The long road to the Stanley Cup – the playoffs don’t end until June – is underway, and this version of the postseason will include a lot of firsts. Why? Of the eight series, five feature teams that have never met in the playoffs, including three in the Western Conference. Remarkably, only San Jose and two-year-old Vegas have played each other in the postseason before. The other three series are first-time playoff matchups.
In the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh is in the playoffs for the 13th straight season, the longest streak of any team in the NHL, and the Carolina Hurricanes ended a 10-year playoff drought by qualifying.
First-round games started on April 10, and should any Game 7s be necessary, those could be scheduled as late at April 24. Stanley Cup Finals tickets have been trending up and up over the last decade, and last season’s Washington-Vegas final had the highest average asking price in history at $2,724, according to secondary ticket marketplace TicketIQ.com.
The most storied – and most expensive – matchup this year is Boston versus Toronto. The Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round last season. According to TicketIQ.com, the average asking price for that series is trending at a league-high $429, and the average for a game in Toronto also leads the league with a $626 average. The second priciest series is the San Jose-Vegas matchup, which is trending at $345, and tickets to a game at Vegas have an average asking price of $557.
Below is a look at all eight of the first-round match-ups:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
- Series average asking price: $304
- Tampa Bay average asking price/get-in price: $319/$78
- Columbus average asking price/get-in price: $284/$90
Tickets to a game at Tampa Bay are the third most expensive across the eight Eastern Conference sites. These teams have never met in the playoffs before. Tampa Bay is making its second straight playoff appearance and fourth since advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014-15. Columbus is playing in its fifth playoffs since joining the league as an expansion team in 2000-01.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ TB | $224 | $78 |
| Game 2 @ TB | $309 | $116 |
| Game 3 @ CBJ | $317 | $115 |
| Game 4 @ CBJ | $314 | $92 |
| Game 5 @ TB | $375 | $110 |
| Game 6 @ CBJ | $222 | $90 |
| Game 7 @ TB | $367 | $105 |
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Series average asking price: $429
- Boston average asking price/get-in price: $281/$31
- Toronto average asking price/get-in price: $626/$179
This series has the NHL’s highest average asking price on the secondary market and the average for a game at Toronto is also the highest in the NHL. These teams have a rich playoff history, and you only have to look to last season to get a taste of the excitement – the Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round. This series marks the 16th time the teams have met in the postseason.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ BOS | $201 | $31 |
| Game 2 @ BOS | $289 | $39 |
| Game 3 @ TOR | $645 | $179 |
| Game 4 @ TOR | $607 | $262 |
| Game 5 @ BOS | $305 | $110 |
| Game 6 @ TOR | $625 | $302 |
| Game 7 @ BOS | $329 | $110 |
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- Series average asking price: $211
- Washington average asking price/get-in price: $221/$60
- Carolina average asking price/get-in price: $197/$83
The cheapest first-round Eastern Conference series, this season marks the first time the Capitals and Hurricanes have met in the postseason. The defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals won the Metropolitan Division for the fourth consecutive season, and are making their fifth straight playoff appearance. The Hurricanes are making their first in 10 years, and only sixth since moving to Carolina from Hartford. Despite that, Carolina won the Stanley Cup Finals 2005-06, and got to the final in 2001-02.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ WAS | $197 | $60 |
| Game 2 @ WAS | $249 | $85 |
| Game 3 @ CAR | $218 | $126 |
| Game 4 @ CAR | $212 | $122 |
| Game 5 @ WAS | $199 | $81 |
| Game 6 @ CAR | $161 | $83 |
| Game 7 @ WAS | $240 | $98 |
New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
- Series average asking price: $305
- New York average asking price/get-in price: $392/$175
- Pittsburgh average asking price/get-in price: $189/$73
This series has the second highest average asking price in the Eastern Conference, and a secondary market ticket to an Islanders home game is the second priciest in the Eastern Conference, as well. The Islanders and Pens have played in four previous postseason series, and the Islanders have won three of those. New York qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2015-16, while the Pens have not missed the playoffs since 2005-06. They won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ NYI | $251 | $176 |
| Game 2 @ NYI | $388 | $220 |
| Game 3 @ PIT | $237 | $84 |
| Game 4 @ PIT | $148 | $73 |
| Game 5 @ NYI | $419 | $175 |
| Game 6 @ PIT | $183 | $80 |
| Game 7 @ NYI | $510 | $206 |
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars
- Series average asking price: $341
- Nashville average asking price/get-in price: $369/$35
- Dallas average asking price/get-in price: $303/$88
The second priciest Western Conference first-round series, the Preds and Stars have never met in the postseason before. Nashville is playing in its fifth straight playoffs, and in 2016-17, after finishing fourth in the Central Division, got all the way to the Finals before losing to Pittsburgh. The Stars, on the other hand, are playing in their first playoffs since 2015-16, and only third since 2008-09. Dallas won the franchise’s only Stanley Cup in 1998-99.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ NASH | $193 | $35 |
| Game 2 @ NASH | $281 | $139 |
| Game 3 @ DAL | $278 | $105 |
| Game 4 @ DAL | $287 | $99 |
| Game 5 @ NASH | $470 | $129 |
| Game 6 @ DAL | $345 | $88 |
| Game 7 @ NASH | $533 | $157 |
Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues
- Series average asking price: $280
- Winnipeg average asking price/get-in price: $349/$132
- St. Louis average asking price/get-in price: $188/$60
A ticket on the secondary market to see this series in Winnipeg is the third most expensive across the eight Western Conference sites. Winnipeg is coming off a second-place finish in the Central Division and created lots of excitement in last year’s playoffs when it reached the conference finals before losing to upstart Vegas. Since their inception in 1967-68, the Blues have never won a Stanley Cup, and despite a rich playoff history, failed to qualify last season. These teams are playing for the first time in the postseason.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ WIN | $336 | $189 |
| Game 2 @ WIN | $331 | $132 |
| Game 3 @ STL | $217 | $77 |
| Game 4 @ STL | $159 | $60 |
| Game 5 @ WIN | $453 | $225 |
| Game 6 @ STL | $187 | $74 |
| Game 7 @ WIN | $275 | $275 |
Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Series average asking price: $242
- Calgary average asking price/get-in price: $286/$68
- Colorado average asking price/get-in price: $183/$81
The cheapest of the Western Conference first-round series on the secondary market, the Flames and Avalanche have never played in the postseason. Since advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003-04, the Flames have not advanced past the second round, and didn’t get to the playoffs last season. This time around, Calgary enters the playoffs as the Pacific Division champions. The Avalanche finished fifth in the Central Division and are making their second straight playoff appearance after failing to qualify the three previous seasons.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ CAL | $157 | $68 |
| Game 2 @ CAL | $259 | $105 |
| Game 3 @ COL | $188 | $81 |
| Game 4 @ COL | $177 | $82 |
| Game 5 @ CAL | $320 | $107 |
| Game 6 @ COL | $184 | $105 |
| Game 7 @ CAL | $410 | $124 |
San Jose Sharks vs. Vegas Golden Knights
- Series average asking price: $345
- San Jose average asking price/get-in price: $186/$55
- Vegas average asking price/get-in price: $557/$195
This series has the highest average asking price in the Western Conference, and the second highest in the NHL behind the Bruins-Maple Leafs series. Demand for games at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena has pushed average asking prices to $557, second only to Toronto’s $626. Vegas was the story of the NHL last season when it became the first expansion team in North American sports history to qualify for its sport’s final. Though Vegas’ history only spans two seasons, this series marks the second time the Sharks and Golden Knights have met in the postseason. San Jose has missed the playoffs only six times since joining the league as an expansion team in 1991-92, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015-16, but lost to Pittsburgh.
| Game-By-Game Prices | Avg | Get-In |
| Game 1 @ SJ | $158 | $55 |
| Game 2 @ SJ | $200 | $80 |
| Game 3 @ VGK | $504 | $195 |
| Game 4 @ VGK | $494 | $245 |
| Game 5 @ SJ | $165 | $65 |
| Game 6 @ VGK | $673 | $285 |
| Game 7 @ SJ | $220 | $87 |
Below is a look at the top ten most expensive Stanley Cup Playoff 1st round series based on average list price and get-in price:
