NHL outlines 24-team playoff if season resumes
The NHL will abandon the rest of the regular season and go straight into the playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16 if it is able to resume play.
The decision, announced Tuedsay by Commissioner Gary Bettman, is not a guarantee that games are coming back. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association must still figure out health and safety protocols and solve other issues, including where to play.
Still, ironing out the format represents significant progress since global sports were largely shut down in March as the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic. Bettman has said the goal has always been to play again and award the Stanley Cup, but details remain uncertain.
Bettman said voluntary workouts could begin in early June and formal camps aren’t expected to begin before July 1. Those camps are expected to last roughly three weeks as players return to the ice for the first time in months.
“Any plan for the resumption of play by definition cannot be perfect,” Bettman said. “But we believe we have constructed an overall plan that includes all teams that as a practical matter might have had a chance of qualifying for the playoffs when the season was paused, and this plan will produce a worthy Stanley Cup champion who will have run the postseason gauntlet that is unique to the NHL.”
Earlier this week, the league and NHLPA issued extensive protocols once players are allowed to return to their facilities. They include a maximum of six players on the ice at a time, no contact and no coaches for voluntary workouts.
Instead of limiting the Cup chase to the usual 16 teams that qualify for the playoffs, the league and players agreed to expand the field to 24 of its 31 teams because of the unusual circumstances.
The top four teams in each conference ranked by points percentage will play separate round-robin tournaments to determine seeding. The remaining 16 teams will be seeded by conference, setting up best-of-five series.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Top 4
Bruins | Lightning | Capitals | Flyers
Next 8
■ No. 5 Penguins vs. No. 12 Canadiens
■ No. 6 Hurricanes vs. No. 11 Rangers
■ No. 7 Islanders vs. No. 10 Panthers
■ No. 8 Maple Leaf vs. No. 9 Blue Jackets WESTERN CONFERENCE
Top 4
Blues | Avalanche | Golden Knights | Stars Next 8
■ No. 5 Oilers vs. No. 12 Blackhawks
■ No. 6 Predators vs. No. 11 Coyotes
■ No. 7 Canucks vs. No. 10 Wild
■ No. 8 Flames vs. No. 9 Jets
Games are expected to be played in two hub cities. There are 10 in the running: Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, Dallas, Las Veas, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver.
Bettman said he expects the best-ofseven Stanley Cup Final to be played in full in one of the two hub cities.
The plan would end the season for the Sabres, Devils, Ducks, Kings, Sharks, Senators and Red Wings.