On Tuesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league's plans for resuming the 2019-20 NHL season.

Bettman wasn't able to give any dates or possible timetables given the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But he stressed that when all is said and one, the Stanley Cup will be rewarded.

The regular season is officially over, Bettman announced, and the NHL awards can be voted on. The league will choose two hub cities to finish out the postseason, with several major cities under consideration:

The league will, as initially expected, move forward with a 24-team playoff format. The top four teams in each conference will receive a first-round bye.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins (the Presidents' Trophy winners), Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals will earn first-round byes.

The "qualifying round" of the postseason will be a best-of-five. The Eastern Conference matchups are: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights will receive first-round byes in the West. The qualifying round matchups in the West are the Edmonton Oilers vs. the Chicago Blackhawks, the Nashville Predators vs. the Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames vs. the Winnipeg Jets and the Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild.

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Both the Conference and Stanley Cup Finals will be best-of-sevens. The first and second rounds will either be a best-of-five or a best-of-seven.

The draft lottery will consist of the seven teams who missed the postseason plus the eight who were eliminated in the wild card round. TSN's Bob McKenzie had the specifics of the lottery format:

Bottom line: The Season Will Resume Eventually

Again, Bettman and the NHL have no set date on a return to play. But the main point is that the Stanley Cup for the 2019-20 season will be rewarded at some point, even if it means pushing back the start of 2020-21. Bettman noted that these are difficult circumstances. There simply is no perfect situation, but this is obviously a major step forward for the league, its players and fans all over.

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