After six grueling months of back-to-back games, division rivalries and the Winter Olympics, where National Hockey League (NHL) players participated for the first time in 12 years, the 2025-26 NHL season has been nothing short of spectacular. 

Out of 16 teams participating in the playoffs, six had not qualified for them last year. Specifically, the Buffalo Sabres ended their 15-year playoff drought, securing the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 109 points for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

The NHL playoffs work in four rounds of best-of-seven series, ending in the Stanley Cup, where the winners of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference face off, typically held in mid- to late June.

In the 1999-2000 season, the NHL adopted the point system used today to determine which teams make the playoffs. The system operates in a 2-0-1 format: two points for a win, no points for a regulation loss and one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout.

This has largely been a controversial system, especially this season, as many teams that had more regulation wins did not make the playoffs, while teams with fewer regulation wins did. Regardless, the 16 teams that made the playoffs this year fought long and hard for their spots. The Colorado Avalanche is one example of these. 

The Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy this season, meaning they were the league’s top team and among the top cup contenders according to many sports analysts. Ending the season with 121 points, the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions were hungry for more. They faced off against the Los Angeles Kings, who barely squeezed into the second Western Conference wild card spot in the first round. Colorado knocked the Kings out in a clean four-game sweep, advancing early to the second round.

Another exciting matchup in the West was the Dallas Stars vs. the Minnesota Wild — two powerhouse teams out of the Central Division. Minnesota took the series with a game six win over Dallas, sending them to round two. 

The Wild, who traded for defensive superstar Quinn Hughes mid-season, have been a strong contender. The Stars, also filled with generational talent, have proven themselves year after year in the playoffs, despite losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals the past two seasons.

Next is the Utah Mammoth vs. the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas topped the Pacific Division while the Mammoth claimed the first wild card spot. Two very recent additions to the NHL, the Golden Knights joined the league at the end of the 2017 season and the Mammoth relocated from the Arizona Coyotes at the beginning of the 24-25 season. A fairly split matchup, Vegas won the series in six games to advance. 

The last matchup of the Western Conference is the Edmonton Oilers vs. the Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton, which has lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final the past two years, faces the Ducks, who haven’t made the playoffs since the 2017-18 season. 

In a surprise to many analysts who were expecting a knockout by the Oilers, the Ducks surged forward, taking the series lead 3-1 after four games, leaving Edmonton on the cusp of elimination. With a desperate, gutsy win in game five, Edmonton kept the series alive, and returned to Anaheim for game six. The Ducks finished the series with a 5-2 win, ending the Oilers’ season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres faced off against the Boston Bruins. After being widely predicted to be at the bottom of the standings this season, Buffalo proved everyone wrong with a strong 10-game win streak throughout December and an eight-game win streak in March, pushing them to win the Atlantic Division and finish fourth overall. 

After an interesting first four games, the Sabres led the series 3-1 as they headed back to Buffalo for what would be an exciting game five on home ice. After being tied 1-1 through regulation, Boston surged forward with an overtime (OT) goal from alternate captain David Pastrnak to advance to game six, where they fell short losing the series with a 4-1 loss.

The Montreal Canadiens vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning in another Atlantic Division matchup. Two teams with a ton of hunger have had one one of the most exciting series of the first round. With numerous fights, bench brawls and insane OT wins, the series was tied 2-2 going all the way to game seven, where the Canadiens came out on top. 

After losing the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Final to the Lightning, the Canadiens rebuilt and were out of playoff contention until last season, when they were beaten in five games by the Washington Capitals in the first round. 

Squeezing into the wild card spot only last year, the Canadiens came third in the Atlantic this year and are ready for a massive playoff push. The Lightning, on the other hand, have been a consistent playoff team since the 2017-18 season, winning back-to-back cups in 2020 and 2021, and are looking to add to that tally. 

The Carolina Hurricanes faced the Ottawa Senators in another series that was fun and energetic for fans, with fights breaking out after almost every whistle. The Canes dominated, sweeping Ottawa in four games, becoming the second team to advance to the next round.

Finally, one of the most exciting matchups for students at the university is the battle for Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers have both been held out of the postseason for the past five years. 

Based on regular-season statistics, the Penguins were looking to be the clear winner and advance early, but the Flyers came out of the gate running, winning the first three games of the series. Facing elimination, the Penguins collected themselves and went on to win games four and five, keeping their playoff hopes alive for one more game until the Flyers topped them off, ending the series at six. These two huge rivals in the league have given fans the energy and excitement they’ve been waiting for after so long without a postseason. 

The Stanley Cup final, after three rounds of playoff competition, includes the Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. Beginning the series in Raleigh each team came away with a win, leaving the series 1-1 before heading to Vegas for games three and four. Game three was won by the Golden Knights in double overtime after the Hurricanes made an impressive comeback from a 4-0 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals to force OT where they lost to a goal by Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore. As this series continues both teams will fight for what is most important. 

The NHL playoffs always deliver excitement and flair to the sports scene. Between heated rivalries and underdogs fighting back, there has been no shortage of passion in this year’s games. As the fight for the Stanley Cup continues, teams will be pushed to play the best hockey of their careers, in search of the one thing all young hockey players dream of, lifting the cup.