How do the NHL 2024 playoffs work? Teams, qualification, seeding, and more explained

The Stanley Cup fever will feature two NHL playoff games. Round one of playoffs will start today for the four participating teams.

The Carolina Hurricanes will play the New York Islanders in the first game at 5 p.m. EDT. The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Boston Bruins for the second game at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

But before you watch the game, let's discuss how the NHL playoffs work.

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How do you qualify for NHL playoffs?

There are two ways to qualify for the playoffs:

First: Finish the regular season at the top three positions in any of the four divisions.

Second: The wild card entry, the fourth-ranking team in each of the four divisions qualifies for.

What is the format for the Stanley Cup playoffs? How are the teams seeded?

Here's the in-depth explanation:

Here's how the team games are set for the 2024 playoffs (Credit: NHL.com)

In the first round, the top-performing division winner in each conference will face off against the wild-card team with the lesser record (NYR vs. WSH). Meanwhile, the wild-card team with the better record will compete against the other division winner (FLA vs. TBL). Teams finishing second and third in each division will clash within their respective brackets.

In the second round, winners from the first round within each bracket will battle each other to determine the four teams advancing to the conference finals.

In the conference finals and Stanley Cup final, the team with the superior regular-season record will have a home-ice advantage, irrespective of their final standing within their divisions.

Now Let's explore the TV and streaming options.

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NHL playoffs TV listings and live streaming

You can catch the Stanley Cup playoffs on ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, TNT, SN, SNE and SNW.

If you prefer streaming, you can watch the games on FuboTV, where you can even try it out for free.

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Which teams will be in the NHL playoffs 2024?

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Eastern Conference Leaderboard

1. New York Rangers: Record 55-23-4, Points 114

2. Carolina Hurricanes: Record 52-23-7, Points 111

3. Florida Panthers: Record 52-24-6, Points - 110

4. Boston Bruins: Record 47-20-15, Points 109

5. Toronto Maple Leafs: Record 46-26-10, Points 102

6. Tampa Bay Lightning: Record 45-29-8, Points 98 (wild card)

7. New York Islanders: Record 39-27-16, Points 94

8. Washington Capitals: Record 40-31-11, Points 91 (wild card)

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Western Conference leaderboard

1. Dallas Stars: Record 52-21-9, Points 113

2. Winnipeg Jets: Record 52-24-6, Points 110

3. Vancouver Canucks: Record 50-23-9, Points 109

4. Colorado Avalanche: Record 50-25-7, Points 107

5. Edmonton Oilers: Record 49-27-6, Points 104

6. Nashville Predators: Record 47-30-5, Points 99 (wild card)

7. Los Angeles Kings: Record 44-27-11, Points 99 (wild card)

8. Vegas Golden Knights: Record 45-29-8, Points 98