The calendar has flipped from April to May, which means the NHL has turned from the regular season to the playoffs.
May 2 marks the beginning of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. After two season of wonky playoff formats, the NHL returns to its true form with their typical style used previously before 2020.
The action begins with four series competing on Monday, then the next four on Tuesday. It will continue to rotate with the same four series playing every other day.
MORE: Watch NHL playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial)
ESPN and TNT are the homes of the 2022 NHL playoffs. Both networks will be broadcasting the first three rounds of the series before the finals are solely on ESPN.
Here is a look at the playoff bracket and scheduled for the NHL postseason.
NHL playoff bracket 2022
Here’s a look at the complete NHL playoff bracket for 2022:
Eastern Conference
A1. Florida Panthers vs. WC2. Washington Capitals
A2. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3. Tampa Bay Lightning
M1. Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1. Boston Bruins
M2. New York Rangers vs. M3. Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
C1. Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2. Nashville Predators
C2. Minnesota Wild vs. C3. St. Louis Blues
P1. Calgary Flames vs. WC1. Dallas Stars
P2. Edmonton Oilers vs. P3. Los Angeles Kings
MORE: Ranking the top 5 goaltenders in the 2022 NHL playoffs
NHL playoff schedule 2022
(All times in Eastern )
(* = If necessary)
First round
Monday, May 2
| Game | Matchup |
| Game 1 | Hurricanes 5, Bruins 1 (Hurricanes lead series 1-0) |
| Game 1 | Maple Leafs 5, Lightning 0 (Maple Leafs lead series 1-0) |
| Game 1 | Blues 4, Wild 0 (Blues lead series 1-0) |
| Game 1 | Kings 4, Oilers 3 (Kings lead series 1-0) |
Tuesday, May 3
| Game | Matchup |
| Game 1 | Penguins 4, Rangers 3 (3 OTs) (Penguins lead series 1-0) |
| Game 1 | Capitals 4, Panthers 2 (Capitals lead series 1-0) |
| Game 1 | Avalanche 7, Predators 2 (Avalanche lead series 1-0) |
| Game 1 | Flames 1, Stars 0 (Flames lead series 1-0) |
Wednesday, May 4
| Game | Matchup |
| Game 2 | Hurricanes 5, Bruins 2 (Hurricanes lead series 2-0) |
| Game 2 | Lightning 5, Maple Leafs 3 (Series tied 1-1) |
| Game 2 | Wild 6, Blues 2 (Series tied 1-1) |
| Game 2 | Oilers 6, Kings 0 (Series tied 1-1) |
Thursday, May 5
| Game | Matchup |
| Game 2 | Rangers 5, Penguins 2 (Series tied 1-1) |
| Game 2 | Panthers 5, Capitals 1 (Series tied 1-1) |
| Game 2 | Avalanche 2, Predators 1 (OT) (Avalanche lead series 2-0) |
| Game 2 | Stars 2, Flames 0 (Series tied 1-1) |
Friday, May 6
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel (U.S.) | TV channel (Canada) |
| Game 3 | Bruins vs. Hurricanes | 7 p.m. | TNT | SN360 |
| Game 3 | Lightning vs. Maple Leafs | 7:30 p.m. | TBS | Sportsnet |
| Game 3 | Blues vs. Wild | 9:30 p.m. | TNT | SN360 |
| Game 3 | Kings vs. Oilers | 10 p.m. | TBS | Sportsnet |
Saturday, May 7
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel (U.S.) | TV channel (Canada) |
| Game 3 | Capitals vs. Panthers | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Sportsnet |
| Game 3 | Predators vs. Avalanche | 4:30 p.m. | TNT | Sportsnet |
| Game 3 | Penguins vs. Rangers | 7 p.m. | TNT | Sportsnet |
| Game 3 | Stars vs. Flames | 9:30 p.m. | TNT | Sportsnet |
Sunday, May 8
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel (U.S.) | TV channel (Canada) |
| Game 4 | Bruins vs. Hurricanes | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | Sportsnet |
| Game 4 | Blues vs. Wild | 4:30 p.m. | TBS | SN360 |
| Game 4 | Lightning vs. Maple Leafs | 7 p.m. | TBS | Sportsnet |
| Game 4 | Kings vs. Oilers | 10 p.m. | TBS | Sportsnet |
Monday, May 9
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel (U.S.) | TV channel (Canada) |
| Game 4 | Capitals vs. Panthers | 7 p.m. | TBS | SN1 |
| Game 4 | Penguins vs. Rangers | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Sportsnet |
| Game 4 | Predators vs. Avalanche | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | SN1 |
| Game 4 | Stars vs. Flames | 9:30 p.m. | TBS | Sportsnet |
Tuesday, May 10
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| *Game 5 | Hurricanes vs. Bruins | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 5 | Maple Leafs vs. Lightning | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 5 | Wild vs. Blues | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 5 | Oilers vs. Kings | TBD | TBD |
Wednesday, May 11
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| *Game 5 | Rangers vs. Penguins | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 5 | Panthers vs. Capitals | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 5 | Avalanche vs. Predators | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 5 | Flames vs. Stars | TBD | TBD |
Thursday, May 12
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| *Game 6 | Bruins vs. Hurricanes | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 6 | Blues vs. Wild | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 6 | Lightning vs. Maple Leafs | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 6 | Kings vs. Oilers | TBD | TBD |
Friday, May 13
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| *Game 6 | Capitals vs. Panthers | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 6 | Penguins vs. Rangers | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 6 | Predators vs. Avalanche | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 6 | Stars vs. Flames | TBD | TBD |
Saturday, May 14
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| *Game 7 | Hurricanes vs. Bruins | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 7 | Maple Leafs vs. Lightning | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 7 | Wild vs. Blues | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 7 | Oilers vs. Kings | TBD | TBD |
Sunday, May 15
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| *Game 7 | Rangers vs. Penguins | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 7 | Panthers vs. Capitals | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 7 | Avalanche vs. Predators | TBD | TBD |
| *Game 7 | Flames vs. Stars | TBD | TBD |
TV channels, live streams for NHL playoff games
Postseason telecasts will be split between the ESPN family of networks and the Turner networks as a part of media rights deals the two companies signed last summer. Both will air first- and second-round series, and each network will telecast a conference finals series. The Stanley Cup Final will air exclusively ESPN.
Sportsnet will show all the series in Canada. CBC will show some series.
In the United States, you can stream the series on ESPN+, fuboTV (free trial) or Sling TV. In Canada, the games will be available to stream on SN Now and SN NOW+.
When do the 2022 NHL playoffs end?
- Start date: Monday, May 2
- End date: TBD
The first week of the playoffs begins on Monday, May 2 with the first round.
Each round will take at minimum over a week, maximum about two weeks to complete. So the Stanley Cup Finals are likely to take place at the end of June.