Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacks
I'd argue that regular season success has more of a luck factor than the playoffs. Facing teams on back to backs, facing the back up goalie, travel schedules, etc play a part in regular season success. A 7 game series where both teams have the same rest between games, same travel and all of the best players are on the ice tends to even the playing field. Sure you may run into a hot goalie but usually the better team comes out in the end IMO. Some teams/players just have another gear in the playoffs and thrive on the pressure.
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I disagree. Yes, you will have situations where you face a backup goalie on the second half of a back-to-back, but I would imagine all teams face roughly the same number of games on the second half of a back-to-back.
However, you can't honestly tell me that what Washington is doing this season is lucky or a fluke. It's hard to be lucky for 82 games in a row. It's even more difficult to see a team sustain a high level of play year over year and simply be lucky.
Luck might allow Minnesota to current sit ahead of Chicago when maybe they should actually be #2 in the West, but luck isn't going to make a basement team a contender.
There is a certain amount of random chance that happens in every game. Which means every team will go through stretches, including playoff games, where the results are not truly indicative of their skill level. Every year this means teams that shouldn't make it through a round do and teams that should advance don't.
You can't win the Stanley Cup without being good, but being good is not a guarantee you will win the Cup.