The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, and PredictVS is running free prediction contests for every series that involves a Canadian team. Our coverage is focused — we only run games for the seven Canadian clubs — so if the Leafs, Senators, Canadiens, Jets, Oilers, Flames, or Canucks are playing, we have a contest for you.

Which Series PredictVS Covers

PredictVS is a Canada-first platform. For the 2026 playoffs, we create series contests and per-game prop sheets any time a Canadian team is on the ice:

Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Montreal Canadiens
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
Vancouver Canucks

If a Canadian team faces a US opponent, you can still predict the series and every individual game — we just do not run contests for series between two US teams. That keeps the lobby focused on the matchups our community actually cares about.

How Playoff Predictions Work on PredictVS

For each qualifying playoff series, PredictVS offers three prediction questions:

Series Winner — Which team will advance? Points are based on seed-implied odds, so picking the underdog earns more.
Series Length — Will it go 4, 5, 6, or 7 games? Sweeps are rare (about 14% historically), making them high-value picks.
Exact Outcome — Predict the exact series result (e.g., "Senators 4-2"). This is the hardest to nail but earns the most points.

You also get a full prop sheet for every individual playoff game — winner, spread, totals, and player props — just like the regular season.

Key Factors for NHL Playoff Predictions

Playoff hockey is a different sport from the regular season. Here is what changes:

Goaltending dominates — A hot goalie can carry a lower-seeded team through multiple rounds. Check recent save percentages and playoff experience.
Special teams matter more — Referees call fewer penalties in the playoffs, so when a power play does happen, converting is critical. Teams with top-10 power play and penalty kill units have a major edge.
Home ice is amplified — Regular season home ice is worth about 55%. In the playoffs the crowd factor pushes it higher, and Canadian buildings — Scotiabank Arena, the Canadian Tire Centre, Bell Centre, Canada Life Centre, Rogers Place, the Saddledome, and Rogers Arena — are among the loudest in the league.
Overtime is unlimited — Regular season OT is 5 minutes of 3-on-3. Playoff OT is full 5-on-5 periods until someone scores. This changes game totals and makes overtime predictions more interesting.
Physicality increases — Hits, blocked shots, and defensive intensity all rise in the playoffs. This tends to suppress scoring and push totals under compared to regular season averages.

Series Length Patterns

Historical NHL playoff data shows the following series length distribution for best-of-7 matchups:

4 games (sweep): ~14% of series
5 games: ~23% of series
6 games: ~31% of series
7 games: ~32% of series

The most common outcome is 6 or 7 games. When picking series length on PredictVS, 6 games is the statistically safest pick, but 7-game predictions earn slightly more points because they are harder to call.

How to Get Started

Sign up for free on PredictVS, head to the lobby, and filter for NHL. Any series involving a Canadian team will show up as a dedicated contest. You can predict every series matchup before Game 1, then fill out individual game prop sheets as each game approaches. All free, no real money involved.

Follow Your Series

Once you have made your series predictions, track the results in real time from the contest page. Series scores update automatically, and you will see how your picks compare to the crowd. May the best Canadian team win.