All times are in Eastern. email errors to amer at mallah dot com, all credit to Anna Kear for figuring this out in the first place.
data pulled March 29, 2024 06:00:40
The top 3 teams in each division automatically qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the next 2 highest-placed finishers in each conference also make the postseason. In Round 1, each conference winner plays the second wild card team from their conference, while the other division winner in that conference faces its first wild card. At the same time, the second-placed team in each division takes part in a best-of-seven series with their third-placed counterpart upon meeting each other, on both sides of the playoff bracket. The Second Round pits the winner of that contest against the first seed from their division, or the wild card team that beat them. The Conference Finals see the 2 divisional champions from each conference squaring off, and the Stanley Cup Final consists of a matchup between the Eastern and Western Conference champions.