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No 2027 Stanley Cup or playoff series odds were posted in ESPN’s NHL futures feed on 24 September 2026, so this page lists none yet. The 2026-27 regular season runs from Tuesday, 29 September 2026 to Saturday, 10 April 2027, and ESPN’s season calendar opens the postseason the next day, Sunday, 11 April.
The Carolina Hurricanes are the champions going in, after beating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in the 2026 Final. The first-round matchups for 2027 will not exist until the last regular-season games are played.
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When the 2027 NHL playoffs start
Each of the 32 teams plays 84 regular-season games. That puts 1,344 games between opening night and the first round.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Tue 29 Sep 2026 | Opening night: five games, starting with Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m. ET |
| Sat 10 Apr 2027 | Last day of the regular season |
| Sun 11 Apr 2027 | Postseason window opens on ESPN’s season calendar |
| By 30 Jun 2027 | Postseason window closes on the same calendar |
Series dates are not posted yet. Last season ESPN’s postseason window opened on 18 April 2026, and three first-round series started that same day. The exact first-round schedule comes after the standings settle.
How the 2026 playoffs went
Sixteen teams made the 2026 bracket, and every series was best of seven. Two of the four division winners met in the Final.
| Round | Winner | Loser | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Carolina Hurricanes | Ottawa Senators | 4-0 |
| First round | Philadelphia Flyers | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 |
| First round | Buffalo Sabres | Boston Bruins | 4-2 |
| First round | Montreal Canadiens | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-3 |
| First round | Colorado Avalanche | Los Angeles Kings | 4-0 |
| First round | Minnesota Wild | Dallas Stars | 4-2 |
| First round | Vegas Golden Knights | Utah Mammoth | 4-2 |
| First round | Anaheim Ducks | Edmonton Oilers | 4-2 |
| Second round | Carolina Hurricanes | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-0 |
| Second round | Montreal Canadiens | Buffalo Sabres | 4-3 |
| Second round | Colorado Avalanche | Minnesota Wild | 4-1 |
| Second round | Vegas Golden Knights | Anaheim Ducks | 4-2 |
| Conference final | Carolina Hurricanes | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 |
| Conference final | Vegas Golden Knights | Colorado Avalanche | 4-0 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Carolina Hurricanes | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-2 |
Carolina went 16-3. The Hurricanes swept Ottawa and Philadelphia, lost one game to Montreal, and won the last three games of the Final after Vegas led it 2-1.
Colorado is the case to remember before buying a price on the best regular-season team. The Avalanche had the most points in the league, 121 from a 55-16-11 record, won eight of their first nine playoff games and then lost four straight to Vegas in the West Final.
Who comes in with the strongest record
The 2025-26 standings are the last full season on record. These were the four division winners by points.
| Division | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | Buffalo Sabres | 50-23-9 | 109 |
| Metropolitan | Carolina Hurricanes | 53-22-7 | 113 |
| Central | Colorado Avalanche | 55-16-11 | 121 |
| Pacific | Vegas Golden Knights | 39-26-17 | 95 |
Vegas won the Pacific with the fewest points of the four and still reached the Final. Dallas, second in the Central with 112 points, went out in the first round to Minnesota. Division races for the new season are on our Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central and Pacific pages.
How to read playoff odds once they post
A price turns into a break-even chance: divide 100 by the price plus 100 for plus money, or divide the price by the price plus 100 for minus money. A team at +800 to win the Cup needs to do it 11.1% of the time to break even, and a series favorite at -200 needs to win that series 66.7% of the time.
A futures bet is worth making only when you rate a team’s chance higher than its price does. Add up every team’s break-even rate on one board and the total runs past 100%, which is the book’s margin. The one 2026-27 market ESPN carried on 24 September was the Hart Trophy, where Connor McDavid led at +300, a 25.0% implied chance.
Where to follow it from opening night
Game-by-game calls for the season are on the NHL predictions hub. The full Cup board, once it is posted, goes on our Stanley Cup odds page, and conference winner prices on the NHL conference odds page.
Team pages for all 32 clubs are on the NHL teams page, starting with the champion Carolina Hurricanes. If you want a paid service for playoff picks, our handicapper site reviews compare them, and the membership trial is here. Book-by-book comparisons are in our sportsbook reviews.
