The Stanley Cup playoffs are well underway. But if it feels like good teams are being eliminated too early, it's because they are.

The 2026 NHL playoffs mean true overtime hockey is back. Three-on-three play and shootouts are out and there could be some very long games.

The NHL playoffs have the best game action in all of sports. No trophy is more illustrious than the Stanley Cup. And yet, the playoffs have a clear formatting problem. It is not a new idea to call out ...

ST. PAUL, Minn.(AP) — The current concentration of power in the Western Conference makes the Central Division a good bet to be the star of the show in these Stanley Cup playoffs. Don't wait for the ...

NHL playoff overtime, 2026, 5 on 5 sudden death, no shootouts. Long stretches of high-pressure hockey. And it’s already shown itself to be pretty intense. The game has already seen a couple of matches ...

The Wild are the latest victim of the NHL’s odd playoff format.

Over a decade ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman came up with an idea he thought was brilliant. He wanted to create more ...

Master the road to the Stanley Cup with our comprehensive 2026 NHL playoff guide. Learn the bracket format, explain the wild card race, and see which Canadian teams are in the hunt.

More than a decade into the return of a division-focused playoff format, the arguments persist about whether it is the best thing the NHL can do to determine a Stanley Cup champion. For three years in ...

At that point, going three years without full postseason play had meant that a significant portion of prospects had never experienced the Calder Cup Playoffs at all. When the AHL cancelled the ...

Kevin Bieksa had plenty to say about the Carolina Hurricanes after the team opened the Stanley Cup Playoffs with eight straight wins.

With nearly two full rounds in the books, here are the top takeaways that will influence the rest of the playoffs.