How Do the NHL Playoffs Work?

Sixteen teams — eight from each conference. In each conference, the top three teams in each of the two divisions qualify automatically (six teams), and the final two spots go to the wild cards: the next two teams by points regardless of division. That makes eight per conference, sixteen in total, out of the league's 32 clubs.

A wild card is one of the two playoff berths per conference awarded to the highest-point teams that did not finish in the top three of their division. The two wild cards cross over into the bracket against the division winners. This gives a strong team stuck in a tough division a path to the playoffs even if it finishes fourth or lower in its own division.

Every playoff series is best-of-seven, meaning the first team to win four games advances and the loser is eliminated. A series can last anywhere from four games (a sweep) to seven. Four best-of-seven rounds — first round, second round, conference final, and Stanley Cup Final — mean a champion must win 16 games across up to 28 to lift the Cup.

The bracket is largely division-based. Within each division, the top seed plays the lower wild card and the second and third seeds meet, so early rounds are often intra-division. Winners advance through their side of the bracket to the conference final, and the two conference champions meet in the Stanley Cup Final. The format keeps divisional rivalries at the heart of the early rounds.

There are no ties and no shootouts in the playoffs. A game level after regulation goes to continuous five-on-five sudden-death [overtime](/overtime-rules-in-the-nhl/), with full 20-minute periods played until someone scores. This is why playoff games can run to double or triple overtime, and it is one of the most grueling and dramatic formats in all of sports.

The Stanley Cup Final is the championship round, a best-of-seven series between the two conference champions. The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America. Reaching it requires winning three prior best-of-seven rounds, and lifting the Cup is the ultimate goal of the entire NHL season.

Yes. Finishing higher earns home-ice advantage — hosting four of the seven games in a series — and generally a matchup against a lower seed. Division winners and top seeds get the most favorable early paths. While upsets happen, a better regular-season record, built partly on special teams like the [power play](/power-play-in-hockey-explained/) and [penalty kill](/what-is-a-penalty-kill-in-hockey/), tilts the bracket in a team's favor.