A Look Ahead at the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Introduction

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the National Hockey League had to halt all games last March, similar to other major American sports leagues. Fortunately, the NHL managed to restart the 2019 – 2020 season on Saturday, August 1st, 2020, much to the delight of players, coaches, staff, and hockey enthusiasts.

The NHL's return-to-play plan featured a 24-team tournament . In this framework, the top 12 teams from the Eastern Conference competed in Toronto, while the leading 12 teams from the Western Conference battled it out in Edmonton. For safety reasons, all matches took place in empty arenas, with no fans allowed. The qualifying phase of the 2019 – 2020 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs was conducted over the initial nine days of August.

The qualifying round granted the top four teams in each conference a bye, meaning they could skip the qualifying series to reach the standard 16-team playoff format. Teams seeded from 5 to 12 in each conference engaged in a best-of-five series during this qualifying stage, with the victors advancing to the traditional playoff setup.

With the qualifying round of the 2019 – 2020 NHL playoffs now wrapped up, the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is slated to commence on Tuesday, August 11th, 2020. Below is an overview of the eight matchups, detailing how each team reached this stage and their scheduled games for the opening round.

# 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. # 12 Montreal Canadians (Eastern Conference)

The Philadelphia Flyers clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference by winning all three of their round-robin games, thus bypassing the qualifying round. Conversely, the Montreal Canadians earned their spot by overcoming the Pittsburgh Penguins in a four-game series, which was quite an upset, especially since the Penguins were plagued by numerous defensive injuries.

Game 1: Aug. 12, 8 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 14, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 16, 8 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 18, 3 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 19, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 21, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 23, TBD

# 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. # 9 Columbus Blue Jackets (Eastern Conference)

The Tampa Bay Lightning By finishing with a record of 2 – 1 – 0 in the round-robin portion, the Tampa Bay Lightning secured the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets managed to defeat the favored 8th seed, the Toronto Maple Leafs , in a fiercely contested best-of-five series that featured several overtime matchups. Despite playing at home, the Maple Leafs fell to the tenacious Columbus squad.

Game 1: Aug. 11, 3 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 13, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 17, 3 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 19, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 21, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 22, TBD

# 3 Washington Capitals vs. # 7 New York Islanders (Eastern Conference)

The Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals ended with a round-robin record of 1 – 1 – 1, placing them third in the conference. The New York Islanders triumphed in their qualifying series, taking down the Florida Panthers in four games. Both teams had struggled before the NHL season was paused in March, but the Islanders showed a much-improved performance upon return.

Game 1: Aug. 12, 3 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 14, 8 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 16, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 18, 8 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 20, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 22, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 23, TBD

# 4 Boston Bruins vs. # 6 Carolina Hurricanes (Eastern Conference)

The Boston Bruins faced challenges during the qualifying round, finishing as the weakest team in the Eastern Conference's round-robin with a disheartening record of 0 – 3 – 0. On the other hand, the Carolina Hurricanes dominated the New York Rangers , sweeping them in three games to secure their place in the playoff's first round. New York Rangers # 1 Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. # 12 Chicago Blackhawks (Western Conference)

Game 1: Aug. 11, 8 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 13, 8 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 15, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 17, 8 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 19, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 20, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 23, TBD

The Las Vegas Golden Knights displayed an outstanding performance in the Western Conference during the qualifying round, achieving the top seed with a perfect 3 – 0 – 0 record. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks managed to knock out the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers in a four-game showdown, outclassing them even on their home turf.

# 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. # 11 Arizona Coyotes (Western Conference)

Game 1: Aug. 11, 10:30 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 13, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 15, 8 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 16, 6:30 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 18, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 20, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 22, TBD

The Colorado Avalanche secured their number two seed by recording a 2 – 0 – 1 performance in the qualifiers. In a surprising turn of events, the Arizona Coyotes eliminated the sixth-seeded Nashville Predators by winning their series with a dramatic overtime victory in game four of the best-of-five.

# 3 Dallas Stars vs. # 8 Calgary Flames (Western Conference)

Game 1: Aug. 12, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 14, 2 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 15, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 17, 5:30 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 19, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 21, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 23, TBD

The Dallas Stars claimed the third seed with a round-robin record of 1 – 2 – 0, with their single win coming in a shootout. The Calgary Flames advanced by decisively defeating the Winnipeg Jets , finishing that series with a 3 – 1 win.

# 4 St. Louis Blues vs. # 7 Vancouver Canucks (Western Conference)

Game 1: Aug. 11, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 13, 10:30 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 14, 10:30 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 16, 2 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 18, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 20, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 22, TBD

The defending champions, the St. Louis Blues, had a disappointing performance, posting a record of 0 – 2 – 1 in their first three postseason games, which dropped them to the fourth seed. Conversely, the Vancouver Canucks handled their matchup against the with ease, winning their qualifying series in four games, though they now face the formidable Blues in the first playoff round.

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Game 1: Aug. 12, 10:30 p.m.
Game 2: Aug. 14, 6:30 p.m.
Game 3: Aug. 16, 10:30 p.m.
Game 4: Aug. 17, 10:30 p.m.
Game 5: Aug. 19, TBD
Game 6: Aug. 21, TBD
Game 7: Aug. 23, TBD

Sources:

Be sure to check your email and click on the link we sent you in order to finalize your registration. , espn.com, August 10, 2020.

Written by: David Green

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