Stanley Cup Playoffs · 2020-21 season

NHL Playoff Bracket 2021

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2021 Stanley Cup, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the Final.

Updated Oct 20, 5:27 PM ET after MTL 0, TBL 1 (Jul 7)

Tampa Bay Lightning2021 Stanley Cup champion

Beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the Final; Nikita Kucherov led the Final with 5 points. Final game by game →

Bracket

First Round: East

Seeds: D1–D3 division places, WC1–WC2 wild cards (2020: the seeding from the bubble round robin). Series wins from the NHL schedule feed.

First Round: West

Second Round: East

Second Round: West

Conference Final

Stanley Cup Final

D3TBL4vsD4MTL1

D3Lightning4
D4Canadiens1
TBL wins 4-1 · games and leaders →

Every series: result and top scorer

Every series of the playoffs with its result, games and leading scorer
Round	Series	Result	GP	Top scorer
First Round	PIT vs. NYI	NYI wins 4-2	6	Anthony Beauvillier (NYI) 3G 4A
First Round	WSH vs. BOS	BOS wins 4-1	5	David Pastrnak (BOS) 2G 4A
First Round	CAR vs. NSH	CAR wins 4-2	6	Sebastian Aho (CAR) 5G 2A
First Round	FLA vs. TBL	TBL wins 4-2	6	Nikita Kucherov (TBL) 3G 8A
First Round	COL vs. STL	COL wins 4-0	4	Nathan MacKinnon (COL) 6G 3A
First Round	VGK vs. MIN	VGK wins 4-3	7	Mattias Janmark (VGK) 3G 3A
First Round	TOR vs. MTL	MTL wins 4-3	7	William Nylander (TOR) 5G 3A
First Round	EDM vs. WPG	WPG wins 4-0	4	Blake Wheeler (WPG) 2G 3A
Second Round	BOS vs. NYI	NYI wins 4-2	6	Brad Marchand (BOS) 5G 4A
Second Round	CAR vs. TBL	TBL wins 4-1	5	Nikita Kucherov (TBL) 2G 5A
Second Round	COL vs. VGK	VGK wins 4-2	6	Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) 5G 2A
Second Round	WPG vs. MTL	MTL wins 4-0	4	Tyler Toffoli (MTL) 2G 3A
Conference Final	VGK vs. MTL	MTL wins 4-2	6	Cole Caufield (MTL) 4G 1A
Conference Final	TBL vs. NYI	TBL wins 4-3	7	Nikita Kucherov (TBL) 0G 9A
Stanley Cup Final	TBL vs. MTL	TBL wins 4-1	5	Nikita Kucherov (TBL) 3G 2A

How the NHL playoff format works

16 teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eight from each conference: the top three teams in each of the four divisions plus two wild cards per conference, the two best remaining records. Every round is a best-of-seven series, and the team with the better regular-season record has home ice: games 1, 2, 5 and 7.

Division winners play the wild cards in the first round (the better division winner gets the second wild card), and the second- and third-place teams in each division meet. The bracket is fixed: there is no reseeding between rounds. The two conference champions meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

Playoff overtime never ends in a shootout: teams play full 20-minute 5-on-5 periods until a goal. The 2020 playoffs were the exception to the format, played in two bubbles with a qualifying round and round-robin seeding games before the usual 16-team bracket. Series scores on this page come from the NHL schedule feed; player totals come from our box scores.

Playoff brackets by year

Frequently asked questions

Who won the 2021 Stanley Cup?

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2021 Stanley Cup, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in a 5-game Final.

Which 2021 playoff series went seven games?

3 series went the distance in 2021: Golden Knights over Wild (First Round); Canadiens over Maple Leafs (First Round); Lightning over Islanders (Conference Final).

How many 2021 playoff games went to overtime?

27 of the 84 games played in the 2021 playoffs were decided in overtime. Playoff overtime is full 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 until someone scores; there are no shootouts.

How many sweeps were there in the 2021 playoffs?

There were 3 four-game sweeps in the 2021 playoffs.