Philadelphia vs Carolina Game One time set for Saturday
With both Thursday games resulting in series finishes, the Flyers vs Canes grab the 8 PM ABC slot
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 20: The Carolina Hurricanes look on during an official review during overtime against the Ottawa Senators in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on April 20, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Cato Cataldo/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images Live from Raleighwood, it’ll be Saturday Night. Ever since Philadelphia ended their series against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, fans had been waiting for when the Flyers/Canes series would get started.
Informed speculation had noted that ABC had an 8 PM slot for Saturday Night, also a traditional spot for “Hockey Night in Canada. ” The thinking was that if either Minnesota/Dallas or Edmonton/Anaheim needed a Game 7 that’s when they would play, and if both series ended the league might go ahead and start the Canes versus the Flyers. Well, Minnesota ended Dallas’ season and then Anaheim wrapped up their series against the Oilers.
As the Canes and the Flyers would be the most rested—you could have started Colorado against Minnesota in Denver but that would have given the Wild just one day off—and the league decided they didn’t want to skip Saturday night, that just left for one option: SATURDAY NIGHT IN RALEIGHWOOD 🚨 Details » https://t. co/KqsHmQVNIf pic. twitter.
com/tOekLdNoYH — Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 1, 2026 Note there’s no word on the rest of the schedule as the other half of the East still may not be determined before the end of the day Sunday with Montreal/Tampa and Boston/Buffalo set to play their own Game Six on Friday. While Colorado and Minnesota is now set, the other Western matchup is still up in the air as Anaheim now waits for the Utah/Las Vegas winner—which also may not be set until Sunday. Should the other East series not start until Tuesday—which is the earliest they could if either or both go seven—then the league will probably build in a long break between games in order to let the other series catch up.