The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs have arrived! This year, the reigning NHL champions, the Florida Panthers, were shut out of the postseason, making room for a new name on this year’s trophy. The first round of games is scheduled to begin this weekend. The playoffs will be broadcast daily across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, and truTV, and every game will be available with a Sling subscription. And if you don’t plan to watch every game, you can also grab a Sling Day Pass for 1, 3, or 7 days to keep from paying for more than you need.
Here’s a look at which teams are competing during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the complete schedule of first-round games, and how you can watch them all with Sling.
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How to watch the 2026 NHL playoffs with Sling:
Dates: April 18 – June, 2026
TV channels: TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, ESPN2
Streaming: Sling
When do the 2026 NHL playoffs start?
The first round of the NHL playoffs begin on April 18 and run through the Stanley Cup finals which are scheduled for June 3-19.
What channels are broadcasting NHL playoff games?
NHL playoff games will air on TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, and ESPN2. Every game of the Stanley Cup finals in June will air on TNT.
Who is in the NHL playoffs?
The teams advancing to the NHL playoffs in 2026 are:
Eastern Conference: Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators
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Western Conference: Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings
How to watch the 2026 NHL playoffs with Sling:
Sling offers access to dozens of live TV channels, and Sling Orange is the package you want if you’re looking to check out the 2026 NHL playoffs. Sling Orange includes ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS, which means you can catch every game of the postseason in one place.
Sling also recently introduced 1, 3, and 7 Day Pass subscriptions, giving viewers flexibility and short-term access to live TV so you can watch what you want, when you want. These Passes give fans instant access to the games they want to see, without paying for channels they don’t need.
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A 1 Day Pass, which starts at $4.99, gets you 24 hours of live TV airing on any of the channels that are available through Sling Orange, which includes every channel you need to watch every game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. A 3 Day Pass ($9.99) or a 7 Day Pass ($14.99) extends your service so you can tailor your viewing to how much or little you plan to watch.
With Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, TNT and over 30 more channels, you can watch every game of the Stanley Cup playoffs and never miss a moment of the action. The monthly plan costs $45.99/month.
If you want to watch a few games but not the whole tournament, Sling TV’s Day Pass gives consumers the freedom to watch what they want, when they want, without paying the high price of a monthly streaming subscription. Sign up for a 1 Day Pass ($4.99), a 3 Day Pass ($9.99), or a 7 Day Pass ($14.99) and watch every channel available on Sling Orange.
NHL playoff first round schedule:
Here’s the schedule for all of the scheduled first round Stanley Cup playoff games:
Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes
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Game 1: Saturday, April 18, 3 p.m.(ESPN)
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Game 2: Monday, April 20, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
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Game 3: Thursday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. (TBS)
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Game 4: Saturday, April 25, 3 p.m. (TBS, truTV)
Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars
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Game 1: Saturday, April 18, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 2: Monday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 3: Wednesday, April 22, 9:30 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 4: Saturday, April 25, 5:30 p.m. (TBS, truTV)
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
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Game 1: Sunday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 2: Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 p.m (ESPN)
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Game 3: Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
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Game 1: Saturday, April 18, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 2: Monday, April 20, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 3: Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 4: Saturday, April 25, 8 p.m. (TBS, truTV)
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Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Game 1: Sunday, April 19, 5:45 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 2: Tuesday, April 21, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
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Game 3: Friday, April 24, 7 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Utah Mammoth vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights
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Game 1: Sunday, April 19, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 2: Tuesday, April 21, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
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Game 3: Friday, April 24, 9:30 p.m. (TBS)
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Game 4: Monday, April 27, TBD (ESPN)
Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers
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Game 1: Monday, April 20, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
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Game 2: Wednesday, April 22, 10 p.m. (TBS)
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Game 3: Friday, April 24, 10 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche
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Game 1: Sunday, April 19, 3 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 2: Tuesday, April 21, 10 p.m. (ESPN)
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Game 3: Thursday, April 23, 10 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
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Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 4:30 p.m. (TNT, truTV)
2026 NHL playoffs key dates :
All times Eastern.
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April 18 – May 3: Stanley Cup playoffs first round
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May 6: Stanley Cup playoffs second round begins
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May 22: Stanley Cup playoffs conference finals begin
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June 3: Stanley Cup Final, Game 1 (TNT)
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June 5: Stanley Cup Final, Game 2 (TNT)
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June 8: Stanley Cup Final, Game 3 (TNT)
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June 11: Stanley Cup Final, Game 4 (TNT)
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June 13: Stanley Cup Final, Game 5 (TNT)
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June 16: Stanley Cup Final, Game 6 (TNT)
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June 19: Stanley Cup Final, Game 7 (TNT)
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