The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are a thrilling and unpredictable tournament that determines the league’s champion. If you’re new to the NHL or predictions, you might wonder, “How do NHL playoffs work?” Let’s explore the details of the NHL playoffs structure, format, and prediction opportunities.

What are the NHL Playoffs?

 

The NHL playoffs are a great and exciting tournament. It comprises 16 teams, eight from the East and eight from the West. After an 82-game season where every team plays every other team at least twice in their conference, playoff games begin.  Make NHL Free Predictions https://sportzino.com/sports-book/championship/3232 on Sportzino all year long, including the playoffs, if you’re ready to start. 

 

Sportzino is a social sportsbook that provides many different types of markets on any NHL game, popular or niche so that you can enjoy yourself throughout the regular season as well as prestigious post-season matches too.

 

Why are NHL Playoffs Exciting?

 

NHL playoffs are a high-stakes and intense competition. Each series is a best-of-seven format, with teams alternating hosting responsibilities. A team must win four games to advance in this knockout format, while the opponent is eliminated. The unpredictable nature of the playoffs adds to the excitement, as upsets and Cinderella stories are not uncommon.

How Do NHL Playoffs Work?

 

The NHL Playoffs are set up like this:

 

Seeds: The top three teams in each of the four divisions (Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central and Pacific) will earn the first six seeds. The next two highest-ranked teams in each conference will fill out the remaining spots.

 

Round 1: In the first round, the No. 1 seed in each conference plays against the lowest-seeded wild card still remaining with the fewest points, while the No. 2 seed plays against the highest-seeded wild card still remaining with more total points. The division winner with the third-best record will play against the division winner with the second-best record.

 

Round 2: The winners play each other in Round 2. The highest remaining seed faces the lowest remaining seed, and the other two teams play each other.

 

Conference finals: Winners from the second round meet in the Conference finals. Each series winner will advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

 

Stanley Cup Final: Eastern Conference champion vs. Western Conference champion for Stanley Cup Trophy.

Making Predictions on NHL Playoffs

 

When it comes to making predictions on NHL playoffs, there is a lot you can do, including:

 

Moneyline: Make a prediction on who you think will win outright based on stats that are live!

 

Puck line: This market consists of a line where an underdog is usually getting +1.5 goals and a favorite -1.5 goals.

 

Totals: Over/under markets allow you to predict whether or not the game’s total number of goals scored will be above or below a predetermined number.

 

Team or player props: These predictions are made on individual players or teams as a whole — they don’t necessarily correlate to the game’s outcome.

 

Live! markets: Make predictions while games are being played out using live stats feeds and deep analytics about players, etc.

 

Futures: These types of predictions involve long-term predictions, such as who will win their division, conference, playoff, or championship. 

 

Sportzino has many popular and niche markets in any NHL game, including playoffs. Play for free using Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins for a chance to win rewards.

 

Sign up at Sportzino today and take advantage of our generous welcome bonus. Predict your favorite NHL playoff games now for hours of thrilling entertainment!