The NHL regular season ended Sunday, and the seeding for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs is now finalized, with the first round beginning on Wednesday.
Stanley Cup NHL playoffs 2018: First round matchups set
Postseason starts Wednesday, April 11
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The Nashville Predators secured the Presidents Trophy with the best record in the league (53-18-11), finishing with 117 points. Winners of the Central Division, the Preds in the first round will take on the Colorado Avalanche, winners of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Colorado clinched their playoff berth on Saturday night with a win over the St. Louis Blues, who just missed the postseason.
The big surprise out West, and in the entire league for that matter, are the Vegas Golden Knights who won the Pacific Division in their very first year. Vegas is the first NHL expansion team to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season.
In the Eastern Conference the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Atlantic Division with 113 points to earn the top seed in the conference. The Lightning will host the wild card New Jersey Devils in the first round.
There was only one game on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. The Boston Bruins had a chance to clinch the top seed in the East with a home win against the already-eliminated Florida Panthers, but instead suffered a 4-2 loss, making the Bruins the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division and will open their defense against the in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers. Should Pittsburgh advance a potential second-round matchup looms with the division-winning Washington Captials, whom Pittsburgh has knocked out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
All series in the Stanley Cup playoffs are best-of-7 with a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
Stanley Cup Playoffs first round matchups
Eastern Conference
Metropolitan Division
Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (WC1)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Apr 12 | Blue Jackets at Capitals | 7:30 p.m. | USA, SN360, TVA |
| 2 | Sun, Apr 15 | Blue Jackets at Capitals | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN, SN360, TVA |
| 3 | Tue, Apr 17 | Capitals at Blue Jackets | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN, SN360, TVA |
| 4 | Thu, Apr 19 | Capitals at Blue Jackets | 7:30 p.m. | USA, SN, TVA |
| 5* | Sat, Apr 21 | Blue Jackets at Capitals | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Mon, Apr 23 | Capitals at Blue Jackets | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Wed, Apr 25 | Blue Jackets at Capitals | TBD | TBD |
Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (M3)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, Apr 11 | Flyers at Penguins | 7 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 2 | Fri, Apr 13 | Flyers at Penguins | 7 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 3 | Sun, Apr 15 | Penguins at Flyers | 3 p.m. | NBC, CBC, TVA |
| 4 | Wed, Apr 18 | Penguins at Flyers | 7 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 5* | Fri, Apr 20 | Flyers at Penguins | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Sun, Apr 22 | Penguins at Flyers | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Tue, Apr 24 | Flyers at Penguins | TBD | TBD |
Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay Lightning (A1) vs. New Jersey Devils (WC2)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Apr 12 | Devils at Lightning | 7 p.m. | NHLN, SN, TVA |
| 2 | Sat, Apr 14 | Devils at Lightning | 3 p.m. | NBC, CNBC, SN360, TVA |
| 3 | Mon, Apr 16 | Lightning at Devils | 7:30 p.m. | CNBC, SN, TVA |
| 4 | Wed, Apr 18 | Lightning at Devils | 7:30 p.m. | Golf, SN, TVA |
| 5* | Sat, Apr 21 | Devils at Lightning | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Mon, Apr 23 | Lightning at Devils | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Wed, Apr 25 | Devils at Lightning | TBD | TBD |
Boston Bruins (A2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (A3)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Apr 12 | Maple Leafs at Bruins | 7 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 2 | Sat, Apr 14 | Maple Leafs at Bruins | 8 p.m. | NBC, CBC, TVA |
| 3 | Mon, Apr 16 | Bruins at Maple Leafs | 7 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 4 | Thu, Apr 19 | Bruins at Maple Leafs | 7 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 5* | Sat, Apr 21 | Maple Leafs at Bruins | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Mon, Apr 23 | Bruins at Maple Leafs | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Wed, Apr 25 | Maple Leafs at Bruins | TBD | TBD |
Western Conference
Central Division
Nashville Predators (C1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (WC2)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Apr 12 | Avalanche at Predators | 9:30 p.m. | NBCSN, SN, TVA |
| 2 | Sat, Apr 14 | Avalanche at Predators | 3 p.m. | NBC, CNBC, SN, TVA |
| 3 | Mon, Apr 16 | Predators at Avalanche | 10 p.m. | NBCSN, SN, TVA |
| 4 | Wed, Apr 18 | Predators at Avalanche | 10 p.m. | NBCSN, SN, TVA |
| 5* | Fri, Apr 20 | Avalanche at Predators | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Sun, Apr 22 | Predators at Avalanche | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Tue, Apr 24 | Avalanche at Predators | TBD | TBD |
Winnipeg Jets (C2) vs. Minnesota Wild (C3)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, Apr 11 | Wild at Jets | 7 p.m. | CNBC, SN, TVA |
| 2 | Fri, Apr 13 | Wild at Jets | 7:30 p.m. | USA, SN, TVA |
| 3 | Sun, Apr 15 | Jets at Wild | 7 p.m. | USA, SN, TVA |
| 4 | Tue, Apr 17 | Jets at Wild | 8 p.m. | CNBC, SN, TVA |
| 5* | Fri, Apr 20 | Wild at Jets | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Sun, Apr 22 | Jets at Wild | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Wed, Apr 25 | Wild at Jets | TBD | TBD |
Pacific Division
Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (WC1)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, Apr 11 | Kings at Golden Knights | 10 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 2 | Fri, Apr 13 | Kings at Golden Knights | 10 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 3 | Sun, Apr 15 | Golden Knights at Kings | 10:30 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 4 | Tue, Apr 17 | Golden Knights at Kings | 10:30 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 5* | Thu, Apr 19 | Kings at Golden Knights | 10 p.m. | NBCSN, CBC, TVA |
| 6* | Sat, Apr 21 | Golden Knights at Kings | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Mon, Apr 23 | Kings at Golden Knights | TBD | TBD |
Anaheim Ducks (P2) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3)
Game | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Apr 12 | Sharks at Ducks | 10:30 p.m. | USA, SN360, TVA |
| 2 | Sat, Apr 14 | Sharks at Ducks | 10:30 p.m. | NBCSN, SN360, TVA |
| 3 | Mon, Apr 16 | Ducks at Sharks | 10:30 p.m. | CNBC, SN1, TVA |
| 4 | Wed, Apr 18 | Ducks at Sharks | 10:30 p.m. | Golf, SN1, TVA |
| 5* | Fri, Apr 20 | Sharks at Ducks | TBD | TBD |
| 6* | Sun, Apr 22 | Ducks at Sharks | TBD | TBD |
| 7* | Tue, Apr 24 | Sharks at Ducks | TBD | TBD |
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