16: 8 from Eastern Conference and 8 from Western Conference
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16 teams total - 8 from the Eastern Conference, and 8 from the Western Conference.
The way they are seeded as follows
1. Division winner with most points
2. Division winner with second-most points
3. Division winner with third-most points
4 - 8. Teams in the conference with the most points, in order.
Currently 16 teams make the playoffs.
(Starting in 1927 only NHL teams could compete for the Stanley Cup. Here's the history of playoff teams since then.)
1927-28 thru 1941-42: 6 teams
1942-43 thru 1966-67: 4 teams
1967-68 thru 1973-74: 8 teams
1974-75 thru 1978-79: 12 teams
1979-80 thru currently: 16 teams
There are 16 hockey teams who make the playoffs every year. The playoff teams consist of 3 of the top teams in each division making 12 of the teams, and then 4 wildcard teams to equal 16