How Long Are The Nhl Playoffs?
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How long are the NHL playoffs?
The Stanley Cup playoffs (French: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series.
How the NHL Playoffs Work
The Stanley Cup Playoffs is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals.
Qualifying for the Playoffs
In order to be eligible for the playoffs, a team must first qualify. As of the 2013-14 season, the top three teams in each division make the playoffs, as well as two wild card teams (the next two best teams in the conference, regardless of division). In addition, if either of the wild card teams have more points than a division winner, they will take that team’s spot in the playoffs. For example, if the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers both make the playoffs as wild card teams, but the Rangers have more points than any team in either the Metropolitan or Atlantic Divisions, they would play whichever team finished lower in those divisions in Round 1.
The seeding determines home-ice advantage. The highest remaining seed in each conference plays the lowest remaining seed. The second- and third-place seeds also face each other.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven series.
The First Round of the Playoffs
The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The higher-seeded team will play the lower-seeded team in each series. The team with the better regular season record will have home ice advantage in each series.
The Second Round of the Playoffs
The second round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series between the four remaining teams in each conference, with the Conference Finals being a best-of-seven series between the two winners. The Stanley Cup Finals is also a best-of-seven series.
The Conference Finals
The National Hockey League Conference Finals are a best-of-seven series played after the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. These round take place between the winners of each of the four divisions, with seeding based on regular season performance. The Conference Finals are followed by the Stanley Cup Final.
The Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Eastern Conference champion plays the Western Conference champion in a best-of-seven game series. The team that wins four games wins the Stanley Cup, and the losing team is eliminated from the playoffs. The Stanley Cup Finals has been played every year since 1892, making it the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.
