The road to Lord Stanley is back with the 2021 NHL Playoffs. Seeding has been decided, the matchups have been made, and the action has started in the chase for the Stanley Cup. After a long year and a staggered schedule, 16 playoff teams have been announced and the division winners have been crowned. The Central and East divisions have completed their regular season, along with the West division’s regular season which ended on May 13, and the North division’s regular season will come to a close on May 19.
There are some modifications for this year’s postseason as Round 1 and Round 2 will take place within the division. The first place and fourth place team will face off, as will the second and third place team. The winners of each series will play each other in Round 2. The last four teams remaining will be re-seeded based on their regular season point total.
The defending Stanley Cup champion No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning will be defending their ground as they take on cross-state rivals the No. 2 Florida Panthers in the opening round. Fans are quick to note that when the Bolts play the Cats their rivalry roars. The Bolts will be looking to repeat in a tough Central division.
All of the playoff times and channels have not been announced yet, but below is the full listing of opening round matchups and times for all available games in the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
How to watch the 2021 NHL Playoffs
- AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to see what NBC channel is available in your area with an antenna.
- Locast: Viewers in over 30 markets can watch their local NBC affiliate for free with Locast
- NBCSports.com will have an available livestream for select games.
- fuboTV has NBC, USA, NBCSN, and CNBC covered with the fuboTV Family plan for $65/month. NHL Network is available for an additional $11 per month.
- Hulu with Live also carries NBC, USA, NBCSN, and CNBC for $65/month.
- AT&T TV includes NBC, USA, NBCSN, CNBC, and NHL Network in its Ultimate package for $95/month.
- YouTube TV includes NBC, USA, NBCSN, and CNBC with a $65/month subscription
- Sling TV includes NBC, USA, and NBCSN in their Sling Blue package for $35/month. CNBC is available to add-on for an additional $6/month. NHL Network is also available to add-on for $11/month.
The Games – Start Times and Channel
East Division
No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 4 New York Islanders
- Game 1: Islanders 4, Penguins 3 (OT)
- When: Sunday, May 16, 12 p.m. ET
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Channel: NBC
- Game 2
- When: Tuesday, May 18, 12 p.m. ET
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 3
- When: Thursday, May 20, 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 4
- When: Saturday, May 22, 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
- Channel: NBC
- Game 5*
- When: Monday, May 24
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Wednesday, May 26
- Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Friday, May 28
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Channel: TBD
No. 2 Washington Capitals vs. No. 3 Boston Bruins
- Game 1: Capitals 3, Bruins 2 (OT)
- When: Saturday, May 15, 7:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
- Channel: NBC
- Game 2: Bruins 4, Capitals 3 (OT)
- When: Monday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 3
- When: Wednesday, May 19, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 4
- When: Friday, May 21, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 5*
- When: Sunday, May 23
- Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Tuesday, May 25
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Thursday, May 27
- Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C
- Channel: TBD
Central Division
No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 4 Nashville Predators
- Game 1: Hurricanes 5, Predators 2
- When: Monday, May 17, 8 p.m. ET
- Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Channel: CNBC
- Game 2
- When: Wednesday, May 19, 8 p.m. ET
- Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Channel: CNBC
- Game 3
- When: Friday, May 21, 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
- Channel: USA
- Game 4:
- When: Sunday, May 23,
- Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
- Channel: TBD
- Game 5*
- When: Tuesday, May 25
- Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Thursday, May 27
- Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Saturday, May 29
- Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Channel: TBD
No. 2 Florida Panthers vs. No 3 Tampa Bay Lightning
- Game 1: Lightning 5, Panthers 4
- When: Sunday, May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 2
- When: Tuesday, May 18, 8 p.m. ET
- Location: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
- Channel: CNBC
- Game 3
- When: Thursday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
- Channel: USA
- Game 4
- When: Saturday, May 22, 12:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
- Channel: CNBC
- Game 5*
- When: Monday, May 24
- Location: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Wednesday, May 26
- Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Friday, May 28
- Location: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
- Channel: TBD
North Division
No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens
- Game 1
- When: Thursday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Channel: NHL Network
- Game 2:
- When: Saturday, May 22, 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 3
- When: Monday, May 24
- Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 4
- When: Tuesday, May 25
- Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 5*
- When: Thursday, May 27
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Saturday, May 29
- Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Friday, May 28
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Channel: TBD
No. 2 Edmonton Oilers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Jets
- Game 1
- When: Wednesday, May 19, 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 2
- When: Friday, May 21, 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 3
- When: Sunday, May 23
- Location: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 4
- When: Monday, May 24
- Location: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 5*
- When: Wednesday, May 26
- Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Friday, May 28
- Location: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Sunday, May 30
- Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Channel: TBD
West Division
No. 1 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 4 St. Louis Blues
- Game 1: Avalanche 4, Blues 1
- When: Monday, May 17, 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 2
- When: Wednesday, May 19, 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
- Channel: CNBC
- Game 3
- When: Friday, May 21, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
- Channel: USA
- Game 4:
- When: Sunday, May 23,
- Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
- Channel: TBD
- Game 5*
- When: Tuesday, May 25
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Thursday, May 27
- Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Saturday, May 29
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
- Channel: TBD
No. 2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 3 Minnesota Wild
- Game 1: Wild 1, Golden Knights 0 (OT)
- When: Sunday, May 16, 3 p.m. ET
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Channel: NBC
- Game 2
- When: Tuesday, May 18, 10 p.m. ET
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 3
- When: Thursday, May 20, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Channel: NBCSN
- Game 4
- When: Saturday, May 22, 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Channel: NBC
- Game 5*
- When: Monday, May 24
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Channel: TBD
- Game 6*
- When: Wednesday, May 26
- Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Channel: TBD
- Game 7*
- When: Friday, May 28
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Channel: TBD
*if necessary