NHL reveals format for 24-team playoff, qualifying round.
These games will be played with playoff overtime rules, and these play-in series will determine which teams advance to a traditional 16-team Stanley Cup playoff bracket. In the East, the play-in series matchups would be No. 5 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Montreal; No. 6 Carolina vs. No. 11 New York Rangers; No. 7 New York Islanders vs. No. 10 Florida; and No. 8 Toronto vs. No. 9 Columbus.

KHL reporter Igor Eronko tweeted that he’s heard the league is toying with the idea of a 24-team playoff, with a play-in round. NHL insider Darren Dreger piggybacked off of Eronko’s tweet.

As we get closer to a return to play in the NHL, we hope to see the 24-team playoff format work out. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the phases of the league’s plan to return on Tuesday.

If the NHL resumes, it will likely have a different version of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A proposed 24 team bracket would be perfect. The NHL is currently on hiatus thanks to the coronavirus.

The NHL Players' Association executive board started voting Thursday on a proposed 24-team, conference-based playoff format for a potential restart to the 2019-20 season this summer. Results of.

Rank Team PTS% 1. Boston Bruins.714: 2. Tampa Bay Lightning.657: 3. Washington Capitals.652: 4. Philadelphia Flyers.645: 5. Pittsburgh Penguins.623: 6. Carolina.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced in May that the league was moving ahead with a 24-team playoff format, in which 12 teams from each conference will be participating in a modified postseason. There are plenty of kinks still left to work out, and practically nothing has been confirmed other than the playoffs will happen, but at least we have playoff hockey to look forward to this year.