The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin today, igniting a two-month journey filled with upsets, sudden-death overtime, unsung heroes and star performances before one team is ultimately crowned as champion in June.
* A trio of Game 1s on the opening day of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin with the first-ever playoff series between Carolina-Ottawa, Central Division rivals facing off with multiple 40-goal scorers on either side in the Dallas-Minnesota series and the first “Battle of Pennsylvania” in eight years between Pittsburgh-Philadelphia.
* Teams that take a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven own an all-time series record of 535-252 (.680), including a 10-5 (.667) mark in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs (6-2, .750 in 2025 R1).
2026 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS START TONIGHT
Storylines are aplenty as a handful of stars are set to compete in the postseason for the first time, but the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket features 11 of 16 teams looking to either hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history or end a lengthy championship drought. Only one thing is guaranteed when the puck drops on Saturday: a new champion will be crowned in June.
* #NHLStats for Teams in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (use the drop-down to peruse each team).
* 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Interactive Information Guide
* #NHLStats Pack: 2025-26 Regular-Season Recap
* #NHLStats Pack: 16 Key Questions Entering the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by Expedia
PENGUINS AND FLYERS READY TO RENEW “BATTLE OF PENNSYLVANIA”
The iconic trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang begin their quest for a fourth Stanley Cup championship and will do so against a familiar foe when Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras visit PPG Paints Arena for Game 1 of their First Round series – the eighth rendition of the “Battle of Pennsylvania” and first since the 2018 First Round. The winner of the previous seven all-time series between the rivals has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final on three occasions.
* Crosby (71-130—201 in 180 GP), whose 1.57 career points per game against the Flyers in the postseason are his highest vs. one franchise (min. 5 GP), sits tied with Jaromir Jagr (201) for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time points list and fifth overall on the League’s all-time assists list. However, he needs to find the score sheet just once to tie Jari Kurri (92-110—202 w/ EDM) for the third most by one player with a single franchise.
* Porter Martone, the sixth-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, has co-led the Flyers in goals since making his League debut on March 31 (4-6—10) and is one of 13 players on Philadelphia’s active roster that could appear in their first-ever outing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He can become the fifth teenager in franchise history to score a playoff goal alongside Dainius Zubrus (5 in 24 GP), Couturier (3 in 11 GP), Nolan Patrick (1 in 6 GP) and Peter Zezel (1 in 5 GP).
40-GOAL SCORERS ON FULL DISPLAY IN STARS–WILD SHOWDOWN
The NHL’s first 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup to be confirmed will finally come to fruition when a pair of 40-goal teammates go head-to-head as Jason Robertson (45), Wyatt Johnston (45) and the Stars host Kirill Kaprizov (45), Matt Boldy (42) and the Wild for Game 1 of their First Round series at American Airlines Center.
* Johnston (18-14—32 in 56 GP), with a double-digit point total in each of the past two postseasons, sits two goals shy of becoming the 13th player in NHL history with 20 career playoff goals before age 23 – a list that includes Sidney Crosby (30), Evgeni Malkin (24), Nikita Kucherov (22) and Patrick Kane (20). Overall, Johnston can also join Mike Modano (3) and Dennis Maruk (3 w/ MNS) as the third player in franchise history to register 10 or more points in three consecutive postseasons.
* Kaprizov (15-6—21 in 25 GP) and the Wild begin their pursuit of the franchise’s first playoff series win since the 2015 First Round, as the forward sits two goals shy of overtaking Zach Parise (16 in 44 GP) for the most playoff goals in franchise history. In a regular-season campaign that featured Kaprizov also become Minnesota’s all-time leader in regular season goals, he can become the fourth active player to sit atop a franchise’s all-time goals list in both the regular season and playoffs (NSH: Filip Forsberg, VGK: Jonathan Marchessault, WSH: Alex Ovechkin & WPG/ATL: Mark Scheifele).
HURRICANES AND SENATORS READY FOR FIRST-EVER PLAYOFF CLASH
Sebastian Aho and the top-seeded Hurricanes open the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center when Brady Tkachuk and the Senators visit Raleigh for Game 1 of the first-ever postseason meeting between the clubs – the 288th unique playoff series between NHL franchises (1 of 2 in 2026 R1). Carolina owns an all-time record of 8-7 in its first series against a franchise, while Ottawa is 7-5.
* Aho, among three others set to tie Ron Francis (8) for the most career years in the playoffs in franchise history, has been a staple of postseason point production for a Hurricanes team that leads all clubs in home wins since first debuting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2019. Aho is already the first player in NHL history to register 10-plus points in each of his first seven postseasons and can become the fifth to record eight consecutive at any point in their career: Wayne Gretzky (11 from 1981-91), Mark Messier (10 from 1983-92), Brad Marchand (8 from 2018-25) and Bernie Geoffrion (8 from 1953-60).
* Tkachuk (4-3—7 in 6 GP) approaches his 10th career playoff game in a postseason where the Senators eye their first series win since the 2017 Second Round. The Ottawa captain, with an opportunity to register the franchise’s most goals through their first 10 career playoff games (6), has already tied his father, Keith (4-0—4 in 10 GP) in goals through the benchmark outing and outproduced his brother, Matthew (2-1—3 in 10 GP).
LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST ROUND SINCE 2014
Here are some of the NHL’s top performers in the First Round under the Wild Card format (since 2014):
Goals
8 – Jake Guentzel (2022 R1 vs. NYR)
7 – Nathan MacKinnon (2025 R1 vs. DAL)
– Zach Hyman (2024 R1 vs. LAK)
– Valeri Nichushkin (2024 R1 vs. WPG)
– Mikko Rantanen (2023 R1 vs. SEA)
– Leon Draisaitl (2023 R1 vs. LAK)
– Evander Kane (2022 R1 vs. LAK)
– Kiril Kaprizov (2022 R1 vs. STL)
Assists
11 – Connor McDavid (2024 R1 vs. LAK)
10 – Connor McDavid (2022 R1 vs. LAK)
9 – Connor McDavid (2025 R1 vs. LAK)
– Mitch Marner (2023 R1 vs. TBL)
– Jaccob Slavin (2019 R1 vs. WSH)
– Erik Karlsson (2019 R1 vs. VGK)
– Evgeni Malkin (2017 R1 vs. CBJ)
Points
14 – Connor McDavid (2022 R1 vs. LAK)
13 – David Pastrnak (2018 R1 vs. TOR)
– Sidney Crosby (2018 R1 vs. PHI)
– Jake Guentzel (2018 R1 vs. PHI)
Points by Rookies
10 – Nathan MacKinnon (2014 R1 vs. MIN)
7 – Denis Gurianov (2020 R1 vs. CGY)
– Jake DeBrusk (2018 R1 vs. TOR)
– Artemi Panarin (2016 R1 vs. STL)
Shutouts
Ten different goaltenders have posted multiple shutouts in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2014 (last: Akira Schmid, 2 SO in 2023 R1 vs. NYR).
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates, Stanley Cup Playoffs edition
* Crosby, Malkin, Letang hope to make most of latest playoff appearance
* Porter Martone has fans on both sides of 1st-Round series between Flyers, Penguins
* Stanley Cup Playoffs ‘where you want to be,’ Nathan MacKinnon says
* NHL EDGE stats: X-factors for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
NHL PODCAST WEEKLY ROUNDUP
* NHL Fantasy on Ice (April 17): 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs preview
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 16): How Ottawa Got Here
* NHL Draft Class (April 16): Dan Marr, Director of NHL Central Scouting; Final Rankings
* NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers (April 16): Nick Kypreos Has Some Thoughts: Playoff Preview
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 15): Playoff Picture Set
* NHL @TheRink (April 15): Cory Schneider & Tony Granato join; Playoffs Preview & Predictions
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 13): Utah is Here and Ready for Stanley Cup Playoffs
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 10): A Career to Remember – HNIC’s Scott Oake
