2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Gary Bettman thinks the Stanley Cup Playoff format is great.  He may be the only one.  Yet, every time he's asked about it, he doubles down.  I don't know if it's stubbornness or to troll everyone or a combination, but Bettman continues to support the format.  Even though seemingly nobody agrees with him.  And even though the current format has, once again, exposed its glaring flaws for all to see.

Because of the playoff format, either the second- or third-best team in the West will be eliminated by the other in the first round.  Then the winner of that series gets to face the No. 1 seed, guaranteeing that only one of the top three teams can possibly make the Conference Final.  In the East, the third- and fourth-best teams face each other for the chance to play the second-best team.  Meanwhile, the Penguins, who had the seventh-highest point total in the East will have home ice in the first round against Philadelphia, the eighth-best team in the East.  Ditto about 93-point Edmonton having home ice while 104-point Minnesota starts the playoffs on the road.  But, sure Gary!  The format's perfect!

If the playoffs were seeded a straight 1-8 with the division winners as the top two seeds like they should be, the first-round matchups would look completely different.  And be a lot more fair to the better teams while, at the same time, not rewarding lesser teams for simply playing in weaker divisions. 

Instead of what we have, it would be: (1) Carolina vs. (8) Philadelphia, (2) Buffalo vs. (7) Pittsburgh, (3) Tampa Bay vs. (6) Ottawa & (4) Montreal vs. (5) Boston in the East and (1) Colorado vs. (8) Los Angeles, (2) Vegas vs. (7) Anaheim, (3) Dallas vs. (6) Utah & (4) Minnesota vs. (5) Edmonton in the West.  Only one of the eight matchups would be the same.  Avalanche-Kings.  And just as Pittsburgh wouldn't be rewarded for finishing second in a weaker division, Dallas wouldn't be penalized for finishing second in a strong one.

But, we're stuck with Gary's format this year.  And it's already a weird one.  The annual Oilers-Kings first round series isn't happening.  Neither is the annual Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final.  Although, the Price of Wales Trophy has retired to the State of Florida, so I guess that bodes well for the Lightning's chances.  They also have Corey Perry again, so that's a guaranteed ticket to losing the Final for Tampa Bay.

Sabres vs. Bruins: Buffalo is back in the playoffs!  And the Sabres didn't just barely get in as the second wild card.  They won the freakin' division!  They're a legitimate contender.  Do I see them winning 16 games?  No.  But they don't need to make a deep playoff run for this season to be seen as a tremendous success.  Unfortunately, because of the format, they get Boston in the first-round.  A tough matchup that could easily go either way.  Boston in seven.

Lightning vs. Canadiens: On paper, this is the most competitive of the eight first-round series.  They finished level on points at 106, with the Lightning getting home ice because they had more wins (in all three columns).  This is also the first playoff meeting between these teams since the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, which was only even possible that season because...COVID.  In 2021, the Lightning were a much better team and played like it.  This year, they're much more even, but the result should be the same.  Tampa Bay in six.

Hurricanes vs. Senators: Will this be the year when Carolina finally breaks through and wins a game or two (or four?) in the Conference Final?  The Hurricanes were clearly the best team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but that doesn't mean anything come playoff time.  Although, they're the biggest beneficiaries of the flawed playoff system this year.  They have a straightforward path to another Conference Final loss, starting with an Ottawa team they should have no problems against.  Carolina in four.

Penguins vs. Flyers: This is the first time since the Devils moved to New Jersey that all three New York City-area teams missed the playoffs.  Both Pennsylvania teams made it, though.  And they'll face each other in the postseason for the first time since 2018.  They're two of the weakest teams among the 16 remaining.  Yet one of them will make the second round.  I'll say Pittsburgh just to see if Crosby has one last playoff run in him.  Pittsburgh in six.

Avalanche vs. Kings: As we see seemingly every year, winning the President's Trophy doesn't guarantee you anything.  Since Chicago won both the President's Trophy and Stanley Cup in 2013, only the Rangers (twice) have even made the Conference Final in a year they won the President's Trophy.  So, the Avalanche know nothing is guaranteed...even if they're a much better team than the Kings.  Round one shouldn't be a problem.  But they could easily keep that streak going in the second round.  Colorado in five.

Stars vs. Wild: We've known this would be a first-round matchup for a while.  It was really a matter of which team would end up with home ice.  As I already mentioned, they were both screwed by the format.  But Minnesota was screwed more.  The Wild had the seventh-most points in the entire NHL, yet they won't have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.  And Dallas having the extra home game could be what makes a difference in the series.  Dallas in seven.

Golden Knights vs. Mammoth: Another major issue with the NHL is the loser point.  The Knights won the division despite winning fewer than half their games this season.  Why?  Because they collected 17 loser points!  (They aren't even the worst culprits...the Kings essentially made the playoffs because they got the loser point in a quarter of their games despite having only one more win than the Rangers!  But I digress!)  To put it in perspective, their opponent, Utah, had four more wins and three fewer points than Vegas.  It's great to see the Mammoth make their debut playoff appearance after finally getting a name.  But it may be a short stay.  Because this is typically the time of year when Vegas plays its best hockey.  Vegas in five.

Oilers vs. Ducks: Will the Oilers stay in the same hotel in LA that they already had booked for their annual Kings series, or will they stay in one closer to Anaheim?  Anyway, their pursuit of a third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance once again takes them thru Southern California, where the Ducks return to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.  Anaheim's players have plenty of playoff experience, though, seeing as half of them played on the Rangers' President's Trophy-winning team two years ago!  That still doesn't match Edmonton's playoff experience, though.  This will be the start of another deep postseason run for the Oilers.  Edmonton in six.

Even with all the new teams in the field, I wouldn't be surprised if we see some familiar faces as we get to the later rounds.  Carolina always loses the Eastern Conference Final.  The Prince of Wales Trophy always goes to a team from Florida.  Edmonton always beats Dallas in the Western Conference Final.  Will that be the case again this year?  Or will we see something different?  All we know is that it'll take the next two months to decide.