How many rounds are in the NHL Playoffs?

After the NHL regular season, the postseason consists of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The playoffs typically begin a few days after the regular season ends. They generally last for about two months. 

The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on April 20 and can conclude on June 24 at the latest. Click here to see which teams have qualified for the playoffs in 2024. Teams that qualified are marked with an ‘x’.

So how do teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and for that matter, how many rounds are there?

NHL Playoffs format: How do teams qualify?

In the current NHL Playoffs format, 16 out of 32 NHL teams qualify for the playoffs, eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight teams from the Western Conference.

The top three teams from each of the four divisions (Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central, Pacific) qualify for the playoffs. Then there are two wildcard spots for each conference. The wildcard teams from each conference don’t have to be from separate divisions.

NHL Playoffs format: How many rounds are there?

There are four rounds in the playoffs. The first round has eight different matchups. In each conference, division winners with the best record pair up with the second-seeded wildcard team. The other division winner pairs up with the first-seeded wildcard team. The second round has four matchups. Winners from each bracket in round one play each other in round two.

The third round, the Conference Finals, has two matchups. The remaining two teams from the Eastern Conference play each other, while the remaining two teams from the Western Conference play each other. The final round is the Stanley Cup Finals, which has one matchup between the final two teams. One team from the Eastern Conference and one team from the Western Conference play in the Finals.

A best-of-seven format is used in each round. The team that gets to four wins first wins the matchup and moves to the next round of the playoffs. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the team that wins four games becomes the Stanley Cup champion.

Once the playoffs begin, each team that secured a spot has a shot to win the Cup. A wildcard team that goes on a hot streak could knock out a team with the best record in the NHL, which happened in 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Florida Panthers eliminated the Boston Bruins. The Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. The playoffs are always filled with thrills and surprises.