Playoff Format

[dave1959]

seeing as how it's early in the season, and it's been talked about before...

We don't have to worry about travel here.

We should discuss going from current format to:

1 vs 8
2 vs 7
3 vs 6
4 vs 5

in each conference.

[Lee]

Supported. The best teams should be in the playoffs. I don't want to make the playoffs again because of a technicality.

[kyuss]

I support obviously.

The teams in the best divisions already face the tougher schedule. No need to keep screwing our playoff seeding just to mimic the NHL retarded playoff system. They will probably change it themselves eventually

[CasperX22]

I support obviously.

The teams in the best divisions already face the tougher schedule. No need to keep screwing our playoff seeding just to mimic the NHL retarded playoff system. They will probably change it themselves eventually

Doubt it. NHL wants rivalries.

[kyuss]

Full retardness usually doesn't last very long, even in the NHL, and a new CBA is around the corner (the corner being another lockout obviously )

[CasperX22]

There is nothing retarded about the playoff format. Division, conference, league. How all playoffs should be. There are too many playoff teams if you ask me, but giving back tv money, Stadium revenue, etc goes against the league's interest.

[kyuss]

The obvious problem comes from having the 4th and 5th teams in division A ranked lower than the 2nd and 3rd team in the division B even if they had twice the pts.

This means:
- the 4th and 5th teams get a worse playoff route than they would deserve, as they conquered many more pts despite being in the much tougher division
- several weeks late in the season may easily be pointless for the 2nd and 3rd team, cause in most years their seedings will stay the same no matter the outcome of those weeks
- the top team in the conference in the 1st round will get the stronger 5th team off the much tougher division instead of getting the worst playoff team in his conference (3rd in the weaker conference)

Even aside from unfairness... a key thing would be allowing teams to compete for the best possible seeding till the end, rather than having things already determined weeks before the end in most years, which can make the last part of the regular season very boring.

[Matthew]

So what's the point in even having divisions then?

Maybe we should go to 1-4 in each division and then have 2 divisional rounds, a conference round, and a championship round.

Or 3 teams from each division must make the playoffs, w the wildcats still, but then we re rank once the playoffs begin. So that each division gets representation.

Or where 1-4 in each conference get to pick their opponents in the first round (which then sets the playoff rank 1-8), making being good in the season important.

Or we just wait another season and once Seattle joins copy the nhl, which will likely go to an 8 division format.

[Da_Hawks]

It does not matter to me. At the end of the day, the team who wins is whoever performs the best.

[CasperX22]

So what's the point in even having divisions then?

Maybe we should go to 1-4 in each division and then have 2 divisional rounds, a conference round, and a championship round.

Or 3 teams from each division must make the playoffs, w the wildcats still, but then we re rank once the playoffs begin. So that each division gets representation.

Or where 1-4 in each conference get to pick their opponents in the first round (which then sets the playoff rank 1-8), making being good in the season important.

Or we just wait another season and once Seattle joins copy the nhl, which will likely go to an 8 division format.

The point of divisions are to create rivalries amongst teams and fanbases within a general region. The original NHL proposal of the new playoff format was that each division be seeded 1-4 in the playoffs, but some owners complained that 7 team divisions had an advantage over 8 team divisions and that's where the wc came from. It would admittedly be better if the wild card crossover were eliminated.

[CAM]

i support

[kyuss]

So what's the point in even having divisions then?

The NHL had divisions with proper, fair playoff seeding for quite a long time.
The reason for having divisions was still there: schedules having more games inside the division, and whoever wins the division is sure of a spot in the playoffs so that each division is sure to have representation.

This current travesty of a playoff system has the advantage of cutting down travels (hence fuel costs, which grew), which doesn't exist for us.

[Matthew]

I'd support removing wildcards, and having 1-4 in each division make it, and then divisional playoffs, conference playoffs, and finals. I like the rivalries.

[CAM]

i think its a sin to see the 2v3 in round 1. No way Boston and Toronto should have had to face each other in round 1. I also like that 1 v 8 produces a nice underdog match. I miss it...I also like seeing cross div seeds.

[foofnik]

This whole discussion likely goes out the window once the NHL announces the changes that will be made once Seattle joins

[CasperX22]

i think its a sin to see the 2v3 in round 1. No way Boston and Toronto should have had to face each other in round 1. I also like that 1 v 8 produces a nice underdog match. I miss it...I also like seeing cross div seeds.

Why? If you are going to be a cup contender you are eventually going to face each other anyway. Did having to face one another in rd 1 rather than rd 2 prevent either from winning the cup? It's a fallacy.

[kyuss]

i think its a sin to see the 2v3 in round 1. No way Boston and Toronto should have had to face each other in round 1. I also like that 1 v 8 produces a nice underdog match. I miss it...I also like seeing cross div seeds.

Why? If you are going to be a cup contender you are eventually going to face each other anyway. Did having to face one another in rd 1 rather than rd 2 prevent either from winning the cup? It's a fallacy.

really, it's not difficult to understand the difference, unless you just don't want to hear

[CasperX22]

You don't like the format I get it, but it doesn't make any team's path to the cup more difficult. Whether you like it or not it's one of the best things the NHL has done in recent years.

[kyuss]

You don't like the format I get it, but it doesn't make any team's path to the cup more difficult.

it obviously does

[Matthew]

You don't like the format I get it, but it doesn't make any team's path to the cup more difficult.

it obviously does

True.