Stanley Cup Playoffs
As a fourth seed in the NHL’s 24-team playoff format in a return to play, the Flyers have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made a formal announcement on Tuesday afternoon to detail the rest of this four-phase plan and break down the playoff structure and draft lottery protocols as the NHL strives to make a return to play.
The NHLPA Executive Board had a call on Thursday to discuss the proposed 24-team playoff structure for the NHL’s return to play. On Friday, the NHLPA officially announced approval of the 24-team structure and authorized further negotiations with the NHL in pursuing the return to play.
On Wednesday night, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the NHL and NHLPA is working toward a 24-team playoff setup that would be conference-based and it certainly has an interesting structure.
The Boston Bruins swept out the Carolina Hurricanes in four games to reach their third Stanley Cup Final in the last nine seasons. The St. Louis Blues defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games, reaching the Final for the first time since 1970.
Four teams remain with a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final: the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks/Colorado Avalanche. How we got here in Around the NHL.
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes both made the playoffs in the two wildcard spots in the East and pulled off upsets of the two division winners in the first round. Now, both teams hold the lead in their respective second round series after three games.
Last week, it was already known that the President’s Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, were eliminated, as were the Pittsburgh Penguins. Six other teams have joined, and many of them were near the top of the regular-season standings.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that tied an NHL record with 62 wins in the regular season, were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in four games. The Pittsburgh Penguins, the Stanley Cup champions in 2016 and 2017, were also swept by the New York Islanders in four games.
While the Flyers playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread, we look at other teams surrounding the playoff picture in this week’s Around the NHL.
