What Teams Make the NHL Playoffs?
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The NHL playoffs are just around the corner, and hockey fans everywhere are wondering which teams will make the cut. Here’s a look at the contenders and which teams are most likely to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Introduction
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams, of which 27 are based in the United States and three in Canada. The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the NHL playoff champion at the end of each season. The teams that make the playoffs are seeded according to their regular season record, with division winners earning higher seeds than wild card teams. each round of playoffs is a best-of-seven series.
In order to make the playoffs, a team must first qualify by earning either a divisional or conference playoff berth. There are two ways to earn a berth: 1) Win a division title, or 2) Earn one of the conference’s two wild card spots.
If two or more teams are tied in points for any position, the following tiebreakers are applied in order until one team gains an advantage:
1) Fewer games played (i.e., superior winning percentage),
2) Greater number of wins,
3) Head-to-head competition if only two teams are tied, or if more than two teams from same conference are tied, then head-to-head point record among those teams; if not enough games were played among tied clubs to determine an outright winner by points head-to-head or within division competition won’t be used as a tiebreaker unless it’s determined that all tied clubs have played an unequal number interconference games against each other
4) Greater goal differential
Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh, Washington, Columbus, and Philadelphia have clinched playoff berths in the East. The race for the final spot in the East is between the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers.
Atlantic Division
The Atlantic Division of the National Hockey League (NHL) is a division of the Eastern Conference. The division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference’s realignment, which saw the addition of the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. It is also home to three Original Six teams: the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens. Prior to 1993, it was known as the Wales Conference.
Metropolitan Division
The Metropolitan Division is made up of the following teams:
-Carolina Hurricanes
-Columbus Blue Jackets
-New Jersey Devils
-New York Islanders
-New York Rangers
-Philadelphia Flyers
-Pittsburgh Penguins
-Washington Capitals
Western Conference
The Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, and Minnesota Wild have clinched their respective division titles and are the top three seeds in the Western Conference. The St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets are the next three teams in the conference standings and will likely clinch playoff spots. However, the Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, and Calgary Flames are all on the outside looking in and will need a strong finish to the season to make the playoffs.
Central Division
The Central Division is one of the three divisions of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference realignment that followed the addition of expansion teams in San Jose, Tampa Bay and Ottawa. Its counterpart is the Pacific Division.
As of the 2019–20 NHL season, the division comprises 16 teams, divided into two sub-divisions:
-Sub-division 1: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.
-Sub-division 2: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.
Pacific Division
The Pacific Division is a division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL), dating back to 1993. It currently contains five teams: the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.
The division was originally formed as the Northwest Division in 1993, as part of an NHL realignment that saw the league’sMinnesotateams move from the then-ailing Norris Division to a new division with all Canadian teams. The division was later renamed thePacificDivision in 1998, when another realignment saw San Jose Sharks move into the division from the now-defunct Campbell Conference.
Since its inception, the Pacific Division has been very competitive, with all of its teams making at least one Stanley Cup playoff appearance. In fact, every team in the division has won at least one Stanley Cup title since 1993, with three teams (the Ducks, Kings and Sharks) winning multiple championships.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the sixteen teams that make the NHL playoffs are the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
