What Teams Are In The Nhl Playoffs 2022?

The NHL playoffs are just around the corner, and here’s everything you need to know about which teams are in and who to watch out for.

NHL Teams

As of right now, the NHL teams that have qualified for the playoffs are the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Eastern Conference

The NHL’s Eastern Conference is made up of 16 teams, 8 from the ‘Original Six’ division and 8 from the newer Metropolitan division. The conference is split into two divisions, the Atlantic and the Metropolitan.

The Atlantic division consists of:
-Boston Bruins
-Buffalo Sabres
-Detroit Red Wings
-Florida Panthers
-Montreal Canadiens
-Ottawa Senators
-Tampa Bay Lightning
-Toronto Maple Leafs

The Metropolitan division consists of:
-Carolina Hurricanes
-Columbus Blue JacketsPhiladelphia Flyers
-New Jersey Devils
-New York Islanders
-New York Rangers
-Pittsburgh Penguins

Washington Capitals

Western Conference

The Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is one of two conferences in the NHL, the other being the Eastern Conference. Together, they form the NHL conference playoffs. The top three teams in each division qualify for the playoffs and are seeded 1-3 based on their regular season record. The next two best teams in each conference (based on regular season record) are also given wild card spots and are seeded 4 and 5.

In the first round of the playoffs, the divisional seeds (1-3) play each other while the wild card teams (4 and 5) play each other. The divisional winners then advance to the second round to play each other while the wild card winners advance to play each other. The conference winners then advance to the Stanley Cup Final to play for the Stanley Cup.

As of 2021, the Western Conference has 14 teams:

Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights

NHL Playoffs

The Stanley Cup Playoffs (NHL Playoffs) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The two teams remaining after the final series are awarded the Stanley Cup.

Qualifying Round

The qualifying round will feature the top four teams in each conference playing best-of-five series to determine which teams advance to the Round Robin and which team will be seeded No. 7 or No. 8 in their respective conference for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

First Round

In the First Round of the playoffs, the top three teams in each division and two wild card teams in each conference play each other in best-of-seven series.

Second Round

Nashville Predators vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues

Conference Finals

In the Conference Finals, the four remaining teams in each conference (Eastern and Western) play each other in best-of-seven series to determine which team will advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Conference Finals are currently scheduled to begin on May 16, 2022 and end no later than June 4, 2022. The exact schedule has not yet been released.

The Conference Finals are typically held in late May or early June.

Stanley Cup Finals

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the regular season to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America’s oldest professional sports trophy.

The playoffs began on April 11, 2018, and will end on June 8, with the Stanley Cup Finals held in mid-June.

There are sixteen teams in the playoffs, eight from each conference. The conference quarter-finals are best-of-seven series; all subsequent rounds are best-of-seven.

The Stanley Cup Finals is played in a best-of-seven format. The Eastern Conference champion plays the Western Conference champion in the Finals.

The team that has won four games in the series is declared the winner and receives the Stanley Cup.

NHL Stanley Cup

It’s that time of year again! The NHL playoffs are just around the corner and we can’t wait to see who will take home the Stanley Cup this year. There are a lot of great teams in the playoff race this year, but only a few can make it to the finals. Who do you think will be in the NHL playoffs this year?

Stanley Cup Winners

The heritage of the Stanley Cup began with Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the Earl of Derby, who purchased a silver bowl for 10 guineas (approximately $48.67 in today’s funds) to serve as a trophy for the best amateur hockey team in Canada.

The first official Stanley Cup playoffs were held in 1894, when Ottawa defeated Montreal 3-0 in a best-of-five series. The playoff format has changed many times over the years, but the basic idea has remained the same: The Stanley Cup champion is the team that wins four best-of-seven playoff series.

The original rules specified that seven players were to be on the ice for each team, but this was changed to six players in 1917. The number of players remained at six until 1919, when it was increased to seven again.

In 2010, the NHL realigned its 30 teams into two conferences: The Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference is further divided into two divisions: The Atlantic Division and the Metropolitan Division in the East, and the Central Division and the Pacific Division in
the West.
At present, 16 teams make it to the playoffs: The division winners in each conference (three division winners per conference) and two wild card teams per conference (the two non-division winners with the next best records).

In each round of the playoffs, teams are matched up based on seeding (which is determined by regular-season standings). For example, if Team A finished first in its division and Team B finished second, then Team A would have home ice advantage (meaning it would get to host four out of a possible seven games) against Team B.

Stanley Cup Losers

While winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal for every NHL team, not every team can be a winner. In fact, for most teams, losing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a much more likely outcome.

There have been a total of 28 Stanley Cup losers since the NHL playoff format was introduced in its current form in 1994. This includes teams that have lost in the Stanley Cup Final, as well as teams that have been eliminated in earlier rounds of the playoffs.

The list of Stanley Cup losers is dominated by a few teams. The New York Rangers have lost the most Stanley Cup Finals with six losses, while the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks have each lost five times.

A few other teams have also been frequent losers in the playoffs, including the Los Angeles Kings (four losses), Detroit Red Wings (three losses), and Ottawa Senators (three losses).

Ironically, some of the teams that have been frequent losers in the playoffs have also had some of the best regular-season records in NHL history. The Sabres have lost five Stanley Cup Finals despite having the best record in the NHL twice (in 1998 and 2006), while the Kings have also had four playoff losses despite having the best record in 2012.