How Many Games In First Round Of Nhl Playoffs?

The first round of the NHL playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The higher-seeded team in each series hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the lower-seeded team hosts Games 3 and 4.

If a series is tied 2-2, then a Game 5 is played. If the series is tied 3-3, then a Game 7 is played.

How the Playoffs Work

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL regular season to determine the league champion. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the playoff champion at the end of the playoffs.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven series

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games advances to the next round, while the losing team is eliminated from the playoffs.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a best-of-seven series between the top seed in each conference and the wild card team with the lesser record. The better seed hosts games one, two, five, and seven (if necessary), while the other team hosts games three, four, and six (if necessary).

If a series is tied after seven games, then it is decided by a best-of-seven overtime period. During this period, each team plays until it scores a goal. The first team to score in overtime wins the game and the series.

The First Round is a best-of-seven series

In the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the top three teams in each division make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four spots are filled by the next two highest-scoring teams in the conference, regardless of division. It’s possible for one division in each conference to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends just three.

Seeds 1 – Atlantic 4 – Metropolitan
2 – Central 5 – Pacific
3 – Pacific 6 – wild card 1
The First Round matchups are:

1A – Atlantic vs. WC1
2C – Central vs. 3P – Pacific
1M – Metropolitan vs. WC2
2P – Pacific vs. 3A – Atlantic
The Second Round pits the winners of these series against each other in two best-of-seven series with re-seeding:

Round 2
1A/WC1 winner vs. 2C/3P winner 1M/WC2 winner vs. 2P/3A winner
The Conference Finals are two best-of-seven series with re-seeding:

Conference Finals
CF1 winner vs. CF2 winner

How Many Games in the First Round?

The first round of the NHL playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team that has the better regular-season record gets home-ice advantage. If the series is tied after seven games, then there is a mini game to determine who advances.

There are four possible scenarios

In a best-of-seven series, the team with home ice advantage (the higher seed) will have home ice for games one, two, five, and seven. The other team will have home ice for games three, four and (if necessary) six.

If the higher seed wins game one, they will play at home again in game two. If the lower seed wins game one, they will be at home for game two as well.

If the series is tied 1-1 after two games, it then becomes a best-of-five series. The teams will alternate who has home ice each game. So if the higher seed won game one, the lower seed would have home ice for game three.

If the lower seed won both games one and two, they would have home ice advantage for the rest of the series.

The most likely scenario is that there will be seven games in the First Round

In a normal year, the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs would consist of eight best-of-seven series. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHL has opted to have a 24-team playoff this year. As a result, there will be sixteen teams in the First Round instead of the usual eight.

So how many games will be played in the First Round? The most likely scenario is that there will be seven games in each series. However, it is possible that some series could go to five or six games if one team is significantly better than its opponent. It is also possible that a few series could go to eight or even nine games if the teams are evenly matched.

Ultimately, it is up to the NHL and the teams to decide how many games will be played in each series. The league has said that it is open to all possibilities and that no decision has been made yet.

What Happens if There are Seven Games in the First Round?

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series. This means that the first round can have a maximum of seven games. If all seven games are played, then the team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage in the first round.

The team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, the team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage regardless of whether there are six, seven, or eight teams in their conference bracket.

The format for the first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team with home-ice advantage will host Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. The other team will host Games 3, 4, and 6.

If a series is tied after six games, then Game 7 will be played at the arena of the team with home-ice advantage.

The team with the better regular season record will play the first two games at home

The higher-seeded team in each first-round matchup will play the first two games of the series at home. If the series is tied after two games, the next two games will be played at the lower-seeded team’s home rink. Once again, if the series is tied after four games, it will move back to the higher-seeded team’s home rink for Game 5. From there, it’s a 2-2-1-1-1 format until one team has four wins.

What Happens if There are Six Games in the First Round?

In a best of seven series, if the higher seed team wins the first six games, then they will advance to the next round. If the lower seed team wins the first six games, then they will have to play a seventh game to determine who advances.

The team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage

If there are six games in the first round of the NHL playoffs, the team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage. The team with the better record will play three home games and three away games, while the team with the worse record will play two home games and four away games.

The team with the better regular season record will play the first two games at home

If the team with the better regular season record wins four games before the other team wins three, the series is over. If the team with the better record only wins three games, the fourth game is played in the arena of the team with the worse record. The fifth and seventh (if necessary) games are played according to normal playoff rules, meaning they alternate between home arenas.

What Happens if There are Five Games in the First Round?

If there are five games in the first round of the NHL playoffs, the top seed in each conference will get a bye to the second round. The other eight teams will play each other in the first round. The four winners will advance to the second round, where they will play the top seeds.

The team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage

In a best-of-seven series, the team with home-ice advantage — that is, the team with the better regular season record — will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The other team will host Games 3, 4 and 6. But if there are five games in the first round, it means that one of the teams had a bye through the Qualifying Round. In that case, that team would host Games 1, 2 and 5 (with Games 6 and 7 on the road, if necessary).

The team with the better regular season record will play the first two games at home

If the two teams have identical records, then the team that won the season series between the two teams will receive home-ice advantage. In the first round of the playoffs, the team with the better regular season record will play the first two games at home. If one team has a better regular season record than the other and also won the season series between the two teams, then that team will receive home-ice advantage and will play three of the first five games at home.

What Happens if There are Four Games in the First Round?

If there are four games in the first round of the NHL playoffs, the higher-seeded team will play the lower-seeded team. The other two games will be played between the second and third seeded teams. The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games will advance to the next round.

The team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage

In a format where there are four games in the first round, the team with the better regular season record will have home-ice advantage. That team will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The other team will host Games 3, 4 and 6.

The team with the better regular season record will play the first two games at home

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team with the better regular season record will play the first two games at home, and the next two games, if necessary, on the road. If the series is tied at two games apiece, then the fifth and sixth games will be played at the better regular season team’s home arena. The seventh game, if necessary, will be played at the arena of the team with the better regular season record.