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The quest for the Lord Stanley’s Cup has already had heart-stopping drama, overtime heroics, and unexpected upsets.
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Now that we’re into the second round, follow along with our NHL playoff bracket hub live bracket updates, updated series prices, and postseason format details to help guide your NHL picks and playoff pools.
NHL playoff bracket if the playoffs started today
Live digital bracket
Follow along with our up-to-date bracket below as we track each series through to the end of the Stanley Cup Final, and make sure you keep up on which teams have the best Stanley Cup odds. You can also track the progress of individual players with our Conn Smythe Trophy odds page.
2026 NHL Playoff matchups
Here are the current series odds for the remaining second-round matchup (Buffalo/Montreal) and the Western Conference final (Colorado/Vegas):
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Result: Hurricanes win 4-0
Hurricanes vs Flyers series recap
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Game 1: Saturday, May 2 (Carolina 3, Philadelphia 0)
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Game 2: Monday, May 4 (Carolina 3, Philadelphia 2)
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Game 3: Thursday, May 7 (Philadelphia 1, Carolina 4)
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Game 4: Saturday, May 9 (Philadelphia 2, Carolina 3)
Tied 3-3
|
Team |
To win |
|---|---|
|
Buffalo |
-115 |
|
Montreal |
-105 |
Sabres vs Canadiens series schedule
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Game 1: Wednesday, May 6 (Buffalo 4, Montreal 2)
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Game 2: Friday, May 8 (Buffalo 1, Montreal 5)
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Game 3: Sunday, May 10 (Montreal 6, Buffalo 2)
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Game 4: Tuesday, May 12 (Montreal 2, Buffalo 3)
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Game 5: Thursday, May 14 (Buffalo 3, Montreal 6)
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Game 6: Saturday, May 16 (Montreal 3, Buffalo 8)
Series tied 0-0
|
Team |
To win |
|---|---|
|
Colorado |
-240 |
|
Vegas |
+190 |
Avalanche vs Golden Knights series schedule
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Game 1: Wednesday, May 20
2026 NHL Playoffs schedule
|
Event |
Date |
|---|---|
|
First Round |
April 18-May 3 |
|
Second Round begins |
May 2 |
|
Conference Finals begin |
May 20 |
|
Stanley Cup Finals |
June 3-21 |
NHL playoff format
The NHL playoffs are a 16-team, four-round, best-of-seven tournament used to determine the Stanley Cup champion. Eight teams qualify from each conference: the top three teams in each division plus two wild-card teams in each conference.
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In the First Round, the division winner with the better record in each conference plays the lower-ranked wild card, the other division winner plays the other wild card, and the second- and third-place teams in each division face each other.
The NHL uses a fixed bracket, so teams are not re-seeded after each round. First-round winners advance to the Second Round, then to the Conference Finals, and finally to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Eastern Conference champion plays the Western Conference champion.
Every playoff round is a best-of-seven series, and the first team to win four games advances or, in the Stanley Cup Final, wins the championship.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.
Read the full article here