We finally have a date for when the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin. Well, the Stanley Cup Qualification Round that is. On August 1st, the qualifying series (best-of-five) will kick off with five games on tap; the remaining three series will begin the following day. Eastern Conference teams are heading to Toronto, while the Western Conference ones will meet in Edmonton. Game lines are already posted for everything scheduled between August 1 and 3, and series prices are also available for the eight matchups.
Although it’s anyone’s guess how these players will react to not only being off for four-plus months, but all the protocols that are in place. There are some great matchups on paper including the New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders and the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With so many games crammed into a two-day window, it’s tough to determine the best ones to watch. We also have some round-robin games between the top four teams in each conference, so they can get some live game action in before their first round opponent. Listed below is a schedule for each series and a link to a preview and free prediction.
EASTERN CONFERENCE (all games at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto)
(All times, TV information will be announced at a later date; home team listed second)
(5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens
Saturday, Aug. 1: Canadiens vs. Penguins, 8 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3: Canadiens vs. Penguins, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Penguins vs. Canadiens, 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 7: Penguins vs. Canadiens*
Saturday, Aug. 8: Canadiens vs. Penguins*
(6) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (11) New York Rangers
Saturday, Aug. 1: Rangers vs. Hurricanes, 12 p.m. ET
Monday, Aug. 3: Rangers vs. Hurricanes, 12 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Hurricanes vs. Rangers, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Hurricanes vs. Rangers*
Saturday, Aug. 8: Rangers vs. Hurricanes*
(7) New York Islanders vs. (10) Florida Panthers
Saturday, Aug. 1: Panthers vs. Islanders, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Panthers vs. Islanders, 12 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Islanders vs. Panthers, 12 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 7: Islanders vs. Panthers*
Sunday, Aug. 9: Panthers vs. Islanders*
(8) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets
Sunday, Aug. 2: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7: Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets*, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs*, TBD
Round-robin
Sunday, Aug. 2: Flyers vs. Bruins, 3 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3: Capitals vs. Lightning, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Lightning vs. Bruins, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Capitals vs. Flyers, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Bruins vs. Capitals, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Flyers vs. Lightning, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE (all games at Rogers Place, Edmonton)
(5) Edmonton Oilers vs. (12) Chicago Blackhawks
Saturday, Aug. 1: Blackhawks vs. Oilers, 3 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3: Blackhawks vs. Oilers, 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Oilers vs. Blackhawks, 10:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 7: Oilers vs. Blackhawks*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Blackhawks vs. Oilers*, TBD
(6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona Coyotes
Sunday, Aug. 2: Coyotes vs. Predators, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Coyotes vs. Predators, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Predators vs. Coyotes, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 7: Predators vs. Coyotes*, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Coyotes vs. Predators*, TBD
(7) Vancouver Canucks vs. (10) Minnesota Wild
Sunday, Aug. 2: Wild vs. Canucks, 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Wild vs. Canucks, 10:45 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Canucks vs. Wild, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7: Canucks vs. Wild*, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Wild vs. Canucks*, TBD
(8) Calgary Flames vs. (9) Winnipeg Jets
Saturday, Aug. 1: Jets vs. Flames, 10:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3: Jets vs. Flames, 2:30 p.m.
Tuedsay, Aug. 4: Flames vs. Jets, 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Flames vs. Jets*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Jets vs. Flames*, TBD
Round-robin
Sunday, Aug. 2: Blues vs. Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3: Stars vs. Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Avalanche vs. Stars, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6: Golden Knights vs. Blues, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Golden Knights vs. Avalanche, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Stars vs. Blues, TBD
We will have free picks for ALL playoff games over on our NHL Free Picks page once the tournament gets underway. We can’t wait!
