How Will The NHL Playoffs Work?

The NHL playoffs are upon us and there’s a lot on the line. So how will they work?

NHL Playoffs Format

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL regular season. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the playoff champion at the end of the playoffs.

16 teams will qualify for the playoffs

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 16 teams will qualified for the playoffs. 8 teams from each conference will play each other in a best-of-seven series in the first two rounds. The conference Final and Stanley Cup Final will be best-of-seven series as well.

The top three teams in each division will earn automatic berths into the playoffs. The next two teams with the highest point totals regardless of division will earn the Wild Card spots in each conference.

The top four teams in each conference will receive a bye to the second round

In the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, the bottom four teams in each conference will play a best-of-five series to determine who advances to the first round of the playoffs. The matchups will be:

Western Conference
No. 5 Calgary Flames vs. No. 12 Winnipeg Jets
No. 6 Nashville Predators vs. No. 11 Arizona Coyotes
No. 7 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 10 Minnesota Wild
No. 8 Chicago Blackhawks vs. No 9 Edmonton Oilers

Eastern Conference
No 5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No 12 Montreal Canadiens
No 6 Carolina Hurricanes vs Philadelphia Flyers
No 7 NY Islanders vs Florida Panthers
No 8 Toronto Maple Leafs Columbus Blue Jackets

The first round will be a best-of-five series

The NHL’s return-to-play format for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers was announced on May 26. The 24-team tournament will begin with 16 best-of-five series in the first round. The eight winners will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The first round will be a best-of-five series, with each team playing one game at a time. The higher seed in each matchup will host Games 1, 2 and 5 (if necessary), while the lower seed will host Games 3 and 4 (if necessary). Seeding for the first round will be determined by points percentage at the time of the pause.

How Will The NHL Playoffs Work?

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL’s regular season. The playoffs are contested by the top four teams in each of the league’s two conferences. The conference quarterfinals are best-of-five games, the conference semifinals and finals are best-of-seven games.

The NHL playoffs will begin on August 1

The NHL playoffs will begin on August 1 and will feature a 24-team tournament. The top 12 teams in each conference will play in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding for the first round of the playoffs. The bottom four teams in each conference will play a best-of-five series to qualify for the first round of the playoffs. The first round of the playoffs will be a best-of-seven series and will be played between August 11 and 31. The conference finals will be played between September 1 and 15, and the Stanley Cup Final will be played between September 16 and 28.

The Stanley Cup Finals will be played in September

Although the Stanley Cup Final will not be played until September, the NHL playoffs will begin in August. It is unclear how many teams will participate in the playoffs, as the league has not yet released its schedule for next season. However, it is expected that the playoffs will be similar to those of previous years, with 16 teams from each conference competing for the Stanley Cup.

The NHL playoffs will be held in two Canadian cities

The NHL playoffs will be held in two Canadian cities, with the first two rounds being held in Edmonton and the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final taking place in Toronto.