NHL Playoff Format Explained: From Wild Card to Stanley Cup

The NHL postseason is one of the most demanding in sports. Sixteen of the league's 32 teams qualify, and each must win four rounds to lift the Stanley Cup.

Who gets in

The league has two conferences, Eastern and Western, each with two divisions. In each conference the top three teams in each division qualify, plus two wild card teams: the best remaining records in the conference regardless of division.

How the bracket works

• The division winner with the better record in each conference plays the lower wild card team.
• The other division winner plays the higher wild card team.
• The second- and third-place teams within each division play one another.
• Winners advance within a fixed bracket, so seeding is not reset after each round.

Best-of-seven series

Every round is a best-of-seven. The first team to win four games advances. The higher seed gets home ice in games one, two, five and seven, so a deciding game seven is played in its building.

Overtime in the playoffs

There are no shootouts in the postseason. If a game is tied after three periods, teams play full 20-minute sudden-death overtime periods until someone scores. Some of the longest games in league history have gone to a fourth, fifth or even sixth overtime.

The Stanley Cup Final

The Eastern and Western champions meet in the Final, also a best-of-seven series. The winner earns the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to players, who each get a day with the trophy.