How Long Are the NHL Playoffs?

How long are the NHL playoffs?
The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series.

How the NHL Playoffs Work

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series played between the top teams in each conference. The first two rounds are played within the conference, while the conference champions then face off in the Stanley Cup Final. The playoffs begin in April and can last until June.

The regular season

The regular season is when all NHL teams play each other. The season runs from October to April, and each team plays 82 games. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, as well as the two teams with the next best records (regardless of division). That makes for a total of 16 teams in the playoffs.

The Stanley Cup 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 to determine the league champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup. According to several sources, including the Official Rules of the National Hockey League, “(t)he object of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is to determine which of the two finalists deserves to have its name engraved on Lord Stanley’s Mug.”

The playoffs are contested by 16 teams: eight from each Western Conference and eight from each Eastern Conference. These teams compete for their conference respective conference championships and thereafter for the Stanley Cup. The first three rounds are played within each conference by seedings 1–8, with 1 vs. 8; 2 vs. 7; 3 vs. 6; and 4 vs. 5 matchups in each series. In each conference, the first round matches pit 1 seed against 8 seed, 2 against 7, 3 against 6 and 4 against 5 seeds (the division winners play one of the wild card qualifiers outside of their own division). The winners proceed to play one another in Conference Semifinals a best-of-seven series to determine who will advance to the Conference Finals.

Conference Finals pit Conference champions against one another in a best-of-seven series with no reseeding as occurs between other playoff rounds so that if two teams with better records meet in this round, they may have home ice advantage if they had not already earned it through playoff seeding (e.g., Chicago Blackhawks had home ice advantage over Los Angeles Kings in 2014 Western Conference Finals because Chicago had more points during regular season despite Los Angeles having won Pacific Division). Home ice advantage does not guarantee success: since 1947 only seven teams have won Game 7 on home ice to advance to Stanley Cup Final ( Maple Leafs 1948, Canadiens 1971, Islanders 1975 , Oilers 2006 , Bruins 2011 , Blackhawks 2013 , Lightning 2020 ).

The Stanley Cup Final pits Eastern Conference champion against Western Conference champion in a best-of-seven series with home ice determined by regular season record—although cross-over between conferences has occurred only twice since 1994 due to varying degrees of success among Canadian teams during that span (Montreal Canadiens advanced to 2004 Final as Eastern Conference’s 8th seed while Calgary Flames advanced as Western Conference’s 6th seed in 2015—both lost in respective Finals). The better seeded team will host Games 1, 2 and 5 (if necessary), while lower seeded team will host Games 3 and 4 (if necessary); this pattern has been used since 1987 .

How Long the Playoffs Last

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified for the playoffs. The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series of the NHL playoffs. The playoffs begin in April and end in early June.

How many rounds are in the playoffs?

The playoffs are a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games first advances to the next round.

How long does each round last?

The Stanley Cup playoffs (verbally Stanley Cup playoffs or informally 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. The first three rounds determine which team from each division and wild card conferencequalified for the playoffs. The divisional and conference winners then compete against each other in the final round for the Stanley Cup.

How long is the Stanley Cup Final?

The Stanley Cup Final is the last round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The series is played in a best-of-seven format. The team that wins four games wins the series and is crowned Stanley Cup champions.

When Do the Playoffs Start?

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 conference (the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference) qualify for the playoffs. The conference champions play each other in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the playoff champion at the end of each season.

When is the Stanley Cup playoffs schedule released?

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America. The playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the end of the NHL regular season in which two teams from each conference compete for the Stanley Cup, the oldest and most prestigious trophy in professional ice hockey.

The playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 11th and end no later than June 16th.

What are the important dates in the playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series played between the 16 teams that qualify for the postseason. The Stanley Cup Finals is the final series of the playoffs and is played between the conference champions.

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin in April and can last until early June. The specific dates of the playoffs are determined by when each round is scheduled to be completed.

The first two rounds of the playoffs are played within the conference, with the top seed playing the lowest seed and so on. The conference finals pit the two remaining teams from each conference against each other, with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Stanley Cup Finals is a best-of-seven series between the conference champions, with home-ice advantage going to the team with the better regular season record.

Below is a list of important dates for the 2019 NHL playoffs:

First Round:
April 11-25
Conference Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)

Second Round:
April 25 – May 9
Conference Semifinals (best-of-seven)

Conference Finals:
May 9 – May 23
Conference Finals (best-of-seven)

Stanley Cup Final:

How to Watch the Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are an exciting time for hockey fans. Every team is vying for the Stanley Cup, and the games are always intense. If you’re a hockey fan, you’ll want to make sure you catch all the action. But how long do the playoffs last?

What channels will the playoffs be on?

NBC will televise the majority of games during the 2021 NHL playoffs.

Here is the full schedule for the first round of the playoffs:

Game 1: Thursday, April 29

How can I stream the playoffs?

If you’re looking to stream the NHL playoffs, there are a few ways to do it. You can find a list of all the ways to stream the playoffs here.

FAQ

The NHL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held annually to determine the Stanley Cup champion. The playoffs consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The teams with the most points in their respective conference receive a first-round bye.

How many teams make the playoffs?

In the National Hockey League (NHL), 16 teams make the playoffs each year. This represents approximately one-third of the league’s 31 teams.

What is the format of the playoffs?

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament held after the NHL regular season. The playoffs begin in April and end in June, with the Stanley Cup Finals being the last series of the playoffs. teams that qualify for the playoffs are seeded based on their regular season record, with the top seed in each conference playing the lowest seed, and so on.

Who wins the Stanley Cup if the playoffs are cancelled?

If the NHL playoffs are cancelled, the current Stanley Cup champions are the Tampa Bay Lightning.