Although the Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the playoffs in the second around against the Dallas Stars, it’s still fun to keep tabs on how the rest of other teams and how the 2023-24 NHL Playoffs shake out. Right now, It is the Edmonton Oilers vs the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers vs the New York Rangers.
Colorado got past the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, and aside from Game 1 of that series, dominated the rest of the way. It was exciting to watch and at the time, it felt like the Avalanche would get far this year. Sadly, that didn’t happen, as the Stars knocked them out in Game 6. That game was pretty exciting, as it went into a double overtime.
Colorado had eight days between the final game of the Jets series and the start of the Stars series. They were well-rested and played quite well at times. It’s a shame that they were eliminated, but the show must go on. It’s not as if their window is closed. They have some work to do, but they should be alright going forward.
When do the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Finals begin?
At this time, it is unknown when exactly the Stanley Cup Finals will begin. The schedule for later dates comes out closer to the time of the series, and if the series goes beyond Game 4, those matchup dates are to be determined later in some cases.
What is known is that the two series that are happening right now begin Wednesday (Panthers @ Rangers) and tomorrow (Oilers @ Stars).
From there, the schedule as we know it is as follows:
Panthers @ Rangers Game 2: Friday, May 24 at 8pm ET
Rangers @ Panthers Game 3: Sunday, May 26 at 3pm ET
Rangers @ Panthers Game 4: Tuesday, May 28 at 8pm ET
Panthers @ Rangers Game 5: Thursday, May 30 at 8pm ET
Rangers @ Panthers Game 6: Saturday, June 1 at 8pm ET
Panthers @ Rangers Game 7: Monday, June 3 at 8pm ET
For the Oilers-Stars series, the schedule is as follows:
Oilers @ Stars Game 2: Saturday, May 25 at 8pm ET
Stars @ Oilers Game 3: Monday, May 27 at 8:30pm ET
Stars @ Oilers Game 4: Wednesday, May 29 at 8:30pm ET
Oilers @ Stars Game 5: Friday, May 31, time TBD
Stars @ Oilers Game 6: Sunday, June 2, time TBD
Oilers @ Stars Game 7: Tuesday, June 4, time TBD.