As the NHL regular season winds down, hockey fans can look forward to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The 2024-25 regular season will conclude on Apr. 17. The playoffs will begin shortly after the conclusion of the regular season.
16 of 32 NHL teams will qualify for the playoffs. This includes eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight teams from the Western Conference. The top three teams from each division and two wild card teams from each conference qualify.
These teams will all participate in the first round of the elimination tournament to determine who moves on. The playoffs consist of four rounds of play. Each round has a best-of-seven format. Eight teams move to the second round, four teams move to the Conference Finals, and two teams face off in the Stanley Cup Finals.
When do the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin?
Fans won’t have to wait long after the end of the regular season to watch playoff hockey. The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are slated to begin on Saturday, Apr. 19
Playoff action will continue through the rest of April, all of May and most of June. The anticipated last possible day for the playoffs to conclude is Monday, June 23. This would be if the Stanley Cup Finals have a Game 7.
This year’s playoff start date is in line with last year’s playoff timeframe, with action beginning on Saturday, Apr. 20, 2024. Last year, the playoffs ended on Monday, June 24, with Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
How to watch, live stream the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs
How can you watch the playoffs this year? In Canada, playoff games will be broadcasted on Sportsnet and CBC. Games can be streamed on Sportsnet+ and CBC Gem.
In the U.S., ESPN will broadcast games in the first two rounds and one of the conference finals. Games can be streamed via ESPN+ and Hulu. TNT will broadcast the other conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals. TNT games can be streamed on Max and WatchTNT. Complete broadcasting and streaming guide is TBA.
Looking ahead, which team will win the Stanley Cup in the 2024-25 season? The Panthers, Oilers, Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche are among the Cup contenders. Standings can be found here, with teams that qualified for the playoffs marked with an X. The postseason journey to the Cup begins on Apr. 19.