Stanley Cup playoffs 2025 start date: What day does the NHL playoffs start? Brackets, series start dates explored

The 2024-25 NHL playoffs are set to start on Saturday, April 19th, with matchups now finalized after the Montreal Canadiens secured the East’s second wild-card spot with a 4-2 win over the Hurricanes on Wednesday.

The postseason will feature four best-of-seven series in each conference, with teams seeded based on their regular season records.

In the Eastern Conference, the brackets shake out as follows:

1. Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens

2. Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils

3. Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators

4. Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers

In the Western Conference, the matchups are:

1. Winnipeg Jets vs St. Louis Blues (Saturday, 6:00 pm ET)

2. Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 8:30 p, ET)

3. Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild

4. Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers

Saturday's matchup is set and the full schedule will be released soon by the league.

The four winners from the opening round series will advance to the conference semifinals. From there, the conference finals will determine who represents the East and West in the Stanley Cup Final.