Darryl Webb/Associated Press
Nothing about the 2019-20 NHL season has been completely normal because of the coronavirus pandemic. The season was suspended in mid-March, and when it returned at the beginning of this month, a new format was introduced with 16 of the 24 remaining teams participating in an added qualifying round of the playoffs.
Even though these best-of-five series are different, they're providing the same level of excitement that fans would expect. And things should only get better as the stakes get even higher and these initial series reach sudden-death contests.
Only one team so far has advanced from the qualifying round, which is the Carolina Hurricanes.