In the NHL playoffs, 16 teams qualify (8 per conference) and play best-of-seven series over four rounds to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Format
16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs: the top 3 in each of the four divisions, plus two wild cards per conference (8 per conference).
Seeding
Division winners play wild card teams. In each conference, the division winner with the better record plays the lower wild card.
Series
Each round is a best-of-seven. The first to 4 wins advances.
Rounds
Four rounds: first round, second round, conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.
Overtime
Playoff overtime is sudden death, continuous 20-minute periods, no shootouts.
Home ice
2-2-1-1-1 format.
Trophy
Winners receive the Stanley Cup.
Total games
Up to 28 games.
Qualifying teams
Sixteen teams qualify, eight from each conference. In each conference, the top three teams in each of the two divisions get the first six spots, and two wild card teams with the next best records fill the rest.
Bracket
In each conference, the division winner with the best record plays the lower wild card team, and the other division winner plays the other wild card team. The remaining matchups are the second and third place teams in each division playing each other.
Format
All four rounds are best of seven series. The first team to win four games advances, so each series has four to seven games.
Round names
First round, second round, conference finals and the Stanley Cup Final.
Overtime
Playoff overtime is sudden death with full 20 minute periods, five on five, and continues until a goal is scored. There are no shootouts. Some games last several overtimes.
Home ice pattern
The higher seeded team has home ice in a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern, hosting games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
Reseeding
The NHL does not reseed after each round. The bracket is fixed.
Total games
A playoff run could include 16 to 28 games, and a team that wins the Cup needs 16 wins.
Trophies
The Stanley Cup goes to the champion. The Conn Smythe Trophy goes to the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Beard tradition
Many players grow playoff beards and do not shave until their team is eliminated or wins the Cup.
Qualification and bracket structure
The NHL playoffs include 16 teams, 8 from each conference. In each conference, the top three teams in each of the two divisions qualify, plus two wild card teams that have the next best records. Each round is a best of seven series, and the first team to win four games advances. The four rounds are the first round, second round, conference final and Stanley Cup Final. The bracket is fixed rather than reseeded. The division winner with the better record faces the lower wild card, and the other division winner faces the other wild card, while second and third place teams in each division meet.
Overtime and traditions
Regular season overtime is 5 minutes of three on three, but playoff overtime consists of full 20 minute sudden death periods with five skaters per side, played until someone scores, with the longest game in NHL history lasting 6 overtime periods in 1936. A team needs 16 wins to win the Stanley Cup, so a champion plays at least 16 games and at most 28. The playoff MVP is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. Many players grow “playoff beards” and do not shave until their team is eliminated or wins the Cup. Home ice follows a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern, where the higher seed hosts games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
Based on data from the NHL
