The path to the 2021 Stanley Cup became a little clearer when the NHL announced schedules and division realignment for the upcoming season. In a nutshell, Canada isn’t allowing travelers, including professional sports teams. The NHL wanted to minimize travel (covid exposure), so it realigned its teams and shifted to an intradivisional format. That means that teams will only play teams within their division for the duration of the regular season.
That intradivisional format will also continue for the first two rounds of the playoffs, with four teams from each division making the post-season. From there, one winner will be crowned from each of the NHL’s four divisions, at which point the NHL semi-finals will start with the remaining four teams.