How Many Games In The First Round Of The NHL Playoffs?

The first round of the NHL playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The higher-seeded team will have home-ice advantage.

How the NHL 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 qualify for the playoffs. The conference quarterfinals are best-of-seven series. The winners of the first round face the winners of the second round, called the conference semifinals.

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL) and is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. It was commissioned in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup and is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada who donated it as an award to Canada’s top-ranking amateur hockey club. The entire Stanley family became associated with the trophy, as it was handed out to them by each subsequent Governor General of Canada.

The Conference Finals

The Conference Finals are the penultimate round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the Conference Finals, the four remaining teams in each conference—two from each division that qualified in the first two rounds—play each other in a best-of-seven series. The team with the better regular season record in each series has home-ice advantage.

If a series is tied after four games, home-ice advantage is given to the team with the better regular season record. If the series is still tied after six games, it goes to a seventh and deciding game, where home-ice advantage is again given to the team with the better regular season record.

The Stanley Cup Finals

If a series is tied after the first four games, it becomes a best-of-3 series. The team that scored the most goals in the regular season gets home-ice advantage, meaning they get to play the first two games at home. If the series is still tied after six games, then it’s time for Game 7 – the deciding game. The team with home-ice advantage gets to play this game at home as well.

The Stanley Cup Finals is a best-of-7 series between the winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. The winner of this series becomes the Stanley Cup champion.

How Many Games in the First Round?

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series. The first two games of the series are played at the home of the lower-seeded team. The next two games are played at the higher-seeded team’s home. If the series is tied at two games apiece, the fifth and sixth games are played at the lower-seeded team’s home. The seventh game, if necessary, is played at the higher-seeded team’s home.

The NHL Playoffs Format

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL’s regular season. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the playoff champion at the end of each season. The playoffs consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The three divisional champions in each conference, along with the two conference runners-up with the next best regular season records regardless of divisional or conference alignment, qualify for the playoffs.

The seeding of the playoff teams within each divisional bracket is based on regular season points. In each round, the higher seeded team has home ice advantage, meaning they host (and therefore get last change) every game. Prior to 2013, home ice advantage was determined by total regular season points; if two teams were tied in points and met in the playoffs without one having more wins than losses vs. each other during that regular season (the first tiebreaker), then home ice advantage would go to whichever team had more standings points vs. common opponents that season (the second tiebreaker). Thus, from 1997 until 2013 if two teams from different conferences were tied at the end of a season and they had not played an equal number of head-to-head games due to being in different conferences they would have had their first playoff series played entirely at one team’s arena as determined by standings points vs. common opponents as opposed to following a 2–2–1–1–1 format as it is used now; interconference de facto home games was commonly referred to as “gaming” or “chicanery”. Finally, where both teams have identical records vs common opponents and there are an odd number of such common opponents so that one cannot be assured that there would be no more head-to-head meetings should multiple such matchups occur later in a given postseason tournament (the third tiebreaker), a coin toss is used; if it fails to break a tie for either second or third place it is only used for seeding purposes within each division if necessary due to another tiebreaker not adequately doing so.

The First Round

In the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there are usually five games played. The higher-seeded team hosts the first three games and, if necessary, the final two games. So, if a team is seeded fourth, they will host games one, two and five (if necessary). The lower-seeded team hosts game three and four (if necessary).

How Many Games in the First Round?

In the first round of the NHL playoffs, each team plays a best-of-seven series. The team that finish with the better regular-season record gets home-ice advantage, meaning they would host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary). The format has been in place since 1987.

The First Round of the NHL Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are upon us and there are sure to be some great match-ups.

The Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Blue Jackets qualified for the playoffs as the second wild card team in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning are the Presidents’ Trophy winners as the team with the best record in the NHL this season.

The Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals are owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, headed by Ted Leonsis. Bill Daly serves as the general manager and Todd Reirden serves as the head coach.

The 2018–19 Washington Capitals season was the 45th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974. The Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights four games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals. This was their first appearance in the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 1998, when they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings. Additionally, it was their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since losing to Detroit in seven games back in 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks season.

The Vegas Golden Knights

In their inaugural season, the Golden Knights have been one of the most dominant teams in the NHL. They have set numerous records, including becoming the first expansion team to sweep a playoff series. Vegas finished the regular season with 109 points, good for first place in the Pacific Division.

The Second Round of the NHL Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are in full swing and the second round is already underway. So far, the playoffs have been full of upsets and surprises. The first round saw the elimination of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Predators began play as an expansion team in the 1998–99 NHL season.

The Winnipeg Jets

After a stunning victory against the Nashville Predators, the Winnipeg Jets are moving on to the second round of the NHL playoffs.

Many people were wondering how many games would be in the first round of the NHL playoffs, but it turns out that there are only four.

The Jets will face either the Vegas Golden Knights or the San Jose Sharks in the second round.

The Pittsburgh Penguins

After losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins have rebounded in a big way. They swept the Flyers in four games and have now advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

The Penguins will take on the Washington Capitals in the second round. The Capitals are fresh off a series victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Capitals won that series in seven games.

The second round of the playoffs will begin on Thursday, May 2nd. The schedule for that series has not been announced yet.

The Third Round of the NHL Playoffs

8 teams will be playing in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The series are best-of-seven and are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. The higher seed will host Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 while the lower seed will host Games 3, 4, and 6.

The Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has been in existence since 1924, making them the third-oldest active team in the NHL, and the oldest to be based in the United States.

The Bruins have won six Stanley Cup championships, tied for fourth most of any team with the Chicago Blackhawks. Their home arena is TD Garden, where they have played since 1995. Prior to that, they played at Boston Garden from 1928 to 1995.

The Bruins began play in 1924 as an expansion team, joining the NHL as part of its first wave of expansion to double the league’s size from six to twelve teams. The 1927–28 season was then notable for Boston’s first Stanley Cup win – and because it was the only appearance by a U.S.-based team in an final series through 1966.

The Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and FC Barcelona of Spain’s La Liga. The Maple Leafs’ broadcasting rights are split between BCE Inc. (English-language) and Rogers Communications Inc. (French-language), with Rogers also owning the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and produces all games not aired on CBC Television or Sportsnet in Canada, including those on NHL Network in the United States.

The San Jose Sharks

After a close series, the Sharks finally prevailed over the Avalanche in overtime of game seven.

The Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals are upon us and it’s time to find out how many games each team will need to win in order to take home the coveted trophy. The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games advances to the next round.

The St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blues play their home games at the 19,150-seat Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis. Enterprise Center is the second-oldest arena in the NHL, behind Madison Square Garden, which opened two years earlier in 1968.

The team is named after the famous W.C. Handy song “Saint Louis Blues”, and plays in blue, silver and white uniforms. The franchise was founded in 1967 as an expansion team during the league’s original expansion from six to 12 teams. The Blues are the oldest NHL team never to have won the Stanley Cup, which is currently held by the most recent Stanley Cup champions, the Boston Bruins.

The Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are in the Stanley Cup Finals!
The Stars will be playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
The Stars have never won the Stanley Cup, but they have been to the Finals three times.
This will be the first time that the Stars and Lightning have played each other in the playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Avalanche were founded in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques and were one of the charter franchises of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as a result of the NHL–WHA merger. Following the 1994 season, they were sold to COMSAT Video Enterprises and relocated to Denver.

The Avalanche have won nine division titles and qualified for the playoffs in each of their first 21 seasons, with their first appearance coming as the Quebec Nordiques in 1982. Among teams in North America, only the Original Six teams—the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs—have longer active playoff streaks. As a result of their strong play in recent years, they are sometimes referred to as “President’s Trophy winners” or “PT losers”.