Hockey Explained (NHL Playoffs, Conferences & Divisions, Wild Card System) [2023]

Is it tough to qualify for the playoffs in the NHL? Well, while it could change this year, the Buffalo Sabres currently hold the longest post-season drought, having not appeared in the playoffs for 11 seasons! So it’s definitely not easy. In this video we’ll go over the regular season format, conferences & divisions, and the wild card system.
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[@BenchWormSports]

Thanks for watching! For more Benchworm, check out Hockey Explained: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHTNh4RndtmomrM

[@user-hg4hz1lx2h]

Could you please Breakdown Baseball, I’ve been trying to get into Hockey and Baseball recently and your vids are god sent🙏🏾

[@BenchWormSports]

@@user-hg4hz1lx2h thanks so much! I’ll look into Baseball

[@tanmay6367]

@@BenchWormSports yess baseball CFL NFL ❤👍🏻

[@mbappevspsg]

The next video is the mls

[@lord_leonn]

I started watching hockey this season and you’re videos really helped me a lot

[@BenchWormSports]

Nice! Hope you’re enjoying the season!

[@heathen168]

Who is your team?

[@trevon444]

Very helpful visual guide. I’m on day 2 of learning hockey

[@puuuwing]

Just got into hockey because of the Seattle Kraken! Your videos help me alot in understanding the basics and how it works! 😭 As a visual learner and a not so sports fan, I am so grateful for this

[@Chase_Was_Taken]

I didnt know the wild card and you explained it so good. Thanks

[@JBrynnJ]

Very helpful! I hope your channel grows and grows because these are wonderful!

[@BenchWormSports]

Thanks so much, and thanks for watching!

[@TheDeepThrill]

Thank you. This is very informative! As an English man who moved to Canada it’s all a bit above my head! How does the bracket system work for the Stanley cup? Which divisions go against each other ?

[@JS-vf5gn]

Great video dude. I subscribed; keep up the good content.

[@OG_RAINING]

great content. love the music also!

[@kotaowens6978]

Thank you! This was helpful!

[@backpackalak4101]

Very helpful as im new to hockey

[@simone.simone]

By the way these are fantastic graphics! How do you do them?

[@thinkwastaken]

I love these videos. So help full! (Do you have a patreon?)

[@BenchWormSports]

Thanks so much - really glad they help! Not yet, but maybe one day!

[@zbdeeseva9369]

Wild card system Top 3 teams in each division make the playoffs West Central: COL, MIN, STL West Pacific: CAL, EDM, LAK East Atlantic: FLA, TOR, TMP East Metropolitan: CRL, NYR, PIT Out of the remaining 20, only 4 more teams can make the playoffs. Wild card rule: The wild card team with the best record will play the division clincher of either Metropolitan or Pacific, and vise versa. East Wild Card: BOS & WSH West Wild Card: DAL & NSH NHL 1st Round Matchups East (A1) FLA vs (WC2) WSH (A2) TOR vs (A3) TMP (M1) CRL vs (WC1) BOS (M2) NYR vs (M3) PIT West (C1) COL vs (WC2) NSH (C2) MIN vs (3) STL (P1) CAL vs (WC1) DAL (P2) EDM vs (3) LAK

[@Malte12345]

anyway the videos are great

[@aaronharstad4009]

Love your videos! What software do you use for the diagrams? Would love to know so I can incorporate this into teaching my own kids.

[@BenchWormSports]

Thanks for watching! For diagrams, illustrator or any other vector-based alternative like Inkscape will do the trick.

[@Malte12345]

hey i was wondering when is the next videocoming out? i know you are active in the comments but uploads are nowhere

[@BenchWormSports]

Give me a week or so :)

[@dude-us9gy]

I fucking miss the old system 1v8 2v7 3v6 4v5 and the round 2 reseed the old way

[@jessenguyen6553]

You should be put in the HHOF as a builder!

[@johncooley1495]

So a team in the same conference can steal a wild card spot, no matter what division they are in? E.g. the Detroit red wings are in the Atlantic division but there are three teams in the metropolitan division fighting for a spot in the wild card. The red wings, capitals, and flyers are at 87 points and the penguins are at 86. The penguins not only have to battle their own division, but also the red Wings for the divisional wild card?

[@BenchWormSports]

That’s right. The two wild card spots in each conference can be won by any division in that conference. It would be possible for one division to send 3 teams to the playoffs, while the other division in that conference sends 5.

[@jacobw7516]

Thank you! Now I understand the whole points system. It has confused me even when other explain it

[@BenchWormSports]

That’s awesome to hear! It should be an exciting finish to the regular season.

[@vaultsuit]

​@@BenchWormSports it would be nice if you'd try to tackle differences between NHL and IIHF rules - especially that international rules are as similar as ever plus the new rulebook is organized the same as NHL one.

[@BenchWormSports]

@@vaultsuit awesome idea! I’ll look into that

[@vaxshin]

Love the content! Are you gonna do rugby?

[@BenchWormSports]

Maybe one day, but hockey season is coming up quickly!

[@ScibFilms2]

could you make a video abou the AFL (australian football league) i saw a game recently. it was highly recemended for me to watch and i ended up loving it but very confused about a lot of it. a lot of people keep saying its very good and it was a must for me to see it.

[@jonnyc2274]

I love hocky but the system is unnecisarily complicated!

[@johnslyfield5096]

It used to be a lot easier! In 1979 to 1980 when the league expanded from 17 to 21 teams they went from 12 to 16 teams in the playoffs with the first round being best of five (currently best of seven) and subsequent rounds being best of seven like they are today. Also there was the Prince of Wales and Clarence Campbell Conferences with little respect for geography except rivalries were honored. So it went from being 80% of teams qualifying for the playoffs to 50% as of last season. It’s still not easy but it’s not as challenging as basketball or football. Basketball on the other hand, you almost have to try hard to miss out on the fun with 10 spots per conference in a sport with two fewer teams than the NHL.

[@BenchWormSports]

I feel ya! I wouldn’t mind a similar format to the NBA.

[@whataboutrob442]

Decent content, but you need to either get a better microphone or you are recoding it way too hot.

[@stocksgoupward5922]

hockey needs to expand playoffs. there are 2 seasons in hockey its regular season and playoffs but playoff hockey IS the best playoffs in all of sports. Expand it. NHL is more concerned of getting pride jerseys than expanding playoffs. in the 1970's they had 16 playoff teams with only 21 overall teams. now they have over 30 teams and they havent expanded it. makes no sense.

[@LiverpoolFCthegoats]

The best Knockout rounds are in THE champions league and World Cup nobody can argue that

[@stocksgoupward5922]

@@LiverpoolFCthegoats except that Hockey is ten times more tougher games and the hitting.

[@vaultsuit]

​@@LiverpoolFCthegoats you gotta be shitting me... Two-legged matches with away goals rule? This sucks. And just don't compare soccer to hockey, please...

[@vaultsuit]

I strongly disagree - it would water down the playoffs, 16 teams is more than enough. 16 wins to get the Cup is heavy duty as it is.