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The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin Saturday when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round series (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, OMNI, TVAS).

Carolina was the Metropolitan Division champion, finishing with the best record in the East. Ottawa won the second Eastern wild card.

Later Saturday, the Minnesota Wild will visit the Dallas Stars in the opener of the Western series between the second- and-third place finishers in the Central Division (5:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS).

In the final game Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Philadelphia Flyers in their Eastern series opener (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS). Pittsburgh finished second in the Metropolitan, and Philadelphia was third.

On Sunday, four more first round series will begin: the Los Angeles Kings, who won the second Western wild card, will play at the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche (3 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS); the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Montreal Canadiens in a meeting of the second- and third-place finishers in the Atlantic Division (5:45 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS); the Boston Bruins, who won the first Eastern wild card, will visit the Atlantic Division-champion Buffalo Sabres (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, TVAS); and the Utah Mammoth, the first Western wild card, will play at the Pacific Division-champion Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS)

The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks will open their Western series Mondayk (10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS). They were the second- and third-place finishers in the Pacific.

Here is the complete schedule for the first round of the playoffs:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins (WC1) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)

Game 1: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 19 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 2: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. ET April 23 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Buffalo at Boston, 2 p.m. ET April 26 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS)

*Game 5: Boston at Buffalo, April 28 TBD

*Game 6: Buffalo at Boston, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Boston at Buffalo, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Bruins-Sabres series

Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)

Game 1: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 5:45 p.m. ET April 19 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 2: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 3: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 24 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 26 (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS)

*Game 5: Montreal at Tampa Bay, April 29 TBD

*Game 6: Tampa Bay at Montreal, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Montreal at Tampa Bay, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Canadiens-Lightning series

Ottawa Senators (WC2) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M1)

Game 1: Ottawa at Carolina, 3 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SN, OMNI TVAS)

Game 2: Ottawa at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN2, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC TVAS)

Game 3: Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET April 23 (TBS, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Carolina at Ottawa, 3 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS, OMNI)

*Game 5: Ottawa at Carolina, April 27 TBD

*Game 6: Carolina at Ottawa, April 30n TBD

*Game 7: Ottawa at Carolina, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Senators-Hurricanes series

Philadelphia Flyers (M3) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M2)

Game 1: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SN, TVAS)

Game 2: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN SN360, TVAS) 

Game 3: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET April 22 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS)

*Game 5: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, April 27 TBD

*Game 6: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, April 29 TBD

*Game 7: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Flyers-Penguins series

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Los Angeles Kings (WC2) vs. Colorado Avalanche (C1)

Game 1: Los Angeles at Colorado, 3 p.m. ET April 19 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS)

Game 2: Los Angeles at Colorado, 10 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Colorado at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. April 23 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Colorado at Los Angeles, 4:30 p.m. ET April 26 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SNW, SNP, SN360, TVAS)

*Game 5: Los Angeles at Colorado, April 29 TBD

*Game 6: Colorado at Los Angeles, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Los Angeles at Colorado, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Kings-Avalanche series

Minnesota Wild (C3) vs. Dallas Stars (C2)

Game 1: Minnesota at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS)

Game 2: Minnesota at Dallas, 9:30 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Dallas at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. ET April 22 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS)

Game 4: Dallas at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS)

*Game 5: Minnesota at Dallas, April 28 TBD

*Game 6: Dallas at Minnesota, April 30 TBD

*Game 7: Minnesota at Dallas, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Wild-Stars series

Utah Mammoth (WC1) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (P1)

Game 1: Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m. ET April 19 (ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 2: Utah at Vegas, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 3: Vegas at Utah, 9:30 p.m. ET (TBS, HBO Max, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Vegas at Utah, April 27 TBD (ESPN)

*Game 5: Utah at Vegas, April 29 TBD

*Game 6: Vegas at Utah, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Utah at Vegas, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Mammoth-Golden Knights series

Anaheim Ducks (P3) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P2)

Game 1: Anaheim at Edmonton, 10 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 2: Anaheim at Edmonton, 10 p.m. ET April 22 (TBS, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 3: Edmonton at Anaheim, 10 p.m. ET April 24 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Edmonton at Anaheim, 9:30 p.m. ET April 26 (ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS)

*Game 5: Anaheim at Edmonton, April 28 TBD

*Game 6: Edmonton at Anaheim, April 30 TBD

*Game 7: Anaheim at Edmonton, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

Complete coverage of Ducks-Oilers series