NHL Standings
Regular Season
The NHL regular season is a 82-game schedule that begins in October and ends in April. The 32 teams in the NHL are divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference is further divided into two divisions, the Metropolitan Division and the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and the Central Division and the Pacific Division in the Western Conference.
The top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs. The remaining four spots are awarded to the two next-place finishers in each conference based on their regular season records.
Playoffs
The NHL playoffs are a 16-team single-elimination tournament. The top three teams in each division are seeded 1-3, and the remaining four teams are seeded 4-8 based on their regular season records.
The playoffs begin with the first round, in which the No. 1 seed in each division faces the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed faces the No. 7 seed, and the No. 3 seed faces the No. 6 seed. The winners of the first round advance to the second round, in which the No. 1 seed in each conference faces the lowest-remaining seed, the No. 2 seed faces the second-lowest remaining seed, and the No. 3 seed faces the third-lowest remaining seed. The winners of the second round advance to the conference finals, in which the No. 1 seed in each conference faces the No. 2 seed in the opposite conference. The winners of the conference finals advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, in which the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference faces the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
The Stanley Cup Finals is a best-of-seven series, and the winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the NHL.
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