Playoff Format

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

I like the idea of winning the division, then winning the conference, then winning the league.

If you ignore the divisions ranking 1-8 for the conference, why not just have two conferences and no divisions?

I'm a big fan of a team having to win its division title before heading to the conference title. Hopefully this is the format adopted when Seattle starts playing.

[Mattman]

Two formats. Two different playoff stories. You tell me which playoffs you would rather see.

Old Format
West
1 - San Jose Sharks
8 - Arizona Coyotes

2 - Calgary Flames
7 - Dallas Stars

3 - Winnipeg Jets
6 - St. Louis Blues

4 - Nashville Predators
5 - Vegas Golden Knights

East
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

2 - Boston Bruins
7 - Carolina Huricanes

3 - Toronto Maple Leafs
6 - Pittsburgh Penguins

4 - Washington Capitals
5 - New York Islanders


Current Format
West
3 - Winnipeg Jets
7 - Dallas Stars

5 - Nashville Predators
6 - St. Louis Blues

1 - San Jose Sharks
8 - Arizona Coyotes

2 - Calgary Flames
5 - Vegas Golden Knights

East
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

2 - Boston Bruins
3 - Toronto Maple Leafs

4 - Washington Capitals
7 - Carolina Hurricanes

5 - New York Islanders
6 - Pittsburgh Penguins


In my opinion, you get better storylines with the Old Format.
- The NHL's top 4 teams still get their easy 1st round matchups, what they worked for all year.
- Teams 3 to 6 are forced to play tough 1st round matchups, but it those are the series that will be evenly matched up and probably go 7 games.
- The current format is just confusing when you match them up standings-wise. Uneven matchups, and then forces the some of best teams out at the start.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Nm.

[calgaryred]

Originally Posted by Mattman

Two formats. Two different playoff stories. You tell me which playoffs you would rather see.

Old Format
West
1 - San Jose Sharks
8 - Arizona Coyotes

2 - Calgary Flames
7 - Dallas Stars

3 - Winnipeg Jets
6 - St. Louis Blues

4 - Nashville Predators
5 - Vegas Golden Knights

East
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

2 - Boston Bruins
7 - Carolina Huricanes

3 - Toronto Maple Leafs
6 - Pittsburgh Penguins

4 - Washington Capitals
5 - New York Islanders


Current Format
West
3 - Winnipeg Jets
7 - Dallas Stars

5 - Nashville Predators
6 - St. Louis Blues

1 - San Jose Sharks
8 - Arizona Coyotes

2 - Calgary Flames
5 - Vegas Golden Knights

East
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

2 - Boston Bruins
3 - Toronto Maple Leafs

4 - Washington Capitals
7 - Carolina Hurricanes

5 - New York Islanders
6 - Pittsburgh Penguins


In my opinion, you get better storylines with the Old Format.
- The NHL's top 4 teams still get their easy 1st round matchups, what they worked for all year.
- Teams 3 to 6 are forced to play tough 1st round matchups, but it those are the series that will be evenly matched up and probably go 7 games.
- The current format is just confusing when you match them up standings-wise. Uneven matchups, and then forces the some of best teams out at the start.

Current format is great best of each division plays best in the conferences to best in the league.

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[CGY12]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

The Pacific has the worse combined record in the NHL.

There is nothing subjective about that.


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There is also nothing subjective about the Pacifics record vs the Central. If your comparing the 2 divisions shouldn't that be the determining factor when declaring which is tougher?

My point is you can pull stats/records to support your point of view either which way, nothing concrete.

[Sainters7]

I like the current system as it increases natural rivalries, and because as someone in their mid 30s, that's what it was like when I first became a fan as a kid and nostalgia always wins.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Mattman

Two formats. Two different playoff stories. You tell me which playoffs you would rather see.

Old Format
West
1 - San Jose Sharks
8 - Arizona Coyotes

2 - Calgary Flames
7 - Dallas Stars

3 - Winnipeg Jets
6 - St. Louis Blues

4 - Nashville Predators
5 - Vegas Golden Knights

East
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

2 - Boston Bruins
7 - Carolina Huricanes

3 - Toronto Maple Leafs
6 - Pittsburgh Penguins

4 - Washington Capitals
5 - New York Islanders


Current Format
West
3 - Winnipeg Jets
7 - Dallas Stars

5 - Nashville Predators
6 - St. Louis Blues

1 - San Jose Sharks
8 - Arizona Coyotes

2 - Calgary Flames
5 - Vegas Golden Knights

East
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
8 - Columbus Blue Jackets

2 - Boston Bruins
3 - Toronto Maple Leafs

4 - Washington Capitals
7 - Carolina Hurricanes

5 - New York Islanders
6 - Pittsburgh Penguins


In my opinion, you get better storylines with the Old Format.
- The NHL's top 4 teams still get their easy 1st round matchups, what they worked for all year.
- Teams 3 to 6 are forced to play tough 1st round matchups, but it those are the series that will be evenly matched up and probably go 7 games.
- The current format is just confusing when you match them up standings-wise. Uneven matchups, and then forces the some of best teams out at the start.

I know I am very much in the minority but I would be fine with a complete in interlock schedule and then a 1-16 play off.

[Mattman]

It's frustrating as fans and players especially when you have scenarios like the Tampa, Boston, Toronto (respectively 1st, 4th, 5th) lined up in the first 2 rounds.

And like 2016-17 when it was Washington, Pittsburgh, Columbus (Respectively 1st, 2nd, 4th). When you know that one of the top 5 teams in the NHL isn't making it past the first round.

And then you get teams that can just walk through their division with no real competition like Metropolitan this year. It's not showing off your best teams possible, so teams are just trying to win their division, with no incentive to place higher in overall conference standings.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Mattman

Two formats. Two different playoff stories. You tell me which playoffs you would rather see.

*snip*

In my opinion, you get better storylines with the Old Format.
- The NHL's top 4 teams still get their easy 1st round matchups, what they worked for all year.
- Teams 3 to 6 are forced to play tough 1st round matchups, but it those are the series that will be evenly matched up and probably go 7 games.
- The current format is just confusing when you match them up standings-wise. Uneven matchups, and then forces the some of best teams out at the start.

In your formats did you assume that there would still be 3 Divisions per Conference in the old format, which essentially would have placed Calgary in the old North West, San Jose in the Pacific, and assumed Winnipeg in the Central?

In the old format the problem you had was that the 6 seed occasionally got an easier playoff matchup than the 4 or 5 seed, and if the 3 seed won their Division, you still had the risk of the top two teams playing each other if the 1 and 4 were from the same Division.

Bottom line, using seeding will always result in a team with a better record having to take a tougher matchup or go on the road.

Part of the re-aligment was due to Winnipeg moving to the West from Atlanta, the idea that Vegas would eventually be added, and moving Columbus and Pittsbugh East.

When it's a 32 team league, 3 Divisions per side doesn't allow for any balance. So in a 2 Division format with Division winners earning top seeds, it would be sorted per below:

San Jose
Winnipeg
Calgary
Nashville
Las Vegas
St.Louis
Dallas
Arizona

Now when they go to 32 teams...they could just scrap Divisions. They could do two Divisions of 8, or like the NFL go with 4 Divisions of 4. But as we see in the NFL...more Divisions creates more opportunity for a weak Division winner to get a better playoff seed.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Dion

In many ways the first round provides some of the best hockey when you see teams like Toronto and Boston go at it. The problem is the potential to see really good teams gone the first round. When you two 100 point teams going at in the first rond, the present format makes no sense.

There are 6 teams in the east on pace to have 100 point seasons right now. There isn't any way to avoid two sets of them playing in the first round in an 8 team conference. You could go 1-16 league wide, but I like that even less personally.

Keep the divisions.

[memphusk]

Playoff format be damned. Once a team gets in it's up to them to step up. I don't care who Calgary plays in the first round. Show up and dominate.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by memphusk

Playoff format be damned. Once a team gets in it's up to them to step up. I don't care who Calgary plays in the first round. Show up and dominate.

Home ice against anybody in the West would be a luxury the Flames haven't had in decades. We are so close to it.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by memphusk

Playoff format be damned. Once a team gets in it's up to them to step up. I don't care who Calgary plays in the first round. Show up and dominate.

Agreed, if you want to win a cup you are going to have to beat good teams anyway

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Agreed, if you want to win a cup you are going to have to beat good teams anyway

Yes but it would be nice to have home ice, where the Flames have the highest goals per game of any team in the NHL (including the best reg season team in decades, the Lightning).

They've been good on the road but at home they generate way more quality high danger chances.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by CGY12

There is also nothing subjective about the Pacifics record vs the Central. If your comparing the 2 divisions shouldn't that be the determining factor when declaring which is tougher?

My point is you can pull stats/records to support your point of view either which way, nothing concrete.

Absolutely not.

Always determine the larger sample size vs. the smaller one.

Based on your theory, the Stars are a better team than the Flames because they have won the matchup between them.

How the Pacific has played against the rest of the league is a much more accurate way to determine the strength of that division than using a smaller sample size.


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[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I like the current system as it increases natural rivalries, and because as someone in their mid 30s, that's what it was like when I first became a fan as a kid and nostalgia always wins.

The current system doesn't necessarily increase natural rivalries. Your nostalgia wish can happen with the conference ranking.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Part of the re-aligment was due to Winnipeg moving to the West from Atlanta, the idea that Vegas would eventually be added, and moving Columbus and Pittsbugh East.

Now when they go to 32 teams...they could just scrap Divisions.

You mean Detroit moving east. YES please for scrapping these silly divisions!

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

The NHL is really unlucky, they went back to divisional playoffs to get rivalry matchups but never get one.

Calgary-Edmonton have always been in the same division and haven't met since 1991
Same with Rangers-Islanders who haven't met since 94

Leafs-Habs, Kings-Ducks, Panthers-Lightning have never met.

The Kings and Ducks met in the 2nd round of the 2014 playoffs.

[The Cobra]

If the NHL is going to do away with the divisions and base playoffs seedings on 1-8 or 1-16, they would likely have to have balanced scheduling.

Since travel would be exceptionally difficult in that scenario during the regular season, it probably won’t occur.

If the schedules aren’t balanced, basing the seedings on records isn’t necessarily any fairer.


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[PlayfulGenius]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

1-8 & 2-7 are the same in either format. Each year.

Not necessarily, as the top 5 teams in a conference could all be in the same division.

This year, in the WC, it’s likely to be...

1-8
3-7
2-5
4-6

Though it’s totally possible, in the current format, to have...

1-9
4-8
5-7
2-3

With the 6th best team missing the playoffs


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