Random picks feature introduced; grand prize winner will have opportunity to attend NHL event next season
By NHL Public Relations
NEW YORK -- Early registration is now open for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge™ presented by GEICO at NHL.com/Bracket. Once the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchups are set, hockey fans worldwide can start creating and submitting brackets outlining their predictions for each playoff series online or via the NHL App. To mark the 10th straight year of the Bracket Challenge, the NHL is introducing a new "Random Picks" feature and bringing back several popular elements from last year's program.
For the first time, fans will be able to fill their brackets in an instant using the new "Random Picks" feature. Clicking the "Random Picks" button will allow brackets to be chosen automatically - entirely at random - with the option for fans to edit their choices before submitting. The Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge will now be available in six languages - English, Czech, French, Finnish, German and Swedish.
TNT broadcasters will join in the fun for a second year, completing their brackets on air and at NHL.com/Bracket. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will again face off against hockey fans and fellow hockey experts, while fans will be able to join the "Beat Gretzky TNT League" to see how their brackets perform compared to "The Great One's" predictions. Playoff teams will also create leagues for fans to join, adding another layer of competition to the one on the ice.
The popular "Matchup Analysis" tool that debuted last year will return to the program, allowing fans to compare team stats as they make their bracket selections. For the second year, brackets will remain open through Game 1 of each series in the First Round, giving fans the chance to change their predictions for each series based on Game 1 outcomes. Brackets will be locked before the puck drops for the first Game 2 of the First Round, tentatively scheduled for 6:59 p.m. ET on April 19.
A leaderboard will allow fans to see how their brackets are performing compared to fellow competitors in their leagues as well as others competing globally. Fans can share their brackets across social media with the official hashtag #NHLBracket.
The NHL is averaging 6.4 goals per game in 2022-23, the highest total at this stage of a season in 29 years (6.5 in 1993-94). The high-scoring, back-and-forth contests have resulted in 42 percent of all games won by a team that rallied from a deficit to earn victory, including an NHL-record 140 multi-goal comeback wins. Seven players have already reached the 100-point benchmark, with six of those players on teams that have already clinched a playoff spot (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, Jason Robertson and Nathan MacKinnon) and the seventh in the midst of a Wild Card race (Matthew Tkachuk). The NHL is on pace to have 10+ players reach 100 points for the first time since 1995-96. McDavid (62-85-147 in 78 GP) currently has the highest single-season point total by any player in 27 years as he vies for a third straight and fifth career scoring title.
Five teams that currently hold a postseason spot did not compete in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Vegas, Seattle, Winnipeg, New Jersey, NY Islanders), with the Devils (+43) and Kraken (+34) each improving by 30+ standings points over the previous season. The Bruins, who are three wins and eight points away from establishing new single-season NHL records, will look to become the first No. 1 seed to win the Stanley Cup since Chicago 10 years ago.
The Grand Prize for the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge will be the opportunity to attend a 2023-24 NHL event awarded to the eligible entrant who finishes at the top of the leaderboard. All prizes are subject to confirmation of eligibility and compliance with winner notification requirements, and tiebreaker rules apply in the event of a tie. There is no purchase necessary to participate in the Bracket Challenge. For Official Rules, visit NHL.com/Bracket.
The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge experience was developed in conjunction with Low6, an NHL free to play gaming provider.
