The best time of the year is here. By that, we're talking about the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2022-23 NHL regular season is over, and the 16 teams playing in the NHL postseason are set. The first round of the playoffs begin on Monday with four series in action.
Playoff hockey always brings the fireworks. From overtime thrillers and heart-breaking buzzer beaters to jaw-dropping dangles and spectacular saves, the NHL never fails to deliver come postseason time.
Can the Avalanche repeat as Stanley Cup champions? Will the Bruins' regular-season dominance translate to the postseason? And of course, is this finally the year the Maple Leafs win a playoff series? We will find those answers soon enough.
NHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:
The Sporting News has details on the start of the 2023 NHL playoffs and more.
When do the 2023 NHL playoffs start?
- Start:Monday, April 17
The NHL is going to start the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs on Monday, April 17, three days after the final regular season finale on Friday, April 14.
When is the 2023 Stanley Cup Final?
- Start: Saturday, June 3
The league has set a tentative date for the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. That date is Saturday, June 3, however, it is subject to change depending on how long the prior series go.
What channel is the 2023 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 second 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 ESPN aired the Stanley Cup Final last year, it is TNT's turn, the first time the network will broadcast hockey's championship series.
In Canada, all the playoff games will be aired on Sportsnet and CBC.
How to stream the 2023 NHL playoffs
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.
