2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Playoff Format and Tie-Breaking Procedure
Playoff Format
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs will follow the same format as previous years. The top eight teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs, and they will be seeded 1-8 based on their regular season records. The first round of the playoffs will be a best-of-seven series, with the top seed in each conference facing the eighth seed, the second seed facing the seventh seed, and so on. The winners of the first round will advance to the second round, which will also be a best-of-seven series. The third round of the playoffs will be the conference finals, which will be a best-of-seven series between the winners of the second round. The winners of the conference finals will advance to the Stanley Cup Final, which will be a best-of-seven series to determine the Stanley Cup champion.
Tie-Breaking Procedure
If two or more teams finish the regular season with the same record, the following tie-breaking procedures will be used to determine their playoff seeding: 1. **Points per game:** The team with the highest points per game will be seeded higher. 2. **Regulation wins:** The team with the most regulation wins will be seeded higher. 3. **Overtime wins:** The team with the most overtime wins will be seeded higher. 4. **Goal differential:** The team with the best goal differential will be seeded higher. 5. **Goals for:** The team with the most goals for will be seeded higher. 6. **Head-to-head record:** If two teams are tied in all of the above categories, their head-to-head record will be used to determine their seeding. The NHL has also released the full schedule for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. The first round will begin on April 20, 2024, and the Stanley Cup Final will be played on June 15, 2024.
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