What a stupid playoff format we are looking at

[yave1964]

Anyone who knows me for more than five minutes knows that I am a wing fan. It might be the Winged wheel tattooed upon my left ankle or the fact that I live and breath the game. But the truth is the Wings, based off the current system have received an ENOURMOUSLY unfair advantage this postseason.

  If we are going to base it off divisions, then do so. This silly 1-3 and four coming from somewhere else is inane. IMHO, The Wings, in spite of having the eighth best conference record are playing the 6th best team in the conference in the Lightning. The whole setup is skewed and makes no sense.

  Now if we went with the two division winners as the top two seeds and then set everyone else up 3-8 it would look like this:

 

1) CAPITALS versus 8) WINGS

2) PANTHERS versus 7) FLYERS

3)PENGUINS versus 6) LIGHTNING

4) RANGERS versus 5) ISLANDERS

 

 It makes no sense under the current set up, the Wings have a monstrous advantage going forward, as do all 4 teams in the division. The Flyers are probably screwed the most, starting off against the Caps instead of the inexperienced Panthers, but really that whole division is getting the short shaft with this set up. We currently have:

 

1 versus 7

2 versus 5

3 versus 4

6 versus 8

  Eventually they will address this and fix it, I am sure, if there is one thing the league loves to do is to screw with the postseason format on a regular basis. But this year the Flyers, and in truth the entire Metro division are getting screwed while the Red Wings are coming out smelling like a rose. After limping into the postseason they get a beat up Lightning team instead of the Capitals. And then, if we win, we draw the winner of the Panthers and Isles, not exactly two juggernauts. Meanwhile the Caps, Rangers, Penguins and Flyers must beat the hell out of each other for two rounds to face one of the motley crew from my division.

 

 

[pilldoc]

@yave1964

 

Totally understand your POV.  I get it.  Essentially, IMO, the NHL tried to go back old school and have playoff games like they did in yester year with the Norris, Patrick, Smythe, Adams divisions BUT with a new twist with the wild card.  I think the NHL wanted to try to preserve playoff rivalries...ie Pens vs Flyers / Flyers vs Caps / etc...

However, I agree it will skewer the seedings.

 

Though I am a hockey tradionalist ... I had no problem with the 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5 playoff format.

 

Yeah...the Wings caught a major break this year.... (shrugging my shoulders...it is what it is)

 

 

[J0e Th0rnton]

I want the kings first round. I am happy with it.

 

I'd rather know we have them right off the bat and smash them than face them later on after 1-2 rounds to feel that niggling doubt.

 

I feel confident right now we can beat them. Pumped! But I have a feeling I would be dreading it if we met later.

[yave1964]

15 minutes ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

I want the kings first round. I am happy with it.

 

I'd rather know we have them right off the bat and smash them than face them later on after 1-2 rounds to feel that niggling doubt.

 

I feel confident right now we can beat them. Pumped! But I have a feeling I would be dreading it if we met later.

Yeah the West is similar to the current matchups if we apply the normal, sense making way of doing division winners followed by 3-8 it would be:

 

Stars and Wild. Same.

Ducks and Preds. Same.

 

3-6 would change it to:

Blues and Sharks

Hawks and Kings

 

Any way you look at it, the middle six in the West is stacked and two of them will be sent home early. Personally I don't want the two powers in the West facing each other this early. The Sharks and Blues need to make a statement that they are ready to finally move past their nemesis.

[SpikeDDS]

@yave1964

 

I'm totally with you 100% on this, so I won't repeat what you've said, even as I, too, am a Red Wing fan. I'll take it, but do I think this contrivance is better for the game? No.

 

If playing within your division matters most, then just make it the top 4 teams from each division play each other 4 v 1, and 3 v 2. But noooooo. What if one division sucks vs. the other?

 

So, OK, let's just go with the best 8 teams in the conference and play them 8 v 1, 7 v 2, 6 v 3, and 5 v 4. But noooooo. We want a Wild Card just like the other big sports have. We want to be cool like them too!

 

<cue Gary Bettman whining, saying "We want to be cool too!">

 

So we end up having the 8th place team playing 6, and who is playing the square root of 2 again? I'm SURE this is better!

 

#sarcasm

 

DRB

[B21]

@yave1964

 

I agree.  I get why they are doing it.  It keeps the old "division rival" thing going (kinda) while the wild card prevents a "bad" division from getting four teams in no matter what.  

 

That said, the current system puts "good" divisions at too big of a disadvantage for the sake of the wild card.  See: 104 point Pens versus the 101 point Rangers while the 97 point Bolts get the 93 point Wings.

 

Just make the division winners the 1 and 2 seeds and go on points from there.

[WordsOfWisdom]

These types of problems occur when you let too many teams into the playoffs.   Wait! Put down the tomatoes! Aaaaah! 

 

• If you go top 8 (1v8, 2v7, etc.) then you can delete the divisions and just have two conferences (because the divisions essentially mean nothing).  
• If you go traditional (1v4, 2v3 within division) then you get divisional rivalries but you allow a few weak teams in.
• If you seed division leaders first, you will always have the problem of a weak division leader(s). (A problem that gets amplified with more teams.)

 

6 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Now if we went with the two division winners as the top two seeds and then set everyone else up 3-8 it would look like this:

 

1) CAPITALS versus 8) WINGS

2) PANTHERS versus 7) FLYERS

3)PENGUINS versus 6) LIGHTNING

4) RANGERS versus 5) ISLANDERS

 

That would work nicely.  

 

I just thought of a new idea. How about:

 

Elim x: Best of 1: Rangers vs Islanders

Elim y: Best of 1: Penguins vs Lightning

 

Best of 7: 1) Capitals vs 4) Winner of elim x/y (lowest seed)

Best of 7: 2) Panthers vs 3) Winner of elim x/y (highest seed)

 

Delete Red Wings and Flyers. (Sorry.)  

 

That way the TOP 6 teams in each conference get in. Division winners are home and cool.