When do the NHL playoffs start? Key dates, schedule, TV channels & more for 2024 hockey postseason

When do the NHL playoffs start? Key dates, schedule, TV channels & more for 2024 hockey postseason

What’s better than watching a game of hockey? Watching playoff hockey, and that time of year is just around the corner.

There is less than one week left in the 2023-24 NHL regular season. The field for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs is close to being set, where 16 teams will begin the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Postseason hockey never fails to deliver. From overtime thrillers and heart-breaking buzzer beaters, to highlight-reel dangles and sensational saves, the NHL always brings the heat to the ice come playoff time.

Will the Golden Knights repeat as Stanley Cup champions? Can the Lightning continue to add to their recent dynasty-like run? Is this the year Connor McDavid and the Oilers finally put it all together and win the championship?

NHL PLAYOFF PICTURE: Updated standings, bracket, matchups & key dates for 2024 postseason

All those questions will soon be answered. The Sporting News has details on the start of the 2024 NHL playoffs and more.

You can see the latest 2024 Stanley Cup odds at BetMGM.

When do the 2024 NHL playoffs start?

• Start: Saturday, April 20

The first round of the NHL playoffs is set to start Saturday, April 20.

It was originally expected to start Monday, April 22, but the league moved the date up two days.

When is the 2024 Stanley Cup Final?

• Start: Wednesday, June 3

The league set a tentative date of Wednesday, June 3 for the start of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. It is subject to change depending on how long the prior series go.

The Stanley Cup Final is expected to conclude no later than Monday, June 17.

What channel is the 2024 NHL playoffs on?

• TV channel (U.S.): ESPN, ABC, TNT, TBS
• TV channel (Canada): Sportsnet, CBC

The NHL playoffs will be split in the United States between the ESPN family of networks and Turners. The two media corporations are in the third year of their seven-year contracts with the league.

In the first round, Saturday night games will air on ABC. Other first-round contests may air on ESPN and TNT’s other channels, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, TBS or TruTV.

ESPN and TNT are splitting the second-round series, as well as the conference final. Since TNT aired the Stanley Cup Final last year, it is back to ESPN in 2024.

In Canada, all the playoff games will be aired on Sportsnet and CBC.

How to stream the 2024 NHL playoffs

• Live stream (U.S.): ESPN+, SlingTV, Fubo
• Live stream (Canada): SN NOW, CBC Gem

Fans in the United States looking to stream the NHL playoffs have options. Games on ESPN’s platforms can be streamed through ESPN+ or through Fubo, while those on TNT can be streamed through the TNT app and SlingTV.

For the Canadian audience, games on Sportsnet are available to stream on SN NOW. Any contests on CBC can be streamed through CBC Gem.

How many teams make the NHL playoffs?

In total, 16 teams make the postseason in the NHL — eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference.

For each conference, the top three teams from each division are guaranteed placement in the postseason, with the winners of the divisions getting the top two seeds for the playoffs.

The last two spots go to the teams with the two best records out of the rest of the field, meaning they can come from the same division. Those are the wild-card teams.

How many rounds are in the NHL playoffs?

There are four rounds in the Stanley Cup playoffs — first round, second round, conference finals and finals.

In the first round, the top team in the conference plays the second wild-card team. The other division winner takes on the other wild-card team. The No. 2 team from a division plays the No. 3 team from the same division.

After that, the teams do not get reseeded in the second round. Rather, the series winner with the No. 2 and No. 3 teams for a division plays the winner of the series with their division winner playing the wild card team.

For example, for this postseason, let’s say the Bruins, Maple Leafs and Lightning place first through third in the Atlantic in that order. The winner of the Bruins’ first-round series against the wild-card team faces the winner of the Maple Leafs-Lightning matchup.

Then, the last two teams in each conference square off in the conference finals. Each conference winner then gets to fight for the Stanley Cup in the finals.

How many games are in a series?

Every series, no matter the round, will play a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games advances to the next round.

Each series is played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, which means the team with the better record plays Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 at its home arena, while its opponent hosts Games 3, 4, and 6. Only the first four games in the series are guaranteed, with Games 5, 6 and 7 played if necessary.