The NHL is set to return with the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers on the first day of August. Prior to the playoff tournament getting underway, each team will play one exhibition game, beginning on July 28. There will be three games on July 28 followed by six games on July 29 and three more on July 30.
The schedule is as follows:
July 28:
- Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers (4 p.m. ET)
- Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens (8 p.m. ET)
- Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames (10:30 p.m. ET)
July 29
- Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers (12 p.m. ET)
- Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild (2:30 p.m. ET)
- Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals (4 p.m. ET)
- St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6:30 p.m. ET)
- New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers (8 p.m. ET)
- Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets (10:30 p.m. ET)
July 30
- Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (4 p.m. ET)
- Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET)
- Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET)
The Qualifying Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Aug. 1, following the three-day period of exhibition games. Each Qualifying Round game will be a best-of-five series, which include one set of back-to-back games between Games 2 and 3, Games 3 and 4, or Games 4 and 5 (if necessary).
The Stanley Cup Qualifiers will also feature the top four teams in both the Eastern and Western Conference and those teams will be vying for seeding in the Round Robin portion of the postseason. The Round Robin games will begin on Aug. 2. You can check out the format for the Stanley Cup Playoffs here.
For both the exhibition and playoff contests, Eastern Conference teams will be based in the hub city of Toronto at Scotiabank Arena while Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton at Rogers Place.
