NHL Playoff Schedule: When Will It Be Released?

The NHL playoff schedule has not yet been released, but it is expected to be announced soon. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming NHL playoffs.

Introduction

The National Hockey League playoffs are an annual event in which sixteen teams from the NHL compete for the Stanley Cup. The playoffs began on April 11, 2018, and will conclude on June 7 or 8, 2018, depending on the game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The playoffs will consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first three rounds are played within each conference (Eastern and Western), before the two conference champions face each other in the final round, the Stanley Cup Finals.

Why the NHL Playoffs Matter

The NHL playoffs are a very big deal. Not only are they a time when the best hockey players in the world come together to compete for the Stanley Cup, but they’re also a time when families and friends come together to cheer on their favorite teams. The playoffs also bring out the best in people, as they’re willing to put everything on the line to win.

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers it to be one of the “most important championships available to the sport”. The Stanley Cup was first awarded in 1893 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, 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 hockey club. The entire Stanley family supported the sport, including sons Arthur and Edward, who later succeeded their father as Lord Stanley.

The first two Cups were competed for between amateur clubs; professional teams were first admitted in 1906. In 1910, six teams formed a new professional league, which Angus shaughnessy helped expand into today’s NHL. From 1926 until 1938, only Canadian-based teams could compete for it (hence its nickname at that time of “the Canadian championship”). In 1947, after a sixteen-year drought caused by World War II that saw no playoffs being held and only three teams per division qualifying automatically, a new playoff format was put in place and has been used ever since.

The Importance of the Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are an annual tournament held after the conclusion of the regular season to determine which team from each conference will win the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sixteen teams, eight from each conference, qualify for the playoffs. In most years, this entails each team’s playing 82 games to determine seeding in the playoff tournament: three rounds of best-of-seven series leading to a conference championship and, finally, the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals.

The Stanley Cup is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, who was Governor General of Canada when he donated it in 1892 as a trophy for Canada’s top-ranking amateur hockey team. The Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, as it was first known, was originally open to championship teams from all over Canada. In 1910, professional hockey clubs were allowed to compete for the Stanley Cup and it became known as the National Hockey League Championship. After a series of expandsions and contractions that saw the number of teams in the NHL fluctuate from two to as many as 18 (between 1942 and 1967), the Playoffs were introduced in 1967 to determine a single champion that would represent the entire league in international competition.

The NHL playoffs are considered by many to be one of most exciting post-seasons in all of professional sports. Theelement of surprise is often greater than in other professional leagues’ playoffs because matchups are not determined until after the regular season has concluded and because any team that qualifies has a legitimate shot at winning it all.

How the NHL Playoffs Work

The NHL playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament among the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs.1 The playoff bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. The playoffs are divided into four rounds: the first two rounds are a best-of-seven series played within the three divisions, the third round is the conference finals, and the fourth round is the Stanley Cup Final.

The Format

The National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament being held after the conclusion of the regular season. The Eastern Conference and Western Conference playoff champions will face off in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In each conference, the division winners earn the top three seeds. The next five best teams in each conference, regardless of division, earn the next five seeds. These teams are referred to as “wild card” teams.

The first two rounds of the playoffs are divisional, meaning that in each conference, the first- and second-place finishers in each divisional face each other while the third-place finishers play the wild card teams.

In order for a team to advance to the next round, they must win four games (a best-of-seven series). In order to win a series, one team must score more goals than the other over the course of those four games. If a series is tied 2–2 heading into Game 5, it becomes a best-of-three series where the first team to score two goals advances.

The format for games played during the first two rounds of the playoffs is 2–2–1–1–1 (i.e., two home games for team 1, followed by two away games for team 2, followed by one home game for team 1, followed by one away game for team 2, followed by one final home game for team 1). The same format is then used for Games 5 through 7 if necessary.

For Games 1 through 7 of both Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final series’, ,the format changes to 2–3–2 (i.e., two home games for team 1 followed by three away games for team 2, then two more home games for team 1).

The Schedule

The release of the NHL playoff schedule is one of the most highly anticipated events of the season. The schedule is usually released a few days after the regular season ends, and it determine when each playoff series will be played.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a best-of-seven tournament, meaning that the team who wins four games first will advance to the next round. The first two rounds are played within each conference, meaning that Eastern Conference teams will only play other Eastern Conference teams, and Western Conference teams will only play other Western Conference teams.

The conference finals are then played between the winners of each conference, and the Stanley Cup Final is played between the winner of the Western Conference and the winner of the Eastern Conference.

Schedule release date: TBD
First round: TBD
Conference finals: TBD
Stanley Cup final: TBD

When Will the NHL Playoff Schedule Be Released?

The NHL playoffs are one of the most anticipated events of the year. Fans of all teams wait patiently to see when their team will play. The schedule is usually released a few days before the playoffs start.

When in the Past Has It Been Released?

The NHL playoffs are one of the most highly anticipated events in sports, and hockey fans are always eager to know when the schedule will be released. The schedule is typically released in April, but the exact date can vary from year to year.

In recent years, the schedule has been released on either the first or second Tuesday in April. For example, the schedule was released on Tuesday, April 9th, 2019. It is not uncommon for the league to release the schedule earlier in the day and then followed by a more detailed release later in the day or week.

The NHL playoffs are typically scheduled to start on a Thursday or Friday in mid-April and run through early June. The Stanley Cup Finals are usually scheduled for mid-June.

When Will It Be Announced?

The NHL playoff schedule is not yet announced. The tournament is set to begin on August 1, 2020, and the Stanley Cup Finals are scheduled for September 28.

The first round of the playoffs will be a best-of-seven series. The Conference Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be played in a best-of-seven format, with the Conference Finals being best-of-seven.

For television schedule information, please visit NHL.com closer to the start of the playoffs.

Conclusion

The NHL playoffs are one of the most exciting times of the year for hockey fans, but the schedule is often not released until very close to the start of the playoffs. This can make it difficult to plan for, but there are a few ways to stay up-to-date on when the schedule will be released.

One way is to follow the NHL on social media. The league often posts updates about the playoffs on its Twitter and Facebook accounts, so this is a good way to stay in the loop. Another way is to check various news outlets and hockey websites. These sites will often have articles speculating about when the schedule will be released, and they will usually update their stories as soon as any new information becomes available.

Finally, it can also be helpful to sign up for email newsletters from hockey websites or subscribe to text alerts from your favorite team. This way, you can be sure that you’ll receive notification as soon as the schedule is released.