NHL Playoff Magic Numbers: What You Need to Know

With the NHL regular season winding down, we take a look at each team’s magic number for clinching a playoff berth.

What is a magic number in the NHL playoffs?

In the NHL, every game matters and teams are always fighting for position in the standings. But what exactly is a “magic number”?

A magic number is the number of points a team needs to clinch a playoff spot, or to eliminate their closest competitor from contention. The Magic Number can change on a daily basis, based on the outcome of games.

For example, let’s say the Tampa Bay Lightning have 100 points and are in first place in the Atlantic Division Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 16. That means any combination of 16 points gained by the Lightning (via wins, losses or overtime/shootout losses) or lost by their closest competitors will result in Tampa Bay clinching a spot in the playoffs.

The magic number can also be used to eliminate a team from contention. In this case, it would be the number of points needed by the Lightning’s closest competitor to surpass them in the standings. If the Boston Bruins were in second place with 95 points, their magic number to eliminate Tampa Bay would be 21 – meaning they would need to earn 21 more points than the Lightning over the course of the season to pass them in the standings.

The magic numbers are different for each team and can change on a daily basis throughout the season. Keep track of them here to see which teams are on track to clinch a playoff spot – or be eliminated from contention!

How is a magic number determined?

If you’re an NHL Fan you’ve probably heard the term “magic number” thrown around a lot lately. But what exactly is a magic number, and how is it determined?

A magic number is the number of points a team needs to clinch a playoff spot. It can also be the number of points a team needs to clinch the Presidents’ Trophy, which is awarded to the team with the best record in the league.

To determine a team’s magic number, you need to know two things: the number of points the team has, and the number of points its closest competitor has. Let’s say Team A has 90 points and Team B has 80 points. Team A’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot would be 10—that means if Team A gets 10 more points (or if Team B loses 10 points), Team A will secure a playoff spot.

Things gets a little more complicated when there are multiple teams competing for a spot. In that case, you need to do some math to figure out each team’s magic number. Let’s say there are three teams vying for two playoff spots. Team A has 90 points, Team B has 85 points, andTeam C has 80 points. To determine each team’s magic number, you would take the total number of points available (in this case, there are 27 remaining games in the season, so 27 x 2 = 54) and subtract each team’s current point total. So for Team A, it would be 54 – 90 = -36; for Team B, it would be 54 – 85 = -29; and for Team C, it would be 54 – 80 = -24. The negative numbers mean that these teams are not currently on pace to clinch a playoff spot—they would need more than 54 points to do so.

The magic numbers can change on a nightly basis during the NHL season—so if you’re a hockey fan make sure you keep up with them!

What teams are currently in the playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are in Full Swing and there are a few teams that have already clinched their spot in the postseason. In order to make things a bit easier to follow, we’ve compiled a list of all the teams that are currently in the playoffs, as well as their magic numbers.

Washington Capitals: 108 points, clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division
Pittsburgh Penguins 104 points, clinched playoff berth
Philadelphia Flyers: 99 points, clinch playoff berth with any combination of three points earned by them or lost by the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes 94 points, eliminated from playoff contention

Boston Bruins: 105 points, clinched first place in the Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay Lightning 105 points, clinched first place in the Atlantic Division
Toronto Maple Leafs 103 points, clinch playoff berth with any combination of seven points earned by them or lost by the Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers 92 points, eliminated from playoff contention

Winnipeg Jets: 106 points, clinched first place in the Central Division
Nashville Predators 101 points, clinch playoff berth with any combination of five points earned by them or lost by the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche 95 points, eliminated from playoff contention

How many teams make the playoffs?

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional Ice Hockey league composed of 30 member clubs: 23 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is widely considered to be the premier professional ice Hockey League in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup the oldest professional sports trophy in North America is awarded annually to the NHL Playoff champion at the end of each season.

The NHL Playoff Magic Numbers represent the minimum number of points that a team must earn to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The magic numbers are determined by subtracting a team’s current point total from the total of the highest-ranked team that has not yet clinched a playoff berth. For example, if no team has clinched a playoff berth and the Tampa Bay Lightning have 100 points, then the magic number for every other team in contention would be 100-(highest point total of any team not yet clinched).

As of the 2019-20 NHL season there are 16 teams that qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs The top three teams in each division make up the first 12 teams, with two additional teams qualifying from each conference based on their regular-season point totals regardless of divisional alignment. This system assures that every team has a chance to qualify for the playoffs, regardless of their divisional standing.

In recent years it has become more common for teams to clinch a playoff berth well before the end of the regular season This is due in part tothe unbalanced schedule, which gives teams more games against opponents within their own conference than outside of it. As a result, it is not uncommon for one conference to have several teams clinch playoff berths while there are still several weeks remaining in the Regular Season

What is the format of the playoffs?

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 (Eastern and Western), based on regular season records, compete for the Stanley Cup the oldest professional sports trophy in North America

How many rounds are in the playoffs?

The playoffs have been expanded to accommodate more teams. Instead of having four rounds of best-of-7 series in the playoffs, there are now five rounds. Additionally, the first two rounds will be best-of-5 series.

What is the Stanley Cup?

The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), and one of the oldest professional sports trophies in North America. It was first awarded in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club 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 Ice hockey club. The Stanley Cup has been awarded every year since 1893 (with some exceptions), making it the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.

The cup is made of silver and is 7 inches (18 cm) high and 11.5 inches (29 cm) in diameter. It weighs 34.5 pounds (15.5 kg) and holds about 14 ounces (400 ml) of liquid. The bottom of the cup is stamped with the names of every team that has ever won it, as well as every person who has been on a winning team

When a team wins the Stanley Cup their players get to keep it for a day or two before they have to pass it on to the next team member.

Who wins the Stanley Cup?

NHL Playoff Magic Numbers are a way of predicting which team will win the Stanley Cup The magic number is the number of points that a team needs to clinch the Stanley Cup

To find a team’s magic number, you need to know two things: the number of points that the team has already clinched, and the number of points that the team needs to clinch the Cup.

Here’s an example: Let’s say that the Tampa Bay Lightning have clinched 100 points, and they need 103 points to win the Stanley Cup Their magic number would be 3 – that’s the number of points they need to clinch the Cup.

If you’re wondering how this works, it’s actually pretty simple. The magic number is calculated by subtracting a team’s current point total from the maximum number of points that they can earn in the remaining games.

So, if a team has already clinched 100 points, and they can earn a maximum of 103 points in their remaining games, their magic number would be 3.

The NHL Playoff Magic Numbers are updated every day, so be sure to check back often to see who is close to winning the Stanley Cup!

What is the history of the Stanley Cup?

The Stanley Cup is the most coveted prize in professional hockey Its origins date back to 1892, when Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada, purchased a silver punch bowl for 10 guineas (about $50 at the time) to serve as a trophy for the top Hockey Team in Canada.

The original bowl was retired in 1947 and is now on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A replica was made in 1962 and has been used since then. The names of all Stanley Cup winners are engraved on the base of the trophy.

The Stanley Cup is so named because it was first presented to the Winners of rencontre serieuse black homme Stanley Cup final by Lord Stanley’s son, Edward VII, who succeeded his father as Governor General in 1908.

How does a team win the Stanley Cup?

In order to win the Stanley Cup a team must first make the playoffs. The top sixteen teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) standings qualify for the playoffs. The format is a best-of-seven tournament and each series is played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning that the team with home-ice advantage (the higher seed) will host games one, two, five, and seven while the lower seed will host games three, four, and six.

In order to win a playoff series, a team must win four games before their opponent does. If both teams have won three games apiece after six games have been played, then a seventh and final game will be played to determine the winner of the series.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are divided into four rounds: the first round (or qualifying round), the second round (or divisional semifinals), the third round (or conference finals), and the Stanley Cup Final. The first three rounds are played between teams within each conference (Eastern Conference and Western Conference) and are referred to as conference play The Stanley Cup Final is played between the winner of each conference and is therefore considered conference play