The return of the NHL 2019-20 season is in motion.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced a 24-team NHL playoff format has been accepted by the Players’ Association, which would feature the top 12 teams in each conference based off each team’s record at the time the league was paused. It will feature a Qualifying Round and a Seeding Round Robin, which pave the way to first round Stanley Cup playoff matchups.
It isn’t yet known when the league will resume play and it is set to be played out in two to-be-announced hub cities, but the road map is set to bring hockey back and finish out the season. Bettman said he anticipates the league playing out over the summer and into the early fall. According to USA TODAY Sports, Chicago, Columbus, Las Vegas, Edmonton, Vancouver and several other cities are potential hub cities. The Eastern Conference playoffs will happen in one city, while the Western Conference playoffs will happen in another.
NHL Playoff format
- The top 12 teams per Eastern and Western conferences are in the mix
- The top four seeds in each conference advance automatically to the traditional 16-team playoff structure
- The top four teams have a bye from the tournament but will play each other once to determine the order of the top-four seeds; these games will be played with regular-season overtime and shootout rules – ties in standings would be broken by regular-season points percentage, per NHL.com.
- Seeds No. 5 through 12 would play their way in through the qualifying round, which will be a best-of-5 format; these games will be played with traditional playoff overtime rules (go until someone wins by scoring a goal). The winners advance to the first-round of the playoffs.
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NHL playoff seeds and projected matchups
Eastern Conference
The Boston Bruins (44-14-12, 100 points), Tampa Bay Lightning (43-21-6, 92 points), Washington Capitals (41-20-8, 90 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (41-21-7, 89 points) have a bye, but will participate in a round-robin series to determine their seeding for the primary playoffs.
Qualifying matchups
- Pittsburgh Penguins (40-23-6, 86 points) vs. Montreal Canadiens (31-31-9, 71 points)
- Carolina Hurricanes (38-25-5, 81 points) vs. New York Rangers (37-28-5, 79 points)
- New York Islanders (35-23-10, 80 points) vs. Florida Panthers (35-26-8, 78 points)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (36-25-9, 81 points) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, 81 points)
Western Conference
The St. Louis Blues (42-19-10, 94 points), Colorado Avalanche (42-20-8, 92 points), Vegas Golden Knights (39-24-8, 86 points) and Dallas Stars (37-24-8, 82 points) have a bye, but will participate in a round-robin series to determine their seeding for the primary playoffs.
Qualifying matchups
- Edmonton Oilers (37-25-9, 83 points) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8, 72 points)
- Nashville Predators (35-26-8, 78 points) vs. Arizona Coyotes (33-29-8, 74 points)
- Vancouver Canucks (36-27-6, 78 points) vs. Minnesota Wild (35-27-7, 77 points)
- Calgary Flames (36-27-7, 79 points) vs. Winnipeg Jets (37-28-6, 80 points)
Season over
The Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks were at the bottom of the standings and are done for the season. They’ll turn their attention in the NHL Draft Lottery.
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