how many rounds in nhl playoffs

The NHL playoffs consist of four rounds in total.

Quick breakdown of the rounds

• First Round – 8 best‑of‑seven series (16 teams).
• Second Round – 4 best‑of‑seven series (conference semifinals).
• Conference Finals – 2 best‑of‑seven series (Eastern and Western champions).
• Stanley Cup Final – 1 best‑of‑seven series to crown the NHL champion.

How the format works

Each round is a best‑of‑seven series, meaning a team must win 4 games to advance.

The current structure (as of the 2025–26 season) still uses 16 teams (8 per conference), with division‑based seeding and two wild‑card spots per conference.

At‑a‑glance table

Round| Number of series| Series length| Teams left after
---|---|---|---
First Round| 8| Best‑of‑7| 8
Second Round| 4| Best‑of‑7| 4
Conference Finals| 2| Best‑of‑7| 2
Stanley Cup Final| 1| Best‑of‑7| 1 (champion)

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.