What NHL Teams Are In The Playoffs?

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified for the playoffs.

NHL Teams

The NHL playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL’s regular season to determine the league’s champion for that season. The playoffs are contested by the top sixteen teams in the league: the winner of each of the four divisions, and the top two wild-card teams in the league.

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Western Conference. Both conferences are made up of 16 teams, 8 from Canada and the United States. The Eastern Conference is home to some of the most popular teams in the NHL, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Boston Bruins. These teams are some of the most successful in recent years, with the penguins winning 3 Stanley cups in a row from 2016 to 2018.

Western Conference

The Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is one of two conferences of the NHL. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference. Previously known as the Clarence Campbell Conference (or Campbell Conference for short), it was created in 1974 when the NHL realigned its teams into two conferences and four divisions.

As of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference has 16 Teams. The current divisional alignment was introduced in 2013:

Central Division:
-Chicago Blackhawks
-Colorado Avalanche
-Dallas Stars
-Minnesota Wild
-Nashville Predators
-St. Louis Blues
-Winnipeg Jets

NHL Standings

As the NHL regular season comes to an end, the teams that have clinched a playoff spot are getting ready for the Stanley Cup run.

Eastern Conference

The NHL standings for the Eastern Conference are as follows:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (94 points)
2. Boston Bruins (92 points)
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (91 points)
4. Montreal Canadiens (89 points)
5. Florida Panthers (87 points)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (83 points)
7. Philadelphia Flyers (81 points)
8. New York Islanders (80 points)

Western Conference

The Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is one of two conferences of the NHL, the other being the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference comprises 15 teams, divided into two divisions: the Central Division and the Pacific Division.

NHL Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are an exciting time of year for hockey fans. All of the teams are fighting for the Stanley Cup, and anything can happen. This year, there are some new teams in the playoffs, and some teams that haven’t been in the playoffs in awhile. Let’s take a look at the teams that are in the playoffs this year.

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference consists of 16 teams, eight of which are in Canada and eight of which are in the United States. Of these 16 teams, the top three seeds automatically advance to the playoffs, while the remaining five teams compete in a play-in round for the final spot in the playoffs.

In the first round of the playoffs, the seeds compete in a best-of-seven series. The team with the better regular season record receives home ice advantage, meaning they will host Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if necessary). The first round winners advance to the second round, where they compete in another best-of-seven series. The second round winners advance to the Conference Finals, and the Conference Finals winners advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The following is a list of teams that qualified for the 2020 NHL playoffs:

Boston Bruins (1)
Tampa Bay Lightning (2)
Washington Capitals (3)
Philadelphia Flyers (4)
Pittsburgh Penguins (5)
Carolina Hurricanes (6)
New York Islanders (7)
Columbus Blue Jackets (8)

Western Conference

The Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is made up of 15 teams, divided into two divisions.
-Central: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets
-Pacific: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights

The Stanley Cup Playoffs is an elimination tournament in the NHL to determine the season’s league champion. The playoffs are currently underway and will continue until June.