When Will the NHL Playoffs Start?
Contents
Get the latest update on when the NHL playoffs will start. The NHL playoffs are one of the most highly anticipated events of the year.
Introduction
The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an 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. “Playoffs” is a term used for all major professional sports leagues in North America, including Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL).External links to other sites are provided for your convenience, but Sports-Reference.com does not control their content or endorse their products/services.
The NHL playoffs consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The three divisional winners in each conference, plus the two “wild card” teams with the next best records regardless of division, qualify for the playoffs. The final two rounds, the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals, are played between the winners of each respective round.
What is the NHL?
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America, currently comprising 31 teams: 24 in the United States and seven in 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 NHL was established in 1917 as the successor to the National Hockey Association (NHA), which was created in 1909. After suiting up for 10 years, the NHL’s first superstar was Newsy Lalonde, who scored 227 goals in his career while adding another 48 as a physical force during that time. The next decade saw more stars enter the league, including Howie Morenz, King Clancy, Eddie Shore and Cy Denneny.
How the NHL Playoffs Work
16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The format is a best-of-seven series. The team with the better regular-season record receives home-ice advantage, meaning four of the seven games will be played at their home arena.
The playoffs are split into two rounds: the first round (or the qualifying round) and the second round (or the divisional round). In each round, the higher-seeded team is matched up against the lower-seeded team.
The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-five series. The divisional round is a best-of-seven series. The conference finals and Stanley Cup Final are both best-of-seven series.
When Do the NHL Playoffs Start?
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.
Conclusion
The NHL playoff schedule has not yet been released, but it is typically released a week or two before the playoffs begin. The NHL playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 11, 2018.
