2019–20 NHL season

The 2019–20 NHL season is the 103rd season of operation (102nd season of play) of the National Hockey League. The regular season began on October 2, 2019, and was suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019–20 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 2, 2019 – March 11, 2020 August 1 – October 2020
Number of games	68–71 games
Number of teams	31
Draft
Top draft pick	Jack Hughes
Picked by	New Jersey Devils
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Boston Bruins
Top scorer	Leon Draisaitl (Oilers)
Playoffs
Stanley Cup

On May 22, 2020, the NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) agreed to a framework for the resumption of play, which would see the remainder of the regular season scrapped, and the top 12 teams in each conference (by points percentage) competing in a modified and expanded Stanley Cup playoffs, which the NHL plans to hold in two centralized "hub cities", Toronto's Scotiabank Arena and Edmonton's Rogers Place, with no spectators and only essential staff present.[1]

League business

Collective bargaining agreement

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA), previously signed to end the 2012–13 NHL lockout, entered into its eighth season. Before the season started, both the NHL and the NHLPA had the choice to opt out of the CBA on September 1 and September 16, 2019, respectively. If either of them had opted out, the CBA would have expired at the end of this season instead of at the end of 2021–22.[2] The NHL announced on August 30 that they would not opt out,[3] and the NHLPA then also agreed on September 16 not to opt out.[4]

Salary cap

The salary cap is $81.5 million, as announced on June 22, 2019.[5]

Seattle expansion team

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the christening of the Seattle Kraken was delayed to July 23, 2020.[6][7] The expansion team, set to begin play during the 2021–22 season, originally planned to announce the club's name in early 2020.[8]

Ron Francis was hired as Seattle's first general manager on July 17, 2019.[9]

Rule changes

The following rule changes were proposed June 19, 2019 and approved the next day:[10][11]

• The league adopted the David Leggio Rule: deliberately moving the goalposts off its moorings to stop play on a breakaway will result in an awarded goal to the attacking team.
• In the event a net is inadvertently knocked off its moorings, or if a puck shot from beyond center ice is stopped and frozen by the goaltender, the face-off will take place in the goaltender's defensive zone, with the team on offence given choice of side. In such cases, the defensive team will not be allowed to make a line change.
• A puck that leaves out of play in the attacking zone will remain in the attacking zone for the next face-off.
• Players who lose their helmet during play must return to the bench as soon as it is feasible until it can be replaced, or the player must retrieve their helmet.
• Linesmen will now drop the puck at centre ice after goals and at the start of overtime instead of the referees.[12]

Expansion of video review[10][11]

• Teams now have an unlimited number of coach's challenges, but failed challenges will now result in delay-of-game penalties instead of the loss of their timeout. The first failed challenge will result in a two-minute minor, and each subsequent failed challenge will result in a four-minute double-minor.
• A team may challenge goals that follow plays in the attacking zone that should have instead resulted in a stoppage before the puck went into the net. Missed stoppages include hand passes, pucks high-sticked to a teammate, and pucks hitting the netting or going into the players bench. The delay-of-game penalty for pucks going over the glass will still not be reviewable under this situation.
• All match and major penalties excluding fighting will be required to video review; officials will reserve the authority to reduce the penalty to a minor penalty depending on the result of the review, but referees cannot rescind a penalty altogether.
• Referees have the option to review high-sticking double minors at their discretion and without consultation with the NHL's Situation Room.
• The league eliminates the use of goal judges and assigns those duties to the in-house video replay official.[13]

Modification to the tie-breaking procedure

To put more emphasis on teams winning in regulation, regulation wins (tracked in an additional RW column in the league standings) will now precede regulation and overtime wins (ROW) in the tie-breaking procedure. The league also added goals scored as a new tiebreaker.[14]

Player and puck tracking technology

After testing at the 2019 National Hockey League All-Star Game, the NHL planned to deploy player and puck tracking systems to all 31 NHL arenas prior to the start of the 2019–20 season.[15][16] This technology was developed in collaboration with a German Fraunhofer Institute using transmitters embedded inside pucks and jerseys.[16] It enables on-air features such as speed displays, puck tracking graphics (reminiscent of the FoxTrax graphics utilized in the late 1990s by previous U.S. national NHL broadcaster Fox, also developed by Sportvision), and marker graphics hovering above players.[17]

On September 5, 2019, it was reported that the league replaced its primary technology partner in its tracking technology, and thus the system likely would not get up and running until the 2020 playoffs at the earliest.[18]

Media rights

This is the ninth season under the NHL's ten-year deal with NBC Sports and sixth season of its twelve-year Canadian rights deal with Sportsnet and TVA Sports.[19][20]

Both NBC Sports and Sportsnet celebrated International Women's Day on March 8, 2020, by featuring all-female broadcasting crews on their respective telecasts of St. Louis Blues–Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights–Calgary Flames.[21][22]

On January 2, 2019, the Chicago Blackhawks agreed to an exclusive multi-year deal with NBC Sports Chicago beginning with the 2019–20 season, ending the team's broadcasts on WGN-TV.[23]

Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios combined to purchase the former Fox Sports regional networks (FSN). Twelve of the NHL's 31 teams (Anaheim, Arizona, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay) carry their television broadcasts through FSN. FSN was one of the properties Fox Corporation's predecessor 21st Century Fox divested in its sale to The Walt Disney Company, but which The Walt Disney Company could not keep due to antitrust concerns. This is Entertainment Studios' first entry into sports, while Sinclair has had a sports operation since 2014 that currently distributes the free-to-air network Stadium and is concurrently expanding into the regional sports network business with its stakes in these networks, YES Network and the upcoming Chicago-based Marquee Sports Network.[24] The FSN networks will continue to temporarily use the Fox Sports name under a transitional license agreement while Sinclair explores rebranding options.[25]

In August 2019, the Vegas Golden Knights agreed to a deal with Las Vegas broadcast television station KTNV-TV to locally televise all of the team's 2019 preseason games over-the-air.[26]

In September 2019, the New York Islanders agreed to a two-year deal with WEPN-AM and WEPN-FM to broadcast a majority of their games. Since the two stations also broadcast New York Rangers and the NBA's New York Knicks games, WRHU of Hofstra University will continue to be used by the Islanders as an overflow station.[27]

This is the final season of Sportsnet's regional rights to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.[28] In December 2019, after having aired the first-ever NHL broadcast in the language earlier in the year, it was announced that the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) would air six of Sportsnet's Hometown Hockey games per season in Plains Cree over the next three years.[29]

Sports betting

As part of its renovations, the Philadelphia Flyers and Wells Fargo Center announced that Rivers Casino Philadelphia (then SugarHouse Casino) would become the venue's official sportsbook partner, with the venue adding two lounge areas with odds boards to promote the casino's sports betting app.[30][31]

Draft

The 2019 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, with Jack Hughes being selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils.[32][33]

Preseason games in Europe

Two preseason games were played in Europe.[34] The Chicago Blackhawks played against Eisbären Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany, on September 29, 2019.[35] The Philadelphia Flyers played against Lausanne HC at Vaudoise Aréna in Lausanne, Switzerland on September 30, 2019.[36]

General Manager of the Year Award

On November 19, 2019, the NHL announced it would rename the General Manager of the Year Award in honour of Jim Gregory, the recently deceased former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and former NHL executive. The official name is changed to the "Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award."[37]

Coaching changes

Coaching changes

Off–season
Team	2018–19 coach	2019–20 coach	Story / Accomplishments
Anaheim Ducks	Randy Carlyle Bob Murray*	Dallas Eakins	Carlyle was fired on February 10, 2019, nearly three years into his second stint with the team. He won the Stanley Cup in 2007, but since then had made the playoffs only two times. General manager Murray took over as interim coach until the end of the season.[38] Eakins was hired on June 17, 2019. Eakins most recently served as the head coach of the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2015 to 2019.[39]
Buffalo Sabres	Phil Housley	Ralph Krueger	Housley was fired April 7, 2019, after two seasons and a 58–84–22 record with the Sabres. Housley finished his first season in last place, and squandered a 10-game winning streak in his second season only to collapse and miss the playoffs.[40] Krueger was hired May 15, 2019. He did not coach ice hockey full-time since his only previous NHL coaching stint, a half-season with the Edmonton Oilers in 2013, ended with his firing.[41]
Edmonton Oilers	Todd McLellan Ken Hitchcock*	Dave Tippett	Hitchcock was dismissed after Ken Holland became the general manager of the Oilers on May 7, 2019.[42] Tippett was hired on May 28. He last served as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes from 2009 to 2017.[43]
Florida Panthers	Bob Boughner	Joel Quenneville	Boughner was fired on April 7, 2019. In two seasons, the Panthers went 79–62–22 and never qualified for the playoffs under Boughner.[44] On April 8, Quenneville was hired as the team's new head coach. Quenneville most recently served as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks (2008–2018), and guided them to three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He accumulated an overall record of 797–452–249 with the team.[45]
Los Angeles Kings	John Stevens Willie Desjardins*	Todd McLellan	Stevens was fired on November 4, 2018, after starting the season 4–8–1, reaching the first round of the playoffs in his only full season as coach. Former Vancouver Canucks' head coach Desjardins was named the interim coach for the team.[46][47] On April 16, 2019, the team hired McLellan as franchise's 29th head coach. McLellan most recently served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers (2015–2018) guiding the team to one playoff berth. Overall, McLellan has a 434–282–90 record including a 37–38 postseason record.[48]
Ottawa Senators	Guy Boucher Marc Crawford*	D.J. Smith	Boucher was fired on March 1, 2019, after three seasons with the team, his best season being the 2016–17 season when the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Crawford, who previously coached the Dallas Stars, was named the Senators' interim head coach.[49] On May 23, the team hired Smith as their head coach. He most recently served as an assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.[50]
Philadelphia Flyers	Dave Hakstol Scott Gordon*	Alain Vigneault	Hakstol was fired on December 17, 2018, after three and a half years with the team where he guided them to two playoff appearances. Former New York Islanders' head coach Gordon was named interim coach.[51] Vigneault was hired on April 15, 2019. Vigneault most recently served as the head coach of the New York Rangers, guiding them to a 226–147–37 record in five seasons (2013–2018).[52]
St. Louis Blues	Mike Yeo Craig Berube*	Craig Berube	Yeo was fired on November 19, 2018, after almost two years with the team and only one playoff appearance. Berube, who had served as assistant coach with the Blues since 2017, was named interim head coach.[53] After coaching the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019, Berube was named permanent head coach on June 24, 2019.[54]
In–season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach	Story / Accomplishments
Calgary Flames	Bill Peters	Geoff Ward*	Peters resigned on November 29, 2019, after accusations of racism were made by former Rockford IceHogs player Akim Aliu when Peters was coaching the AHL club a decade earlier. Peters spent 1⅓ seasons with the Flames, registering a record of 12–12–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference the previous season. Ward, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[55][56]
Dallas Stars	Jim Montgomery	Rick Bowness*	Montgomery was dismissed on December 10, 2019 due to "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs" of the Stars and the league. He spent 1⅓ seasons with the Stars, registering a record of 17–11–3 to start the season after reaching the second round of the playoffs the previous season. Bowness, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[57][58]
Minnesota Wild	Bruce Boudreau	Dean Evason*	Boudreau was fired on February 14, 2020, after 3⅔ seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 27–23–7 to start the season. The Wild had reached the playoffs in the first two seasons of his tenure in Minnesota but had not qualified for the playoffs since the 2017–18 season. Evason, who had served as an assistant coach with the Wild since the start of the 2018–19 season, was immediately named interim head coach.[59]
Nashville Predators	Peter Laviolette	John Hynes	Laviolette was fired on January 6, 2020, after 5½ seasons with the team, which had registered a 19–15–7 record to start the season. The Predators made the playoffs in all five seasons under Laviolette, advanced to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals and won the Presidents' Trophy in the 2017–18 season.[60] Hynes, who previously served as the head coach of the New Jersey Devils, was hired on January 7, 2020.[61]
New Jersey Devils	John Hynes	Alain Nasreddine*	Hynes was fired on December 3, 2019, after 4⅓ seasons with the team, which had registered a 9–13–4 record to start the season. The Devils reached the playoffs once in Hynes' tenure, and did not advance past the first round in 2018. Nasreddine, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[62]
San Jose Sharks	Peter DeBoer	Bob Boughner*	DeBoer was fired on December 11, 2019, after 4⅓ seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 15–16–2 to start the season. The Sharks qualified for the playoffs in all of the four previous seasons under DeBoer, and advanced to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Boughner, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[63]
Toronto Maple Leafs	Mike Babcock	Sheldon Keefe	Babcock was fired on November 20, 2019, after 4¼ seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 9–10–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs in the previous three seasons. Keefe, who had served as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL from 2015 to 2019, was subsequently named as the team's next head coach.[64]
Vegas Golden Knights	Gerard Gallant	Peter DeBoer	Gallant was fired on January 15, 2020, after a little more than 2½ seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 24–19–6 to start the season. The Golden Knights had reached the playoffs in their first two seasons of existence, including advancing to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals in their debut season. Gallant earned the Jack Adams Award that season.[65] DeBoer, who had been fired as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks one month earlier, was subsequently named as the team's second head coach.[66]

(*) Indicates interim.

Front office changes

General managers

Off–season
Team	2018–19 GM	2019–20 GM	Story / Accomplishments
Detroit Red Wings	Ken Holland	Steve Yzerman	Yzerman, who played his entire NHL career for the Red Wings and had previously been the team's vice president from 2006 to 2010, returned as general manager on April 19, 2019.[67]
Edmonton Oilers	Peter Chiarelli Keith Gretzky*	Ken Holland	Chiarelli was fired on January 22, 2019, after four years as the Oilers' general manager. Gretzky, the brother of former NHL player Wayne Gretzky, was named interim general manager.[68] Holland was hired on May 7, 2019.[69]
Minnesota Wild	Paul Fenton	Bill Guerin	Fenton was fired on July 30, 2019, after one year as general manager. On August 21, it was announced that Guerin had been named general manager of the Wild.[70]
Vegas Golden Knights	George McPhee	Kelly McCrimmon	McCrimmon was promoted to general manager, effective September 1, 2019, on May 2, 2019. McPhee will remain Director of Hockey Operations of the Golden Knights, but McCrimmon will represent them at the league's general manager meetings and be the point of contact for other general managers.[71]
In–season
Team	Outgoing general manager	Incoming general manager	Story / Accomplishments
Arizona Coyotes	John Chayka Steve Sullivan*	TBA	Chayka (after four years with the team) quit unexpectedly as the team headed into the 2020 Qualifying Round. Steve Sullivan was named interim general manager.[72]
New Jersey Devils	Ray Shero	Tom Fitzgerald*	Shero was fired on January 12, 2020, after five years as the Devils' general manager. Fitzgerald was named interim general manager.[73]

(*) Indicates interim.

Regular season

The regular season began on October 2, 2019, and was originally supposed to end on April 4, 2020, but due to COVID-19, the season was suspended on March 12, 2020.[74] On May 26, 2020, it was announced that the regular season would not be finished.[75]

International games

Three regular season games, branded as the NHL Global Series, were played in Europe.[34] The Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers played their regular season opening game on October 4, 2019 at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.[76] The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning played two games at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden on November 8 and 9, 2019.[77][78]

Outdoor games

Three outdoor games were held during the 2019–20 season:

• The Heritage Classic was held on October 26, 2019, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, featuring the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets.[79][80]
• The Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2020, at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, featuring the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars.[81][82]
• The Stadium Series was held on February 15, 2020, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, featuring the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche.[83][84]

All-Star Game

Main article: 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game

The 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Enterprise Center, the home of the St. Louis Blues on January 25, 2020.[85][86][87][88]

Postponed game

The St. Louis Blues – Anaheim Ducks game on February 11, 2020, was suspended at a 1−1 tie with 7:50 left in the first period after Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench in a medical emergency due to a cardiac episode.[89] He eventually had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedure and was placed on injured reserve.[90] The game was made up on March 11. This resulted in the Blues' home game against the Florida Panthers being moved one day earlier from March 10 to March 9.[91][92][93]

Suspension of the regular season due to COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, concern began to build that large crowds at sporting events would spread the virus that causes COVID-19. In early March 2020, the NHL suspended media access to the locker rooms, saying that only official personnel would be allowed in after the games to limit person-to-person contact. The San Jose Sharks were planning to play three home games without fans from March 19, following San Francisco's order prohibiting assemblies larger than 1,000 individuals.[94] Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets had also proposed to play home games without fans, due to Ohio governor Mike DeWine banning mass gatherings in the state.[95]

But after the National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended all games when Rudy Gobert and another player tested positive for COVID-19 on the day that the World Health Organization declared the disease to be a pandemic, the NHL scheduled a meeting to discuss pausing the season. On March 12, morning practice sessions and media access for all teams were cancelled. Shortly after, they announced that the 2019–20 season had been paused indefinitely.[96] This became the biggest interruption to regular NHL season games since the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[97] All players and hockey staff were asked to self-quarantine in their home cities until further notice.[98]

One of the players from the Ottawa Senators had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 17.[99][100] Four days later, on March 21, it was announced that a second Senators player tested positive for COVID-19.[101][102] Two Colorado Avalanche players have also tested positive for the virus.[103] On April 4, the originally intended date for the final games of the regular season, Commissioner Gary Bettman participated in a call with U.S. president Donald Trump and other sport commissioners on the state of the sport world.[104]

Return to play with modified playoff format

On May 22, the league and the NHLPA agreed on a basic framework to stage a 24-team playoff tournament behind closed doors. The seeds would be based on each club's points percentage when the season paused on March 12 (effectively scrapping the remainder of the regular season and making this the first season in NHL history where some teams played more regular season games than others in a year that did not have a team fold during the regular season). The top four seeds in each conference would get a bye, while the next eight seeds in each conference would play in a best-of-five series. Many of the logistics still needed to be negotiated, including COVID-19 testing protocols, visas, and whether these games would be held in one or more "hub" cities as the Canada–United States border would remain closed to non-essential travel until June 21.[105][106][107] That same day, the U.S. government announced that foreign athletes would be exempted from pandemic-related travel bans still in effect.[108][109]

On May 26, Bettman formally discussed aspects of the "Return to Play Plan", including the proposed 24-team playoff format (with the top four teams in each conference playing a round robin tournament under regular season overtime rules to determine their seeds), and modifications to the procedures for the Draft Lottery. Aspects of the format (including the possibility of a best-of-five format for the first and second round, and changes to bracketing) were still being negotiated, but it was stated that the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals would still use a best-of-seven series. Bettman stated that at least two hub cities would be used for the playoffs, shortlisting hosts such as Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver. Health, testing, and security protocols would be in place at these sites.[98]

On June 4, it was announced that the NHL and NHLPA had approved aspects of the format that had not yet been finalized during the May 26 briefing, with the first and second rounds proper using a best-of-seven format as usual, and all teams being reseeded after each round (to account for the lack of home advantage due to all games being played at a neutral site).[110]

It was reported that the NHL planned to have one American host and one Canadian host.[111] As Canada's Quarantine Act currently requires all travellers entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated that this may impact the ability to use Canadian host cities unless these issues can be addressed.[98] On June 10, British Columbia Premier John Horgan stated that the province's medical officer Bonnie Henry had endorsed proposed protocols developed by the Vancouver Canucks in collaboration with local officials, and that they were being sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for federal approval.[112] These include allowing the NHL to "cohort" players and restrict their access to the general public.[113]

Phase 2 of the "Return to Play Plan" began on June 8.[114] Players are allowed to resume use of team practice facilities in small groups (no more than six), with only players allowed on-ice and no other agents or press admitted. Players must self-isolate for 14 days if they use public transport, and will be regularly monitored and tested for COVID-19. If a player tests positive, they may not attend training until they have been cleared, with teams suggested to use guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Training camps (phase 3) were planned to reopen on July 10.[98] Amidst an intense growth of new cases in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning temporarily closed their training facility on June 19 after several staff members and three players tested positive for COVID-19.[115]

On June 24, Sportsnet reported that Vancouver's bid had been complicated by disagreements over protocols for positive cases. The next day, Global BC's Richard Zussman reported that the NHL had "moved on [for now]" from Vancouver, and was increasing its focus on Edmonton and Toronto as potential sites.[116] While Las Vegas was initially considered a front-runner, a spike of cases in Nevada and other U.S. states led to reports on July 1 that the NHL had decided on Edmonton and Toronto as the sites.[117][111]

On July 10, the NHL confirmed that it had ratified agreements with the NHLPA to begin the playoffs on August 1 (concluding no later than early October), with games being hosted by Edmonton (Western Conference early rounds, conference finals, and Stanley Cup finals) and Toronto (Eastern Conference early rounds). The league also renewed its CBA for four additional seasons, which includes an increase to minimum player salaries and a 10% deference of player salaries for the 2020–21 season (to be paid out over three seasons beginning 2022–23).[118][119]

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	PCT	Qualification
1	Boston Bruins	70	44	14	12	38	227	174	+53	.714	Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament[120]
2	Tampa Bay Lightning	70	43	21	6	35	245	195	+50	.657
3	Washington Capitals	69	41	20	8	31	240	215	+25	.652
4	Philadelphia Flyers	69	41	21	7	31	232	196	+36	.645
5	Pittsburgh Penguins	69	40	23	6	29	224	196	+28	.623	Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round[120]
6	Carolina Hurricanes	68	38	25	5	27	222	193	+29	.596
7	New York Islanders	68	35	23	10	24	192	193	−1	.588
8	Toronto Maple Leafs	70	36	25	9	28	238	227	+11	.579
9	Columbus Blue Jackets	70	33	22	15	25	180	187	−7	.579
10	Florida Panthers	69	35	26	8	30	231	228	+3	.565
11	New York Rangers	70	37	28	5	31	234	222	+12	.564
12	Montreal Canadiens	71	31	31	9	19	212	221	−9	.500
13	Buffalo Sabres	69	30	31	8	22	195	217	−22	.493
14	New Jersey Devils	69	28	29	12	22	189	230	−41	.493
15	Ottawa Senators	71	25	34	12	18	191	243	−52	.437
16	Detroit Red Wings	71	17	49	5	13	145	267	−122	.275

Source: NHL Eastern Conference Points percentage

Western Conference

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	PCT	Qualification
1	St. Louis Blues	71	42	19	10	33	225	193	+32	.662	Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament[121]
2	Colorado Avalanche	70	42	20	8	37	237	191	+46	.657
3	Vegas Golden Knights	71	39	24	8	30	227	211	+16	.606
4	Dallas Stars	69	37	24	8	26	180	177	+3	.594
5	Edmonton Oilers	71	37	25	9	31	225	217	+8	.585	Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round[121]
6	Nashville Predators	69	35	26	8	28	215	217	−2	.565
7	Vancouver Canucks	69	36	27	6	27	228	217	+11	.565
8	Calgary Flames	70	36	27	7	25	210	215	−5	.564
9	Winnipeg Jets	71	37	28	6	30	216	203	+13	.563
10	Minnesota Wild	69	35	27	7	30	220	220	0	.558
11	Arizona Coyotes	70	33	29	8	26	195	187	+8	.529
12	Chicago Blackhawks	70	32	30	8	23	212	218	−6	.514
13	Anaheim Ducks	71	29	33	9	20	187	226	−39	.472
14	Los Angeles Kings	70	29	35	6	21	178	212	−34	.457
15	San Jose Sharks	70	29	36	5	22	182	226	−44	.450

Source: NHL Western Conference Points percentage

Tiebreaking procedures

1. Fewer number of games played (only used during regular season).
2. Greater number of regulation wins (denoted by RW).
3. Greater amount of wins in regulation and overtime (excluding shootout wins; denoted by ROW).
4. Greater amount of total wins (including shootouts).
5. Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.
6. Greater goal differential (difference between goals for and goals against).
7. Greater amount of goals scored (denoted by GF).

Playoffs

Main article: 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points percentage. Each best-of-five series followed a 2–2–1 format: the higher-seeded team was the designated as the host for games one and two (and game five, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team was the host for games three (and game four, if necessary). Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team is the host for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team is the host for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). In the First Round, the top four teams in each conference were seeded one through four based on their final standings from the Round Robin. The teams that advanced from the Qualifying Round were re-seeded five through eight based on their regular season points percentage.

	Qualifying Round					First Round					Second Round					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	5	Pittsburgh	1			1	Philadelphia	2
	12	Montreal	3			8	Montreal	1
	6	Carolina	3	2	Tampa Bay	3
	11	NY Rangers	0			7	Columbus	1
	Eastern Conference
	7	NY Islanders	3			3	Washington	0
	10	Florida	1			6	NY Islanders	3
	8	Toronto	2	4	Boston	3
	9	Columbus	3			5	Carolina	1
		(Pairings are re-seeded after each of the first two rounds.)
	5	Edmonton	1			1	Vegas	3
	12	Chicago	3			8	Chicago	1
	6	Nashville	1	2	Colorado	3
	11	Arizona	3			7	Arizona	1
	Western Conference
	7	Vancouver	3			3	Dallas	2
	10	Minnesota	1			6	Calgary	2
	8	Calgary	3	4	St. Louis	2
	9	Winnipeg	1			5	Vancouver	2

Statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in regular season points at the completion of the regular season.[122]

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
Leon Draisaitl	Edmonton Oilers	71	43	67	110	–7	18
Connor McDavid	Edmonton Oilers	64	34	63	97	–6	28
David Pastrnak	Boston Bruins	70	48	47	95	+21	40
Artemi Panarin	New York Rangers	69	32	63	95	+36	20
Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche	69	35	58	93	+13	12
Brad Marchand	Boston Bruins	70	28	59	87	+25	82
Nikita Kucherov	Tampa Bay Lightning	68	33	52	85	+26	38
Patrick Kane	Chicago Blackhawks	70	33	51	84	+8	40
Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	70	47	33	80	+19	8
Jack Eichel	Buffalo Sabres	68	36	42	78	+5	34

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on March 11, 2020, while playing at least 1,740 minutes.[123]

Player	Team	GP	TOI	W	L	OTL	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Tuukka Rask	Boston Bruins	41	2,401:47	26	8	6	85	5	.929	2.12
Darcy Kuemper	Arizona Coyotes	29	1,753:24	16	11	2	65	2	.928	2.22
Elvis Merzlikins	Columbus Blue Jackets	33	1,815:08	13	9	8	71	5	.923	2.35
Jaroslav Halak	Boston Bruins	31	1,833:22	18	6	6	73	3	.919	2.39
Pavel Francouz	Colorado Avalanche	34	1,914:26	21	7	4	77	1	.923	2.41
Carter Hart	Philadelphia Flyers	43	2,355:50	24	13	3	95	1	.914	2.42
Tristan Jarry	Pittsburgh Penguins	33	1,926:29	20	12	1	78	3	.921	2.43
Ben Bishop	Dallas Stars	44	2,473:49	21	16	4	103	2	.920	2.50
Andrei Vasilevskiy	Tampa Bay Lightning	52	3,121:54	35	14	3	133	3	.917	2.56
Jordan Binnington	St. Louis Blues	50	2,947:41	30	13	7	126	3	.912	2.56

NHL awards

See also: List of 2019–20 NHL Three Star Awards

The league's awards are expected to be presented at the NHL Awards ceremony, which will be held after the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Finalists for voted awards are announced during the playoffs and winners are presented at the award ceremony. Voting concluded immediately after the end of the regular season. The Presidents' Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy, and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl are not presented at the awards ceremony. The Lester Patrick Trophy is announced following the conclusion of the playoffs and presented in the fall.

2019–20 NHL awards

Award	Recipient(s)	Runner(s)-up/Finalists
Stanley Cup
Presidents' Trophy (Best regular-season record)	Boston Bruins	St. Louis Blues
Prince of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference playoff champion)
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Western Conference playoff champion)
Art Ross Trophy (Player with most points)	Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)	Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication)		Stephen Johns (Dallas Stars) Oskar Lindblom (Philadelphia Flyers) Bobby Ryan (Ottawa Senators)
Calder Memorial Trophy (Best first-year player)		Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) Dominik Kubalik (Chicago Blackhawks) Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
Conn Smythe Trophy (Most valuable player, playoffs)		N/A
Frank J. Selke Trophy (Defensive forward)		Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins) Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers) Ryan O'Reilly (St. Louis Blues)
Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player, regular season)		Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
Jack Adams Award (Best coach)		Bruce Cassidy (Boston Bruins) John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets) Alain Vigneault (Philadelphia Flyers)
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenceman)		John Carlson (Washington Capitals) Roman Josi (Nashville Predators) Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and humanitarian contribution)		Mathew Dumba (Minnesota Wild) Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) P. K. Subban (New Jersey Devils)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and excellence)		Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) Ryan O'Reilly (St. Louis Blues)
Ted Lindsay Award (Outstanding player)		Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
Mark Messier Leadership Award (Leadership and community activities)
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Top goal-scorer)	Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)	Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
NHL General Manager of the Year Award (Top general manager)
Vezina Trophy (Best goaltender)		Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins) Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against)	Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak (Boston Bruins)	Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin (Dallas Stars)
Lester Patrick Trophy (Service to ice hockey in U.S.)		N/A

Milestones

First games

The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2019–20 season, listed with their first team.

Player	Team	Notability
Jack Hughes	New Jersey Devils	First overall pick in the 2019 Draft

Last games

Player	Team	Notability
Colby Cave[124]	Edmonton Oilers	Died on April 11 after suffering a brain bleed four days earlier
Dan Hamhuis[125]	Nashville Predators	Over 1100 games played

Major milestones reached

• On October 8, 2019, Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle became the fifth player in NHL history and the first American-born to play in 800 consecutive games.[126]
• On October 12, 2019, Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 338th player to reach the mark.[127]
• On October 20, 2019, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice won his 700th game, becoming the seventh head coach to reach that mark.[128]
• On November 3, 2019, Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 339th player to reach the mark.[129]
• On November 5, 2019, Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara played his 1,500th NHL game.[130]
• On November 13, 2019, Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 340th player to reach the mark.[131]
• On November 16, 2019, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville won his 900th game, becoming the second coach in NHL history to reach the mark.[132]
• On November 16, 2019, Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 341st player to reach the mark.[133][134]
• On December 1, 2019, Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl became the first set of teammates to have 50 points in 29 games since Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis did so with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995–96.[135]
• On December 9, 2019, Washington Capitals equipment manager Craig "Woody" Leydig worked his 2,500th NHL game.[136]
• On December 14, 2019, San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 343rd player to reach the mark.[137]
• On December 15, 2019, Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal became the 89th player in NHL history to score 1,000 points.[138]
• On December 20, 2019, Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 344th player to reach the mark.[139]
• On January 9, 2020, Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne became the 12th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal in an NHL game.[140]
• On February 1, 2020, Detroit Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 345th player to reach the mark.[141]
• On February 1, 2020, St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 346th player to reach the mark.[142]
• On February 4, 2020, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton became the 14th player to score 1,500 points.[143]
• On February 7, 2020, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins became the first rookie goaltender to have five shutouts in an eight-game span since Frank Brimsek (1938–39).[144]
• On February 7, 2020, Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 347th player to reach the mark.[145]
• On February 13, 2020, Dallas Stars forward Andrew Cogliano played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 348th player to reach the mark.[146]
• On February 22, 2020, Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal, becoming the eighth player to reach the mark.[147]
• On August 11, 2020, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo set a modern NHL record with 85 saves in a single game, surpassing Kelly Hrudey in 1987.
• On August 11, 2020, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones set a NHL record of time on ice in a single playoff game, 65:06.

Uniforms

• The Buffalo Sabres introduced a 50th-anniversary third jersey that is plain white, with old gold trim and navy blue lettering. It was the last season the team used navy blue; a royal blue jersey will be introduced in 2020–21.[148]
• The Carolina Hurricanes introduced a new road jersey, featuring the wordmark "Canes" written diagonally across the front. The jersey also incorporates the Hurricanes' secondary logo introduced by the team's alternate jersey during the previous season.[149]
• The Los Angeles Kings introduced a 1990s throwback jersey for the 2019–20 season, which was inspired by the Kings' white home jersey worn from 1988 to 1998. The team was scheduled to wear the jersey twice during the season.[150]
• The St. Louis Blues introduced a 1990s throwback jersey for the 2019–20 season, which was inspired by the Blues' blue road jersey worn from 1995 to 1998. The team was scheduled to wear the jersey in three home games during the season.[151][152]
• The Vancouver Canucks, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the franchise in the NHL, introduced brand new home and away jerseys that will be worn during the season. The Canucks will also wear brand new third jerseys for select games. In addition, the Canucks will wear their 1990s throwback jerseys for select games. The design was chosen via an online vote over two other throwback jersey options.[153]

See also

• 2019–20 NHL transactions
• List of 2019–20 NHL Three Star Awards
• 2019–20 NHL suspensions and fines
• 2019 in sports
• 2020 in sports
• COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
• COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

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