NHL Announces Plans for Stanley Cup Playoff This Summer

On Tuesday, the National Hockey League released details of their plan to proceed with the end of the 2019-20 season and present the Stanley Cup, echoing Wayne and Garth’s famous phrase, “Game On!”

Back in January, David Krejci of the Boston Bruins celebrated upon scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in a game between the two NHL contenders, who are among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year. However, on March 11, the League was forced to stop play due to the coronavirus. In lieu of this, Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Tuesday plans to start the playoffs this summer. The top 12 teams from each conference will meet to resume play in a hub city, with the regular season games being abandoned. The Commissioner stated through a videoconference that the fans have spoken in favor of completion of the season if at all possible, and that the players and teams also want to have the season reach its conclusion (Image: Charles Krupa/AP).

The NHL announced on Tuesday that the top four teams in each conference will face each other in a three-game round-robin to determine the seeding, while the other eight teams will contest four best-of-five-game series to decide the remainder of each conference’s entrants. The location for the first- and second-round series is yet to be determined, and specifics for the length of the series will be finalized later. Additionally, the Conference finals and the Stanley Cup final will be best-of-sevens, and the site for the games is still undecided. NHL officials said that teams will be allowed to return to their team location for voluntary small group workouts in early June, while formal training camps may begin approximately one month later. Furthermore, 10 cities are now vying for the hub locations.

Matchups Set, 10 Cities Vying for Hubs

the New York Rangers; the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets; and the Florida Panthers vs. the New York Islanders.

The National Hockey League (NHL) has not set an official date for the resumption of play, but it has announced that 10 cities will be considered as “hubs” for the season. These cities are Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Vancouver. The league has not specified a timeline for when two of these cities will be chosen, but it will take into consideration COVID-19 conditions, testing availability, and government regulations. Players and staff will be confined to secure hotels and have dedicated transportation to the arenas and practice rinks. To keep personnel at a consistent, safe number, each team will be limited to 50 people, with a “small number” of support staff. The top four seeds in the Eastern Conference will be determined by the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers. The Eastern Conference play-in series will include the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Montreal Canadiens; the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the New York Rangers; the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets; and the Florida Panthers vs. the New York Islanders.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers will take on the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers in the first round. The Toronto Maple Leafs will battle the Columbus Blue Jackets in the next round. In the Western Conference, the defending Stanley Cup Champions St. Louis Blues will be matched up against the Colorado Avalanche, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Dallas Stars. The remaining playoff teams will be decided via the following series: Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, and the Calgary Flames vs. the Winnipeg Jets. With the Blues, Lightning, and Golden Knights tipped as favorites, another exciting postseason awaits in the NHL.

Boston, Tampa, Vegas Cup Favorites

Louis at +850 and Washington at +1000.

Due to the NHL ending the regular season early (there were 189 games between the 31 teams left before the league suspended play on March 11), it is likely that season prop bets, such as total points for teams, will be canceled and wagers refunded. It’s best to check with your sportsbook to find out their policies. The Westgate SuperBook announced it would cancel bets on points and win totals, as well as bets on division winners. Even yes/no playoff prop bets will also be canceled since they were based on an 82-game regular season. As for Stanley Cup odds, the Lightning, Bruins, and Golden Knights have co-favorites status at +600 according to the SuperBook. The Avalanche follows at +800, and the Blues and Capitals have +1000 odds. FanDuel puts the Bruins and Lightning at +600, the Avalanche at +750, the Golden Knights at +850, the Capitals at +900, and the Blues at +1000. At Caesars, Boston, Vegas, and Tampa Bay are all at +600; Colorado is at +800, St. Louis is at +850, and Washington at +1000.

Louis is +900 and Washington is +1100.