Are NHL Playoffs best of 5 or 7? Explaining the qualifying conditions and rules for Stanley Cup hunt

The NHL playoffs are a thrilling and intense battle for the Stanley Cup, with teams competing in a best-of-seven series format.

The playoffs are the best of seven series. Each series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 structure, where the team with home-ice advantage hosts games one, two, five, and seven, while their opponent hosts games three, four, and six. Games five through seven are only played if necessary to determine the winner of the series.

Over the years, the playoff format has changed. In the 1993–94 season, the NHL shifted from a division-based to a conference-based playoff draw. Currently, eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs based on their regular-season performance.

The qualifying conditions and rules for the Stanley Cup NHL playoffs are as follows:

1. The top three teams in each of the four divisions automatically qualify for the NHL playoffs.

2. Two additional teams from each conference, known as wild cards, also qualify based on having the highest point totals among the remaining teams in the conference, regardless of their divisional alignment.

3. In the first round, the teams are split into two groups based on their conference, with each group including the three divisional winners and one wild card team.

4. The lower-seeded wild card faces the division winner with the best record, while the other wild card plays against the other division winner. The remaining two series in each bracket feature the second- and third-place teams from the divisions.

5. The higher-seeded team has a home-ice advantage in the first two rounds. From the Conference Finals onward, the team with the better regular-season record holds home-ice advantage.

6. The winners of the First Round series advance to the Second Round, followed by the Conference Finals and ultimately the Stanley Cup Finals.

The first round of the NHL playoffs

Eastern Conference

1. Atlantic Division vs. Wild Card

2. Atlantic Division vs. Team #3 Atlantic Division

3. Metropolitan Division vs. Wild Card

4. Metropolitan Division vs. Team #3 Metropolitan Division

Western Conference

5. Central Division vs. Wild Card

6. Central Division vs. Team #3 Central Division

7. Pacific Division vs. Wild Card

8. Pacific Division vs. Team #3 Pacific Division

Second Round of the NHL playoffs

Eastern Conference

9. Winner of Series 1 vs. Winner of Series 2

10. Winner of Series 3 vs. Winner of Series 4

Western Conference

11. Winner of Series 5 vs. Winner of Series 6

12. Winner of Series 7 vs. Winner of Series 8

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

13. Winner of Series 9 vs. Winner of Series 10

Western Conference

14. Winner of Series 11 vs. Winner of Series 12

Stanley Cup Final

15. Winner of Series 13 vs. Winner of Series 14

All games are in a best-of-seven series format.

This format ensures that the top-performing teams from each division and conference can compete for the Stanley Cup while also allowing wild-card teams to make a deep run in the playoffs.