76 gp reg season makes all the sense in the world once at 32 teams (7x4 + 24x2). The current unbalanced schedule is silly.
5v4 play-in games for each division. No crossovers. Doubleheaders Monday and Tuesday before playoffs start on Wednesday. Last ~4 games of the season are all in division, keeping races alive right until the end. There are a lot of other things I would do schedule-wise that would reduce travel and improve schedule 'fairness'.
I'm sure there are better ways to fix the randomness factor on-ice, but this would keep hope alive longer for more teams, which is exactly what the league wants...it maybe makes the stupid randomness a little easier to take.
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