Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Game 1 schedule: When will Maple Leafs, Oilers, Capitals & others take the ice?

Modified Apr 17, 2025 17:58 GMT

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers - Source: Imagn — Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Game 1 schedule: When will Maple Leafs, Oilers, Capitals & others take the ice? (Credits: IMAGN)

The official Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule for the opening games of each series has been released. The Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and other contenders now know precisely when they will first take the ice.

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The first batch of opening games will start on Saturday. There will be two matchups on that day, with the remaining slate of games scheduled from Sunday to Tuesday.

On Saturday, the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets will begin their seven-game series at 6:00 p.m. EDT. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will follow it with the puck drop for their series at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

On Sunday, the New Jersey Devils get their series underway against the Carolina Hurricanes at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Later, the Ottawa Senators vs. Maple Leafs game will be played at 7:00 p.m. EDT before the day's slate concludes with the 10:00 p.m. EDT game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild.

The Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals game (7:00 pm EDT) and the Oilers's road game at the Los Angeles Kings (10:00 pm EDT) round up Monday's action.

Finally, on Tuesday, the last fixture of the Stanley Cup Playoffs first round takes place with Game 1 between the Florida Panthers - the defending champions - at the Tampa Bay Lightning from 8:30 pm EDT onwards.

When will the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs end?

With the NHL regular season over, the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway on Saturday with 15 teams on a quest to dethrone the Florida Panthers for the Holy Grail. So, when does it end?

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At worst, if every series goes seven games, then the first round will officially conclude on Sunday (May 4). That's only if a particular series makes it to the limit. Each is a best-of-seven series, so Games 5, 6 and 7 are only necessary until someone wins four games.

The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are here (Credits: IMAGN)

For example, the Toronto-Ottawa series can only go to May 3 if necessary, based on the number of home games needed for each team and the allotted travel days. The Tampa Bay-Florida series can go to May 4 for the same reason.

All time slots for Games 5, 6, and 7 for all series have yet to be determined. The NHL will schedule them when and as needed.

About the author

Zachary is a journalist covering NFL, Professional Golf, esports, and Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He has a degree in writing/editing from Southern Adventist University (USA), and in his spare time, he likes to play games such as Minecraft, Pokémon and Fortnite, or watch sports.

Ever since he was a youth football wide receiver, Zachary has been an avid NFL fan. He loves the Carolina Panthers, with Cam Newton being his all-time favorite player (with respect to the close second, Steve Smith). If you ever meet Zachary, prepare to hear all about how underrated Newton was and how he single-handedly dragged the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

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Edited by William Paul