Has this been one of the worst first rounds in recent memory?

[Newsworthy]

So far this is the worst playoff hockey ever. Least competitive.
I'm sure if your a fan of Vegas and the other winning teams it's the best.
But the quality of play has suffered greatly.
It doesn't help with the talent so spread out and diluted.
A lot of average and no great teams.
A couple pretty good but who is real dominate?

 

[Boulder Avalanche]

The Kings Knights series was very tense. Despite the Predators being up two games against the Avalanche it has been closer then that indicates. The Ducks Sharks series was a bit dry I admit. It has been good see the Jets playing an exciting and fast style of "big" hockey against the Wild. The Flyer Penguins series has been a disappointment based on their previous meetings sadly. The Blue Jackets Capitals series has been even and it could easily be 2-1 Capitals. Bruins Leafs is interesting simply because of how hot the Bruins are. Tampa Bay Devils is an interesting simply based on their novelty of seeing Hall in the playoffs and the dominant first line of Tampa Bay.

 

[bdub24]

I bet its because Toronto is playing that makes it boring

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

As a Blues fan, I agree...

Your avatar: I played that game for hours and hours and hours. Makes me want to download an emulator and play some more.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

Absolutely.

I used to love the first round because you have multiple games televised every night, back-to-back and the intensity is nuts.

This year it sucks. You have complete shithole teams like NJ, Philly, Vegas, Colorado, etc. in the playoffs and it’s a snooze fest.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I flip through the channels and it doesn’t stay on hockey for very long.

I can honestly say in my 40 plus years of being a fan, I am currently at my least interested (does that make sense? LOL) in the game of NHL hockey.

Bleh.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Round 2 will be a lot better.

SJ-VGK, NSH-WPG are a lot more evenly matched in the west. Same for TB-BOS, and PIT-WSH/CBJ. Washington and Columbus is the only series that I don't think is already obviously over.

Funny enough, on paper, it looks like round 3 (SJ/VGK-NSH/WPG and TB/BOS-PIT/WSH/CBJ) will be one sided in favor of the teams in the Central, but things might not end up working out that way.

 

[Nick1219]

Vegas and LA was some of the most exciting hockey I've watched in a long long time. Damn shame that didn't go more than 4 games.

 

[Kranix]

Maybe the parity isn't good parity, like the bottom 23 teams are on the same level of suck

 

[Cletus Marley]

this site often leads me to believe that I'm the only hockey fan on the planet who actually enjoys watching the NHL

I think a lot of it is trolling but yeah man. Most here don’t seem to be impressed by much. Everything sucks. Nobody deserves to win.

 

[haveandare]

Can we just sticky this thread and replace "first rounds" with "second rounds" "Conference Finals" and "Final" when the time comes?

Seriously. Every single thing that comes around there's a thread "is this the worst version of this thing ever?"

 

[Johnny HFBOARDS]

Only been a handful of compelling games, a lot of the series have been complete duds. Some of the series that looked like they would close 6 or 7 game battles that were hard fought until the very end like Ducks-Sharks and Kings-Knights ended up being sweeps, every game of Penguins-Flyers have been blowouts. Caps-Jackets has produced some decent hockey but it's nothing amazing, and if the rest of the Bruins-Leafs are close games that could end up being a good and close series. But overall, this round has been a complete snoozefest in my opinion.

Well you try watching the Minny Wild for four-five games in a row and stay awake.

 

[Shad]

Still better than the NBA where it is literally pointless to have the first two rounds

 

[aufheben]

This is a legit criticism this year though. More 3+ goal wins than 1-goal wins and a third of the 1-goal wins came in a sweep. Not having any confirmed games 6's at this point is crazy, although we'll see after tonight.

I’d like to see this compared to other years though. The first round always has lopsided matchups due to seeding.

 

[glucker]

And here I was told that the Stanley Cup Playoffs is the coolest, most entertaining thing in sports.

Yeah...no

Columbus/Washington has been okay though.

... why are you even here then?

 

[Thread The Needle]

this site often leads me to believe that I'm the only hockey fan on the planet who actually enjoys watching the NHL

I know that feeling.

 

[Kranix]

I always enjoy the first round the most, this year is no different.

 

[Trap Jesus]

I’d like to see this compared to other years though. The first round always has lopsided matchups due to seeding.

Last year's 1st round had 27 1-goal games, 5 3+-goal games. So far this year, we're at 12 1-goal games, 13 3+ goal games. Just one year for comparison, but that is an absolutely massive difference.

 

[Sam Spade]

this site often leads me to believe that I'm the only hockey fan on the planet who actually enjoys watching the NHL

I love hockey but come on, some of these games have been complete duds. I haven't made it to the end of one Pens/Flyers game (nothing to see after the first period in games one and four), Ducks/Sharks was a why bother series after game two, and Jets have dominated the Wild except for a one half of a game.

Still, I can't wait for round two!!!

 

[aufheben]

Last year's 1st round had 27 1-goal games, 5 3+-goal games. So far this year, we're at 12 1-goal games, 13 3+ goal games. Just one year for comparison, but that is an absolutely massive difference.

Ok then.

 

[firstemperor]

The thought that Vegas vs LA was boring just because it was a sweep is laughable. Anyone that's watched the Jets vs Wild would know that it's far from boring.

I was looking forward to the Jets series but it's not as enjoyable for two reasons....there's a pretty big talent disparity. Minnesota is cripplied and has some of their key players underperforming for an extended amount of time now (even before the playoffs), and the Jets are a good team. I would venture to say Minny is the weakest team of both conferences entering, despite what the records say but there have been more underwhelming performances in the West.

The Vegas series was pretty good, games were closer than it looked. Sharks-Ducks was just a complete and utter blowout.

Haven't gotten to see much of Pitts-Flyers due to scheduling conflicts with the Leafs. Tampa games have a talent disparity as well IMO. I can see what the OP is saying but I still enjoy hockey, it's probably not as exciting as in past years. I think it will probably pick up in the later rounds.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I don't think it's been all that bad. Maybe more blowouts than is usual in the 1st round. Hopefully will make for a much more competitive playoffs as they wear on. Pretty unimpressed with the lack of fights and emotion, the instigator rule and the removing the helmet rule has really neutered the voltage a lot of these series could of had.

I know the bye week was unpopular in a lot of places, but hopefully it means the players are a bit fresher by the time they reach the conference finals. I don't hate long battles of attrition, but teams often look so beat up by the time they reach the later two rounds that the quality of hockey suffers. Maybe this year they'll have a bit more gas in the tank.

 

[Mathew Barzal]

They have been for me,

I can't fathom how people found the VGK LA series exciting outside of the teams fans, WPG MIN and TOR BOS series have been decent but not 'on the edge of your seat' quality hockey.

I'm waiting it out for the second round. TBL BOS and WPG NSH will be insane.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I've seen worse.

 

[Alexei Yashvalev]

It is surprising there isn't a single 2-2 series yet. Maybe tonight.