2013 - 14 NHL season The 2013 – 14 NHL season was the 97th season of operation ( 96th season of play ) of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . This season features a realignment of the league ' s 30 teams from a six to a four division format . The regular season began Tuesday , October 1 , and concluded Sunday , April 13 . The Stanley Cup playoffs began April 16 . League business . Realignment . The relocation of the former Atlanta Thrashers franchise to the current Winnipeg Jets in 2011 prompted the league to discuss realignment . On December 5 , 2011 , the NHL Board of Governors approved a conference realignment plan that would eliminate the current six - division setup and move into a four - conference structure from the 2012 – 2013 season . < ref name = " http : / / www . nhl . com / ice / news . htm ? id = 604852 " > < / ref > Under the plan , which was designed to better accommodate the effects of time zone differences , each team would have played 50 or 54 intra - conference games , depending on whether it was in a seven - or eight - team conference , and two games ( home and road ) against each non - conference team . On January 6 , 2012 , the league announced that the NHLPA had rejected the proposed realignment , citing concerns about fairness , travel and the inability to see a draft schedule before approving , and that as a result , it would not implement the realignment until at least 2013 – 14 . Upon NHLPA rejection of the previous realignment , a new joint NHL - NHLPA plan was proposed in February 2013 as a modification of the previous plan with both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings moving to the East and the Winnipeg Jets moving to the West . This revised plan also adjusted the previously proposed four - conference system to a four - division / two - conference system , with the Eastern Conference consisting of two eight - team divisions , and the Western Conference consisting of two seven - team divisions . A new playoff format was also introduced to accommodate the new proposal , with the top three teams in each division making the playoffs , along with two wild - cards in each conference ( for a total of 16 playoff teams ) . The NHLPA officially gave its consent to the NHL ' s proposed realignment plan on March 7 , and then the NHL ' s Board of Governors approved the realignment and the new playoff format on March 14 , to be implemented prior to the 2013 – 2014 season . The league then announced the names of the divisions on July 19 : the two eight - team divisions in the Eastern Conference would be the Atlantic Division and the Metropolitan Division , and the two seven - team divisions in the Western Conference would be the Central Division and the Pacific Division . The new alignment was as follows : Western Conference Eastern Conference Canadian TV deals . The league ' s Canadian broadcast agreements with CBC and TSN / RDS expired at the end of the season . During negotiations , budget cuts had decreased CBC ' s chances of maintaining rights to " Hockey Night in Canada " , while Bell Media expressed interest in acquiring more games to broadcast on TSN and possibly air on CTV . On November 26 , 2013 , the NHL announced it had sold twelve seasons ' worth of exclusive national broadcast rights to NHL games to Rogers Media , who would broadcast games across its numerous platforms , including Sportsnet , Sportsnet One , and City , at a price of C $ 5 . 2 billion . " Hockey Night in Canada " would continue on the CBC for the next four seasons ; the CBC would give Rogers six hours of free airtime each night to air the broadcasts but paid no rights fee . CBC would be allotted time during the broadcasts to promote its other programming . French language broadcasts moved to TVA Sports . The moves left Bell Media shut out of NHL broadcasts except for its regional properties . Regular season . With realignment , a new scheduling format was introduced . Among the changes , the scheduling of inter - conference games ensured that all 30 teams would play in all 30 arenas at least once per season . Each team played 82 games - 50 or 54 games within their conference , depending on whether they were in a seven - or eight - team division , and two games ( home and road ) against each non - conference club . The regular season opened on October 1 , 2013 , with the first game seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the home team Montreal Canadiens by a score of 4 - 3 . The annual Christmas trade freeze was in effect from December 20 , 2013 through December 26 , 2013 . Olympics . There was no all - star game this season , due to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , Russia . Prior to the season , NHL , IIHF , and Olympic officials reached an agreement to send NHL players to the Olympics game . The league took a break on February 9 and resumed play on February 25 . All players participating in their respective national teams gathered in four U . S . airports and flew to Sochi on February 9 and 10 . Winter Classic . The 2014 NHL Winter Classic was held on January 1 , 2014 . The game , the sixth Winter Classic , featured the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor , Michigan . The game was originally planned to be played on January 1 , 2013 , as the 2013 NHL Winter Classic , but was postponed due to the 2012 – 13 NHL lockout . HBO once again produced a four - part documentary chronicling the preparation of the two teams for the Winter Classic as part of its sports series " 24 / 7 " The special also aired in Canada on Sportsnet . Heritage Classic returns . The 2014 NHL Heritage Classic featured the Ottawa Senators facing off against the home team Vancouver Canucks at BC Place in Vancouver , British Columbia . This was third Heritage Classic game held in Canada following the Heritage Classic in 2011 when the Calgary Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4 – 0 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary , Alberta , Canada . Unlike previous Heritage Classics , the 2014 event was technically held indoors ; BC Place kept its retractable roof closed because of inclement weather . Debut of the Stadium Series . On May 1 , 2013 , the NHL announced that the Chicago Blackhawks would host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field in Chicago on March 1 , 2014 , as part of the new NHL Stadium Series . The NHL announced an unprecedented six outdoor NHL games for the 2013 – 14 season : one Winter Classic , four Stadium Series games , and a Heritage Classic game . For the two Stadium Series games they were involved in at Yankee Stadium , the New York Rangers were the away team due to contract obligations with Madison Square Garden as they can ' t receive income from other venues in New York as the home team ( this claim is dubious as Madison Square Garden owns the team and could theoretically waive that clause with its own team at any time ) . The six outdoor games were : On November 18 , 2013 , the league announced " NHL Revealed : A Season Like No Other " : a new seven part series showing behind the scene footage of top NHL players during the season . The program followed multiple players as they competed in the regular season , the Stadium Series , the Heritage Classic , and the Sochi Olympics . Unlike " 24 / 7 " , language by players and coaches would be censored . The program aired in the United States on the NBC Sports Network starting on January 22 , and in Canada on CBC starting on January 23 . Postponed games . The Carolina Hurricanes - Buffalo Sabres game originally scheduled for January 7 was postponed due to the 2014 North American cold wave . It was rescheduled for February 25 . The Philadelphia Flyers postponed their game against the Hurricanes from January 21 to 22 due to the city of Philadelphia declaring a snow emergency . This resulted in the Hurricanes postponing their match with the Ottawa Senators from January 24 to 25 due to a rule stating that a team may not play games on three consecutive days . The Dallas Stars postponed their March 10 game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets after Dallas player Rich Peverley , who had a history of heart problems , collapsed while on the players ' bench midway through the first period , with Columbus leading 1 – 0 . The game was abandoned at that point . This game was rescheduled for April 9 . The game ran for 60 minutes , with Columbus leading 1 – 0 to start the game with a goal credited to Nathan Horton and assists credited to Matt Calvert and James Wisniewski . All other statistics were expunged . In the rescheduled game , the Blue Jackets won 3 - 1 . This mirrors the actions taken by the league during a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators on November 21 , 2005 . Standings . Tie Breakers : < br > 1 . Fewer number of games played . < br > 2 . Greater Regulation + OT Wins ( ROW ) < br > 3 . Greater number of points earned in head - to - head play . ( If teams played an unequal # of head - to - head games , the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded . ) < br > 4 . Greater Goal differential < br > Player statistics . Scoring leaders . The following players led the league in regular season points . Leading goaltenders . The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average while playing at least 1800 minutes . NHL awards . Awards will be presented at the NHL Awards ceremony , to be held in Las Vegas , Nevada on June 24 , 2014 . Finalists for voted awards were announced during the playoffs , and the winners will be presented at the award ceremony . Voting concluded immediately after the end of the regular season . The President ' s Trophy , the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S . Campbell Bowl will not be presented at the awards ceremony . The Lester Patrick Trophy was announced during the summer and presented in the fall . Milestones . First games . The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2013 – 14 season , listed with their first team : Last games . The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2013 – 14 , listed with their team :