NHL Playoffs Tickets

NHL Playoffs Schedule

NHL Playoffs return this spring, with 16 teams fighting for a shot to lift the best trophy in sports, the coveted Stanley Cup.

The NHL Playoffs start in April and typically run until early June. Don’t forget to sign up on SeatGeek to find out exactly when your favorite team will appear in the NHL playoffs.

How much are NHL Playoffs tickets?

NHL Playoffs tickets on the secondary market can vary depending on a number of factors. Typically, NHL Playoffs tickets can be found for as low as $150.00, with an average price of $475.00.

What teams make the NHL Playoffs?

Since the NHL was founded in the early 1900s, the league has relied on its postseason to determine a champion. The league tested various formats during this time. In the early days of the league, the top teams from the first and second halves of the regular season would square off for the right to be crowned champion. This format was soon scrapped in favor of the top two teams from the entire season competing against one another.

Eventually the playoff format infused more teams into the mix, as the expansion of the league allowed for more competitors to enter the postseason fray. This format first appeared as a three-team tournament, where the top team would receive a bye to the final. The continued expansion of the league added more and more teams into the playoffs until a bracketed competition was possible.

Formats for postseason series have also changed over the course of NHL history, with the league using a number of different methods to determine who would advance in each playoff round. In the old days of the league, two teams would square off in a two-game series, where the total number of goals separated the teams. That eventually gave way to best-of-three game series, with best-of-five and best-of-seven game series evolving from there.

The NHL Playoffs consist of four rounds, all of which are best-of-seven game series. The top eight teams in the Eastern Conference and top eight teams in the Western Conference compete in the NHL Playoffs. Seeding is determined by the overall record and how each team performed within their divisions over the course of the season. The location of the NHL Playoffs depends on which teams qualify for the playoffs and which teams earn home ice advantage based on their performances in the regular season.

Best NHL Playoffs Moments

In the history of the NHL Playoffs, there are several games that will go down as some of the best in the history of the sport. Perhaps the most memorable was the 5x overtime game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers in the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Eventually won on a Keith Primeau goal, players were reported to have been ordering pizzas between overtime periods due to the length of the game.

The 2009 Stanley Cup Final brought an unmatched level of drama as well, as the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins battled to a seventh game to decide the fate of an entire season. Two Max Talbot goals in the second period put the Penguins in front, where they held on despite a third-period goal by the Wings that brought on an avalanche of pressure and intensity for the remainder of the game.