Bracket Challenge registration opens

NEW YORK - As the race to the 2016 Stanley Cup® Playoffs continues, NHL fans around the world will have a chance to be part of the action by participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge™ powered by Samsung. Fans can sign up in English or French at
NHL.com/Bracket
or
Sportsnet.ca/NHLBracket
. Once the Stanley Cup® Playoffs First Round match-ups have been set, fans can start entering their predictions on April 11 via desktop or the official NHL® app, now improved for a greater mobile experience. Brackets will be locked at 6:59 p.m. ET on April 13, before the puck drops in the first game of the Playoffs. Fans can share their brackets on Facebook and Twitter with the official hashtag #NHLBracket.
New this year, Samsung mobile and tablet users in the U.S. and Canada will have access to unique video content produced by Sportsnet, giving fans expert analysis and details about Stanley Cup® Playoffs series match-ups.

For the second straight year, NHL partner SAP will provide all users with insights and analytics via the Match-up Analysis tool which utilizes 37 factors to predict the outcome of each series. Fans will see key factors for each series match-up to help make their selections; or, they can trust their instincts and respect their team allegiances to choose which team they believe will hoist the Stanley Cup®.
Fans can increase their odds of choosing the correct Stanley Cup® Champion by creating up to three unique brackets. These brackets can be submitted into an unlimited number of leagues, allowing fans to compete with friends and family in private leagues and with hockey fans from around the world in public leagues. A leaderboard will allow fans to see how their brackets are performing compared to fellow competitors in their leagues, and to the more than one million fans competing globally in the overall Bracket Challenge. Users also can check out the brackets of "Famous Hockey Fans" to see how they compare against celebrity NHL fans from the worlds of sports, movies, television and music.
Prizes will be awarded to U.S. and Canadian entrants who finish at the top of the leaderboard in the Bracket Challenge. The Grand Prize winners (one from the U.S., one from Canada) will each receive a trip for two (2) to the 2016 NHL Awards™ in Las Vegas; a visit with the Stanley Cup®; a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, the latest version of the Galaxy smartphones; and a Samsung Gear VR headset, which provides a premium virtual reality experience. In addition, a Samsung 65" 4K Curved SUHD TV will be awarded to each of the two second place finishers (one from the U.S. and one from Canada); and a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and a Samsung Gear VR headset will be awarded as consolation prizes to each of the third through eighth place finishers (six from the U.S. and six from Canada). In total, 16 fans (eight each from the U.S. and Canada) will win prizes. Residents in other countries who participate in the Bracket Challenge are not eligible to win any prizing. There's no purchase necessary to participate in the Bracket Challenge.
NHL.com and NHL Network™ will offer comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup® Playoffs, including special segments highlighting Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge™ powered by Samsung fan predictions.