The regular-season of the National Hockey League officially ends on Thursday night. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Saturday. As teams prepare for enormous first-round matchups within the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they now know after they will probably be playing Game 1.
The NHL announced on X, formerly Twitter, the dates for every of the Game 1 matchups of the primary round.
Saturday, April 18, will open with a day game featuring the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Ottawa Senators. The playoff triple header continues within the early evening with the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars in Texas. The triple header ends at 8 p.m. ET with a puck drop between cross-state rivals because the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sunday will feature a slate of 4 games, two from each conference, but times have yet to be determined. Within the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres will host their first playoff game since 2011, because the Boston Bruins come to town.
Within the Western Conference, the Utah Mammoth will play its first playoff game as a franchise, visiting the Vegas Golden Knights. The second game on Sunday will feature the Colorado Avalanche, however the opponent is yet to be determined. It can be the Western Conference’s second wild-card team. The second and third-place teams within the Pacific Division will kick off their series on Monday.
Currently, the Los Angeles Kings are slated to be the second wild-card team. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Geese are ahead of the Kings within the division. If the Oilers secure one point on Thursday night, they are going to host a playoff game on Monday. In the event that they lose in regulation, they may still host a Game 1, with losses from the Geese and Kings. Either of those teams winning with an Oilers loss in regulation will send the Oilers on the road. If the Oilers lose in regulation and each the Geese and Kings win, the Oilers will visit the Colorado Avalanche.
A win by the Geese could get them a house Game 1 or place them in Edmonton. A loss and a Kings win will send them to Colorado. The Kings can only avoid Colorado with a win, plus a loss by the Geese or an Oilers loss in regulation. They might host Game 1 if each losses occur.
Official times will probably be finalized in the approaching days for every Game 1, with a full Round 1 schedule coming.
The regular-season of the National Hockey League officially ends on Thursday night. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Saturday. As teams prepare for enormous first-round matchups within the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they now know after they will probably be playing Game 1. The NHL announced on X, formerly Twitter, the dates for every of the Game 1 matchups of the primary round.