NHL Playoffs – Page 5 – Syndication Server

NHL to Wrap up Season With 24-Team Playoff

NHL to Wrap up Season With 24-Team Playoff The news was announced by
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The NHL suspended the
2019-20 season on March 12. According to ‘USA Today,’
the top 12 teams in both the Western
and Eastern Conferences have qualified. Seven squads whose records placed them at the
bottom of the standings are done for the year. In both conferences, the top four teams
automatically head to the next round. To advance, the rest of the
qualifying teams will have to play. ‘USA Today’ adds that proposals see a best-of-five series determining who gets past the opening round. The top four squads will play
in-conference round-robin games
to decide postseason rankings. In a vote late last week, the new
schedule was approved by the
NHL Players’ Association. Bettman adds that two cities will host
East and West playoff games,
respectively. Among the areas being considered for
the playoffs are Vancouver, Los Angeles,
Pittsburgh and Toronto.

NHL to return: Updated Stanley Cup playoff odds

Updated NHL Stanley Cup Playoff odds and betting lines around the league’s new 24-team playoff structure

With the NHL setting the table to return this summer and play out a modified NHL playoff structure, sports bettors can turn their attention toward resuming NHL future bets.

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning come in as the favorites in the eyes of the oddsmakers at BetMGM sportsbook, both listed at +600. New to NHL betting? +600 odds represents 6/1 fractional odds, implying both teams have a 14.29% chance to win it all this year. A $100 wager on the Bruins, for example, would profit $600 with a Boston Stanley Cup championship.

NHL Stanley Cup Champion odds

Odds at BetMGM.com; last updated May 26.

Boston Bruins +600
Tampa Bay Lightning +600
St. Louis Blues +800
Colorado Avalanche +900
Vegas Golden Knights +900
Washington Capitals +1000
Philadelphia Flyers +1100
Dallas Stars +1200
Pittsburgh Penguins +1800

Get some action on the NHL playoffs by placing a legal sports bet (in NJ, IN, CO and WV) at BetMGM.com.

Edmonton Oilers +2000
Carolina Hurricanes +3000
Nashville Predators +3000
New York Islanders +3000
Toronto Maple Leafs +3000
Vancouver Canucks +3000
Calgary Flames +4000
Arizona Coyotes +5000
Columbus Blue Jackets +5000
Florida Panthers +5000
Minnesota Wild +5000
New York Rangers +5000
Winnipeg Jets +5000
Chicago Blackhawks +10000
Montreal Canadiens +10000

For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]

[lawrence-newsletter]

NHL to resume play with 24-team playoff tournament

The NHL nears a return to action, with a modified playoff structure that will lead to a 2019-20 Stanley Cup Champion being crowned.

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.

Get some action on the NHL playoffs by placing a legal sports bet (in NJ, IN, CO and WV) at BetMGM.com.

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.