NHL releases TV schedule for second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

TL;DR

The NHL has announced the TV schedule and start times for the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The second round features matchups including the winner of the Canadiens vs. Lightning series facing the Sabres.

Key points

NHL released TV schedule for second round of playoffs
Second round starts with Hurricanes vs. Flyers
Winner of Canadiens vs. Lightning faces Sabres

Montreal CanadiensTampa Bay LightningBuffalo SabresCarolina Hurricanes

The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs logo. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images; via Reuters Connect

Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images; via Reuters Connect

The NHL revealed the start times and television networks for second-round games in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday night.

One Eastern Conference series matchup will be determined on Sunday when the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning play Game 7 of their first-round series. The winner of that series will face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.

In other Eastern Conference action, the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers began the NHL’s second-round action on Saturday night, right when the league released the full second-round schedule.

As for the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche will take on the Minnesota Wild, and the Vegas Golden Knights will face off vs. the Anaheim Ducks.

The games will be shown on ESPN and ABC, as well as TNT Sports (TNT and truTV, while also being available on nHBO Max).

Here’s a look at the TV schedule (all times are Eastern; an asterisk* indicates “if necessary” for the best-of-seven series; you can see more schedule details, including Canadian TV information, ):