2023 NHL Playoff Bracket: Teams, Seeds & Schedule

 

NHL Playoff Bracket as of January 28th, 2023.

The 2022-23 NHL regular season is currently at its midpoint, but it’s never too early to start thinking about playoffs. The final day of the NHL regular season is April 13, 2023 and the playoffs will begin a few days later.

The image above displays the 2023 NHL Playoff bracket and will be updated after each week. All matchups are current as of the date listed below the table.

You’ll find much more NHL playoff information on this page below, including NHL playoff matchups and the NHL Playoff schedule. The only thing we don’t have here are NHL playoff odds.

NHL Playoff Picture

How Is the NHL Playoff Bracket Set Up?

With the NHL playoff structure reverted to its regular format, this is how the seeding will work. There are eight teams from both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference that will make it to the postseason.

The Eastern Conference will have the top three teams from the Metropolitan Division and Atlantic Division, along with two wild card spots. The Western Conference playoff schedule will feature the top three teams from both the Pacific and Central Division, along with the two best teams outside of those six as the wild cards.

The top two seeds in each division in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference will play the Wild Card teams in Round 1. Meanwhile, the other #2 and #3 seeds in each division will play each other in the first round. A team may be ahead of another team in regular-season points but could be in a Wild Card spot because all three teams in their division are ahead of them.

With the Bruins leading the way in the NHL standings and the Stanley Cup odds, they will take on the bottom feeder in the East. As of right now, that’s the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here’s what the Stanley Cup schedule would be right now.

 How Many Teams Make the NHL Playoffs?

As mentioned above, the NHL playoff schedule has not been set in stone yet. We do know there will be four rounds – First Round, Second Round, Conference Championships, Stanley Cup Final. Each series in all rounds will be a best-of-seven series. 16 total teams make the Stanley Cup playoffs, eight from the East and eight from the West.

When Do the NHL Playoffs Start?

Most teams will play a seven-game series against a team from their division.

NHL Regular-Season Standings

Regular-season NHL standings as of January 17, 2023. 

Every NHL team still has a chance to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup playoff bracket, although the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks sit at the bottom of the regular season standings, and therefore, have the worst odds. No team has been eliminated from the NHL Playoff Picture.

NHL Playoff Bracket FAQs

What dates are the Stanley Cup finals?

The start date of the Stanley Cup finals will depend on the date the matchup is decided (i.e. when the conference championships end). Regardless, the final game of the playoffs will be no later than June 30, 2022.

How many games are in the NHL playoffs?

Each series is a best of seven. The winning team will need to win 16 games, but the champion could play as many as 28 if all four of their series go the full seven games. The maximum number of games in one playoffs (all teams) is 105.

When do the NHL playoffs begin?

The 2023 NHL Playoffs are expected to begin a few days after the regular season concludes on April 13th, 2023. The official start date of the Stanley Cup Playoffs hasn't been announced yet.

When was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup?

The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Canadian teams have made the finals six times since then (Vancouver, 1994; Calgary, 2004; Edmonton, 2006; Ottawa, 2007; Vancouver, 2011; Montreal, 2021).