When the season was paused on March 12, with 189 games left on the schedule, several teams were battling for the final playoff positions. To compensate clubs in contention, the NHL playoffs have been expanded from 16 to 24 teams.
NHL Stanley Cup playoff action includes eight qualifying series split between the Eastern and Western Conferences. These are best-of-five series and winners advance to the quarterfinal round. The higher seed is the designated home team in games 1, 2 and 5, while the lower seed is the home team in games 3 and 4.