Will having a bye in the first round be a disadvantage?

[Green]

given how much times these guys have been off, I'd have to think those who are skating their asses off in the first round are going to be at an advantage going into the 2nd round, I do not care how much conditioning drills your coach gives you, nothing can duplicate the game speed

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[El Travo]

I could be wrong, but there isn't really a bye. There's games to be played for seeding.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Agreed - there's no bye in the first round.

 

[Green]

I could be wrong, but there isn't really a bye. There's games to be played for seeding.

I am not entirely sure, but I was under the impression the first round (best of 5) was essentially a play in while the top 4 teams in each conference are getting a bye, maybe not technically the first round but close enough

 

[The Macho King]

I am not entirely sure, but I was under the impression the first round (best of 5) was essentially a play in while the top 4 teams in each conference are getting a bye, maybe not technically the first round but close enough

Top 4 are having a seeding round-robin basically while the best of 5 series are going on. So in the East, Tampa, Boston, Philly, and Washington (I think?) will each play each other once to determine seeding.

 

[sabresEH]

If anything the teams playing in the seeding games might have the advantage. They’re going to have some good games but not as intense as the play in games so they should be able to go into round 1 in as good of game shape as other teams and not having the bumps and bruises that come with the intensity of playoff hockey.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The teams that win in the first round will have had a fair advantage.

The teams that get upset will have had a disgraceful disadvantage.

 

[Kaner9]

I'd rather take the auto advancement and play the practise games k thanks.

 

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

There is no 'bye', but i do think there's a slight advantage to have the opportunity to get their feet wet before higher ranked teams.

However, being a higher ranked team, you ultimately have the advantage whether it be personnel, coaching, preparation, etc.

I'd go out on a limb and say that the teams that got hot and jumped up the standings before covid ended the season are the ones that will struggle out of the gate.

 

[Mr Positive]

those top 4 teams do have a bye if we take a bye to mean they are guaranteed a spot.

Imo, it is only a disadvantage to be in the top 4 if those seeding games are a lot less intense than those play-in matches. If what we see are teams playing not to get injured, vs teams who just went to war, the ones who went to war have a big advantage, even if those top 4 teams are more talented.


I think those seeding games will be more intense than you'd think though. Winning that round robin will give a pretty huge advantage considering that the tourny isn't bracketted. The #4 seed is in for a rough ride imo. They are up against the team that proved itself most in the regular season (of the teams not top 4) and also the hottest in this covid tournament.

 

[wintersej]

I do think the teams that win the play in round will be at an advantage over the teams that are essentially playing some pre-season games.... for a couple games... then it will all even out.

 

[bukwas]

Shouldn't be a disadvantage at least not much of one. It's basically a brand new mini season.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I do think the teams that win the play in round will be at an advantage over the teams that are essentially playing some pre-season games.... for a couple games... then it will all even out.

I doubt the seeding games are like preseason games. Since the bracket reseeds after every round, the outcome of those games takes on added importance. It’s enough in my mind to say those teams aren’t getting a bye. Their eventual opponents will probably have had to play 4 or 5 games.

 

[Megahab]

In a normal season, the top teams would only be playing for seeding near the end of the regular season anyway, while the other teams would be playing for a spot in the round of 16. It's pretty much the same with this format except the "bye teams" are only playing other top teams.

 

[SA16]

A bye is never a disadvantage it’s just a narrative used after the fact to fit a story. Even if teams play worse after a bye the fact that you go from X% to win your first series to 100% to “win” your first series would more than offset it.

 

[its josh]

They have to win less rounds...

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I think it depends how the games go.

If the play-in team really had to dig deep and found a way to do that (without fans) then they might be a bit more battle ready in these unusual circumstances and carry that flow over right away. Meanwhile the "bye" team might take a little bit to feel it out and realize it's for real now if their seeding games where a bit meh.

But i wouldn't say there's any advantages by default.

Example, Carolina comes back from 2-0 to beat the Rangers 3-2 and you can just feel the excitement. Now that's a dangerous team.

 

[Butch 19]

I could be wrong, but there isn't really a bye. There's games to be played for seeding.

4 teams sit out the first round of games.

How is that not a bye for those teams?

 

[Eisen]

No. They play fewer games. That's an advantage. Fewer chances of injury and fewer games you have to play to win the championship.

 

[HF007]

Why wouldn’t the round robin games be competitive? You want the highest seed possible especially if there’s reseeding throughout.

 

[El Travo]

4 teams sit out the first round of games.

How is that not a bye for those teams?

Well first off, it's a play in round to gain access to the Playoffs, not Round 1. So it's not a bye.

A bye is when a team/athlete isn't paired up with another competitor, so they get to sit out and automatically advance to the next round. They aren't advancing to a next round nor are they sitting out of games. There is a round robin to be played for seeding.

Even if it was technically a bye, it isn't in the sense that OP was talking about. Players are in game action while the other teams are participating in the play ins.

 

[Super Cake]

4 teams sit out the first round of games.

How is that not a bye for those teams?

But they DON'T sit out. They are playing games like everyone else. Except they are playing for seeding unlike the play in teams who are playing for a playoff position.

 

[albator71]

The first round is a "qualifier " to determine which team will participate in the real playoffs. When the playoffs start that is the 1st round of the playoffs. The top seeded team have the advantage because of the reseeding.

 

[Mikeshane]

Imagine if a team like Tampa Bay got upset because of this disadvantage.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

yes it's a possible disadvantage

this will be the most asterisk win in NHL history

i'm predicting a EDM v CAR finals