On March 12, the NHL hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Saturday, players will hit the ice again as the NHL’s return-to-play plan hits Phase 4 and the postseason begins.
Unlike the traditional playoff format, the league is running a 24-team tournament, with 12 teams from each conference playing in fan-less arenas in Toronto (for the East) and Edmonton, Alberta (for the West). The top four teams in each conference are in the Round of 16, and the Nos. 5 through 12 seeds will square off to see who will take the next step toward immortality.
To help you prepare for the drive to the Stanley Cup, we have previews and picks on all the on-ice action, plus guides to how this will work, the full game schedule and much more.
How the tournament will work
Previews and predictions
Qualification-round schedule
All times Eastern.
Saturday, Aug. 1:
(E11) New York Rangers vs. (E6) Carolina Hurricanes, 12 p.m.
(W12) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (W5) Edmonton Oilers, 3 p.m.
(E10) Florida Panthers vs. (E7) New York Islanders, 4 p.m.
(E12) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E5) Pittsburgh Penguins, 8 p.m.
(W9) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W8) Calgary Flames, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 2:
(W11) Arizona Coyotes vs. (W6) Nashville Predators, 2 p.m.
(E4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (E1) Boston Bruins, 3 p.m.
(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W2) Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.
(E9) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (E8) Toronto Maple Leafs, 8 p.m.
(W10) Minnesota Wild vs. (W7) Vancouver Canucks, 10:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3:
(E11) New York Rangers vs. (E6) Carolina Hurricanes, 12 p.m.
(W9) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W8) Calgary Flames, 2:30 p.m.
(E3) Washington Capitals vs. (E2) Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m.
(W4) Dallas Stars vs. (W3) Vegas Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.
(E12) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E5) Pittsburgh Penguins, 8 p.m.
(W12) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (W5) Edmonton Oilers, 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4:
(E10) Florida Panthers vs. (E7) New York Islanders, 12 p.m.
(W11) Arizona Coyotes vs. (W6) Nashville Predators, 2:30 p.m.
(E9) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (E8) Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 p.m.
(W9) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W8) Calgary Flames, 6:30 p.m.
(E11) New York Rangers vs. (E6) Carolina Hurricanes, 8 p.m.
(W10) Minnesota Wild vs. (W7) Vancouver Canucks, 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5:
(E10) Florida Panthers vs. (E7) New York Islanders, 12 p.m.
(W11) Arizona Coyotes vs. (W6) Nashville Predators, 2:30 p.m.
(E2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (E1) Boston Bruins, 4 p.m.
(W2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (W4) Dallas Stars, 6:30 p.m.
(E12) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E5) Pittsburgh Penguins, 8 p.m.
(W12) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (W5) Edmonton Oilers, 10:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6:
(E3) Washington Capitals vs. (E4) Philadelphia Flyers, TBD
(E9) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (E8) Toronto Maple Leafs, TBD
(E11) New York Rangers vs. (E6) Carolina Hurricanes (if necessary), TBD
(W3) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (W1) St. Louis Blues, TBD
(W10) Minnesota Wild vs. (W7) Vancouver Canucks, TBD
(W9) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W8) Calgary Flames (if necessary), TBD
Friday, Aug. 7:
(E9) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (E8) Toronto Maple Leafs (if necessary), TBD
(E10) Florida Panthers vs. (E7) New York Islanders (if necessary), TBD
(E12) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E5) Pittsburgh Penguins (if necessary), TBD
(W11) Arizona Coyotes vs. (W6) Nashville Predators (if necessary), TBD
(W12) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (W5) Edmonton Oilers (if necessary), TBD
(W10) Minnesota Wild vs. (W7) Vancouver Canucks (if necessary), TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8:
(E4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (E2) Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD
(W3) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (W2) Colorado Avalanche, TBD
(W12) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (W5) Edmonton Oilers (if necessary), TBD
(W9) Winnipeg Jets vs. (W8) Calgary Flames (if necessary), TBD
(E11) New York Rangers vs. (E6) Carolina Hurricanes (if necessary), TBD
(E12) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E5) Pittsburgh Penguins (if necessary), TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9:
(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E3) Washington Capitals, TBD
(W3) Dallas Stars vs. (W1) St. Louis Blues, TBD
(W11) Arizona Coyotes vs. (W6) Nashville Predators (if necessary), TBD
(E9) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (E8) Toronto Maple Leafs (if necessary), TBD
(W10) Minnesota Wild vs. (W7) Vancouver Canucks (if necessary), TBD
(E10) Florida Panthers vs. (E7) New York Islanders (if necessary), TBD
Check out the full postseason schedule here.