Here is the 2020 NHL 24-team playoff bracket
By Mary Clarke
The NHL will return to play this year with a 24-team playoff format.
After voting to move forward with the proposed 24-team playoff format last week, the NHL officially announced the league’s return to play measures on Tuesday. The most major of which was the 24-team playoff format which the NHL will use upon the league’s hopeful return later this year.
The process behind the NHL’s decision seems complex, but the league’s made the entire process easy to understand. The format will be split between the two conferences, with 12 teams on each side of the bracket. From there, the top four teams in each conference by points percentage at the end of the season have earned a bye to the first round, while the remaining eight will play in a qualifying round to advance.
The top four teams in each conference will play a round robin tournament to determine first round seeding, while the eight teams in each conference will play a best-of-five series to advance to the first round. While the first and second round format (seeding versus bracket) and series length (best-of-five versus best-of-seven) is still being determined by the NHL, the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final will be a best-of-seven.
How the 2020 NHL 24-team playoff bracket will work
In the Eastern Conference, the four teams which have earned a bye into the first round, according to initial seeding, are:
- Boston Bruins
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Washington Capitals
- Philadelphia Flyers
As for the qualifying rounds for the Eastern Conference, those best-of-five matchups will be:
- #5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #12 Montreal Canadiens
- #6 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #11 New York Rangers
- #7 New York Islanders vs. #10 Florida Panthers
- #8 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #9 Columbus Blue Jackets
In the Western Conference, the four teams that earned a bye to the first round, by initial seeding, are:
- St. Louis Blues
- Colorado Avalanche
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Dallas Stars
The best-of-five qualifying rounds in the Western Conference will be:
- #5 Edmonton Oilers vs. #12 Chicago Blackhawks
- #6 Nashville Predators vs. #11 Arizona Coyotes
- #7 Vancouver Canucks vs. #10 Minnesota Wild
- #8 Calgary Flames vs. #9 Winnipeg Jets
For those visual learners, here is a handy bracket to showcase just what the NHL’s playoff format will look like if hockey can return later this year!
Which matchups are you looking forward to the most when hockey returns?
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