This is the running tracker for every 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 jersey matchup. All eight opening series are graded below with Game 1 jerseys locked in and Game 2 updates added where the series has progressed. The Bruins at Sabres matchup leads Round 1 at a perfect 10 out of 10 with Buffalo in their royal blue home sweater and Boston in classic whites on the road.
The NHL gets home-and-away right. Home team wears color, road team wears white, every game, no Statement Edition flip-flopping. Our scoring is more about visual harmony and broadcast contrast than home-white correctness since the league handles that part for us.
- 9-10: Both teams in iconic looks, strong contrast, classic playoff visual
- 7-8: Strong overall visual, one team in iconic alternate or retro, clean broadcast matchup
- 5-6: Acceptable contrast but similar color palettes or lower-energy look
- 3-4: Overlapping colors with weak visual separation
- 0-2: Clashing or muddy broadcast visual
Let's start with the Game 2 slates.
Round 1 Game 2 Matchups
Two series have played Game 2 so far. The Hurricanes run back their black alternate to take a 2-0 series lead, and the Stars flip the Wild to even their series at 1-1 in Dallas black.
Game 2: Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes
OTTAWA SENATORS
Road · White
AT
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Alternate · Black
Score: 4 / 10
Same jerseys as Game 1. The Hurricanes run it back in their black alternate at home and the Senators repeat their road whites. Carolina takes Game 2 at home and leads the series 2-0. The visual stays the same, and so does our read. Overlapping red-and-black color palettes on both teams, clean home-and-away execution, but not much broadcast contrast to work with.
Game 2: Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars
MINNESOTA WILD
Road · White
AT
DALLAS STARS
Alternate · Black
Score: 8 / 10
Same jerseys as Game 1. The Stars repeat their black alternate with the star on the chest and the Wild stick with their road whites. Dallas takes Game 2 at home to even the series 1-1. The jersey matchup is still one of the best-looking of Round 1, and now the series has the drama to match the visual.
Now to the opening games.
Round 1 Game 1 Matchups
Game 1: Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes
OTTAWA SENATORS
Road · White
AT
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Alternate · Black
Score: 4 / 10
The Hurricanes bring out their black alternate at home and the Senators counter in their road whites. We like both jerseys as individual looks, and the Sens whites in particular are underrated. But next to each other, the color palettes are too similar. Both teams lean into red and black accents, both sweaters carry dark detailing, and the broadcast ends up feeling monochrome. Clean home-and-away execution on the NHL's part, weaker visual payoff.
Game 1: Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars
MINNESOTA WILD
Road · White
AT
DALLAS STARS
Alternate · Black
Score: 8 / 10
The Stars break out their black alternate home sweater with the star on the chest and we are all the way in. This is one of the cleanest alternate looks in the league, and pairing it with the ice at American Airlines Center makes the broadcast pop. The Wild hold up their end in clean road whites with the green and red accents reading cleanly against Dallas black. We've always been fans of this matchup, and Round 1 Game 1 delivers exactly what we want it to.
Game 1: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Road · White
AT
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Alternate · Yellow
Score: 9 / 10
The Penguins go with their yellow alternate at home and the Flyers counter in their road whites. Both are iconic NHL looks. The Pens yellow is one of the best alternate sweaters in hockey and the Flyers orange-and-white road is one of the most recognizable silhouettes in the league. The only thing keeping this from a 10 is we wish Pittsburgh had stuck with their primary black for the full traditional Penguins look. Still one of the best matchups of Round 1.
Game 1: Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Road · White
AT
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Home · Burgundy
Score: 8 / 10
The Avalanche in their burgundy at home and the Kings in clean whites on the road. Denver's burgundy reads beautifully against LA's silver-trimmed whites. Both teams in their primary editions, both using color palettes that clash cleanly on broadcast. This is exactly what NHL playoff hockey is supposed to look like when both teams commit to their classic looks.
Game 1: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Road · White
AT
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Home · Blue
Score: 5 / 10
The Lightning in blue at home and the Canadiens in white on the road. Clean home-and-away execution. Contrast reads fine on broadcast, the colors work, and neither team is making a mistake here. The issue is that the combined visual is a little flat. Both franchise identities get carried by the blue on one side and the Habs wordmark on the other without much energy. Functional playoff look without much personality.
Game 1: Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres
BOSTON BRUINS
Road · White
AT
BUFFALO SABRES
Home · Royal Blue
Score: 10 / 10
This is what a Round 1 matchup should look like. The Sabres break out their royal blue home sweater and it is one of the cleanest looks in the league. The Bruins in their iconic road whites with the black and gold accents provide exactly the right contrast. Buffalo blue against Boston white on the ice at KeyBank Center is one of the best-looking jersey matchups of the entire NHL postseason. No notes. Perfect 10.
Game 1: Utah Mammoth at Vegas Golden Knights
UTAH MAMMOTH
Road · White
AT
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Alternate · Gold
Score: 6 / 10
The Mammoth break out their road set and we are into it. Utah's first-year identity is one of the cleanest redesigns in the league, and the wordmark and crest carry the same puck-drop-era design energy we've been fans of from day one. The Golden Knights in their gold alternate at home are a tougher sell. Vegas gold reads better on a replica in a store than it does on a broadcast, and we would have preferred Vegas in their primary black home look. The contrast is acceptable but the overall visual runs a little boring.
Game 1: Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers
ANAHEIM DUCKS
Road · White
AT
EDMONTON OILERS
Alternate · Blue
Score: 7.5 / 10
The Oilers go with their blue alternate at home and the Ducks in whites on the road. Both are great-looking individual jerseys. The Oilers blue is one of the most underrated sweaters in hockey and the Ducks road white carries the team's classic orange and black accents cleanly. The one nitpick is that the orange accent colors between the two teams are close enough that the jerseys can feel visually similar at the top of the chest on broadcast. The overall look is still strong, we just wanted a little more visual separation. Nice Round 1 combination.
Round 1 Scorecard
Opening Game 1s averaged 7.2 out of 10. The Bruins at Sabres earned the only perfect 10, with Buffalo in royal blue and Boston in their iconic whites. The Senators at Hurricanes lands at 4 out of 10 as the weakest matchup of Round 1 so far. Game 2 scores repeat for the two series that have run it back in the same jerseys, which is pretty much what the NHL always delivers: consistent home-and-away execution with the jerseys that made Game 1 work.
Round 1 Running Average
7.0 / 10
Ten Games Through Tuesday. Round 1 Jersey Aesthetic Grade.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2026 NHL Playoffs Round 1 Uniforms
What jerseys are the NHL teams wearing in Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
All eight Round 1 Game 1 jersey matchups are official. The Hurricanes wear their black alternate at home against the Senators in white, the Stars wear their black alternate with the center star at home against the Wild in white, the Penguins wear their yellow alternate at home against the Flyers in white, the Avalanche wear burgundy at home against the Kings in white, the Lightning wear blue at home against the Canadiens in white, the Sabres wear royal blue at home against the Bruins in white, the Golden Knights wear gold at home against the Mammoth in white, and the Oilers wear their blue alternate at home against the Ducks in white.
When did Round 1 of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs start?
Round 1 of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs tipped off in mid-April with all eight series underway. Games are split between TNT Sports (TNT, TBS, truTV, HBO Max) and ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Unlimited).
What is the best-looking Round 1 NHL Playoffs matchup so far?
The Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres earned a perfect 10 out of 10 with Buffalo in royal blue home sweaters and Boston in their iconic road whites on the ice at KeyBank Center. It's the cleanest broadcast visual of Round 1.
What is the worst-graded Round 1 NHL Playoffs matchup so far?
The Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes earned a 4 out of 10 for Game 1 and Game 2. Both teams are in strong individual jerseys, but the red-and-black color palettes overlap enough that the broadcast visual runs monochrome.
Are the Dallas Stars wearing the black alternate in Round 1?
Yes. The Dallas Stars are wearing their black alternate home sweater with the center star on the chest for Round 1 against the Minnesota Wild. It's one of the cleanest alternate sweaters in the league, and it makes the Stars-Wild matchup one of the best-looking series of Round 1.
Are the Penguins wearing the yellow alternate in Round 1?
Yes. The Pittsburgh Penguins are wearing their yellow alternate home sweater against the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 1. The yellow alternate combined with the Flyers whites on the road earned a 9 out of 10.
What are the Utah Mammoth wearing in Round 1?
The Utah Mammoth are wearing their road whites in Round 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Mammoth's first-year identity carries the same clean, modern design energy we've been fans of from day one.
How does the NHL decide which jerseys teams wear in the playoffs?
The NHL enforces a straightforward home-and-away convention in the playoffs. Home teams wear color, road teams wear white, no exceptions. Teams can choose which home sweater to wear (primary or alternate), which is why the Hurricanes black, Stars black, Penguins yellow, and Oilers blue are in rotation at home this round.
Will you update this post with each round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Yes. We'll continue tracking jersey matchups through the entire 2026 NHL Playoffs. As the series progress, we'll update each matchup's wear count and record in uniform, and we'll add Round 2, Conference Finals, and Stanley Cup Final coverage as those matchups are set.
2026 NHL Playoffs Coverage
For more on the postseason branding, see our piece on the NHL removing the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo from the ice.
Jersey matchups updated game by game. We'll grade every series through the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.