NHL claims this is the best playoff format they have ever had. no changes on horizon

[Red Dread]

Rivalries can exist outside of divisons i.e Canucks and Blackhawks/Avalanche and Red Wings in the 90s

Rivalries should form organically imo. Overplaying them just gets tedious. However, the current format is best for travel, so I'm really not sure what you use so that you find a good balance of variety+easy travel.

Imo most fun albeit least practical option is 1v16, 2v15, etc.

 

[gwh]

NHL should compress the schedule any means necessary. Waiting kills the mood, especially for the neutral fans.

 

[Barrie22]

NHL should compress the schedule any means necessary. Waiting kills the mood, especially for the neutral fans.

Yeah that 5 days between the caps/lightning game 7 and game 1 was way to long.

 

[hockeyguy1967]

Weird, I think the current format is great. Allows long going rivalry.

 

[tony d]

Yeah, changes will come once they expand to Seattle and we see 16 teams per conference. Personally, the only issue I have with the system is the wild card. To me it should be top 4 teams in each division that make the playoffs.

 

[Barrie22]

Yeah, changes will come once they expand to Seattle and we see 16 teams per conference. Personally, the only issue I have with the system is the wild card. To me it should be top 4 teams in each division that make the playoffs.

Thats still not a guarantee to happen and it would still upset people using that format. Atleast with the wild card it is fair to both divisions.

This year under that format it would of been.

Tampa
Boston
Toronto
Florida (96 points)

Washington
Pittsburgh
Philly
Columbus

New jersey out (97 points)

The west it would of stayed the same.

 

[Tawnos]

Thats still not a guarantee to happen and it would still upset people using that format. Atleast with the wild card it is fair to both divisions.

This year under that format it would of been.

Tampa
Boston
Toronto
Florida (96 points)

Washington
Pittsburgh
Philly
Columbus

New jersey out (97 points)

The west it would of stayed the same.

The issue is that the league sends mixed messages about this.

You make the playoffs divisional and the conferences don’t really matter that much. So then why are there wildcards and why are there conference finals? And why not play all of the other divisons equally? Doing it halfway has made people not completely switch off of the conference thinking like they should have at this point.

Three tweaks I would make.

1.) get rid of the wild card
2.) reseed for the Cup semi final
3.) Reduce out of division regular season games and increase in division ones

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

I liked the old format better, but it must just be me getting old and hating things that are new. Kids and their damn music...

 

[Barrie22]

I liked the old format better, but it must just be me getting old and hating things that are new. Kids and their damn music...

You can't be to old. I am 36 and remember this nearly identical (no wild cards) format for the playoffs.

 

[KingsFan7824]

The issue is that the league sends mixed messages about this.

You make the playoffs divisional and the conferences don’t really matter that much. So then why are there wildcards and why are there conference finals? And why not play all of the other divisons equally? Doing it halfway has made people not completely switch off of the conference thinking like they should have at this point.

Three tweaks I would make.

1.) get rid of the wild card
2.) reseed for the Cup semi final
3.) Reduce out of division regular season games and increase in division ones

The original realignment idea included all of that.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Everything is arbitrary anyway. Why are there divisions? Why are there conferences? 1 vs. 16 is entirely possible with the transportation technology today.
Win your division playoff to play the winner of the other division playoff, then play for the cup. It makes as much sense as anything else. They are all clearly designed structures.

 

[Born and Raised]

The format wont be changing so everyone better get over it quickly

 

[KingTux]

The most deserving team will win the SC regardless of the playoff format

 

[GOilers88]

Why is everyone up in arms about the really solid teams playing each other in the second round?

Who honestly gives a flying f***? Seriously, if your big complaint is that we got to see Nashville and Winnipeg Duke it out in round two, you really have nothing worth saying.

 

[txpd]

Yeah that 5 days between the caps/lightning game 7 and game 1 was way to long.

Getting the arena and the lodging for an unplanned event into Las Vegas for a holiday weekend? aint happening

 

[Barrie22]

Why is everyone up in arms about the really solid teams playing each other in the second round?

Who honestly gives a flying ****? Seriously, if your big complaint is that we got to see Nashville and Winnipeg Duke it out in round two, you really have nothing worth saying.

1v8 has way to many upsets, we barely ever got to see the best teams play each other in the conference finals or cup finals.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Go home NHL you're drunk

 

[Curufinwe]

That's the idea. Create rivalries. This format is fine. It works as intended.

Teams in the same division are already rivals.

 

[BrettHullsToe]

1v8 has way to many upsets, we barely ever got to see the best teams play each other in the conference finals or cup finals.

Exactly, a lot of people seem to have this notion that 1v8 will end up with 1v2 in the conference finals and then the SCF will have a top two seed from the West vs a top two seed from the East, but in the post-lockout period while the NHL had a 1v8 format ('06 to '13), that was not what usually happened. Conference seeds 1 and 2 only met each other three times in the West during that period ('07, '10, and '11) and never in the East. The SCF only had a top two seed vs a top two seed a single time as well ('08).

There's too much parity in the league and too much inherent randomness in hockey for 1v8 to ever reliably have top seeds playing each other in the late stages of a tournament. I think the current format and its compelling storylines in every round is just a better choice all-around.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

No yhe format cause say the Maple Leafs to be locked in to their slot so early

The Leafs,Bruins and Lightning got shafted as far as I see it. The Leafs finished with 105 points and had to face Boston in round one, a team that finished 4th overall and if the Leafs won(or Boston) they would have had to face the top team in the conference in round 2. You're looking at 2 teams that finished in the top 7 overall gone by the end of round two no matter what. Teams like Boston and Tampa were given incredibly hard paths to the cup considering they finished 1-2 in the East. That doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Halakitlikethat]

I don’t mind the format

 

[Golden_Jet]

Well 3 out of the 4 division winners were in the conference finals, all but Nashville, which went to game 7 and were 3 points better than Winnipeg, so one could argue, system worked nearly perfectly.

 

[TMLrBest]

Playing the same teams over and over is boring. This format sucks hard.

 

[JerseyMike34]

Teams in the same division are already rivals.

No they most certainly are not.

 

[mitchdisaster]

I like it. I grew up watching the divisional play in the 80's. Winning the divisional playoff meant something, not just finishing top of the division in the regular season, but being the team to represent your division in the conference finals. Win your division, Win your conference, win the league.