | Xcel Energy Center | SNP, SNW, SN1, TBS, truTV |
| April 29 | Minnesota Wild | TBD | Vegas Golden Knights | T-Mobile Arena | — |
| May 1 | Vegas Golden Knights | TBD | Minnesota Wild | Xcel Energy Center | — |
| May 3 | Minnesota Wild | TBD | Vegas Golden Knights | T-Mobile Arena | — |
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team | Venue | TV Networks |
| April 21 | Edmonton Oilers | 10:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Kings | Crypto.com Arena | SN, ESPN2 |
| April 23 | Edmonton Oilers | 10:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Kings | Crypto.com Arena | CBC, SN, TBS |
| April 25 | Los Angeles Kings | 10:00 p.m. | Edmonton Oilers | Rogers Place | CBC, SN, TNT, truTV |
| April 27 | Los Angeles Kings | 9:30 p.m. | Edmonton Oilers | Rogers Place | CBC, SN, TBS, truTV |
| April 29 | Edmonton Oilers | TBD | Los Angeles Kings | Crypto.com Arena | — |
| May 1 | Los Angeles Kings | TBD | Edmonton Oilers | Rogers Place | — |
| May 3 | Edmonton Oilers | TBD | Los Angeles Kings | Crypto.com Arena | — |
National Hockey League (NHL) Playoff Format
The NHL Playoff format features 16 teams, as per the official website of the NHL. These include the top three teams from each of the four divisions, making up 12 teams, and four wild card teams — two from each conference, which are the next highest in the standings, regardless of division. This format allows for one division to potentially send five teams to the playoffs while the other sends only three.
The playoff structure is a fixed bracket and begins with the First Round. The division winner with the best overall record in each conference faces the wild-card team with the lower point total. The other division winner faces the wild-card team with the higher point total. Meanwhile, the second- and third-place teams in each division play each other within their own bracket.
The Second Round sees the winners from each division-based bracket face off to determine who advances to the Conference Finals. Each series in the playoffs, from the First Round to the Stanley Cup Final, is a best-of-seven format — the first team to win four games advances.
In both the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, home-ice advantage is awarded to the team with the better regular-season record, regardless of divisional standing. (via the official NHL website)
FAQs on NHL
A. Sixteen teams qualify for the NHL Playoffs.
A. The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in the 2023–24 season.
A. The NHL playoffs consist of four rounds, with each round being a best-of-seven series format.
A. A team must win 16 playoff games, four in each of the four rounds, to claim the ultimate prize in the sport of ice hockey.
A. Seven Canadian teams out of 32 teams participate in the league.
