NHL News: 2020 Playoff Format And Revised Stanley Cup Odds

Last week NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the remainder of the regular season would not be completed and that instead, the league would go straight into a revised playoff system. On Thursday, the NHL and NHLPA agreed upon a playoff format that would see 24 teams competing for the Stanley Cup without any resumption of the regular season.

This news comes as a great relief to hockey fans and the world of sports betting in Canada and the United States, and put bookmakers immediately to work setting new odds to win the Stanley Cup. It won’t be easy as Pierre LeBrun reports that there are still many elements yet to be finalized.

NHL/NHLPA have put finishing touches on format agreement announced last week. Among the open issues resolved:
_ both sides have agreed that it will be best-of-7 in all four playoff rounds (best of 5 in play-in round)
– Teams will be re-seeded after each round (not bracketed)

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 4, 2020

Online sports betting in Canada has the Boston Bruins as the +550 favorite, followed by the Las Vegas Golden Knights +600, Tampa Bay Lightning +650, the Washington Capitals +700, and the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues at +800. The Montreal Canadians and the Chicago Blackhawks are both +10000 underdogs.

It’s important to note that these Canadian sportsbook odds come under the cloud of uncertainty regarding many items, including coronavirus testing policy, the value of neutral ice, and the impacts the three-month layoff will have on the teams.

2020 NHL Playoff Format

According to the NHL’s media release, the top four teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences will advance to the playoffs. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers from the Eastern Conference, and St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Las Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars will each have a bye, and play a 3-game round-robin to determine their seeding order.

The next eight teams in each conference will play in a best-of-five series qualifying round to determine the final eight teams that will compete for the Stanley Cup. All other rounds (First Round, Second Round, Conference Finals, Stanley Cup Final) will be the traditional best-of-seven series.

The Eastern Conference qualifying round will match the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Montreal Canadiens, the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders vs. the Florida Panthers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Western Conference best-of-5 qualifying round will see the Edmonton Oilers vs. the Chicago Blackhawks, the Nashville Predators vs. the Arizona Coyotes, the Vancouver Canucks vs. the Minnesota Wild, and the Calgary Flames vs. the Winnipeg Jets.

Seven teams will see their season end prematurely. The Detroit Red Wing, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, and the Buffalo Sabres will participate in the NHL Draft Lottery set to hold it’s the first phase on June 26th.

Current Odds to Win the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup