The National Hockey League once again returned this year with the exciting games. Last year Tampa Bay had an amazing season as they won the Stanley Cup Finals. But who will grab the trophy this year? Well, no one can tell that for sure. But we do know how the final games will be played.
Due to the pandemic, a lot of changes have been made to the tournament. Whether you’re a new fan of ice hockey or forgot what’s the format of the finals, this article will help you. Here, we’ll talk about the format of the finals in detail.
Stanley Cup Finals Game Format
After a long tournament, 2 teams out of 16 will compete in the finals for the Stanley Cup. The tournament is one of the USA’s major sports events. This year the finals will be in July. You can watch the Stanley Cup Finals 2021 live stream from anywhere you like.
However, the finals of this year’s NHL will be played in a Best of Seven Series match. This means a total of 7 matches will be scheduled. And after that, we will get our Champion.
The format of the finals is 2-2-1-1-1. Well, it may seem confusing to many, but understanding the number is easy. The first two games will be on the home venue of the team with home-ice advantage. The fifth and seventh games will also be at the same venue if necessary.
Nonetheless, the second two games will be played at the home venue of the other team. Also, the sixth game if necessary. Now many of you, if not familiar with the best of seven series format, might ask why we’re saying it if necessary.
Well, the main purpose of the series is to find a winner. And to win, a team needs to win at least four games as the total number of games is seven. So, if a team wins four games without playing the last few, there’s no point in continuing. That’s because the games will be of no value as we have already found the Champion.
So, after the first four games, it may not be necessary to play any more matches. As soon as a team wins four matches, the finals will stop. The most competitive finals will be the one where playing all seven games will be necessary.
What if a Match Gets Tie?
It’s a quite common question and has answers too. In the beginning, NHA(National Hockey Association, presently known as NHL) allowed draws. But now, it’s not allowed, and there must be a winner of each game.
The team with the most goals after the end of the time will be declared the winner. But if the score is the same, then the game will continue. If you’ve seen regular-season games, you know that the additional time is only five minutes, and after that, a shootout takes place. But that’s not the case in the finals.
During the finals, if the game is tied, twenty minutes five on five sudden-death matches will start. It means whichever team scores first will win the game. Previously in the play-off, only two matches required six extra time periods. None did past more than six.
Such matches are really exciting. Catch all the actions of ice hockey in the Stanley Cup Finals 2021 live stream.
Final Words
So, that was all about the format of the finals games in the NHL. In short, it will be a best of seven series match in 2-2-1-1-1 format. In case a match gets tied, additional time will be given for a sudden-death match. We hope you enjoy this year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
Denise Moreno is a business consultant. She teaches people how to start a business. She tries to understand her client her own thought, tricks and show the possible way to start a business. She worked with hundreds of clients and made them successful. She earned his degree in the University of South Florida. Lynn is her husband’s name. They got married in 2009. They have two girls. Both of them have a passion for travel.