When Do the NHL Hockey Playoffs Start?

The NHL regular season is coming to an end and the playoffs are right around the corner. Here is everything you need to know about when they start.

Introduction

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the NHL’s 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.

What is the NHL?

The NHL (National Hockey League) is a professional ice hockey league in North America, currently comprising 31 teams: 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is 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 league playoff champion at the end of each season.

History

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. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is 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 league playoff champion at the end of each season.

The National Hockey League was established on November 26, 1917, withthe temporary suspension of operations of its predecessor organization,the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been founded in 1909. The NHL took full control of Hockey operations in 1926, after a series of disputes between team owners and Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts. The first awards were handed out two years later: LadyByng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play went to Frank Nighborof the Ottawa Senators while Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadienswas voted best overall player.

On June 28, 1979, thirty-six years later nearly to day (June 29th being acyclical date),    John Ziegler becomes president of NHL succeedingGilbert Perreault

Teams

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. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is 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 league playoff champion at the end of each season.

The National Hockey League was organized on November 26, 1917, at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization, the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been founded in 1909. The NHL immediately took the NHA’s place as one of the leagues that contested for the Stanley Cup in an annual interleague competition before a 1974 merger between the two leagues.

Following expanded playoffs format realignment in 2013, when each team plays every other team at least twice over an 82-game regular season schedule to determine playoff seeding, 16 teams qualify for playoffs: 8 from each conference (the top 4 teams from each division). These teams compete in a best-of-seven series with four rounds leading up to the Conference Finals and finally the Stanley Cup Finals.

How the NHL Works

The National Hockey League, or NHL, is a professional ice hockey league made up of 30 teams from the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, which is the championship trophy of the NHL, is one of the most famous trophies in all of sports.

The NHL regular season runs from October to April, and each team plays 82 games. The top teams in each conference (there are two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference) make the playoffs. The playoffs are a tournament that culminates in the Stanley Cup Final.

In order to win the Stanley Cup, a team must first win four best-of-seven series in the playoffs. So, for example, if a team wins the first three games in a best-of-seven series, they would advance to the next round and would not have to play any more games in that series.

The Stanley Cup Final is played between the two conference champions, and works on a similar best-of-seven format. The team that wins four games first wins the Stanley Cup.

When Do the Playoffs Start?

The NHL hockey playoffs are an exciting time for fans of the sport. The regular season comes to an end and the best teams in the league face off against each other in a battle for the Stanley Cup. But when do the playoffs start?

Qualifying

In order to make the playoffs, a team must first qualify. To qualify, a team must either finish in the top three of their division or be one of the two wild card teams in their conference. The top three teams in each division automatically make the playoffs, while the two wild card teams are the next best two teams in each conference, regardless of division. The seeding for each team is based on their standings points.

Seeding

The Stanley Cup playoffs (French: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) is 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 final round of the playoffs, the Stanley Cup Finals, is played between the two conference champions, with each team playing a maximum of seven games. The Stanley Cup, 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 he donated it as a trophy for Canada’s national sport of hockey.

Schedule

The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among 16 teams that have qualified for the playoffs. The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a best-of-seven series to determine the Stanley Cup champion and the winner of the NHL championship.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are held annually in April and May, after the conclusion of the NHL regular season. In order to make the playoffs, a team must earn one of 16 playoff berths, which are distributed among the league’s two conferences, East and West.

The following is the schedule for this year’s NHL playoffs:

First Round
(Best of 7)

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division Metropolitan Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning 1. Washington Capitals
2. Boston Bruins 2. Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Toronto Maple Leafs 3. Philadelphia Flyers
3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 4. Columbus Blue Jackets 5. Carolina Hurricanes

Central Division Pacific Division

1. Nashville Predators 1. Calgary Flames
2 Winnipeg Jets 2 Anaheim Ducks
3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 3 Vegas Golden Knights 4 San Jose Sharks

Western Conference

First Round
(Best of 7)

Conclusion

The Stanley Cup playoffs (sometimes abbreviated as SC playoffs) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and winner of the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals.