Contents
- Introduction
- What teams are in the NHL playoffs?
- How did they make it to the playoffs?
- What are their chances of winning the Stanley Cup?
- Who are the key players to watch?
- What are the biggest storylines?
- How can I watch the playoffs?
- What are the schedule and results so far?
- Who is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup?
- Conclusion
The NHL playoffs are just around the corner, and it’s time to start getting excited about who might take home the Stanley Cup this year. But before we can get to the actual games, we need to know which teams are even in the playoffs. So let’s take a look at the NHL playoff picture and see which teams are in and which ones are out.
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Introduction
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 member clubs: 23 in the United States and 7 in Canada. Two conferences make up the NHL, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, each of which contains 15 teams. The regular season begins in October and ends in April, with each team playing 82 games. At the end of the regular season, 16 teams (8 from each conference) qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
What teams are in the NHL playoffs?
As of the 2019-2020 season, the teams that are in the NHL playoffs are the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference, and the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference.
How did they make it to the playoffs?
In order to make it to the playoffs, a team must first clinch a playoff spot. A playoff spot is clinched when a team earns enough points to either (a) be guaranteed of finishing in one of the top three spots in their conference, or (b) have more points than any other team that can mathematically finish with fewer points. teams earn two points for a win and one point for either an overtime or shootout loss.
What are their chances of winning the Stanley Cup?
The NHL playoffs are underway and there are several strong contenders for the Stanley Cup this year. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets all have a good chance of winning, but who will take home the trophy?
The Lightning are the favorites to win it all, according to oddsmakers. They finished the regular season with the best record in the league and have one of the most explosive offenses in the NHL. The Golden Knights are a close second, as they proved during last year’s playoffs that they’re a force to be reckoned with. The Jets round out the top three, as they have one of the best defenses in the league.
So, who will win the Stanley Cup this year? Only time will tell, but it should be an exciting playoff battle between some of the best teams in the NHL.
Who are the key players to watch?
With the NHL playoffs just around the corner, fans are wondering which teams will be facing off against each other. As always, there are a few key players to watch on each team who could make or break their playoff run.
For the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, center Evgeny Kuznetsov will be one to watch. After a bit of a slow start to the season, he has picked up his play and is currently third in scoring on the team. He will be key in their quest to repeat as champions.
Another team to watch is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who currently sit atop the league standings. They are led by captain Steven Stamkos, who is having a stellar season with 29 goals and 66 points. He will be looking to carry his team deep into the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are another team to keep an eye on in the East. They have a dynamic offence that is led by young stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Matthews has been an absolute goal-scoring machine this season with 43 goals in just 59 games. Marner isn’t far behind with 26 goals and 67 points. If they can get hot at the right time, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
What are the biggest storylines?
The NHL playoffs are upon us and there are a ton of great storylines to follow this year. Here are some of the biggest:
-Can the Tampa Bay Lightning finally win a Stanley Cup? They were the best team in the regular season by a wide margin, but they’ve struggled in the playoffs in recent years.
-Can Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals finally break through and win a Stanley Cup? They’ve been one of the best teams in the league for years, but they’ve never been able to get over the hump.
-Will any of the Canadian teams be able to win a Stanley Cup? The last time a Canadian team won was in 1993, and none of them have even made it to the Finals since then. Can any of them break through this year?
-Can any of the underdog teams make a surprise run? There are a few teams that could be dangerous if they get hot at the right time. Keep an eye on teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars.
How can I watch the playoffs?
There are a few ways to watch the playoffs. You can either buy a ticket to see the game live, or you can watch it on television. If you want to watch the playoffs on television, you will need to find a channel that is broadcasting the game. In the United States, you can usually find playoff games on NBC, CNBC, or NHL Network.
What are the schedule and results so far?
The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the regular season to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. Eight teams from each of the two conferences qualify for the playoffs. The final round of the playoffs, the Stanley Cup Finals, is played between the two conference champions.
Who is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup?
As the NHL season heads into its final stretch, the playoff race is heating up. A total of 16 teams will make the playoffs, with the top seed in each conference receiving a bye to the second round.
So far, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights have clinched division titles. The Lightning are also the first team to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, the race for the final spot is between the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes currently hold the tiebreaker over both teams.
In the Western Conference, there are four teams vying for three playoff spots: The Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild.
The favorite to win the Stanley Cup this year is Tampa Bay Lightning, who have been dominating all season long. They are followed by Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets.
Conclusion
The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are an elimination tournament held after the NHL’s regular season to determine which team from each conference will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs: the top four teams in each division and two wildcard teams. These seeds are arranged into a bracket, which is contested over a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format; the first team to win four games wins the series, and advances to the next round.