NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Tuesday that the league will return to play with a modified 24-team playoff format, effectively ending the 2019-20 regular season. Games will be played this summer at two host cities, though an exact starting date and locations are still being worked out.
Based on points percentage from games played through March 11—the day the NHL halted its season due to coronavirus—12 teams in the Eastern and Western conferences will make the postseason. The league ended up playing 1,082 of 1,271 regular season games (85%) that were originally scheduled.
The 24-team playoff will begin with a 16-team, eight-series Qualifying Round and a Round Robin among the top four teams in each conference to determine seeds for the First Round. The top 12 teams from the Eastern Conference will play in one host city, with the 12 Western Conference teams playing in another. Competition will culminate with conference finals and a Stanley Cup Final, each played in a best-of-seven series.
Teams will be limited to bringing 50 personnel to their conference’s hub city, which will include hotels, an arena, practice facilities, and transportation. According to Bettman, the league plans to enroll a “rigorous, regular schedule of [COVID-19] testing” for its players and staff. For the two hub locations, the NHL is currently considering 10 options: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver.
“Timing and sites will be determined at a future date and will be dependent on COVID-19 conditions, testing ability and government regulations,” the NHL said in its announcement.
The NHL expects to allow teams to resume voluntary small-group training at their home practice facilities starting in early June. Teams will then begin formal training in their home facilities no earlier than the first half of July.
The seven-worst teams according to regular season points percentage that didn’t qualify for the playoff tournament will be entered into the lottery for the 2020 NHL draft. Those teams are the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.
