The NHL Playoffs are a completely different sport from the regular season. The ice tightens, the hits get harder, and a hot goalie can carry a lower seed deep into June. If you are predicting the 2026 NHL Playoffs on PredictVS, here is everything you need to know to give yourself an edge.

Why the Playoffs Are Different

Regular season hockey rewards consistency over 82 games. Playoff hockey rewards depth, physicality, and clutch performances in best-of-seven series. Teams that dominated the regular season with skill and speed sometimes struggle against grinding, physical opponents who clog the neutral zone and win board battles.

This means your regular season prediction instincts need to be recalibrated. A team that went 50-25-7 in the regular season is not automatically the best playoff pick. Look at their playoff pedigree, their depth beyond the top six forwards, and most importantly — their goaltending.

Goaltending Is the Great Equalizer

No position in professional sports matters more in the playoffs than the NHL goaltender. A goalie posting a .935 save percentage can single-handedly steal a series for a team that has no business advancing. Think of the great playoff runs — Jonathan Quick in 2012, Cam Ward in 2006 — these were carried by goaltending.

When filling out your PredictVS prop sheets for playoff games, check:

Playoff save percentage if the goalie has postseason experience
Save percentage over the last 20 regular season games to gauge current form
High-danger save percentage — this separates elite playoff goalies from regular season stat-padders

Home Ice Still Matters — But Less Than You Think

Home ice advantage in the NHL Playoffs is real but modest. Home teams win about 55% of playoff games historically. The real value of home ice is having the last change on face-offs, which lets coaches get favorable matchups. For your predictions, give a slight edge to the home team but do not treat it as a decisive factor.

Where home ice matters most is Game 7. Teams playing Game 7 at home win about 60% of the time. If a series reaches seven games, lean toward the home side.

Overtime Rules Change Everything

Regular season overtime is 3-on-3 followed by a shootout. Playoff overtime is 5-on-5 sudden death — full periods until someone scores. This completely changes the dynamics:

Shootout specialists lose their advantage
Deep teams with four solid lines thrive in extended overtime
Goalies who can maintain focus for 80+ minutes are worth their weight in gold

For over/under predictions in the playoffs, remember that overtime games inflate the total. If you expect a tight, defensive series, the unders are still good value even though some games will go to OT.

Series Prediction Strategies

PredictVS offers series-level predictions for NHL playoff matchups. Here is how to approach them:

Higher seeds are favored but upsets happen in roughly 35-40% of first-round series historically.
Matchup style matters — a high-powered offense against elite goaltending often goes to six or seven games.
Predict the length — evenly matched series tend to go 6-7 games, while mismatches end in 4-5. Use this for total games predictions.
Look at regular season head-to-head — if one team dominated the season series, that often carries over.

Key Things to Watch in 2026

As the 2026 playoff picture takes shape, pay attention to teams that got healthy at the right time. Injuries in March and April can decimate a contender's playoff hopes, while a team that gets its top defenseman back for the postseason suddenly looks dangerous. Also watch for teams that made moves at the trade deadline — a rental acquisition who gels with the roster can be the difference in a close series.

Check which teams are resting starters in the final week of the regular season versus teams fighting for positioning. The ones resting their stars are managing their roster for a deep run.

Start Your Playoff Predictions

The 2026 NHL Playoffs are the best time to compete on PredictVS. Every game is high-stakes, every prediction matters more, and the playoff contests draw the most competitive predictors. Head to the lobby, join a playoff contest, and put your hockey knowledge to the test.