We’ve got the printable 2026 NHL Playoff bracket in PDF up so that you can use free of charge. The bracket is clean till the playoff seeds are set on the conclusion of normal season play. The 2026 NHL Playoffs begin on or round April seventeenth, 2026 and run by means of mid-late June. As soon as we get nearer to the playoffs, the NHL will verify the precise begin date for us in addition to the bookends for the Stanley Cup Finals.
How Many NHL Groups Earn a Berth within the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff?
So, the NHL is sorta arrange just like the NBA Playoff Bracket with 16 groups incomes postseason berths. There isn’t any play-in sport within the NHL playoff schedule. We additionally seed the groups based mostly on factors and never straight up W-L percentages, and so forth. The three divisional winners in every convention and high two groups in every division earn playoff spots. Then, the highest 2 remaining groups impartial of division win the final two spots. Within the bracket, the highest 2 seeds tackle the Wild Card groups too, so its setup is a tad totally different there as effectively. Does all of it make sense?
What’s the Format of the NHL Playoff Sequence?
Each sequence within the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a better of seven machup. The groups will rotate between places based mostly on the rotation in use. We are able to count on it to be related if not the identical as previous postseasons with a HHAAHAH rotation. On this setup, H stands for the house staff of the higher staff (or seed nearer to the #1). The primary staff to win 4 video games wins the sequence and strikes on to the following spherical of play.
NHL Seed Willpower for the Postseason
So, for the NHL Playoffs, one of the best staff in every convention is the general #1 seed. They play the decrease ranked wild card staff within the first spherical of the playoffs (WC2 on the bracket). The #2 ranked staff performs the higher wild card staff (WC 1 on the bracket). Performed the identical in every convention. Then you definitely see the remaining groups paired up by seed. We don’t reseed within the NHL playoffs anymore (has been just a few years).
Printable 2026 NHL Playoff Bracket
We’ve got a clean, printable 2026 NHL Playoff bracket posted up for you. It’s in picture format above and you’ll print it out to PDF format too. After we get the ultimate bracket seeds and matchups set from the NHL common season, we’ll come again and replace you. As soon as we see the 2025-26 common season schedules printed, we’ll additionally replace you with an preliminary NHL Playoff Image. You’ll be able to have a look at the listing of all the Stanley Cup winners whilst you look forward to the playoffs to get right here too.
