The Stanley Cup is the biggest prize in the NHL. Taking place at the end of the regular season in April, it sees the best teams from each conference competing. However, what if the season ended before the holidays? We’ve looked into the standings to assemble our suggested brackets for a pre-Christmas Stanley Cup.
How Many Teams Make the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The Stanley Cup features eight teams from each conference, for a total of sixteen teams. Each division within the two conferences automatically sends the top three teams to the playoffs, but that only makes twelve. Each conference adds the teams with the highest points from the remaining franchises to complete the NHL playoff picture.
It creates excitement for anyone making predictions, as the underdog has many opportunities to claim a famous victory. You must find a solid site to make game picks, with great no deposit bonuses to complement the market options.
How Does Stanley Cup Playoff Seeding Work?
The seeding system pairs the best-performing teams with the worst-performing teams. It gives the better teams home advantage, with each round a best-of-seven series. The top seed plays the first two games at home, and the lower-seeded team plays the second two games at home. The top seed plays the fifth and seventh games at home, and the lower seed plays the sixth.
As it’s a best-of-seven series, the fifth, sixth, and seventh games may not take place. For example, if the top seed wins all four of the first games, there’s no chance for the other team to catch up. There’s no need to play the final three games, so they don’t happen.
All initial seeding takes place in the context of conferences. So, the Eastern and Western are on opposite sides of the bracket, each with its own seeds.
How Many Rounds In The Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The Stanley Cup playoffs have four rounds. The first three rounds lead to the conference finals, and then the winners of each conference play in an overall final. The schedule is action-packed and often features over 100 games.
Our NHL Playoff Bracket
If the season ended today, the following teams would make the Stanley Cup playoffs. Our table collects the teams from each conference and displays their seeding.
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Team | Points | Seed |
| Capitals | 48 | 1 |
| Panthers | 46 | 2 |
| Devils | 47 | 3 |
| Maple Leafs | 44 | 4 |
| Hurricanes | 43 | 5 |
| Bruins | 40 | 6 |
| Lightning | 38 | 7 |
| Senators | 38 | 8 |
| Western Conference | ||
| Team | Points | Seed |
| Jets | 49 | 1 |
| Golden Knights | 47 | 2 |
| Wild | 44 | 3 |
| Oilers | 44 | 4 |
| Kings | 43 | 5 |
| Avalanche | 42 | 6 |
| Canucks | 39 | 7 |
| Flames | 39 | 8 |
As you can see, how the divisions work out means that teams with fewer points can sometimes be higher-seeded. Our table creates a fun bracket that leads to some interesting games.
Eastern Conference Bracket
Right from the start, the Eastern Conference throws up some fun matchups. The pre-Christmas bracket is as follows:
Capitals vs Senators
You can expect the Capitals to run out comfortable winners in this game, although if you want to make an underdog pick, there would be some excellent markets available. They haven’t played each other yet this season, but the Senators won in their last meeting.
Panthers vs Lightning
The Panthers vs. Lightning matchup is potentially the most fun for the Eastern Bracket. It’s a rerun of the first round of the playoffs last season, which the Panthers won.
They haven’t played each other in the 24/25 season. However, the Panthers won 6-1 in their previous game, and it looks like a similar outcome this season.
Devils vs Bruins
Despite being in a better position in the East standings, the Devils have had little luck against the Bruins. Although they haven’t met this season, the Bruins have won eight of their last ten meetings, including a 3-0 win when they last faced off. The Devils would be hoping for a win, but the Bruins have history on their side.
Maple Leafs vs Hurricanes
This will likely be the closest game in our Eastern bracket. They are currently just a point away from each other. The Leafs have lost their last four games against the Hurricanes, so they will be low on confidence.
Western Conference
The standings are similar to the Eastern Conference in the Western. The gaps are almost identical, meaning there’s a good chance the first round would end the same way.
Jets vs Flames
The Jets and Flames have played already this season, and it saw the Jets come out 5-3 winners. They will expect a similar result in our early playoffs, and most players will make the same pick.
Golden Knights vs Canucks
These are two more teams that have played recently. Near the end of December, the Vegas Golden Knights won 3-1 against the Canucks. It avenges the 4-3 loss they suffered near the end of the 23/24 regular season. The Golden Knights should be a safe choice for round two.
Wild vs Avalanche
The Wild have lost four of their last five games against the Avalanche, including all four of their most recent meetings. The teams are tied at just two points, making this one of the tightest games in the playoffs. However, anything can happen in hockey, and the Wild could win this game.
Oilers vs Kings
The Oilers and Kings will be seeing red in their matchup. Although they’re almost identical in performance, the Oilers have a significant edge.
They met in the first round last season, and the Oilers have the Kings’ card marked. The Edmonton team won 4-1, so they will be confident going into the game.
Pre-Christmas Playoffs Predictions
While our brackets are just a bit of fun, you can still make NHL predictions while the regular season is ongoing. You can follow every game and work out your own brackets to make it even more exciting.
