Help · Pool types
How NHL Survivor works
Pick one NHL team from the commissioner's chosen games each regular-season week. A wrong pick or a missed pick adds a strike. The pool is straight up, with no team reuse by default and optional strikes or reuse set by the commissioner.
Rules
Picks, teams and strikes
- Each Monday-to-Sunday week, pick one NHL team from the regular-season games the commissioner chose for that week's slate. The commissioner also chooses the pool's first and last week.
- A wrong pick or a missed pick adds one strike. One strike is the default; the commissioner can set one to five and can have members pick winners (the default) or losers.
- Team reuse is off by default. The commissioner can allow any team to be picked again in another week. NHL Survivor is straight up only; it does not use a spread.
Locks and late joins
- Each pick locks when its game starts and stays hidden from other members until then. Members can join until the first week ends. A missed pick in any week, including the first, adds a strike; late joiners can choose any unstarted game in the first week's slate.
- Overtime and shootout wins count as wins. The pool runs through the end of the NHL regular season.
- The commissioner chooses the slate and week range when creating the pool. Survivor rules can change until the first game starts; team reuse locks as soon as anyone saves a pick.
Winners and revives
- There is no tiebreaker. Entries alive at the end share the win; if every remaining entry is eliminated in the same week, they share it too.
- The pool ends early when one or zero entries remain after a fully played week. Before the regular season is complete, the commissioner can revive everyone eliminated in the latest week.
Two weekly picks from January 2026
Avery's Seattle and Tampa Bay picks win. Blair's Ducks lose to Washington in Week 1; Casey's Detroit pick wins that week, but Casey's Carolina pick loses in Week 2.
| Member | Pick | Game | Final | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avery | Seattle Kraken | Kraken at Calgary Flames | Kraken 5–1 Flames | Won; remains alive. |
| Blair | Anaheim Ducks | Ducks at Washington Capitals | Capitals 7–4 Ducks | Lost; one strike and eliminated. |
| Casey | Detroit Red Wings | Red Wings at Ottawa Senators | Red Wings 5–3 Senators | Won; remains alive. |
| Member | Pick | Game | Final | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avery | Tampa Bay Lightning | Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers | Lightning 5–1 Flyers | Won; remains alive. |
| Casey | Carolina Hurricanes | Hurricanes at Red Wings | Red Wings 4–3 Hurricanes | Lost; one strike and eliminated. |
Settings lock. The commissioner chooses the slate and week range when creating the pool. Pool name, fee and member caps stay editable until the first game starts; Survivor rules can change until then, and team reuse locks once anyone saves a pick.
The example uses final scores from real 2025–26 games, except March Madness, which uses the real 2026 NCAA tournament.