<P> In 1998 -- 99 , the league was re-organized into two conferences of three divisions apiece , resulting in the playoff format used through 2013 . The qualifiers remained sixteen , but the seeding changed . The three first - place teams in each division qualified and were seeded first through third for the playoffs . Of the other teams in each conference , the top five finishers qualified for the fourth through eighth seedings . All teams played in the first round : first - place versus eighth , second versus seventh , third versus sixth and fourth versus fifth , by those criteria . After each round , surviving teams were reseeded to play a conference semi-final , then a conference final . Like the 1994 -- 1998 system , the conference winners then played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals , and home ice advantage was determined by higher seed in the first three rounds and by regular - season points of the two teams in the Stanley Cup Finals . </P>
<P> In 1998 -- 99 , the league was re-organized into two conferences of three divisions apiece , resulting in the playoff format used through 2013 . The qualifiers remained sixteen , but the seeding changed . The three first - place teams in each division qualified and were seeded first through third for the playoffs . Of the other teams in each conference , the top five finishers qualified for the fourth through eighth seedings . All teams played in the first round : first - place versus eighth , second versus seventh , third versus sixth and fourth versus fifth , by those criteria . After each round , surviving teams were reseeded to play a conference semi-final , then a conference final . Like the 1994 -- 1998 system , the conference winners then played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals , and home ice advantage was determined by higher seed in the first three rounds and by regular - season points of the two teams in the Stanley Cup Finals . </P>
who has home ice for stanley cup finals
who has home ice for stanley cup finals
determined by higher seed in the first three rounds and by regular - season points of the two teams in the Stanley Cup Finals
determined by higher seed in the first three rounds and by regular - season points of the two teams in the Stanley Cup Finals