It’s mid-April. Classes are winding down, your taxes are due, and playoff hockey has once again graced us with its presence. It’s basically the most wonderful time of the year. Playoff hockey is exciting to watch, but can be confusing among the less passionate hockey fans. Here is a primer to tell you all you need to know before you check out a game.
The Basics:
There are currently 30 teams in the NHL, split between two conferences—the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. Each conference is split into two divisions. The Western Conference consists of the Pacific and Central Divisions. The Eastern Conference consists of the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions. During the playoffs, these teams will compete through four rounds of competition to win hockey’s greatest prize—The Stanley Cup.
Who Gets In?
A total of 16 teams compete in the playoffs each year—eight from each conference. The top three teams from each of the divisions are guaranteed spots in the playoffs. The remaining four spots are given to the two teams in the East and West with the next highest point totals aka the wild cards.
The Format?
The playoffs consist of four rounds: Divisional Semifinals, Divisional Finals, Conference Finals, and lastly, the Stanley Cup Final. In the Divisional Semifinals, the top team from each division will play one of the wildcards, and the teams ranked two and three in the division will play each other. Each series (the term for the set of games between two teams) is a best-of-seven format. What that means is the first team to win four games wins the series and moves on the next round. The winners of Divisional Semifinals play each other in the Divisional Finals, and the winners of the Divisional Finals round will play each other in the Conference Finals. Finally, the champions of each conference will meet in the Stanley Cup Final. If this sounds exhausting it is—for players and fans alike. With multiple series that can each last seven games, the NHL playoffs typically run from mid-April to mid-June.
Fun Facts
- The Detroit Red Wings (absent from the playoffs this season) hold the record for most consecutive playoff appearances, competing in the playoffs for 25 straight seasons. The Pittsburgh Penguins have the longest active streak, appearing in 11 consecutive post-seasons.
- Teams play for the Stanley Cup, a trophy first awarded by Lord Stanley in 1893. Each player, coach, or other staff member that wins the Cup gets their name engraved on it.
- 12 women have their names inscribed on the Stanley Cup!
- Many NHL players are superstitious and won’t touch the Stanley Cup unless the have won it.
- During the playoffs, if the game is still tied after 60 minutes of regulation play, the teams will play continuous 20-minute sudden death overtime periods. Basically, this means they just continue to play until someone scores. This can happen within seconds or can take hours. The record for most overtime periods is 6 overtime periods.
This Year’s Match-Ups:
This year’s playoffs started on Wednesday April 12. Here are the matchups:
Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Division:
- Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers
- Ottawa Senators vs. Boston Bruins
Metropolitan Division
- Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Central Division
- Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
- Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
- Anaheim Ducks vs. Calgary Flames
- Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks
Who’s Going to Win?
It’s the same thing every year—the Cup is anyone’s to win. I am a hardcore Pittsburgh Penguins fan, so I am obviously hoping that my Pens will pull through. A lot has been said about the Chicago Blackhawks potentially winning their fourth Stanley Cup in eight years. Some analysts think that after stalling in the second round for multiple years, this year could be the year the Washington Capitals make it to the Final. I personally think that it would be great to see a rematch of last year’s Final, the San Jose Sharks vs. my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins. But this early in the playoffs, it’s too soon to see who will make it to the final dance. All I know is I’m excited to watch some playoff hockey!