The NHL is Back! Here’s Everything You Need To Know
The return of the NHL is pretty much set in stone. The NHL has released the schedule for the Stanley Cup Qualifying Round, and it starts on August 1.
As I’ve discussed in previous articles, the qualifying round will consist of twenty-four teams, twelve from each conference. The seeding will be based on each team’s winning percentage at the end of the regular season. The top four teams from each conference will be safe from elimination and compete in a round-robin for seeding in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Meanwhile, the 5-12 seeds will play each other in best of five series based on their seeding. The winners from these matchups will advance to the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If you’ve read my previous articles, you will also know that all games will be played in Edmonton or Toronto. All Eastern Conference games excluding the Conference Final will be played in Toronto, and all Western Conference games as well as both Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.
RELATED: NHL Announces that Edmonton and Toronto will be Hub Cities For the Stanley Cup Playoffs
The NHL has also released the hotel assignments for each team. The two hotels in Toronto that will host the Eastern Conference teams are Hotel X and the Royal York Hotel. Hotel X will host the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philidelphia Flyers. The Royal York Hotel will host the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colombus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, and Montreal Canadiens.
The two hotels in Edmonton that will host the Western Conference teams are the JW Marriott and Sutton Place Hotel. The JW Marriott will host the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Nashville Predators. Meanwhile, the Sutton Place Hotel will host the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, and Chicago Blackhawks.
No matter how hockey returns, we are more than lucky it is finally returning.
