During the 2020-21 season, the National Hockey League (NHL) changed the way it handles its playoffs. Instead of two teams playing each other during the regular season, the tournament would have a team from each conference face each other in the Stanley Cup Finals. It would also feature teams from each division facing each other in the first round, with the winners of those two series meeting in the second round.
The NHL changed the way it handles its playoffs this year, in part due to the outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19. The pandemic delayed the start of the regular season by a month, and forced the NHL to realign the divisions to accommodate all seven Canadian-based teams. In addition, cross-border travel restrictions prevented teams from flying to Canada during the regular season.
To help alleviate this problem, the NHL shortened the season from 82 games to 56 games. The top six teams in each division qualified for the playoffs, with the seventh- and eighth-ranked teams receiving wild card spots. This created a realignment plan that will feature two elite Cup contenders. One of those elite teams is likely the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup last season. It should be an interesting season.
The Eastern Conference will feature the top three teams from the Metropolitan Division and the Atlantic Division. Then, the top two teams in the West will be a mix of top teams from the Pacific and Central Divisions. The Wild Cards will be the two best teams from outside those six.
The Stanley Cup Finals will take place in July of 2021. The first-round matchups will be played on the NBC network in the United States, with the playoffs slated to begin on May 15. The NHL also announced that it will be the last season that the NBC family of networks broadcasts the NHL. NBC will employ a rotating crew of insiders and analysts, and will have play-by-play announcers. The network also announced that it will have a studio anchor, Ron McLean, and a play-by-play announcer, Dominic Moore, who will be the host of the show.
The first round of the NHL playoffs will be a rematch of the Washington-Columbus series, which featured a star-studded lineup that split the season series four-four. The teams will be re-seeded by their regular season records in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The first-round winners in each division will then face the division champion in the second round.
The Stanley Cup playoffs will include the top two teams from each division as well as the top two teams from the wild cards. The playoffs will be played all across the U.S., and will be based on a number of factors, including the regular season standings and the number of overtime wins. The NHL will use a “2-2-1-1-1” format, which is a form of elimination that is common in major sports.
In the West, the Avalanche have led the standings all season, and they are favored to win the Stanley Cup. The Flames have reached the Stanley Cup Final once in the last eight years, but they have never won a championship. The Ducks are also a pleasant surprise in the early going, and the Rangers are a surprising team to watch.