Quote:
Originally Posted by Buff
The gap between the semi-final and the final seems to be related to start dates. It seems like they want to start the Stanley Cup Final on a Monday. It has started on a Monday for a few years now.
The gaps between games seem to be related to travel. There was a one day break between Games 1 and 2. Also between Games 3 and 4. They travelled between 2 and 3 so they gave an extra day off there. They also had two days off between 4 & 5, 5 & 6 and 6 & 7. My theory is due to potentially longer travel between the Eastern and Western teams. They want the teams to be as rested as they can be between travel days instead of quickly finish a game that maybe went into triple overtime, rush to fly across two or three time zones, barely get a days break and then play again.
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I can see that logic for sure, however, all of this time off they are building into the latter portion of the playoffs is taking away from the flow and intensity of the game. Even the players have been vocal about how it made game 1 of the finals a very difficult task after sitting for so long. For me, the playoffs should be about stamina and intensity and this is being killed with all these breaks.
If the travel is becoming such a concern, perhaps they should look at a 2-3-2 format and keep things moving with less flights.