How Many Games Are in the NHL Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are upon us, and hockey fans everywhere are wondering how many games their team will have to win to hoist the Stanley Cup.

How the Playoffs Work

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 oldest professional sports trophy in North America.

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is the most revered trophy in all of professional sports. It is symbolic of excellence, teamwork, dedication and perseverance. Winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal of every NHL team and its players.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven series played between the top eight teams in each conference. The conference champions then compete for the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup playoffs are held after the regular season and typically begin in mid-April.

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series between the first and eighth seeds in each conference, the second and seventh seeds, the third seed and sixth seed, and the fourth seed and fifth seed. The four winners advance to the second round, where they are reseeded based on their regular season standings (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5).

In the second round, the matchups are again best-of-seven series between reseeded teams. The two winners in each conference advance to the conference finals, which are also best-of-seven series.

The two conference finalists then compete for the Stanley Cup in a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games wins the Stanley Cup. If both teams have won three games apiece after six games, a seventh game is played to determine a winner.

The Conference Finals

The Conference Finals are the third round of the playoffs. The two teams that come out of the Conference Semifinals in each conference will play each other in a best-of-seven series. The team that has the better record in the regular season will have home-ice advantage.

The Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup Final is a best-of-seven series between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences, and it is the culmination of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The winning team receives the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.

The Stanley Cup Final begins in late May or early June, and it can extend into June if necessary. It is a busy time for the teams and their fans, as each game is played at a different arena, usually alternating between home arenas.

Travel can be a big factor in the Stanley Cup Final, as teams often have to fly across the country to play their games. This can be tough on players, who have to deal with the time change and fatigue from all the travel.

The first two games of the series are played at the home arena of the team with the better regular season record. The next three games are played at the home arena of the other team. If necessary, games six and seven are played back at the first team’s arena.

The team that wins four games in the series is crowned champion, and each player on that team gets to take home a miniature replica of the Stanley Cup to keep forever.

How Many Games Are in the Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series. The first two rounds are played within the conference, and the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final are played between the two conference winners.

The First Round

In the first round of the playoffs, there are a total of five games played. Each team plays its opponent twice, with the first team to score four goals advancing to the next round. If the score is tied after regulation time, then each team scores one point and the game goes into overtime. The first team to score in overtime wins the game and advances.

The Conference Finals

In the Conference Finals, the remaining two teams from each conference play each other in a best-of-seven series. The team that wins this series moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup Final is the National Hockey League’s (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America’s oldest professional sports trophy. The Stanley Cup Final runs annually in late May or early June, following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Why Are There So Many Games in the Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are a long and grueling process. There are 82 games in the regular season, and then up to 28 playoff games. That’s a lot of hockey! So why are there so many games in the playoffs? Let’s take a look.

The First Round

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven series played between the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs are split into four rounds, with each round featuring two best-of-seven series.

The first round of the playoffs is typically played between the months of April and May. The first round decides which team will advance to the second round of the playoffs.

In the first round, the higher seeds (based on regular season points) are matched up against the lower seeds. For example, if the Los Angeles Kings are seeded #1 in their conference and the Dallas Stars are seeded #8, then the Kings will play the Stars in the first round.

The Conference Finals

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. The playoffs begin in April after the conclusion of the NHL regular season.

Formerly, the first two rounds consisted of best-of-five series (2–2–1 format), while the last two rounds have been best-of-seven since 1987 (2–3–2 format). All four rounds are played under a single-elimination bracket.

In 2014, due to construction delays at one of the rinks, all Conference Finals series were best-of-seven.

The conference finals are a best-of-seven series played in mid-May between the four remaining teams in each conference, two from each division. The winners of each series advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup Final is the championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The annual end-of-season tournament determines the league champion, and the winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, which is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. The final round of playoffs has been played every year since 1893, except in 1905 and 1919, when no champions were crowned because of controversies.

From 1914 to 1926, the final was a best-of-seven series played between the champions of the NHL’s two conferences, the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the International hockey League (IHL). After 1926, when the WCHL ceased to operate, the NHL continued to crown its champion through a best-of-seven series between the champions of its two divisions: the Canadian Division and
the American Division.

The Stanley Cup Final was first televised in 1952. NBC has aired all but one Final since 1956 (the CBC held Canadian rights to that game). Through 2013, NBC had won 16 Emmy Awards for its coverage of hockey, including 12 for its coverage of the Stanley Cup.