Following a long pause, which began on March 12, NHL action returns when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on August 1, 2020. To accommodate teams that were in playoff contention, when the season was cancelled with 189 games left on the schedule, the playoff field was expanded from 16 to 24 teams. The top four clubs in each conference received a bye into the quarterfinals and will play two round robin series to establish the top seeds in the second round.
Colorado, Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Dallas were the top four teams in the Western Conference.