The NHL playoff format is really weird IMO. The two division winners play the two WC teams. 2 and 3 in each division play each other. The winner of the Boston/WC matchup automatically plays the winner of the Habs/Lightning series. The winner of the Pitt/WC matchup automatically plays the winner of the Rangers/Flyers series. So the Pens, Rangers, Flyers cannot play the Bruins until the ECF. Strange set-up because it is about division, BUT if the Pens get beat by a WC team from the Atlantic division (say the Wings) in the 1st round, then the Rangers/Flyers winner would play the Wings and have a much better 2nd round matchup than the # 1 seed Bruins. NOTE: This assumes the Habs and TB finish 2/3 in the Atlantic. And us and the Flyers finish 2/3 in the Met.
This set up is good for us. Hopefully if we get to the elf the other teams will have some injuries from them beating the shit out of each other
It's even more interesting out west. It's going to be an absolute dogfight to try to win the division and play a wild card because each division has 3 legit teams you do not want to see. If the playoffs started today, LA-SJ and CHI-COL would both be fantastic series. Theres a pretty big drop off from the 6 automatic berths to the two wild cards (MIN and PHO)
When you have a conference like the East that has one dominant team, and then a bunch of teams that are all sort of on the same level (maybe the Pens are rated a touch higher but certainly are not close to being on the level of the Bruins right now), it is a very big edge to be 1-3 in the other division based on this new format. You get to avoid that top team for sure until the conference finals.
Right, in the west it doesn't really matter if you're a WC or in the 2-3 spot because you will be seeing a tough team either way. There the race is for the top spot to try to play MIN or PHO
The West is unreal this season. Blues, Avs, Hawks in one division. Ducks, Sharks, Kings in the other division. The Ducks and Sharks are battling neck and neck to win that division and avoid the Kings round 1. Right now it looks like the Ducks will win that division and set-up a Sharks/Kings matchup.
It's pretty much the same as always, just with the 2/3 division matchups thrown in now. But I like the fact it's still a crapshoot and they don't reseed or anything, which makes upsets even better.
For sure Prod. Truthfully you can kind of say it is unfair to the Bruins. They are the # 1 seed. If somehow the Wings beat the Pens, the Rangers or Flyers get the Wings, meanwhile the Bruins get Montreal or TB. That is not really fair IMO. If you have a deep conference no real advantage like you said, but when you have a conference with one dominant team, man it is a huge edge to be 1-3 in the other division. I would even say not fair. If you said it is about division like the old days, okay I am in, but it isn't really since the two WC's could be from the same division, which means you could have a cross division matchup in round 2 anyway.
Actually it is not the same as always at all. The way it was the highest seed plays the lowest seed. Now seeds don't matter, and a team like the Bruins would play the would be 3 or 4 seed, while the Rangers/Flyers winner (the would be 5 and 6 seeds under the old format) would play the would be 7 seed. So not even close to the same thing.
Yup you're right, I was thinking the WCs automatically had the lowest point totals. I guess it works best for the 2/3 divisional teams.
Right. The WC's are the two lowest seeds and play the division winners, but they don't have to be the lowest point teams. And most importantly if a WC team beats a division winner in round 1, a 2/3 from a division plays that WC team for sure in the 2nd round, not the potential best team or the other division winner. Not really fair, but on paper it does work to our advantage this season. So bottom line is if the WC beats the Pens in round 1, the Bruins and the winner of the Montreal/TB series will be the two teams with the most points left in the East...and those two teams would play each other in round 2. Meanwhile the Rangers/Flyers winner gets the WC. So 1/2 plays in one series and 3/4 plays in the other series. Very strange format.
I don't see it. Looks like Wings and BJ's to me. CBJ has 5 more points and owns the TB over NJ. The Wings have 7 more points than NJ. Even after tonight CBJ will be 3 up, have a game in hand, and would own the TB. And the Wings would still be 5 up in the Devs. The Devs do have any easy schedule, but the BJ's don't have an impossible schedule. I will stick with the Wings and BJ's as the WC's.
I will add this though, if the Devs get on a roll it could happen. Their schedule is cake outside of hosting Boston the last game of the season, a game that will mean zero to the Bruins. The Devs could get 14 of 16 available points and end with 91 points, that isn't crazy. I would think that at this point that are the 3rd team that could steal a spot from the Wings or BJ's. I would put them ahead of the Caps or Leafs (that Caps at Devs game will be huge on Friday).
thanks chuck for breaking that down, i was wondering how it all planned out, i think that is the worst playoff format ive ever heard of, it just doesn't make sense to me, the best team (#1 seed) should have the easiest road to the cup. i dont understand how they would impliment that, thats why i dont like the NBA playoff format either its a set bracket. Does anybody know why they changed it to this format, I mean i understand that the divisions changed and got bigger but what was the problem with keeping it, Highest seeds play lowest seeds, 2 division winner rest is seeds 3-8, i think they did that to initiate more rivalries since we have to play our own conference and of course bruins vs habs or leafs, or rangers vs flyers or devils is more entertaining then non rivalries i guess? IDK
