Now one day away, NHL action returns with three days of exhibition games prior to the start of the playoffs on August 1, 2020. The postseason has been expanded, from 16 to 24 teams, to compensate clubs that were just outside the playoff bubble when the season was paused on March 12. The top four teams in each conference received an automatic entry into the quarterfinals. Those teams are playing two round robin series to establish second round seeding.
Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington and Philadelphia finished as the top four teams in the Eastern Conference standings.