Who Is In The NHL Playoffs?

The NHL playoffs are just around the corner. Here’s a look at who’s in and who’s out.

Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) is made up of 16 teams. The conference is split into two divisions, the Atlantic and the Metropolitan. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, for a total of six teams from the East. In the first round of the playoffs, the division winners are seeded first and second, and play against the wild-card teams.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league’s third-oldest team overall and the oldest in the United States.

The Bruins have won six Stanley Cup championships, tied for fourth most of any team in the NHL. The first occurred in 1929, when they defeated the New York Rangers to win their first-ever Stanley Cup. The Bruins won back-to-back Stanley Cups again in 2011 and 2012, defeating the Vancouver Canucks and then the Chicago Blackhawks respectively. As a result of winning their fourth championship on June 15, 2011, they became the first team to win three Cup titles in 39 years, surpassing the 1974–75 Philadelphia Flyers as well as becoming just the fifth team ever to do so. Go Bruins!

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The Lightning have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2004, when they defeated the Calgary Flames.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals are owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, headed by Ted Leonsis. From 1974 to 1997 the Capitals played their home games at the Capital Centre, in Landover, Maryland. In 1997 the team moved to the arena now known as Capital One Arena, their present home arena in Washington, D.C.

The franchise was founded in 1974 as an expansion team that made its debut at the beginning of the 1974–75 NHL season. Home games have been played at Capital One Arena since December 2, 1997. The 2009–10 season was the franchise’s 42nd season in the NHL and their 38th season since making their debut during 1974–75 season. With 51 games played during the regular season schedule that began on October 1, 2009 and concluded on April 11, 2010, it marked their shortest regular season schedule since they played 50 during 2000–01 due to that year’s postponement of games because of a labor dispute with league officials which eventually led to a cancellation of that year’s Stanley Cup playoffs and championship. In total 2,146 games have been played with 1, 339 resulting in a win for their franchise and 583 losses for them during regular seasons which includes free-for-all match ups between different teams before there was formal divisions as well as playoff games which they have had 71 wins and 84 losses for a combined total of 2,290 games played with 1,410 resulting in a win overall for their franchise history

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs have won thirteen Stanley Cup championships, second only to the 24 championships of the Montreal Canadiens.

Western Conference

The NHL playoffs are here and the Western Conference is looking as competitive as ever. The top teams in the conference are the Calgary Flames, the San Jose Sharks, and the Nashville Predators. However, any of the teams in the conference could make a run at the Stanley Cup. Let’s take a look at the teams in the Western Conference.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Predators have played their home games at Bridgestone Arena since 1998. The team’s primary mascot is a saber-toothed cat.

Nashville won their first Stanley Cup in 2017, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets began play as the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999–2000 NHL season. True North purchased the team in May 2011 and relocated the franchise from Atlanta, Georgia, to Winnipeg on July 1, 2011. The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks are now the league’s only franchise based in that city after the Thrashers’ relocation.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team began play in the 2017–18 NHL season, and is the expansion team of the league’s 31st franchise. The Golden Knights play their home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sharks play their home games at the SAP Center, known locally as the Shark Tank. They have appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals three times, but have never won. Wikipedia