Sixteen teams, eight per conference, play four best of seven rounds on a set bracket. The first team to win four games advances.
The NHL playoff format builds the bracket from divisions and awards home ice by points. This guide shows both on real brackets from 2024, 2025 and 2026. The tool below explains every series.
How do the NHL playoffs work? Who gets in
Sixteen of the 32 teams make the playoffs. The NHL fills the spots in this order:
- The top three teams in each division get in. Four divisions fill 12 spots.
- The next two teams in each conference, by points, get wild card spots. Two conferences fill 4 spots.
- Add 12 and 4 to get 16 teams.
What is a wild card?
A wild card is a playoff spot for a team outside its division’s top three. Each conference has two. They go to the two teams with the most points left over, from either division.
One division can send five teams
One division can send five teams while the other sends three. In 2026 the Atlantic sent five and the Metropolitan sent three.
The Atlantic five were Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Boston and Ottawa. Carolina, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were the Metropolitan three.
How many points does it take to get in?
The last wild card had from 90 to 99 points in the six races below. The first team out finished from 0 to 6 points behind. This table shows both for each conference.
| Season | Conference | Last wild card | First team out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | East | Washington (91 points) | Detroit (91) |
| 2024 | West | Vegas (98) | St. Louis (92) |
| 2025 | East | Montreal (91) | Columbus (89) |
| 2025 | West | St. Louis (96) | Calgary (96) |
| 2026 | East | Ottawa (99) | Washington (95) |
| 2026 | West | Los Angeles (90) | St. Louis (86) |
Two races ended level on points. Washington and Detroit both had 91 in 2024. Washington had 32 wins in regulation to Detroit’s 27, so Washington got in.
St. Louis and Calgary both had 96 in 2025. St. Louis had 32 wins in regulation to Calgary’s 31, so St. Louis got in.
Who plays whom in the first round?
The NHL playoff format sets three pairing rules in each conference:
- The division winner with more points plays the wild card with fewer points.
- The other division winner plays the other wild card.
- The second and third place teams in each division play each other.
This table shows the four Eastern series of 2026.
| Series | Higher seed | Lower seed | Why they met |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Buffalo (109 points) | Boston (100) | Atlantic winner and the first wild card |
| B | Tampa Bay (106) | Montreal (106) | Second and third in the Atlantic |
| C | Carolina (113) | Ottawa (99) | Top division winner and the second wild card |
| D | Pittsburgh (98) | Philadelphia (98) | Second and third in the Metropolitan |
Carolina had 113 points, more than Buffalo’s 109. Carolina drew Ottawa, the wild card with 99 points. Buffalo drew Boston, who had 100.
Why a wild card can meet its own division
The bracket pairs each wild card with a division winner by points. Division does not enter into it.
A wild card can draw a winner from its own division. Buffalo and Boston both play in the Atlantic.
Each season has 4 series that pair a division winner with a wild card. That makes 12 in three seasons, and 5 of them were same division meetings:
- 2024 Atlantic: Florida against Tampa Bay
- 2024 Metropolitan: New York Rangers against Washington
- 2025 Atlantic: Toronto against Ottawa
- 2025 Central: Winnipeg against St. Louis
- 2026 Atlantic: Buffalo against Boston
The other 7 crossed divisions. In 2026 Carolina, from the Metropolitan, played Ottawa from the Atlantic.
How do the NHL playoffs work after round one?
The NHL playoff bracket does not change after round one. Winners in the same bracket meet in round two, and no team is reseeded. The NHL letters its 15 series from A to O.
This table shows which series feed which. The same letters fed the same series in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
| Round | East | West |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | A, B, C, D | E, F, G, H |
| Round 2 | I (A and B), J (C and D) | K (E and F), L (G and H) |
| Conference final | M (I and J) | N (K and L) |
Series O is the Stanley Cup Final, between the winners of M and N. Home ice in the last two rounds does not depend on division.
Montreal finished third in the Atlantic in 2026. It won series B, then series I against Buffalo, then met Carolina in series M. For round dates and the win count, see how many rounds are in hockey.
How long a series lasts
Each series is a best of seven, so it lasts from 4 to 7 games. From 2024 to 2026 the NHL played 45 series. This table counts them by length.
| Games played | Series | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5 | 11 percent |
| 5 | 13 | 29 percent |
| 6 | 18 | 40 percent |
| 7 | 9 | 20 percent |
Those series held 256 games, and 58 of them went to overtime. The NHL plays extra periods until a team scores. See the NHL overtime rules for the details.
See why two teams met
Pick a season and a side of the NHL playoff bracket. Press any series to see why the two teams met, who hosted and how it ended.
How does home ice work?
In the first two rounds, the team with the higher finish gets home ice. In the last two rounds, the better regular season record decides it.
The team with more points hosted game 1 in 43 of the 45 series. In the other 2, points were level and regulation wins decided it.
The home ice team won 26 of the 45 series. The other team won 19.
The home pattern in a series
The team with home ice hosts games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The other team hosts games 3, 4 and 6. The NHL’s game lists for all 45 series follow this order.
In 2025 Toronto had 108 points and Florida had 98. Toronto hosted games 1, 2, 5 and 7.
Florida won game 7 in Toronto, 6 to 1. That won the series 4 to 3.
Home ice in the Stanley Cup Final
This table shows who had home ice in the last three Finals.
| Season | Home ice | Other team | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Florida (110 points) | Edmonton (104) | Florida, 4 to 3 |
| 2025 | Edmonton (101) | Florida (98) | Florida, 4 to 2 |
| 2026 | Carolina (113) | Vegas (95) | Carolina, 4 to 2 |
Divisions set the bracket and points set home ice
In 2026 Vegas won the Pacific with 95 points. Three Central teams had more: Colorado with 121, Dallas with 112 and Minnesota with 104.
Dallas and Minnesota finished second and third in the Central. They played each other in round one, and Minnesota won 4 to 2.
Vegas drew Utah, the first wild card. Vegas hosted with 95 points to Utah’s 92.
What happens when teams tie on points?
The NHL breaks a tie on points in order. Games played comes first, then regulation wins. The NHL teams guide lists all seven steps.
Every playoff team had played 82 games in 2026, so regulation wins settled both ties.
Tampa Bay and Montreal each had 106 points. Tampa Bay had 40 wins in regulation to Montreal’s 34. Tampa Bay took second in the Atlantic and home ice.
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia each had 98 points. Pittsburgh had 34 wins in regulation to Philadelphia’s 27. Pittsburgh took second in the Metropolitan and home ice.
Both teams that lost the tiebreak won their series. Montreal won 4 to 3, and Philadelphia won 4 to 2.
Bracket questions
How many teams make the NHL playoffs?
Sixteen make it, eight in each conference. The top three in each division get in, plus two wild cards per conference.
Does the NHL reseed after each round?
No. The set bracket sends winners in the same section to meet in round two.
In 2026 Montreal, third in the Atlantic, played Buffalo and then Carolina.
Who gets home ice in the Stanley Cup Final?
The team with the better regular season record, whatever its division. Carolina had 113 points to Vegas’s 95 in 2026, so Carolina hosted game 1.
Can a wild card play a team from its own division?
Yes. It happened in 5 of the 12 division winner series from 2024 to 2026. In 2026 Boston, a wild card, played Atlantic winner Buffalo.
What happens if two teams tie on points?
After games played, the team with more regulation wins goes ahead. In 2025 St. Louis took the last wild card over Calgary on that step, 32 wins to 31.
How many wins does a team need to win the Stanley Cup?
Sixteen. A team wins four games in each of four rounds.
When do the 2027 playoffs start?
The 2027 playoffs begin Tuesday, April 13. The guide to the NHL season end date lists the key dates.
Take your shot
In 2026 Carolina won the Metropolitan with 113 points and Buffalo won the Atlantic with 109. Which one played the wild card with fewer points?
Pick one to take your shot.
Checked against NHL.com playoff format
NHL playoff format
Checked November 2026
