The Stanley Cup playoffs are a four-round tournament held after the NHL regular season. Eight teams from each of the Western and Eastern Conferences compete to determine the league champion.
The trophy was first awarded in 1893. From then until 1914, champions kept it until they lost their league title or were beaten in a challenge match. Professional teams became eligible in 1906. From 1915, it was contested between the NHA and PCHA champions. After league mergers and the NHL's formation in 1917, the Stanley Cup became the NHL’s official championship trophy in 1926–27.
NHL playoff rules
The NHL playoffs include 16 teams: the top three from each division and two wild cards per conference, as per the official website of the NHL. Seeding is based on regular-season points, with tiebreakers like regulation wins and goal differential. The bracket is division-based. Division winners face wild cards, while second- and third-place teams in each division play each other.
First-round winners meet in the second round, leading to the Conference Finals and then the Stanley Cup Final. Each round is best-of-seven. Home-ice advantage goes to the team with the better regular-season record. No reseeding happens in the final.
Read More: NHL Playoff Bracket
NHL Playoff Tiebreaker Rules
If NHL teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the tie is broken in this order:
- Fewer games played (better points percentage).
- More regulation wins (RW column).
- More regulation and overtime wins, excluding shootouts (ROW column).
- More total wins, including shootouts (W column).
- More points are earned in head-to-head games. If the number of games played isn’t equal, the first game in the city with the extra game is excluded.
- Better goal differential (DIFF column).
- More goals scored (GF column).
NHL playoff overtime rules
The NHL overtime rules differ between the regular season and playoffs. Here's how they work:
- If a playoff game is tied after regulation, teams play another full 20-minute period of overtime at 5-on-5 hockey.
- Similar to the regular season, playoff overtime is sudden-death style, with the first team to score winning the game.
- If no team scores during the first 20-minute overtime period, the game continues into a second overtime period and subsequent periods until a team scores to win the game.
Read More: NHL Playoff Tickets
FAQ's On NHL
A. Sixteen teams qualify for the NHL Playoffs. This includes the top three teams from each division and two wild-card teams from each conference.
A. The NHL Playoffs consist of four rounds: the first Round, the second Round, the Conference Finals, and the Stanley Cup Final.
A. The first team ever awarded the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association in 1893.
A. The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in the 2023–24 season.
A. The first NHL season took place in 1917–18.
