Because players don’t want to tank. And bad teams play each other too, see our next game.
This isn’t some up and coming team where you are improving and would be happy for the experience, or a middling franchise where it would be a win just to make it. This team is regressing and needs to make the most of this reset. This isn’t 1986 anymore, I’m no longer happy just to make the playoffs, I want a contender.
In the Playoffs anything can happen, esp. in the 1st round
maybe the opp's goalie/top star gets injured, maybe we get hot, get the healthiest we've been all season, Kuemper gets hot, Kuzy starts caring and we start rolling? wilder things have happened
Who could've predicted Halak v WSH in 2010, the Kings run in '14?, the Habs run, CBJ sweep v TBL in 2019, etc...
Every year an underdog gets a good start, some depth scoring, some great goaltending
What's almost always a guarantee is President Trophy winner doesn't win The Cup (2x since 04-05, with 5 1st rd. exits)
Ain't predicting shit, but we'll know if there's no Playoff chance over the next 3-4 gms, if we're out, it's likely we're going to finish around 12th worst (it's actually tough for a decent team to actively tank), IMO not much different if we go for it and fail and end up 13th, lol