NHL Moves Ahead With 24-team Playoff Format If Play Resumes

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media before Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins, in Boston on May 27, 2019. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

The NHL will abandon the rest of the regular season and go straight into the playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16—if it is able to resume play.

The decision, announced Tuesday by Commissioner Gary Bettman, is no guarantee that games are coming back. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association must still figure out health and safety protocols and solve other issues.