Get ready sports fans, the puck is ready to drop on the most intense playoffs in all of sports. The 2024 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 20 when the NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs begin.
The East’s opening round will feature two rivalry series —the Boston Bruins versus Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers versus Washington Capitals, respectively— plus a battle between a handful of hockey hungry markets in Long Island, Raleigh, and Tampa Bay. (Sorry, Miami!)
Here’s the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs schedule for the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs Seeds
Atlantic Division
- Florida Panthers | Atlantic Division Champions | 110 points
- Boston Bruins | 109 points
- Toronto Maple Leafs | 102 points
Metropolitan Division
- New York Rangers | Metropolitan Division Champions & Presidents’ Trophy Winner | 114 points
- Carolina Hurricanes | 111 points
- New York Islanders | 94 points
Eastern Conference Wild Cards
- Tampa Bay Lightning | 98 points
- Washington Capitals | 91 points
NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round Schedule
A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lighting
| Date | Time | Away | Home |
| 4-21-24 | 12:30 PM | TB | FLA |
| 4-23-24 | 7:30 PM | TB | FLA |
| 4-25-24 | 7:00 PM | FLA | TB |
| 4-27-24 | 5:00 PM | FLA | TB |
| 4-29-24* | TBD | TB | FLA |
| 5-1-24* | TBD | FLA | TB |
| 5-4-24* | TBD | TB | FLA |
Round 1 TV Clearances
- Game 1: ESPN, SN
- Game 2: ESPN2, SN3
- Game 3: TBS, MAX, SN
- Game 4: TBS, TruTV, MAX, SN
- Game 5-7: To Be Determined
A2 Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
| Date | Time | Away | Home |
| 4-20-24 | 8:00 PM | TOR | BOS |
| 4-22-24 | 7:00 PM | TOR | BOS |
| 4-24-24 | 7:00 PM | BOS | TOR |
| 4-27-24 | 8:00 PM | BOS | TOR |
| 4-30-24* | TBD | TOR | BOS |
| 5-2-24* | TBD | BOS | TOR |
| 5-4-24* | TBD | TOR | BOS |
Round 1 TV Clearances
- Game 1: TBS, TruTV, MAX, SN
- Game 2: ESPN, SN, CBC
- Game 3: ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC
- Game 4: TBS, TruTV, MAX, SN, TVAS, CBC
- Game 5-7: To Be Determined
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
| Date | Time | Away | Home |
| 4-21-24 | 3:00 PM | WSH | NYR |
| 4-23-24 | 7:00 PM | WSH | NYR |
| 4-26-24 | 7:00 PM | NYR | WSH |
| 4-28-24 | 8:00 PM | NYR | WSH |
| 5-1-24* | TBD | WSH | NYR |
| 5-3-24* | TBD | NYR | WSH |
| 5-5-24* | TBD | WSH | NYR |
Round 1 TV Clearances
- Game 1: ESPN, SN, TVAS
- Game 2: ESPN, TVAS
- Game 3: TNT, TruTV, MAX, SN
- Game 4: TBS, TruTV, MAX, SN
- Game 5-7: To Be Determined
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New York Islanders
| Date | Time | Away | Home |
| 4-20-24 | 5:00 PM | NYI | CAR |
| 4-22-24 | 7:30 PM | NYI | CAR |
| 4-25-24 | 7:30 PM | CAR | NYI |
| 4-27-24 | 2:00 PM | CAR | NYI |
| 4-30-24* | TBD | NYI | CAR |
| 5-2-24* | TBD | CAR | NYI |
| 5-4-24* | TBD | NYI | CAR |
Round 1 TV Clearances:
- Game 1: TBS, TruTV, MAX, SN
- Game 2: ESPN2, TVAS, SN
- Game 3: ESPN2, TVAS, SN
- Game 4: TBS, TruTV, MAX, SN
- Game 5-7: To Be Determined
KEY: *IF NECSSARY
NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round Stories to Watch
- Can the Florida Panthers win the “Battle of Florida?”
- The New York Rangers enter the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as one of the odds-on favorites to win the Cup. The last time the Rangers won was 30-years ago.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens.
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