How Many Games Are In The NHL Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are upon us, and we’re here to give you a primer on everything you need to know about the Stanley Cup chase.

NHL Playoffs 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 conference (Western and Eastern), based on regular season records, compete for the Stanley Cup, the league championship.

Number of teams

The playoffs to determine the Stanley Cup champion, consists of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The four teams remaining in each conference (the two division winners and the two wild card teams) compete in the first round of the playoffs.

Seeding

The NHL seeding system is a set of rules implemented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to determine which teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, and to differentiate between conference and divisional matches during playoff rounds.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament involving 16 teams from the NHL; eight teams from each of the league’s two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

Seeds one through three in each conference go to the division winners, with seed four given to the team with the next best regular season record. The remaining four conference qualifiers are seeded fifth through eighth based on regular season record.

During rounds one and two of the playoffs, home ice advantage is awarded to the higher seed in each matchup. In rounds three and four (the Conference Finals), home ice advantage goes to whichever team had the better regular season record regardless of seed.

In the Stanley Cup Final, home ice advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record.

Bracket

The National Hockey League (NHL) Conference Finals are a best-of-seven series played by the two remaining teams of each conference, Central and Pacific, to determine the conference champions of the NHL. The Conference Finals are two best-of-seven series played before the Stanley Cup Final, which is also a best-of-seven series.

The Conference Finals began on Saturday, April 28, and ended on Thursday, May 10. The first round was a best-of-seven series played between the top three teams in each division: the first seed in the conference played the third seed in the conference, and the second seed in the conference played against the wild card team. The Central Division had all of its teams qualify for the playoffs while only two teams from the Pacific Division qualified.

The bracket for the 2018 NHL playoffs is shown below.

How Many Games Are In The NHL Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series. The first two rounds are played within the conference, with the winners of each conference advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

First Round

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team that has the better regular-season record will have home ice advantage, meaning they will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The other team will host Games 3, 4 and 6.

Second Round

In the second round, the four remaining teams in each conference play each other in two best-of-seven series. So, a total of eight teams will advance to the third round.

Conference Finals

The conference finals are the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The two remaining teams in each conference play each other in a best-of-seven series. The conference champions then move on to the Stanley Cup Final.

Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup Final is the NHL’s championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America’s oldest professional sports trophy. The Stanley Cup Final series is played in a best-of-seven format.

The two teams that compete in the Stanley Cup Final are determined by a best-of-seven playoff series held before the final. The two conference champions (one from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conference) play each other in the final series.

Conclusion

Finals
The NHL Finals are a best-of-seven series between the champions of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.