Explaining rules old and new that are part of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs

More than a decade into the return of a division-focused playoff format, the arguments persist about whether it is the best thing the NHL can do to determine a Stanley Cup champion.

For three years in a row from 2016-18, Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins faced Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals in the second round and each time the winner of that series hoisted the Cup. Edmonton and Los Angeles met in the first round four years in a row from 2022-25.

This time, it's the stacked Central Division drawing the attention. Colorado is the top seed in the West while Dallas and Minnesota have for months been on a crash course to start the playoffs against each other. That means that one of the top seven favorites — and one of the seven best regular-season teams — will be gone by Round 2.

“If you could pick, obviously you’d rather not do that,” Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said. “But it’s kind of the hand you’re dealt and it hopefully makes it all the more fun.”

From the format to a change brought on by a new collective bargaining agreement, there are plenty of rules to know about once the 16-team field opens play:

Since realignment in 2013-14, the league has returned to the format that was all the rage in the 1980s and early ‘90s days of the Patrick, Adams, Norris and Smythe divisions. Exceptions were made in 2020 to complete the playoffs during the pandemic and in ’21 when U.S.-Canada border restrictions led to an entire season of divisional play.

The top teams in the Eastern and Western conferences face the second wild card team, with the other division winner going up against the first wild card. In all the divisions — the Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central and Pacific — the second seed plays the third seed.

Because of that, only one of the Avalanche, Stars and Wild can reach the West final. The path through the Atlantic is treacherous for Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Montreal.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has defended the format and says it delivers the best first round in sports and helps deliver competitive races down the stretch. Critics say it guarantees that some of the league's top regular-season teams are eliminated before what would be compelling conference championship showdowns.

"We had matchups decided last year the last day of the season," Bettman said. “If you’re looking for stories, if you’re looking for intrigue, if you’re looking to be entertained, this format works for you.”

There were years of complaints about teams stashing players on long-term injured reserve through the end of the regular season only to bring them back early in the first round.

The new labor deal includes a playoff salary cap for the first time. Until now, the cap went away entirely in the playoffs.

It is a factor this time, though it comes with a twist. Unlike during the season, when the entire roster has to fit under the $95.5 million ceiling, teams only have to make sure the lineup of 18 skaters and two goalies dressed is cap compliant; as many as 5-20 players on the roster but not playing on any given night do not count against the cap.

The league added a playoff cap calculator to its front office app to assist general managers and their staffs with the process. Each will need to submit its game roster to NHL Central Registry prior to puck drop to make sure the combined salaries don't go over the limit.

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Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) meets with Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) during warmups before an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, right, drives past Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, left, in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) and Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) slam into the boards chasing after the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

FILE - Retired NHL player Ray Bourque places the Stanley Cup on a table during a ceremony to honor members of the Colorado Avalanche's 2001 championship team that featured Bourque before an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Jan. 23, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan acknowledges that sharing a name and party affiliation with the incumbent Republican gives him “an instant megaphone" in the crowded primary race. But Sullivan said his campaign isn't a sham or something Democrats put him up to doing.

He said friends for years have jokingly referred to him as senator and asked if he has ever thought about running. He said he’s been considering it for more than a decade.

“This is my choice,” Sullivan, who lives in the small fishing community of Petersburg, said in a telephone interview Monday.

Last week, Sen. Dan Sullivan accused the challenger Sullivan of “trying to trick” voters to help his main rival in the race, Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. The senator suggested the other Sullivan's entrance in the August primary was part of a coordinated effort by Democrats and Peltola's campaign to confuse voters, an accusation they deny. He threatened litigation to get to the bottom of it.

The issue is of national concern to Republicans because they are seeking to hold onto their majority in the U.S. Senate in what is expected to be a difficult midterm election year for the party in power. Sullivan, the challenger, dismissed claims that his candidacy is a merely a ruse to undermine the senator's reelection chances.

He said he has had no contact with Peltola's campaign — “zero, none, zilch” — and said “no” when asked if anyone from the state Democratic Party or any national Democratic operatives had contacted him to run.

A Peltola spokesperson, Harry Child, has said the campaign “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” The executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, Jenny-Marie Stryker, said her organization “is in no way affiliated with either Dan Sullivan.” A Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson, Monica Robinson, replied “no” when asked if the group had been involved in urging the challenger Sullivan to run.

Sullivan called sharing a name with the Alaska's incumbent U.S. senator “a matter of fate” and said he had done nothing wrong.

“I have every right to run for whatever office I'm qualified for, and I’m qualified for this office,” the challenger said, adding: “I think I’m doing what most Americans would think would be a patriotic thing to do when you’re unsatisfied with the status quo. You stand up and say, I’m going to fight for things I believe that are going to make my community better.”

Ballots in prior years in Alaska have not identified the incumbent, but the Alaska Division of Elections’ current candidate list online does. It also distinguishes the candidates using a middle initial — Dan S. Sullivan for the senator and Dan J. Sullivan for the challenger.

Alaska has open primaries in which the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the ranked choice general election in November. Sen. Sullivan's campaign worries having two Dan Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters.

Sen. Sullivan's campaign, in a statement Monday, said, “Alaskans deserve a fair and honest election — not political games meant to manipulate the ballot and benefit Democrats.”

The challenger said he was registered with the limited government-leaning Alaskan Independence Party for decades, until the party's dissolution late last year. Election officials had said voters registered with the party could change their affiliation but if they did not, they'd be shown as “undeclared.” Sullivan said he then was listed as undeclared until filing to run for office, when he registered as Republican.

He said he was motivated in part by his late father, whom he described as a “true, compassionate, conservative Republican.” He said if he had to label himself, it would be “a pragmatic Republican centrist” — similar to Alaska's senior U.S. senator, Lisa Murkowski, but “with touches of a Rand Paul Republican in there.”

He said he grew up in the Chicago area but was drawn to Alaska and put down roots nearly 50 years ago in Petersburg. The fishing community of about 3,400 in southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest is known as “Little Norway” for its many residents with Scandinavian roots. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service before changing careers and becoming a teacher. He has since retired.

Like most communities in Alaska, Petersburg isn't connected to the state's main road system and is accessible only by air or water. Juneau, the nearest city, is about 45 minutes away by plane.

Petersburg sits on Mitkof Island, which is distinguished by mountains, thick stands of forest and boggy areas called muskeg. Sea lions hauled up on buoys and humpback whales and orcas are common sights off its shores.

Sullivan, who will turn 69 this weekend, passed on an interview request last Friday, he said, because the king salmon were running and he wanted to fish.

As far as his run for office, the challenger said he plans to do some fundraising and hopes to campaign in the state's larger cities, including Anchorage and Juneau, but he so far has no firm plans to do so and is working on the details.

He finds the current dustup over his Senate run — and the incumbent's reaction — a bit surprising.

“I guess my thought would be, ‘Dude, why don’t you just run your campaign?’ If you’ve got a strong record, run on your record. People will love you for it and you’ll be swept back into office,” he said Monday. “Why would he be concerned that a guy out of Petersburg is this huge threat?”

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, heads to a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)