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The 2023 NHL Playoffs are set to begin mid-April, tentatively set for Apr. 17 while the regular-season concludes on Apr. 13. 16 teams battle for the Stanley Cup in a single-elimination style best-of-seven series games.
RYP has you covered for everything to win your Stanley Cup brackets! Whether you’re competing in a bracket contest, wagering on games or competing in our Stanley Cup Playoff Power Ranking Pool – we’ve got expert advice, tips and information!
Also be sure to check out the other NHL pools at RYP, such as Survivor Pools or Pick’Ems!
NHL Playoff Pools
NHL Playoff Pools are a great way to gather friends and family in a competitive contest, regardless of hockey knowledge! Compete against friends instead of a book, while still winning money! There are various NHL pool types however, so understanding the formats is crucial if planning to win NHL Playoff contests.
Stanley Cup Playoff Power Ranking Pools
This is perhaps the most innovative and thrilling style of NHL Playoff Pools available, and offered at RYP! In this pool, members simply rank all 16 teams (16 strongest, 1 weakest) in the playoffs. For every win a team has in the playoffs, players are awarded the amount of points in which they were ranked.
For example, if a pool player ranks the Vancouver Canucks at 16 and they win their game then the pool player earns 16 points. Whichever player has the most points when the Stanley Cup ends wins! Rankings are made before the playoffs start and then are closed when the first game begins.
2023 NHL Playoffs Picks & Predictions
The NHL Playoffs are considered to be one of the more unpredictable postseasons in sports. In fact, the team that wins the President’s Cup during the regular-season almost never wins the Stanley Cup. There are lots of contenders to pick from this season, but the Boston Bruins have been the best team so far.
Other Eastern Conference contenders include the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Toronto Maple Leafs are also contenders, but are typically avoidable with lots of recent playoff meltdowns.
In the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche look to defend their Stanley Cup but have taken a step back from last year’s dominance. The Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers are among familiar contenders while the Seattle Kraken have been a pleasant surprise.
Check out our NHL free picks page for daily plays, including top picks for games when the NHL Playoffs begin!
2023 Stanley Cup Favorites
This market lists which teams are favorites to win the Stanley Cup. If selecting a team in this market, a player must correctly choose which team will win the entire tournament. The teams listed towards the top are most likely to win.
- Boston Bruins +500
- Colorado Avalanche +700
- Carolina Hurricanes +700
- Toronto Maple Leafs +850
- Tampa Bay Lightning +1200
- Vegas Golden Knights +1400
- Edmonton Oilers +1400
- Dallas Stars +1400
- New York Rangers +1400
- New Jersey Devils +1400
- Minnesota Wild +2200
- Calgary Flames +2200
- Pittsburgh Penguins +3000
- Seattle Kraken +3300
- Los Angeles Kings +3300
- Florida Panthers +4000
- Washington Capitals +5000
- New York Islanders +6600
NHL Playoffs History
The NHL Playoffs are one of the most exciting postseasons in all of sports, mainly for its unpredictability and fast-paced action. A couple of Canadian clubs live in the playoffs, with the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs seeing two of the top three most playoff appearances.
Montreal has been to 85 playoffs while Toronto has seen 71, with the Boston Bruins sandwiched in between with 75 total playoff appearances. The Bruins actually hold the record for most consecutive playoff appearances with 29 straight seasons competing for Lord Stanley.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have won the most NHL Playoffs in recent years, winning back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. Listed below are results from the most recent NHL Playoffs, including the number of games played in the Stanley Cup Final that year.
- 2022 – Colorado Avalanche (6 games)
- 2021 – Tampa Bay Lightning (5 games)
- 2020 – Tampa Bay Lightning (6 games)
- 2019 – St. Louis Blues (7 games)
- 2018 – Washington Capitals (5 games)
- 2017 – Pittsburgh Penguins (6 games)
- 2016 – Pittsburgh Penguins (6 games)
- 2015 – Chicago Blackhawks (6 games)
- 2014 – Los Angeles Kings (5 games)
- 2013 – Chicago Blackhawks (6 games)
- 2012 – Los Angeles Kings (5 games)
- 2011 – Boston Bruins (7 games)
- 2010 – Chicago Blackhawks (6 games)
- 2009 – Pittsburgh Penguins (7 games)
- 2008 – Detroit Red Wings (6 games)
- 2007 – Anaheim Ducks (5 games)
- 2006 – Carolina Hurricanes (7 games)
- 2005 – None
- 2004 – Tampa Bay Lightning (7 games)
- 2003 – New Jersey Devils (7 games)
- 2002 – Detroit Red Wings (5 games)
- 2001 – Colorado Avalanche (7 games)
- 2000 – New Jersey Devils (6 games)
NHL FAQs
How do you play NHL Survivor Pool?
In an NHL survivor pool, members choose one team from the Saturday games (or games for that week). Each team can only be picked once throughout the season. If they win, the member moves on to the next week. If they lose, the member is eliminated. The last member standing is the winner.
What is NHL Survivor Pool?
In an NHL survivor pool, each member picks one NHL team to win for the week. Each team can only be chosen once during the season. If their pick wins, the member moves on to the following week. If they do not win, the member is disqualified. The last one standing wins.
How to make an NHL pool?
You can just use a hockey pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you! Just sign up to create your own pool, customize your pool settings and invite your friends to play!
How do you play NHL Pick'em Pool?
In NHL Pick'em pools, members will pick the winner of games. The pool commissioner has options to have members pick all games or a specific amount. For each correct pick during regular season, members receive one point. The person with the most points at the end of season wins. Administrators can choose to have 'best bet' picks or 'confidence' points as well.
What is NHL Pick'em Pool?
NHL Pick'em pools have members select the outright winner of each game. The specific amount of games picked is up to the pool commissioner. For every correct pick, members receive one point. These pools typically end in the regular season, as the person with the most points wins. Also, commissioners can choose to have 'confidence' points or 'best bet ' picks.
How to set up an NHL pool?
To set up an NHL pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
How to run a weekly NHL pool?
In order to run an NHL pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
How do you play NHL Playoff Pools Power Ranking?
To play in an NHL Playoffs Power Ranking Pool, you need to assign a point value to each NHL team from highest (16) to lowest (1). When a team wins, they receive points based on the number you assigned to them! The member with the most points at the end of the playoffs wins.
What is NHL Playoff Pools Power Ranking?
An NHL Playoff Power Ranking Pool involves all members ranking all 16 NHL teams competing in the NHL Playoffs from strongest (16 points) to weakest (1 point). Members are awarded the number of points assigned to an NHL team when that team wins!
How to run an NHL pool?
How you decide to run a hockey pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
