Is the NHL Playoffs Best of 5?
Contents
- The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series
- The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL)
- The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament
- The first round of the playoffs is the best-of-five series
- The second round of the playoffs is the best-of-seven series
- The conference finals are the best-of-seven series
- The Stanley Cup Finals are the best-of-seven series
- The Stanley Cup is awarded to the team that wins the Stanley Cup Finals
The NHL playoffs are upon us and the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the first round will be a best of five series.
The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series
The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games first advances to the next round.
The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL)
The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was donated by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, in 1892 and is named after him. The Stanley Cup is commonly referred to as Lord Stanley’s Cup, the Cup, or simply the Stanley Cup. Unlike the trophies awarded by the other major professional sports leagues of North America, a new Stanley Cup is not made each year; it becomes older and more valuable as it is passed from one winning team to the next.
The Stanley Cup playoffs, commonly known as the NHL playoffs, are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the regular season to determine which team from each conference will advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament
The Stanley Cup playoffs (French: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) are an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals.
The first round of the playoffs is the best-of-five series
In the first round of the playoffs, all four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The division winner with the best record in each conference is given home-ice advantage and plays the wild card team. The remaining two division winners play one of the wild card teams.
The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-five series. The division winner with the best record in each conference is given home-ice advantage and plays the wild card team. The remaining two division winners play one of the wild card teams.
In the second round, the division winner with the best record in each conference plays one of the three remaining teams from their own conference, with home ice determined by format (2–2–1–1–1 for format A, 2–3–2 for format B). The other two Conference semifinal series are played between the second and third place finishers from each division. Home ice advantage is again determined by format, with 2–2–1–1–1 used if all four remaining teams are from different divisions (potentially allowing a team to host as many as five straight playoff games), and 2–3–2 used if one or more of the four remaining teams come from within its own division (thus being guaranteed to face an opponent it played at least five times during 82 regular season games).
The second round of the playoffs is the best-of-seven series
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, each round is a best-of-seven series. That means that the team who wins four games first advances to the next round, while the other team is eliminated.
This format is used in all four rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs: the first round (or Qualifying Round), the second round (or Conference Semifinals), the third round (or Conference Finals), and the Stanley Cup Final.
The format was last changed for the 1987 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the League went to a best-of-seven format for all four rounds. Prior to that, all rounds were best-of-five except for the Stanley Cup Final, which was best-of-seven.
The conference finals are the best-of-seven series
In the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the format is a best-of-seven series. That means that the team that wins four games first advances to the next round.
But in the conference finals, things change. The conference finals are now a best-of-seven series. That means that the team that wins four games first advances to the Stanley Cup Final.
So if you’re keeping track at home, in the first two rounds of the playoffs, it’s a best-of-seven series. But in the conference finals, it’s a best-of-seven series.
The Stanley Cup Finals are the best-of-seven series
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament held after the National Hockey League’s (NHL) regular season to determine the league champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals. The final round of the playoffs, in which the conference champions face each other in a best-of-seven series, is known as the Stanley Cup Finals and is one of professional ice hockey’s most popular annual events.
The NHL Playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament held after the National Hockey League’s (NHL) regular season to determine the league champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals. The final round of the playoffs, in which the conference champions face each other in a best-of-seven series, is known as the Stanley Cup Finals and is one of professional ice hockey’s most popular annual events.
The Stanley Cup is awarded to the team that wins the Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the Championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL), played between the Eastern and Western conference champions. The Stanley Cup is awarded to the team that wins four games in the best-of-seven game series.
