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NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at a Glance: How does the postseason work in hockey?
It’s almost time: The Stanley Cup Playoffs are about to begin! Several teams will face off in the battle for hockey’s most coveted trophy as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off on Saturday. April 18, live on DAZN (excl. US and Canada)
For over two months, half the league will battle for the most coveted—and hardest-to-win—trophy in all of sports: the Stanley Cup. Here at DAZN, you can get all the details on how the NHL postseason system works.
Find out how the NHL postseason works below.
NHL Playoffs at a Glance: How Does the Postseason Work in Hockey? – Qualification
There are two ways to qualify for the NHL postseason. During the 82-game regular season, the 32 franchises in the world's premier hockey league have the opportunity to secure one of the 16 playoff spots. It works as follows:
- Either a team finishes among the top three teams in its division. This guarantees a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the top three franchises from each of the four divisions automatically qualify for the postseason.
- Or, if a team does not finish among the top three in its division, it can still qualify via one of the two Wild Card spots available in its conference. These spots are not tied to a specific division; rather, the two best non-division-winning teams qualify for the NHL postseason via the Wild Card system.
NHL Playoffs at a Glance: How Does the Postseason Work in Hockey? – The First Round
Once the playoff field and participants are set, the First Round begins. This round is contested separately within each respective conference. In both the Western and Eastern Conferences, there are four matchups involving eight franchises. In these matchups, the conference's top-ranked team—which is always a division winner—plays against the lowest-ranked Wild Card team. The second-highest-ranked division winner faces off against the second-lowest-ranked Wild Card team. Finally, the second-place teams in each division face off against the third-place teams in their respective divisions.
Here is how it looks visually:
- Division A Winner vs. Wild Card Team 2 (Matchup 1)
- Division B Winner vs. Wild Card Team 1 (Matchup 2)
- Division A Runner-up vs. Division A Third Place (Matchup 3)
- Division B Runner-up vs. Division B Third Place (Matchup 4)
The team that finished higher in the regular season standings holds home-ice advantage. This means that, in the best-of-seven series, it is entitled to play at home in four of the seven matchups. This applies to Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. In the remaining games, the lower-ranked team holds home-ice advantage. This rule applies to all four rounds of the playoffs.
NHL Playoffs at a Glance: How Does the Postseason Work in Hockey? – The Second Round
The Second Round serves as the quarterfinal stage in the NHL. If the two division winners defeat their respective Wild Card opponents, they advance to face the winner of the matchup between the second- and third-place teams from their own division. If a Wild Card team wins, it then faces the winner from the division of the opponent it just defeated. Consequently, a scenario may arise where a team from a different division plays against one of these winners, as both Wild Card teams can potentially originate from the same division.
The playoff bracket would then look like this:
- Winner of Round 1 Matchup 1 vs. Winner of Round 1 Matchup 3 (Quarterfinal 1)
- Winner of Round 1 Matchup 2 vs. Winner of Round 1 Matchup 4 (Quarterfinal 2)
NHL Playoffs at a Glance: How Does the Postseason Work in Hockey? – The Conference Finals
In the Conference Finals, the situation becomes simpler. The two winners from the quarterfinal round face off against each other to determine who advances to the Stanley Cup Final. This marks the final matchup within a specific conference during the NHL season.
The semifinal round would look like this:
- Winner of Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 2
NHL Playoffs at a Glance: How Does the Postseason Work in Hockey? – The Stanley Cup Final
The Final is where it all comes down to one thing: the Stanley Cup. After an extremely grueling season, the two best franchises from their respective conferences battle it out in a best-of-seven series for the most difficult trophy to win in all of sports.
The Final matchup looks like this:
- Eastern Conference Champion vs. Western Conference Champion
Watch the Playoffs on NHL.TV on DAZN
With NHL.TV on DAZN, you won't miss a single second of the on-ice action once the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. You have the choice between two different subscription packages. With the Season Pass—priced at €39.99 per month—you can experience the entire NHL on up to two devices simultaneously. Plus, you can watch games on demand or as highlight clips. For just ten euros more per month, the Season Pass Ultimate—at €49.99 per month—offers you even more. It gives you the ability to watch the playoffs on up to five devices simultaneously. It also includes the Multiview option, allowing you to watch four games of your choice at the same time via split-screen.
