Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cobra
They are not backing into the playoffs, they earned those early season points.
Isn't it just as lame for a team to flounder most of the season and them go on a run at the end to squeek into the playoffs?
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Just my 2c. Not trying to upset anyone or pressure anyone into agreeing with me.
But I think wins/points secured during the pressure of a playoff race are more an indicator of how good a team is than points picked up in Oct/Nov.
And keep in mind, rosters change over the course of a season, due to trades, injuries, etc. So your team in March/April is more likely to be "the real you" than your team in Oct/Nov.
It's true that there are cases like Minny where they lose games down the stretch due to injuries, and get their players back in time for the playoffs. But if they don't get their players back for the playoffs, suddenly the NHL has a lower-quality team in the postseason, instead of a team that was securing more points down the stretch.
The thing about Minny too, they were 18-4-4 on Dec 6, and have gone 23-23-3 since. So their slide began 7 weeks prior to losing any key players to injury.