EDIT: The Islanders make the playoffs with a -18 GD, Capitals clinch with a -37!!

[super6646]

Absolutely nuts. With just a handful of games to go in the RS and a team with that sort of split is 3rd in the metro. Washington should be a bottom feeder with a -40 split too. What a fall from grace for the metro for starters, but also how is that even possible? This seems like something that could have occurred in 1986 when it was a 21 league team, but in a 32 team league teams that underwater in their goal differential being in the hunt this late in the season?

I think Pittsburgh or Detroit deserves a spot just by default lol. Just as another point of fact, but only 3 teams in the entire Western conference have worse goal differentials than these two teams, and all of them are absolute bottom feeders. Even languishing Calgary and the Arizona coyotes (who are 7 games below 500!!!!) have better goal differential splits too.

Edit: Edited thread title. Unfrickenbelievable.

Click to read more...

 

[Givememoneyback]

Now compare them to the Pens.

 

[Bounces R Way]

LEastern Conference

 

[Givememoneyback]

LEastern Conference

Loser points.

 

[Mathew Barzal]

Gonna suck when whoever comes out of the East beats up whichever Western champ limps into the finals.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Gonna suck when whoever comes out of the East beats up whichever Western champ limps into the finals.

West is going to be hard fought score wise, but in terms of physical games that are going to cause teams to limp I’d rather 6 games vs one of the west bottom feeders than 4 against the Caps or the Isles playing with house money and nothing to lose.

 

[Connor McConnor]

West is going to be hard fought score wise, but in terms of physical games that are going to cause teams to limp I’d rather 6 games vs one of the west bottom feeders than 4 against the Caps or the Isles playing with house money and nothing to lose.

LA and Vegas would beat the Leafs but yeah “bottom feeders”. Delusional post.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Metro is really bad this year, there are only two good teams. 4 good teams in the Atlantic leaves two spots for...someone.

 

[Martin Skoula]

LA and Vegas would beat the Leafs but yeah “bottom feeders”. Delusional post.

What does that have to do with the Isles and Caps being infinitely more physical than LA even if they’re easier to beat? Wilson single handedly would injure your team more in a sweep than LA would in 7 double OT games.

 

[biturbo19]

Eastern Conference? More like Leastern Conference. amirite?


But really...Goal Differential can be misleading. Teams can flatter that by piling on meaningless EN goals cruising to wins, or just running up the score in games that are already won. Or on the other end, in "making it look closer than it is" by tacking on some garbage time "catchup" goals.

It's like "voting efficiency" where having a lot more goals for than against over the course of the year is generally a good sign...but it's more important to score the goals in the right games. If you can score enough goals/keep enough pucks out of your net in the right games, there's an "efficiency" in getting those wins. You don't get extra points for winning 5-1. And you lose the same amount of points getting blown out 7-0.

 

[Connor McConnor]

What does that have to do with the Isles and Caps being infinitely more physical than LA even if they’re easier to beat? Wilson single handedly would injure your team more in a sweep than LA would in 7 double OT games.

saying you’d rather play teams that would beat you in a series than teams that lose by 5 against other playoff teams makes zero sense

 

[Givememoneyback]

LA and Vegas would beat the Leafs but yeah “bottom feeders”. Delusional post.

Most of these posts are.

 

[Martin Skoula]

saying you’d rather play teams that would beat you in a series than teams that lose by 5 against other playoff teams makes zero sense

The post I replied to was saying the WCF winner is going to limp to the finals, but outside of Vegas none of the bubble teams are physical. Harder to beat than Washington or NYI sure, but they’re not going to take a chunk out of you the way the west used to do. The Leafs aren’t facing NYI or the caps, nor are they making it out of the east, I don’t know why you’re so butthurt lmao.

Facing more skilled but soft teams isn’t going to make the WCF winner more beat up than whoever has to go through Washington, Florida, Tampa, etc.

 

[Tom Polakis]

Even the -40 goal difference over the course of 76 games isn't that hard to believe. The bottom teams that reach the playoffs are typically right around .500 in W-(L+OTL), so you'd expect some of them to lose big when they lose, and win tight games.

The 5- and 6-game losing streaks by the Caps and Flyers while fighting for a playoff spot, though... that's hard to believe!

 

[MattMartin]

Being the WC2 in the East this year is like being the tallest midget.

 

[byrath]

Even the -40 goal difference over the course of 76 games isn't that hard to believe. The bottom teams that reach the playoffs are typically right around .500 in W-(L+OTL), so you'd expect some of them to lose big when they lose, and win tight games.

The 5- and 6-game losing streaks by the Caps and Flyers while fighting for a playoff spot, though... that's hard to believe!

The Panthers won their division in 2012 with a -24
The Sharks made the playoffs in 1995 with a -32 in only 48 games
The Canucks are the last team to make the playoffs with a -40 or worse, in 1991 (-72)

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

To be fair, the team has looked better under Roy than Lambert.

I don't care enough to look it up, but I'd bet the difference in +/- is notable between the two coaches.

 

[Wanderson]

Who cares about goal difference?

 

[byrath]

Who cares about goal difference?

I'm not going to tattoo 'Goal Diff' on my ass or anything but its probably a more accurate measure of team quality than wins and losses

 

[mr figgles]

The metro being trash is the only reason we have had to endure the Torts is a great coach posts. Looks like that evil has finally been exorcised.

 

[MikeyMike01]

To be fair, the team has looked better under Roy than Lambert.

I don't care enough to look it up, but I'd bet the difference in +/- is notable between the two coaches.

-21 under Lambert
-2 under Roy

 

[mrzeigler]

Just 26 regulation wins. Oof.

 

[Sam de Mtl]

Lol.

East is more competitive because they don't have teams that completely suck balls like Chicago, San Jose and Anaheim to feast upon.

Any team can lose to anyone, even to Columbus and Montreal.

The goal differential of all those teams would look better if they could play more games against those terrible teams.

Anyone saying the West is much better than the east is delusional or heavily biased.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Lol.

East is more competitive because they don't have teams that completely suck balls like Chicago, San Jose and Anaheim to feast upon.

Any team can lose to anyone, even to Columbus and Montreal.

The goal differential of all those teams would look better if they could play more games against those terrible teams.

Anyone saying the West is much better than the east is delusional or heavily biased.

The top teams in the West have like a .700 win% against the Metro but sure buddy.

 

[Sam de Mtl]

The top teams in the West have like a .700 win% against the Metro but sure buddy.

Wasn't my point.

Metro is kinda weak this year, sure. My point was the people equating west being strong against east being weak, or how getting out of the playoffs in the east will be easy but so hard in the west which is a ridiculous thinking.

Especially with the lack of a playoff race in the west because of lack of competition in that conference cause by those 3 horrible teams. Chicago and San Jose in particular. High level terribleness.