Because of the unusual alignment of the NHL this season, the matchups in each of the four rounds will be unprecedented due to the fact that conferences are not part of the process. Instead, the league was divided into four divisions, with teams from both conferences in several divisions. The North Division only included Canadian teams due to travel restrictions into and out of the U.S. stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The East, Central and West Divisions all have U.S.-based teams only.
The playoffs are also going to be different this year, so let’s go through the format as you consider your NHL betting strategy.
NHL News: Playoff Update
Each division sends the top four teams to the playoffs, and there will be no wild cards. All regular-season play took place inside the divisions, and so will the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the first round, each first-place team will play a best-of-seven series against the fourth-place team, and the second-place and third-place teams will meet. In the second round, the winners will square off.
Once each divisional bracket has produced a winner, the four remaining teams will be reseeded into a new bracket on the basis of regular season point totals. In the case of a tie, the team with more regulation wins will get the higher seed. This new bracket will pit the first seed against the fourth and the second seed against the third, with best-of-seven series, and then the winners will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
As of this writing, here are the teams that have either clinched a playoff spot or are still in the running:
| West Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | OTL | Pts |
| Vegas* | 36 | 13 | 2 | 74 |
| Colorado* | 34 | 12 | 4 | 72 |
| Minnesota* | 33 | 14 | 4 | 70 |
| St. Louis | 24 | 19 | 7 | 55 |
| Arizona | 22 | 25 | 6 | 50 |
| Los Angeles | 20 | 24 | 6 | 46 |
| North Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | OTL | Pts |
| Toronto* | 33 | 13 | 6 | 72 |
| Edmonton* | 32 | 17 | 2 | 66 |
| Winnipeg | 27 | 21 | 3 | 57 |
| Montreal | 24 | 18 | 9 | 57 |
| Calgary | 22 | 25 | 3 | 47 |
| Vancouver | 19 | 25 | 3 | 41 |
| East Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | OTL | Pts |
| Pittsburgh* | 35 | 16 | 3 | 73 |
| Washington* | 33 | 14 | 5 | 71 |
| Boston* | 31 | 14 | 7 | 69 |
| N.Y. Islanders* | 31 | 16 | 6 | 68 |
| Central Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | OTL | Pts |
| Carolina* | 36 | 10 | 7 | 79 |
| Florida* | 35 | 14 | 5 | 75 |
| Tampa Bay* | 35 | 14 | 3 | 73 |
| Nashville | 29 | 22 | 2 | 60 |
| Dallas | 21 | 17 | 14 | 56 |
*-clinched playoff spot
One intriguing team down the stretch will be the Boston Bruins. After the trade deadline, the B’s won nine of their first 11 games, thanks to the additions of Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly and Curtis Lazar. Putting Hall on the second scoring line with Craig Smith and David Krejci has electrified that unit, allowing it to dominate game pace — and outsourcing the opposition 11-1 during 5-on-5 play during those 11 games. The team needed more scoring balance to take pressure off the top line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The team also added Charlie McAvoy, a defenseman who is a Norris Trophy contender. So even though Boston comes in as the fourth seed in the East Division, the additions to their team make them a real threat to roll through the divisional rounds of the playoffs.
The Central Division might be the toughest of the four in terms of quality, top to bottom, in the top four. Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Nashville could all grind their way to the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The top three teams have all won seven or more games in their last ten, and Carolina has points in 10 straight contests. Nashville is 13 points back of Tampa Bay, but their defense and goaltending can keep them close, and it just takes a couple of puck bounces to change the tenor of a series. The Central can only send one team to the semifinals, and that team might have the most bumps and bruises after a tough opening two rounds.
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