TNT Sports’ Exclusive 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final Coverage to Begin Thursday, May 21 on TNT, truTV & HBO Max
Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette & Liam McHugh to Host Pregame Coverage Live from Raleigh, Starting at 7 p.m. ET
Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher & Jackie Redmond to Call Montreal/Carolina Series
TNT Sports’ coverage of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs presented by GEICO gets even bigger as the network drops the puck on exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference Final beginning Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. across TNT, truTV, and HBO Max, with Game 1 between Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov and the Carolina Hurricanes taking on Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and the Montreal Canadiens.
On the call for the entire series will be Kenny Albert, along with commentary from Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher, and reporting from Jackie Redmond.
Games will be preceded by an hour-long NHL on TNT Face Off Powered by Verizon pregame show. TNT Sports’ studio coverage throughout the Eastern Conference Final will feature host Liam McHugh alongside hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, Vezina Trophy winner and 2023 Hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist, 10-year NHL veteran Anson Carter and Calder Cup Champion Paul Bissonnette.
The studio team will also provide analysis and insights between periods during the Vanda Pharmaceuticals First Intermission Report, the Discover Second Intermission Report, and the NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals.
The Hurricanes storm back into the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in four years, this time riding an unblemished 8–0 postseason record. Carolina swept its way through the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers, and after an 11-day break, Logan Stankoven, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and the Canes surge into the next round hungry to claim the Stanley Cup for just the second time in franchise history.
The Montreal Canadiens return to the Eastern Conference Final powered by a young core. After besting both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres in back-to-back, seven-game series, the Habs enter the round looking to capture its first Stanley Cup since 1993 and write a new chapter in the franchise’s storied history, all led by captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson.
TNT Sports’ 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final Schedule:
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Matchup |
|
Thursday, May 21 |
7 p.m. |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette & Liam McHugh |
|
|
8 p.m. |
Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1 Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher & Jackie Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
Saturday, May 23 |
6 p.m. |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
|
7 p.m. |
Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2 Albert, Olczyk, Boucher & Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
Monday, May 25 |
7 p.m. |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
|
8 p.m. |
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 3 Albert, Olczyk, Boucher & Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
Wednesday, May 27 |
7 p.m. |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Lundqvist, Bissonnette, Carter & McHugh |
|
|
8 p.m. |
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 4 Albert, Olczyk, Boucher & Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
Friday, May 29 |
7 p.m. |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
|
8 p.m. |
Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 5* Albert, Olczyk, Boucher & Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
Sunday, May 31 |
TBD |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
|
TBD |
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 6* Albert, Olczyk, Boucher & Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
Tuesday, June 2 |
7 p.m. |
NHL on TNT Face Off powered by Verizon Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
|
|
8 p.m. |
Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 7* Albert, Olczyk, Boucher & Redmond |
|
|
Postgame |
NHL on TNT Postgame Show presented by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Gretzky, Lundqvist, Carter, Bissonnette & McHugh |
* If necessary