How Many Rounds are in the NHL Playoffs?

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually contested by the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs.

Introduction

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 16 teams in the Western Conference. The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series of the playoffs and is awarded to the best team in the NHL.

How the Playoffs Work

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven series played between the eight teams that qualified for the playoffs. The first two rounds are played within the conference, the first round being a best-of-five series and the second round being a best-of-seven series. The conference winners then advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Format

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoff system is a four-round elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL regular season. The Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the league champion at the end of the playoffs, is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, who was Governor General of Canada when the first playoff tournament was held in 1892 and who donated it as a trophy to be awarded to the country’s top-ranking amateur hockey team. The playoff system was first established in 1915, when the NHL took control of the Stanley Cup and instituted a best-of-seven series to determine its champion (replacing a challenge system where teams previously competed for the Cup). From 1922 onwards, all rounds of the playoffs have been best-of-seven.

The Stanley Cup playoffs consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final round, nicknamed the Stanley Cup Finals. Since 1994, home ice advantage in each round has been given to teams with better regular season records than their opponents; previously it had been alternating between east and west regardless of seed.

Thirty teams compete in six divisions for spots in the playoffs: two teams per division receive an automatic berth into what are called Wild Card spots while four other division winners receive berths (seeds 1–4). In addition, two division runners-up with available berth also earn spots in what are called Play In Round games consisting of best-of-three series where those eight teams battle for remain four Seeds 5–8 for entry into First Round games.

The Schedule

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified for the postseason by having one of the top 16 records in either the Eastern or Western Conference during the regular season.

Seeds one through three are reserved for division winners. The team with the best record in each conference is awarded the first seed, regardless of division. The second seed goes to the team with the second-best record, also regardless of division. The third seed goes to the team with the third-best record in each conference, also regardless of division.

The remaining four seeds go to the two teams in each conference with the next-best records, regardless of division. These teams are “wild cards.”

How Many Rounds are in the Playoffs?

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament held after the conclusion of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) regular season. The playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL), commonly referred to as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) regular season.

The First Round

The first round of the playoffs, or the conference quarterfinals, is a best-of-seven series between eight teams: the three division winners in each conference and the two wild-card teams in each conference.

The Second Round

In the second round, the four remaining teams in each conference compete in two best-of-seven series. The winners of those series advance to the conference finals.

The Conference Finals

The Conference Finals are the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The conference champions from the two respective conferences (Western and Eastern) face off against each other in a best-of-seven series. The team that wins this series will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Stanley Cup Final

The Stanley Cup Final is a best-of-seven series between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences, to determine the League champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup.

Conclusion

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