NHL Playoffs Format: Get Ready for the 2023-24 Season

Round-by-Round Breakdown

First Round

The first round of the playoffs features 16 teams, with the top three finishers in each division earning automatic berths. The remaining four teams qualify as wild cards. The first round is a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games advances to the second round.

Second Round

The second round consists of eight teams, the winners from the first round. The second round is also a best-of-seven series.

Conference Finals

The conference finals feature the four remaining teams, two from each conference (Eastern and Western). The conference finals are also a best-of-seven series.

Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series of the NHL playoffs. The Finals are a best-of-seven series between the winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. The team that wins four games first wins the Stanley Cup.