NEW YORK – As a new crop of NHL talent prepares to face off in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, fans can now make their playoffs predictions and vie for the grand prize in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by Expedia. Brackets are now open for fans to create and submit their predictions for each playoffs series at NHL.com/Bracket or via the NHL app.
The Grand Prize for the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge is even greater this season. The eligible entrant who finishes at the top of the leaderboard will be awarded the opportunity to attend a 2026-27 NHL event and an Adventure Chrono 41mm NHL Limited Edition watch by Norqain. The luxury sports watch, designed with hockey in every detail, is one of 1,917 limited edition timepieces created.
Brackets will be locked on Monday, April 20, before puck drop of the first scheduled Game 2 of the First Round, giving fans the chance to change their predictions based on Game 1 outcomes. This year’s program includes popular features from past seasons. The “Random Picks” tool randomly generates brackets in an instant, allowing fans to easily modify and submit multiple brackets, and the “Matchup Analysis” tool provides team stats for fans to evaluate as they make their bracket selections.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge has been engaging fans in friendly competition worldwide for 13 years. Fans can follow the leaderboard to see how their brackets are performing compared to competitors globally, as well as share their brackets across social media with the official hashtag #NHLBracket. This year’s Bracket Challenge will be available in four languages – English, French, Finnish and German.
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 18, and for the first time since 2015, the postseason will begin with one guarantee: a new champion will be crowned. In the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres will make their first playoffs appearance in 14 seasons as the leaders of the Atlantic Division. The Sabres, led by Team USA gold medalist Tage Thompson, will face off in the first round against fellow Team USA gold medalists Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman with the Boston Bruins. One of three Canadian teams to make the playoffs this season, the Montreal Canadiens’ roster of young stars will match up against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are making their ninth-consecutive postseason appearance – a franchise record tied for the longest active streak in the NHL. The Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes and the Ottawa Senators will play their first head-to-head playoffs series, while the highly-anticipated “Battle of Pennsylvania” will see Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Philadelphia Flyers in a legendary First Round battle.
The Western Conference features the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in their ninth-consecutive playoffs appearance with a roster of international talent including Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson. The Edmonton Oilers, helmed by Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, have their sights on advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons for the second time in franchise history. The Vegas Golden Knights enter their fourth-consecutive playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division with standout players Jack Eichel and new teammate Mitch Marner. The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will meet in the First Round as Dallas seeks to advance to their fourth Conference Finals in as many years, and Quinn Hughes makes his first postseason appearance with Minnesota. The LA Kings enter the playoffs with Kings all-time points leader Anze Kopitar in his final NHL campaign, while the Anaheim Ducks join the fray for the first time since 2018 led by young goal scorers Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson and Beckett Sennecke. Rounding out the West, the Utah Mammoth clinched their first-ever playoffs spot in their second season, making Utah the 23rd state (including District of Columbia) to host Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey.
All prizes in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by Expedia are subject to confirmation of eligibility and compliance with winner notification requirements, and tiebreaker rules apply in the event of a tie. There is no purchase necessary to participate in the Bracket Challenge. For Official Rules, visit NHL.com/Bracket.
