NHL Playoffs 2018: When do the Stanley Cup Playoffs start?

Here's what you need to know about the official start date of the 2017-18 postseason

It's time for April hockey, and that means it's time for playoff hockey.

As the top-heavy NHL skates toward the end of the 2017-18 regular season and contenders like the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights duke it out for final postseason positioning, there's not a whole lot of time until the Stanley Cup Playoffs get going.

But when do they actually begin?

You came to the right place. This year's playoffs will begin on Wednesday, April 11.

The regular season officially ends on the Sunday prior to that Wednesday with a Bruins-Florida Panthers game that was postponed from its original date of Jan. 4. The full playoff schedule, meanwhile, will be released after the conclusion of the regular season. It typically lasts about two months, with the Stanley Cup Final series set for June.