Who’s In The NHL Playoffs This Year?

It’s that time of year again! The NHL playoffs are just around the corner and we can’t wait to see who’s going to take home the Stanley Cup this year.

Stay up to date on all the latest news and information on who’s in the playoffs this year by following our blog. We’ll also be providing insights and analysis on all the action, so you can be sure to catch all the excitement.

Intro

With less than a month to go in the NHL’s regular season, it’s time to start thinking about the playoffs. Who will be in? Who will be out? Here’s a look at the current playoff landscape.

As of March 3, 2020, the following teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs:
-Boston Bruins
-Tampa Bay Lightning
-Washington Capitals
-Philadelphia Flyers
-Pittsburgh Penguins
-Carolina Hurricanes
-St. Louis Blues
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars

Eastern Conference

There are eight teams in the Eastern Conference vying for the Stanley Cup this year. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the defending champions and are looking to repeat. The Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins are all contenders to come out of the East. Who will take home the title this year?

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 oldest in the United States.

The Bruins began play in the NHL on December 1, 1924, before playing their first official game against the Montreal Maroons on December 4, 1924. They won that game 3–0 and went on to finish their inaugural season with a record of 6–24–0. The Bruins won their first Stanley Cup championship in 1929–30, while playing under head coach Cecil Hart. For much of their history, the Bruins were one of North America’s top teams; they won six Stanley Cup championships between 1929 and 1972 while appearing in 19 Finals overall.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning qualified for the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s second wild card team with 94 points. They defeated the New Jersey Devils in the First Round in five games, but were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, in the Second Round.

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 called Capital One Arena, their present home arena in Washington, D.C.

The franchise began play in 1974 as an expansion team alongside the Kansas City Scouts. Since purchasing the team in 1999, Leonsis revitalized Barnes &

Toronto Maple Leafs

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 club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Ltd. and are represented by Chairman Larry Tanenbaum. The Maple Leafs’ broadcasting rights are split between several different networks and radio stations; they are primarily shown on CBC Television across Canada, on Sportsnet within Ontario, and on Rogers Sportsnet nationwide.

Western Conference

The St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks are in the Western Conference playoffs this year.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Avalanche were founded in Quebec City, Quebec, as the Quebec Nordiques in 1972. The franchise moved to Denver in 1995.

The Avalanche have won nine division titles and qualified for the playoffs in each of their first 21 seasons in Denver, with their first Conference Championship coming in 1996 and their only Stanley Cup victory coming in 2001. As a result, they are tied with the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins for the second-most Conference Championships among active NHL teams (10).

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team began play in the 2017–18 NHL season, becoming the first expansion team in the league since the 1998–99 Nashville Predators.

Vegas played their home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, until June 2021 when they moved to Lake Tahoe to play their home games at Eddie Bauer Arena at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. Before the beginning of the 1978–79 NHL season, the team merged with their then-rival Cleveland Barons (formerly of the American Hockey League) after obtainig league approval. They became known as the Hartford Whalers following a move to Hartford, Conneticut prior to relocating to Raleigh, North Carolina atface value, $110 million and assumed most of the Barons’ players contracts.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blues play their home games at the Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis. The team is named after the famous song “Saint Louis Blues,” and plays in navy blue, cardinal red, and white. The Blues were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion, and are currently in their 51st season in the league.

The team has since made twenty-four trips to the Stanley Cup Final – eleven times as a member of the Western Conference and thirteen times as a member of the Eastern Conference – but has only won the Stanley Cup championship three times: in 1968, 1969, and 1970. The Blues have also never won a Presidents’ Trophy or division title as division winners or conference regular season champions.

Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals are the National Hockey League’s (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America’s oldest professional sports trophy. The best-of-seven series is played between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Stanley Cup was first awarded in 1893, making it 26 years older than the NHL and 116 years old as of 2009. Winners of the Stanley Cup Finals receive a replica prize, which they retain even if they win again later on, while the original cup is retired and stays with the league.

Conclusion

The NHL playoffs are upon us and it’s time to see who’s in and who’s out. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Columbus Blue Jackets are in. The teams that didn’t make it this year are the Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, and Ottawa Senators.