We’ve reached the business end of the season as the 4 remaining teams battle it out to become Conference champions and for the opportunity to play for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. The 2 teams that have progressed through their conference playoff path have reached the Conference Final with the Carolina Hurricanes playing the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final and the Vegas Golden Knights playing the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.
The dates for the best-of-7 Conference Final series are:
Eastern Conference Final
- 18 May - Carolina Hurricanes v Florida Panthers Game 1 (PNC Arena, 20:00 ET)
- 20 May - Carolina Hurricanes v Florida Panthers Game 2 (PNC Arena, 20:00 ET)
- 22 May - Florida Panthers v Carolina Hurricanes Game 3 (FLA Live Arena, 20:00 ET)
- 24 May - Florida Panthers v Carolina Hurricanes Game 4 (FLA Live Arena, 20:00 ET)
- 26 May - Carolina Hurricanes v Florida Panthers Game 5, if required (PNC Arena, 20:00 ET)
- 28 May - Florida Panthers v Carolina Hurricanes Game 6, if required (FLA Live Arena, 20:00 ET)
- 30 May - Carolina Hurricanes v Florida Panthers Game 7, if required (PNC Arena, 20:00 ET)
Western Conference Final
- 19 May - Vegas Golden Knights v Dallas Stars Game 1 (T-Mobile Arena, 17:30 PT)
- 21 May - Vegas Golden Knights v Dallas Stars Game 2 (T-Mobile Arena, 12:00 PT)
- 23 May - Dallas Stars v Vegas Golden Knights Game 3 (American Airlines Center, 19:00 CT)
- 25 May - Dallas Stars v Vegas Golden Knights Game 4 (American Airlines Center, 19:00 CT)
- 27 May - Vegas Golden Knights v Dallas Stars Game 5, if required (T-Mobile Arena, 17:00 PT)
- 29 May - Dallas Stars v Vegas Golden Knights Game 6, if required (American Airlines Center, 19:00 CT)
- 31 May - Vegas Golden Knights v Dallas Stars Game 7, if required (T-Mobile Arena, 18:00 PT)
The Western and Eastern Conference Finals are the 2 best-of-7 series that make up the third round of the NHL playoffs and they're the last hurdle to jump to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Originally the sides were called the East Division and the West Division, then in the 1970s, they were renamed the Prince of Wales and Clarence Campbell Conferences, respectively (the names of which are still reflected in the trophies each conference champion lifts; the Prince of Wales Trophy for the Eastern Conference champion and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for the Western Conference champion).
Many players are superstitious about touching the respective trophy as they consider the Stanley Cup the only prize that should be lifted, and no one wants to celebrate too prematurely!
The Eastern Conference teams have displayed their incredible dominance in the league throughout this season with the Boston Bruins breaking all sorts of records. As is often the case for Presidents’ Trophy winners, they were knocked out of the playoffs. This feat was achieved by Conference finalists Florida Panthers who were in fact a Wild Card team. They have become the fifth team since the modern era to win more than one series as the lowest-ranked side in the playoffs. The Panthers will face the Carolina Hurricanes for a first-time playoff meeting with the latter having reached the Conference Final 5 times.
Looking at the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights knocked the last remaining Canadian team out of the playoffs by beating the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 to advance to their first Conference Final since 2021. They will meet the Dallas Stars who had to go to a seventh game to knockout NHL newbies the Seattle Kraken thanks to a series-clinching goal from 20-year-old Wyatt Johnston.