2017 NHL Playoff Bracket: Who’s Playing Who?

The 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, and we’ve got your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the bracket, schedule, and more.

2017 NHL Playoff Bracket

The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs are the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on April 12, 2017, after the 2016–17 regular season ended, and will end in early June with the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals.

Who’s Playing Who?

The NHL playoffs are just around the corner and we can’t wait to see who’s going to take home the Stanley Cup this year. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the Playoff Bracket and see who’s playing who.

The 2017 NHL playoffs will begin on Wednesday, April 12th and will run through June 11th, with the Stanley Cup Finals taking place between June 2nd and 11th. The first round of the playoffs will feature 16 teams from across the league, with 8 teams from each conference (Eastern and Western) qualifying for the postseason.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the first round matchup for each conference:

Eastern Conference:
--Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
--Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
--Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
--Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers

Western Conference:
--Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
--Minnesota Wild vs. St Louis Blues
--Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks
--Anaheim Ducks vs. Calgary Flames

How the Playoffs Work

The NHL Playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL regular season The playoffs begin in April and end in June, with the Stanley Cup Final being contested between the two conference champions.

The playoff format has changed several times throughout NHL history but the current system was adopted prior to the start of the 2014-15 season. Under this format, there are four rounds of playoffs:

-The first round is a best-of-seven series between the two Wild Card teams in each conference. The winners of these series advance to the second round.

-The second round is a best-of-seven series between the remaining teams in each conference. The winners of these series advance to the Conference Finals

-The conference finals are a best-of-seven series between the two remaining teams in each conference. The winner of this series advances to the Stanley Cup Final.

-The Stanley Cup Final is a best-of-seven series between the two Conference champions, with the winner being crowned Stanley Cup champions.

Stanley Cup playoffs Format

The Stanley Cup playoffs are an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first two rounds are played within the Conference Standings while the last two rounds cross over into the other conference. The Stanley Cup Final is also a best-of-seven series.

NHL Playoff Format

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified for the playoffs. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs. The conference quarterfinals are best-of-seven series played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-ice advantage hosts games one, two, five, and seven, while their opponent hosts games three, four, and six. The top three seeded teams in each division earn berths in the playoffs. The next two seeds in each conference (the Wild Card teams) also make the playoffs; theseseedings take effect regardless of division winners since they are based on Regular Season point totals.

NHL Playoff Schedule

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL’s regular season The Stanley Cup the oldest professional sports trophy in North America is awarded to the playoff champion at the end of the playoffs.The playoffs have evolved since the NHL’s inception in 1917. Originally, four teams qualified for the playoffs, two from each division. In 1918, it was increased to six teams, three from each division. For many years starting in the 1920s, only two teams qualified from each division; at various times from 1974 to 1980 three teams per division qualified for playoff berths and at various times there were experimental playoffs with four or more entrants in each division. There has been a bracketed playoff system since 1914—although for two years (1919 and 1920) one team was given a bye into the finals because of league scheduling difficulties resulting from World War I travel restrictions—and divisions were not used to determine playoff matchups until 1975.

The first round of the playoffs, or Conference Quarterfinals, consists of matchup between divisional rivals, 2nd seed vs. 3rd seed and 4th seed vs. 5th seed. The 1st seed in each conference receives a bye which means they automatically advance to the Conference Semifinals (2nd Round). The Conference Semifinals match up the lower remaining seed with 1st seed and the other Conference Quarterfinal winner with another Conference Quarterfinal winner with higher remaining seed. The two winners advance to play in their respective Conference Finals (3rd Round). The winners of those series compete against one another for Stanley Cup in the Stanley Cup Finals (4th Round).

NHL Playoff Bracket

As the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs approach, fans are wondering which teams will be playing each other. Here is a look at the Playoff Bracket

Eastern Conference

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (WC2) New York Rangers
(2) Ottawa Senators vs. (3) Boston Bruins
(1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Toronto Maple Leafs
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) Columbus Blue Jackets

Western Conference

(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators
(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (3) Calgary Flames
(1) Minnesota Wild vs. (WC1) St. Louis Blues
(2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3) San Jose Sharks

NHL Playoff Tree

The NHL Playoff Tree for the 2017 season is as follows:

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers

Western Conference

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
Anaheim Ducks vs. Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues

NHL Playoff Picture

As the Regular Season comes to an end, the NHL Playoff Picture is starting to take shape. Here’s a look at the current Playoff Bracket as well as a breakdown of who’s playing who.

Eastern Conference

(A1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (WC2) New York Rangers

(A2) Ottawa Senators vs. (A3) Boston Bruins

(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Toronto Maple Leafs

(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M3) Columbus Blue Jackets

Western Conference

(C1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators

(C2) Minnesota Wild vs. (C3) St. Louis Blues

(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (WC1) Calgary Flames

NHL Playoff Standings

The 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway! With the regular season now complete, it’s time to take a look at the playoff bracket and see who’s playing who.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament, meaning that the first team to win four games will advance to the next round. In each series, the higher-seeded team will have home-ice advantage, meaning that they will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary).

Here’s a look at the first round matchups:

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (WC2) New York Rangers
(2) Ottawa Senators vs. (3) Boston Bruins
(1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Toronto Maple Leafs
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) Columbus Blue Jackets