Stanley Cup Playoffs 2022: Schedule and TV times for first round in NHL postseason
The Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche are the betting favorites as the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
The 2022 NHL playoffs are set to begin with the Tampa Bay Lightning looking to three-peat. The Lightning draw the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one after finishing the regular season tied for the fifth-most points in the Eastern Conference. The NHL hasn’t seen a franchise win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four titles in a row in the early ‘80s.
Four teams have better odds than Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup entering the playoffs, according to DraftKings. The Colorado Avalanche are the betting favorites after finishing the regular season with 119 points, the most in the Western Conference. The Florida Panthers are the favorites in the East after finishing with a league-best 122 points. The Panthers are led by a dynamic offense featuring Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart.
We’ll lay out the format and schedule for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs below.
2022 NHL Playoffs format
The Stanley Cup playoffs feature a best-of-7 series in each round with a 2–2–1–1–1 format. Here’s how the playoffs work, via NHL.com:
The top three teams in each division will make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season record and regardless of division.
In the First Round, the division winner with the best record in each conference will be matched against the wild card with the lesser record; the wild card with the better record will play the other division winner.
The teams finishing second and third in each division will meet in the First Round within the bracket headed by their respective division winner. First-round winners within each bracket play one another in the Second Round to determine the four participants in the Conference Finals.
Home-ice advantage through the first two rounds goes to the team that placed higher in the regular-season standings. In the Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final, home-ice advantage goes to the team that had the better regular-season record, regardless of the teams’ final standing in their respective divisions.
2022 NHL Playoffs schedule
Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes playoff schedule
Game 1: Monday, May 2 Boston at Carolina, 7:00 p.m., ESPN, SN360, TVA Sports
Game 2: Wednesday, May 4 Boston at Carolina, 7:00 p.m., ESPN, SN360, TVA Sports
Game 3: Friday, May 6 Carolina at Boston, 7:00 p.m., TNT, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Game 4: Sunday, May 8 Carolina at Boston, 12:30 p.m., ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Game 5: * Tuesday, May 10, Boston at Carolina TBD
Game 6: * Thursday, May 12, Carolina at Boston TBD
Game 7: * Saturday, May 14, Boston at Carolina TBD
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs playoffs schedule
Game 1: Monday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto, ESPN2, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
Game 2: Wednesday, May 4, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto ESPN2, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Game 3: Friday, May 6, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay TBS, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
Game 4: Sunday, May 8, 7 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay TBS, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
* Game 5: Tuesday, May 10 TBD Tampa Bay at Toronto TBD
* Game 6: Thursday, May 12 TBD Toronto at Tampa Bay TBD
* Game 7: Saturday, May 14 TBD Tampa Bay at Toronto TBD
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers playoffs schedule (all times ET)
Game 1: Tuesday, May 3: Pittsburgh vs. New York, 7:00 p.m., ESPN, SN360, TVA Sports
Game 2: Thursday, May 5: Pittsburgh vs. New York, 7:00 p.m., TNT, SN360, TVA Sports
Game 3: Saturday, May 7: New York vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., TNT, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Game 4: Monday, May 9: New York vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., ESPN, SN1, TVA Sports
* Game 5: Wednesday, May 11: Pittsburgh vs. New York TBD
* Game 6: Friday, May 13: New York vs. Pittsburgh TBD
* Game 7: Sunday, May 15: Pittsburgh vs. New York TBD
Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers playoffs schedule
Tuesday, May 3: Washington at Florida, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2, SN360, TVA Sports
Thursday, May 5: Washington at Florida, 7:30 p.m., TBS, SN360, TVA Sports
Saturday, May 7: Florida at Washington, 1 p.m., ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Monday, May 9: Florida at Washington, 7 p.m., TBS, SN1, TVA Sports
* Wednesday, May 11: Washington at Florida TBD
* Friday, May 13: Florida at Washington TBD
* Sunday, May 15: Washington at Florida TBD
St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild playoffs schedule (all times ET)
Game 1: Monday, May 2, 9:30 p.m. St. Louis vs. Minnesota, ESPN, SN360, TVA
Game 2: Wednesday, May 4, 9:30 p.m. St. Louis vs. Minnesota ESPN, SN360, TVA
Game 3: Friday, May 6, 9:30 p.m. Minnesota vs. St. Louis TNT, SN360, TVA
Game 4: Sunday, May 8, 4:30 p.m. Minnesota vs. St. Louis TBS, SN360, TVA
* Game 5: Tuesday, May 10 TBD St. Louis vs. Minnesota TBD
* Game 6: Thursday, May 12 TBD Minnesota vs. St. Louis TBD
* Game 7: Saturday, May 14 TBD St. Louis vs. Minnesota TBD
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers playoffs schedule
Game 1: Monday, May 2, 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles at Edmonton, ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVA
Game 2: Wednesday, May 4, 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles at Edmonton ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVA Game 3: Friday, May 6, 10:00 p.m. Edmonton at Los Angeles TBS, SN, CBC, TVA
Game 4: Sunday, May 8, 10:00 p.m. Edmonton at Los Angeles TBS, SN, CBC, TVA
* Game 5: Tuesday, May 10 TBD Los Angeles at Edmonton TBD
* Game 6: Thursday, May 12 TBD Edmonton at Los Angeles TBD
* Game 7: Saturday, May 14 TBD Los Angeles at Edmonton TBD
Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche playoffs schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, May 3: Nashville vs. Colorado, 9:30 p.m., ESPN, SNE, SN360, TVA
Game 2: Thursday, May 5: Nashville vs. Colorado, 9:30 p.m., TNT, SNE, SN360, TVA
Game 3: Saturday, May 7: Colorado vs. Nashville, 4:30 p.m., TNT, Sportsnet, TVA
Game 4: Monday, May 9: Colorado vs. Nashville, 9:30 p.m., ESPN, SN1, TVA
* Game 5: Wednesday, May 11: Nashville vs. Colorado TBD
* Game 6: Friday, May 13: Colorado vs. Nashville TBD
* Game 7: Sunday, May 15: Nashville vs. Colorado TBD
Dallas Stars vs. Calgary Flames playoffs schedule (all times ET)
Game 1: Tuesday, May 3: Dallas vs. Calgary, 10:00 p.m., ESPN2, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
Game 2: Thursday, May 5: Dallas vs. Calgary, 10:00 p.m., TBS, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
Game 3: Saturday, May 7: Calgary vs. Dallas, 9:30 p.m., TNT, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
Game 4: Monday, May 9: Calgary vs. Dallas, 9:30 p.m., TBS, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA
* Game 5: Wednesday, May 11: Dallas vs. Calgary TBD
* Game 6: Friday, May 13: Calgary vs. Dallas TBD
* Game 7: Sunday, May 15: Dallas vs. Calgary TBD