How 2020 NHL playoffs will work: Format, seeding, locations, more for Stanley Cup playoffs

By James O'BrienJul 31, 2020, 3:00 PM EDT

The NHL’s 24-team playoff begins Saturday. But there could be questions about how the 2020 NHL playoffs will work. We’re here with answers, schedules and more.

Qualifiers begin August 1. See a full schedule here and below.

For more on how they settled on everything, including the CBA and Return to Play agreement, click here.

How the 24-team playoff format works

The NHL shared the “competitive format” for the 24-team playoff setup for how the 2020 NHL playoffs will work. The “round robin” pertains to the seeding for the top four teams in each conference. The “qualifying round” has previously been referred to as a “play-in” round. Toronto will host the Eastern Conference teams at Scotiabank Arena, while Edmonton will have the Western Conference teams at Rogers Place.

Competitive Format

In each Conference, teams seeded by points percentage.

• Round Robin: The top 4 teams play for First Round seeding (regular-season overtime rules in effect)

• Qualifying Round: The remaining 8 teams play best-of-5 series to advance to the First Round (playoff overtime rules in effect)

• First Round and Second Round: Format (seeding vs. bracket) and series lengths will be best-of-seven.

• Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final: Best-of-7 series will take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

* The winners from the Qualifying Round play the top 4 seeds in the First Round. Individual First Round series matchups remain to be determined.

Stanley Cup playoffs schedule

EXHIBITION GAMES ON NBCSN

Tuesday, July 28
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia – 4 p.m. ET – NBCSN

Wednesday, July 29
Carolina vs. Washington – 4 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Chicago vs. St. Louis – 6:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
N.Y. Rangers vs. N.Y. Islanders – 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN

EASTERN CONFERENCE (Scotiabank Arena)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Flyers vs. Bruins, 3 p.m. ET – NBC
Monday, Aug. 3: Capitals vs. Lightning, 4 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Lightning vs. Bruins, 4 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Thursday, Aug. 6: Capitals vs. Flyers, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Flyers vs. Lightning, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Bruins vs. Capitals, TBD

(5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens

Saturday, Aug. 1: Canadiens vs. Penguins, 8 p.m. ET – NBC
Monday, Aug. 3: Canadiens vs. Penguins, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Penguins vs. Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Friday, Aug. 7: Penguins vs. Canadiens*
Saturday, Aug. 8: Canadiens vs. Penguins*

(6) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (11) New York Rangers

Saturday, Aug. 1: Rangers vs. Hurricanes, 12 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Monday, Aug. 3: Rangers vs. Hurricanes, 12 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Hurricanes vs. Rangers, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Thursday, Aug. 6: Hurricanes vs. Rangers*
Saturday, Aug. 8: Rangers vs. Hurricanes*

(7) New York Islanders vs. (10) Florida Panthers

Saturday, Aug. 1: Panthers vs. Islanders, 4 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Panthers vs. Islanders, 12 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Islanders vs. Panthers, 12 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Friday, Aug. 7: Islanders vs. Panthers*
Sunday, Aug. 9: Panthers vs. Islanders*

(8) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets

Sunday, Aug. 2: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs, 4 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Thursday, Aug. 6: Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7: Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets*, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs*, TBD

WESTERN CONFERENCE (Rogers Place)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Blues vs. Avalanche, 6:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Monday, Aug. 3: Stars vs. Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Avalanche vs. Stars, 6:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Thursday, Aug. 6: Golden Knights vs. Blues, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Golden Knights vs. Avalanche, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Stars vs. Blues, TBD

(5) Edmonton Oilers vs. (12) Chicago Blackhawks

Saturday, Aug. 1: Blackhawks vs. Oilers, 3 p.m. ET – NBC
Monday, Aug. 3: Blackhawks vs. Oilers, 10:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Oilers vs. Blackhawks, 10:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Friday, Aug. 7: Oilers vs. Blackhawks*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Blackhawks vs. Oilers*, TBD

(6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona Coyotes

Sunday, Aug. 2: Coyotes vs. Predators, 2 p.m. ET – USA Network
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Coyotes vs. Predators, 2:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Predators vs. Coyotes, 2:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Friday, Aug. 7: Predators vs. Coyotes*, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Coyotes vs. Predators*, TBD

(7) Vancouver Canucks vs. (10) Minnesota Wild

Sunday, Aug. 2: Wild vs. Canucks, 10:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Wild vs. Canucks, 10:45 p.m. ET – USA Network
Thursday, Aug. 6: Canucks vs. Wild, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7: Canucks vs. Wild*, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9: Wild vs. Canucks*, TBD

(8) Calgary Flames vs. (9) Winnipeg Jets

Saturday, Aug. 1: Jets vs. Flames, 10:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Monday, Aug. 3: Jets vs. Flames, 2:30 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Flames vs. Jets, 4:45 p.m. ET – NBCSN
Thursday, Aug. 6: Flames vs. Jets*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8: Jets vs. Flames*, TBD

* – if necessary

Key Dates for 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL Free Agency, Draft

So, we just covered how the 2020 NHL playoffs will work and the “where” for the NHL’s playoff return to award a 2020 Stanley Cup. Let’s cover the “when.”

July 13: Training camps open (Phase 3) and 5 p.m. ET deadline for players to opt out
July 26: Teams report to their hub city
July 28-30: Exhibition games
Aug 1: Stanley Cup Qualifiers begin (Phase 4)
Aug 10: Phase 2 of NHL Draft Lottery to determine No. 1 overall pick
Aug 11: First Round begins
Aug 25: Second Round begins
Sept. 8: Conference Finals begin
Sept. 22: Stanley Cup Final begins
Oct 4: Last possible date for Stanley Cup to be awarded
Oct. 9-10: 2020 NHL Draft (must follow end of Cup Final and take place before free agency)
Mid-Oct.: free agent period opens
Nov. 17: Training camps open for 2020-21 season
Dec. 1: 2020-21 NHL season begins

PHT Morning Skate: Brad Marchand and the new breed of NHL pests

By James O'BrienJul 31, 2020, 9:30 AM EDT

PHT Morning Skate: Seattle Kraken blueprint; Peter Chiarelli, Coyotes GM?

By James O'BrienJul 28, 2020, 9:30 AM EDT

NHL Bubble life, lineup notes

• “Safe and seamless” is the NHL’s goal in running the bubble. Judging by this detailed report from Nick Cotsonika, it sounds like the league is off to a strong start. [NHL.com]

• Could playing in the Toronto bubble actually benefit the mature, experienced Bruins? You could make that argument. [NBC Sports Boston]

• During a Monday Zoom call, Rod Brind’Amour covered a bunch of Hurricanes topics. While Dougie Hamilton was already covered, Brind’Amour also touched on distractions in the bubble, best-of-five series, and more. [Canes Country]

• As intriguing as it was, the Stars line of Tyler Seguin with Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz didn’t last. Stars coach Rick Bowness explained that the group wasn’t getting Seguin the puck often enough. That … does honestly sound like a significant issue. [Dallas Morning News]

• The NHL released its full list of King Clancy Award finalists. They also shared the news via this handy graphic:

The @NHL has announced the 31 team nominees for the 2019-20 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. https://t.co/FupLpsuIgA pic.twitter.com/Z379V56Zaw

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 27, 2020

Peter Chiarelli, Coyotes GM? And other coaching/front office links

• Jack Han took another look at how “NHL 20” can be used as a teaching tool for hockey players. [The Hockey Tactics Newsletter]

• OK, so this article is back from May. Considering the lack of hockey since the pandemic pause, it seems timely enough after the Coyotes and John Chayka went through a bitter divorce. [J Fresh]

In case you wondered, “The Rock” is a huge human. P.K. Subban provided scale for that:

View this post on Instagram

Today, I became a man. 📹: @lindseyvonn

A post shared by P.K. Subban (@subbanator) on Jul 27, 2020 at 6:35am PDT

• Whether you consider Chayka an “analytics GM” or not, his Coyotes run wasn’t particularly successful. Still, perhaps it could have been worse. Like, say, (gulp) having Peter Chiarelli as GM? Although, maybe Chiarelli would leave the Coyotes before he repeatedly trades away All-Star talent for mediocre returns? It all seems kind of unthinkable. [Oilers Nation]

• Travis Yost looks at how the Seattle Kraken can use the Vegas Golden Knights as a blueprint for NHL expansion success. Among the points Yost brings up is piling up assets. When you account for the potential headaches stemming from a flat salary cap, I wonder if the Kraken can exploit such opportunities even more than the Golden Knights? [TSN]

• For whatever reason, it sounds like the Golden Knights weren’t honest during the process of moving on from goalie coach Dave Prior. At least, that’s what Prior claims. [Sin Bin Vegas]

• Would you partake in the Canucks’ “penalty box patio?” [Canucks]

Tag a goon that would post up in Vancouver’s “Penalty Box Patio.” 😂👊 #JayAndDan
•••
(📸: @Canucks) pic.twitter.com/ozqy1vPfwh

— #JayAndDan (@JayAndDan) July 27, 2020

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

Former Maple Leafs star Eddie Shack dies at 83

Associated PressJul 26, 2020, 2:25 PM EDT

1 Comment

Eddie Shack, one of the NHL’s most colorful players on and off the ice, has died. He was 83.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced the news in a tweet Sunday morning.

“Eddie entertained Leafs fans on the ice for nine seasons and for decades off of it. He will be greatly missed,” the team said in the tweet.

Known for his bruising style, distinctive skating gait and larger-than-life personality, Shack won four Stanley Cups with Toronto in the 1960s, including the franchise’s most recent victory in 1967.

Nicknamed “The Entertainer” — with his trademark cowboy hat and luxurious mustache — he scored the winning goal for the Leafs in the 1963 final.

The native of Sudbury, Ontario, played parts of 17 seasons from 1958 through 1975 with six different teams, including nine years with the Maple Leafs.

Former Maple Leafs captain Doug Gilmour, who played with the team in the 1990s, said in a tweet he was “sad at the loss but so happy to have known him.”

“Eddie Shack taught me two important things — see humor in just about everything, and live like a Champion,” Gilmour said. “Four Cups with the Leafs and a personality larger than life.”

Shack had 239 goals, 465 points and 1,431 penalty minutes in 1,047 NHL games. The winger added six goals and seven assists and 151 penalty minutes in 74 playoff matchups.

In October 2016, Shack was listed at No. 68 on The One Hundred, a list of the 100 greatest Leafs that was released as part of the team’s centennial anniversary.

Not many hockey players are celebrated in a song or top the charts. But Shack was no ordinary hockey player.

“Clear the Track” by Douglas Rankine with The Secrets, started “Clear the track, here comes Shack. He knocks ‘em down and he gives ’em a whack. He can scores goals, he’s got a knack. Eddie, Eddie Shack.”

The song, the brainchild of broadcaster Brian McFarlane, debuted in February 1966 and topped the Toronto music chart.

Shack took a toll on the opposition, knocking out Hall of Famer Gordie Howe twice. But he recalled striking a deal with Howe that ended their on-ice hostilities when they met at a golf tournament in Vermont.

They agreed not to hit each other from then on, shaking hands on it.

Shack recalled Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau asking him why he would hit him and then apologize.

“I said ‘Jean, sometimes I lie,’” he said with a laugh in a TV interview in November 2019.

But Shack also knew when he was outmatched, famously skating away from Bob Kelly and the Plager brothers in a game against St. Louis in the early 1970s.

Shack drifted away from the Leafs’ organization after retiring, but like many players from the team’s 1960s dynasty, had returned to the fold in recent years.

Born to Ukrainian immigrants on Feb. 11, 1937, Shack was working at a butcher’s shop in Sudbury when he tried out for the Guelph Biltmores of the Ontario Hockey Association. He went to play five seasons for the Biltmores and one for the AHL Providence Reds before signing with the New York Rangers, the Biltmores’ parent club.

Shack made his NHL debut in 1958 and was traded to Toronto in 1960 after refusing to go to Detroit.

He won the Cup with the Leafs in 1962, ’63, ’64 and ’67.

Shack scored a career-high 26 goals with Toronto in 1966, but was traded to the Boston Bruins the next spring following the Leafs’ final Cup win. He would go on to play with the Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins before returning to Toronto for two final seasons.

Shack became a popular advertising spokesman for a number of brands in Canada following his playing days, including for the soft drink company The Pop Shoppe.

“Maybe I didn’t go far in school. But there’s one thing I’ve learned from my mum and dad,” he told a group of kids in a 1978 Pop Shoppe commercial. “Look after the nickels and dimes and the dollars will look after themselves.”

Shack, whose nose was hard to miss, had a signature line: “I’ve got a nose for value.”

In 1990, he appeared out of a suitcase on a hotel bed in a commercial for the Journeys End hotel chain.

In 2019, he released a book called “Hockey’s Most Entertaining Stories.”

Seattle Kraken announced as NHL expansion team name; jersey design released

Seattle Kraken

By James O'BrienJul 23, 2020, 4:54 PM EDT

16 Comments

Introducing the Seattle Kraken, the expansion franchise that will push the NHL to 32 teams. The Seattle Kraken also shared their logo and team colors on Thursday.

Seattle Kraken is the name for NHL expansion team; Check out logo, jerseys

After COVID-19 prompted a delay or two, we now know that the Seattle NHL expansion team will be known as the Kraken.

Take a look at the three logos:

via the team

Early responses appear positive for this look at their sweaters:

Seattle Kraken jersey sweater uniform team name — *via Seattle Kraken/adidas*

If all goes to plan, the Seattle Kraken will debut during the 2021-22 NHL season. Logically enough, the Kraken will play in the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the Arizona Coyotes will realign to the Central Division.

Climate Pledge Arena will serve as the home arena. (Yes, that’s the renovated and renamed Key Arena.)

With the salary cap expected to be flat (or close to flat), the Kraken figure to mop up at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. The NHL will use the same expansion draft rules as the Vegas Golden Knights did.

Naturally, this expansion club will face a significant challenge in trying to parallel the smash success of the Golden Knights. It would probably be wiser to temper expectations to somewhere between the instant success of the Golden Knights and the lengthy struggles of past NHL expansion teams.

(But, again, financial realities open up plenty of possible opportunities for this upcoming team. Their analytics-friendly perception only makes such hypothetical situations more fun to imagine.)

Hockey fans must feel a sweet release in learning the team name is the Kraken.

Here's something. Number of days between NHL expansion announcement and the team's name/logo reveal.

Vegas: 153 days.
Seattle: 597 days.

We've been waiting a minute. #NHLSeattle

— icethetics (@icethetics) July 23, 2020

So, what do you think? Is there a different name that would make more sense to you?

Release the Kraken shirts already available….#NHL #Seattle pic.twitter.com/vkZjzFdAVH

— Chris Daniels (@ChrisDaniels5) July 23, 2020

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.