Paul Stastny nets the game-winner in overtime to move the Hurricanes on to Round 2. (1:33)
The 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs are here, as 16 teams compete for the most magnificent trophy in sports.
The record-setting Boston Bruins were the No. 1 overall seed, but they were ousted in Round 1 by the Florida Panthers. Out West, the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche hoped to continue their reign atop the league, but they were upset by the Seattle Kraken in the latter club’s first trip to the postseason.
And now, we’re down to the final four: the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers in the East, while the Dallas Stars take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the West.
What will happen next? Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.
More: Playoff schedule
Conference final preview
Conn Smythe Watch
Top 50 players in the playoffs
Wyshynski’s bracket
Experts picks
Conference final round
Jump to:
East: CAR-FLA
West: VGK-DAL
Eastern Conference
play 1:45 Deja Vu! Panthers win on Matthew Tkachuk’s OT goal again Matthew Tkachuk scores his second overtime winner in a span of two games as the Panthers take a 2-0 series lead vs. the Hurricanes.
Earlier results:
Hurricanes: Defeated Islanders in six, Devils in five
Panthers: Defeated Bruins in seven, Maple Leafs in five
Leading scorers:
Schedule:
Game 1 (at CAR): Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2 (4OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at CAR): Panthers 2, Hurricanes 1 (OT) | Recap
Game 3 (at FLA): Mon., May 22: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 4 (at FLA): Wed., May 24: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 5 (at CAR): Fri., May 26: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 6 (at FLA): Sun., May 28: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 7 (at CAR): Tue., May 30: 8 ET (TNT)
Western Conference
play 0:58 Chandler Stephenson’s OT winner gives Golden Knights 2-0 series lead Chandler Stephenson nets the winning goal in overtime as the Golden Knights take a 2-0 series lead vs. the Stars.
Earlier results:
Golden Knights: Defeated Jets in five, Oilers in six
Stars: Defeated Wild in six, Kraken in seven
Leading scorers:
Golden Knights: C Jack Eichel (6 G, 8 A, 14 P) | RW Mark Stone (5 G, 7 A, 12 P)
Stars: C Roope Hintz (9 G, 10 A, 19 P) | LW Jason Robertson (2 G, 10 A, 12 P)
Schedule:
Game 1 (at VGK): Golden Knights 4, Stars 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at VGK): Golden Knights 3, Stars 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at DAL): Tue., May 23: 8 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Game 4 (at DAL): Thu., May 25: 8 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Game 5 (at VGK): Sat., May 27: 8 ET (ABC/ESPN+)
Game 6 (at DAL): Mon., May 29: 8 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Game 7 (at VGK): Wed., May 31: 9 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Second round
Jump to:
Atlantic: TOR-FLA
Metro: CAR-NJ
Central: DAL-SEA
Pacific: VGK-EDM
Atlantic Division
First-round results:
Maple Leafs: Defeated Lightning in six
Panthers: Defeated Bruins in seven
Leading scorers:
Maple Leafs: RW Mitch Marner (3 G, 11 A, 14 P)
Panthers: LW Matthew Tkachuk (5 G, 11 A, 16 P)
Results:
Game 1 (at TOR): Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at TOR): Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at FLA): Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at FLA): Maple Leafs 2, Panthers 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at TOR): Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Maple Leafs
Consensus pick: Maple Leafs
Metro Division
play 0:40 Canes advance to East finals with OT winner The Hurricanes eliminate the Devils with an OT winner by Jesper Fast in Game 5.
First-round results:
Hurricanes: Defeated Islanders in six
Devils: Defeated Rangers in seven
Leading scorers:
Hurricanes: C Sebastian Aho (5 G, 5 A, 10 P)
Devils: C Jack Hughes (5 G, 5 A, 10 P)
Results:
Game 1 (at CAR): Hurricanes 5, Devils 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at CAR): Hurricanes 6, Devils 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at NJ): Devils 8, Hurricanes 4 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at NJ): Hurricanes 6, Devils 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at CAR): Hurricanes 3, Devils 2 | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Devils
Consensus pick: Devils
Central Division
First-round results:
Stars: Defeated Wild in six
Kraken: Defeated Avalanche in seven
Leading scorers:
Stars: C Roope Hintz (7 G, 9 A, 16 P)
Kraken: C Yanni Gourde (2 G, 7 A, 9 P)
Results:
Game 1 (at DAL): Kraken 5, Stars 4 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at DAL): Stars 4, Kraken 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at SEA): Kraken 7, Stars 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at SEA): Stars 6, Kraken 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at DAL): Stars 5, Kraken 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at SEA): Kraken 6, Stars 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 7 (at DAL): Stars 2, Kraken 1 | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Kraken
Consensus pick: Stars
Pacific Division
play 1:47 Marchessault’s natural hat trick sends Vegas to Western Conference final Jonathan Marchessault scores three consecutive goals for the natural hat trick as the Golden Knights advance to the Western Conference finals.
First-round results:
Golden Knights: Defeated Jets in five
Oilers: Defeated Kings in six
Leading scorers:
Golden Knights: RW Mark Stone (4 G, 7 A, 11 P)
Oilers: C Leon Draisaitl (13 G, 5 A, 18 P)
Results:
Game 1 (at VGK): Golden Knights 6, Oilers 4 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at VGK): Oilers 5, Golden Knights 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at EDM): Golden Knights 5, Oilers 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at EDM): Oilers 4, Golden Knights 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at VGK): Golden Knights 4, Oilers 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at EDM): Golden Knights 5, Oilers 2 | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Oilers
Consensus pick: Oilers
First round
Jump to:
Atlantic: BOS-FLA | TOR-TB
Metro: CAR-NYI | NJ-NYR
Central: COL-SEA | DAL-MIN
Pacific: VGK-WPG | EDM-LA
Atlantic Division
Regular-season records:
Bruins: 65-12-5, 135 points
Panthers: 42-32-8, 92 points
Leading scorers:
Bruins: RW David Pastrnak, 111 points (60 G, 51 A)
Panthers: LW Matthew Tkachuk, 109 points (40 G, 69 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at BOS): Bruins 3, Panthers 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at BOS): Panthers 6, Bruins 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at FLA): Bruins 4, Panthers 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at FLA): Bruins 6, Panthers 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at BOS): Panthers 4, Bruins 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at FLA): Panthers 7, Bruins 5 | Recap | Replay
Game 7 (at BOS): Panthers 4, Bruins 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Bruins
Consensus pick: Bruins (28 of 29 picks)
play 2:26 Maple Leafs advance for 1st time in 19 years off Tavares’ OT winner John Tavares scores in overtime as the Maple Leafs advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Regular-season records:
Maple Leafs: 50-21-11, 111 points
Lightning: 46-30-6, 98 points
Leading scorers:
Maple Leafs: RW Mitchell Marner, 99 points (30 G, 69 A)
Team: RW Nikita Kucherov, 113 points (30 G, 83 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at TOR): Lightning 7, Maple Leafs 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at TOR): Maple Leafs 7, Lightning 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at TB): Maple Leafs 4, Lightning 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at TB): Maple Leafs 5, Lightning 4 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at TOR): Lightning 4, Maple Leafs 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at TB): Maple Leafs 2, Lightning 1 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Lightning
Consensus pick: Maple Leafs (22 of 29 picks)
Metro Division
play 1:33 Canes eliminate Islanders with OT winner Paul Stastny nets the game-winner in overtime to move the Hurricanes on to Round 2.
Regular-season records:
Hurricanes: 52-21-9, 113 points
Islanders: 42-31-9, 93 points
Leading scorers:
Hurricanes: C Martin Necas, 71 points (28 G, 43 A)
Islanders: C Brock Nelson, 75 points (36 G, 39 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at CAR): Hurricanes 2, Islanders 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at CAR): Hurricanes 4, Islanders 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at NYI): Islanders 5, Hurricanes 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at NYI): Hurricanes 5, Islanders 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at CAR): Islanders 3, Hurricanes 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at NYI): Hurricanes 2, Islanders 1 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Islanders
Consensus pick: Tied (14 of 28 picks for each team)
play 0:43 Erik Haula slaps home one-timer to pad the Devils’ lead Erik Haula puts the Devils up 3-0 in the third period of Game 7.
Regular-season records:
Devils: 52-22-8, 112 points
Rangers: 47-22-13, 107 points
Leading scorers:
Devils: C Jack Hughes, 99 points (43 G, 56 A)
Rangers: LW Artemi Panarin, 92 points (29 G, 63 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at NJ): Rangers 5, Devils 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at NJ): Rangers 5, Devils 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at NYR): Devils 2, Rangers 1 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at NYR): Devils 3, Rangers 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at NJ): Devils 4, Rangers 0 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at NYR): Rangers 5, Devils 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 7 (at NJ): Devils 4, Rangers 0 | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Rangers
Consensus pick: Rangers (18 of 29 picks)
Central Division
play 2:05 Kraken knock off defending champion Avs to advance The Kraken become the first expansion franchise to win their first playoff series against a defending champion with a 2-1 win vs. the Avalanche in Game 7.
Regular-season records:
Avalanche: 51-24-7, 109 points
Kraken: 46-28-8, 100 points
Leading scorers:
Avalanche: C Nathan MacKinnon, 111 points (42 G, 69 A)
Kraken: LW Jared McCann, 70 points (40 G, 30 A)
Schedule:
Game 1 (at COL): Kraken 3, Avalanche 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at COL): Avalanche 3, Kraken 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at SEA): Avalanche 6, Kraken 4 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at SEA): Kraken 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at COL): Kraken 3, Avalanche 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at SEA): Avalanche 4, Kraken 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 7 (at COL): Kraken 2, Avalanche 1 | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Avalanche
Consensus pick: Avalanche (27 of 29 picks)
play 1:00 Mason Marchment beats the buzzer to extend Stars lead Mason Marchment scores a goal on the breakaway with 0.5 seconds remaining in the second period as the Stars lead 3-0.
Regular-season records:
Stars: 47-21-14, 108 points
Wild: 46-25-11, 103 points
Leading scorers:
Stars: LW Jason Robertson, 109 points (46 G, 63 A)
Wild: LW Kirill Kaprizov, 75 points (40 G, 35 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at DAL): Wild 3, Stars 2 (2OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at DAL): Stars 7, Wild 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at MIN): Wild 5, Stars 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at MIN): Stars 3, Wild 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at DAL): Stars 4, Wild 0 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at MIN): Stars 4, Wild 1 | Recap | Replay
Keys to the offseason for the Wild
Consensus pick: Stars (22 of 29 picks)
Pacific Division
play 1:38 Golden Knights defeat Jets with ease to advance in Stanley Cup playoffs The Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 and advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Vegas wins series, 4-1
Regular-season records:
Golden Knights: 51-22-9, 111 points
Jets: 46-33-3, 95 points
Leading scorers:
Golden Knights: C Jack Eichel, 65 points (27 G, 38 A)
Jets: LW Kyle Connor, 80 points (31 G, 49 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at VGK): Jets 5, Golden Knights 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at VGK): Golden Knights 5, Jets 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at WPG): Golden Knights 5, Jets 4 (2OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at WPG): Golden Knights 4, Jets 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at VGK): Golden Knights 4, Jets 1 | Recap | Replay
Consensus pick: Golden Knights (25 of 29 picks)
Keys to the offseason for the Jets
play 0:40 Kostin’s 2nd goal puts the Oilers ahead Klim Kostin nets his second goal of the game as the Oilers take a 4-3 lead vs. the Kings.
Regular-season records:
Oilers: 50-23-9, 109 points
Kings: 47-25-10, 104 points
Leading scorers:
Oilers: C Connor McDavid, 152 points (64 G, 88 A)
Kings: C Anze Kopitar, 72 points (27 G, 45 A), LW Kevin Fiala 72 points (23 G, 49 A)
Results:
Game 1 (at EDM): Kings 4, Oilers 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at EDM): Oilers 4, Kings 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at LA): Kings 3, Oilers 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4 (at LA): Oilers 5, Kings 4 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 5 (at EDM): Oilers 6, Kings 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 6 (at LA): Oilers 5, Kings 4 | Recap
Keys to the offseason for the Kings
Consensus pick: Oilers (27 of 29 picks)