Playoff set up

[Tiger]

A lot of talk about the playoff set up is flawed. Mainly it is because it affects Toronto this year. but is it really a huge deal.

EAST is currently (april 5th)
Lightning - Bluejackets
Capitals - hurricanes
Islanders - Penguins
Bruins - Leafs

If it was 1 vs 8 etc.
Lightning - bluejackets
Bruins - Hurricanes
Capitals - penguins
Islanders - Leafs

WEST is
Flames - Avs
Preds - Stars
Jets - Blues
Sharks - Knights

1 vs 8 etc
flames - Avs
Sharks - stars
Preds - knights
Jets - Blues

1 vs 16 is
Lightning vs Stars
Flames vs knights
Bruins vs canadians
Capitals vs bluejackets
Islanders vs blues
leafs vs hurricanes
Sharks vs jets
penguins vs Preds


Really I think the 1 vs 8 set up is really not that different than the way it is now. I personally like the rivalries of the system now making the first two rounds more interesting. In the later rounds, it is interesting no matter the teams playing. the 1 vs 16 set up people want make no sense to me (random, crazy travel etc).

another point (that is not mine) is that using a 1 vs 8 set up, if you re-seed in the next round you cannot do brackets and may effect betting money coming in.

I personally would want some changes but more like the late 80s early 90s with a twist.
I would want no wild cards. each division gets a 1-4 in it, but have a CFL type crossover where if the 5th place team in one division is better than the fourth, they take there spot. That way, if say this year if a Pacific division team was WC1 and a central was WC2 the flames would still play there division rather than a crossover (not the case this season at all anyways, but just a minor change to double down even more on the first round rivals).

A complaint about this system is you see the same teams over and over again, but that can happen anyways (ie dallas/edmonton)

I just find it is better for rivalry in the first two round rather than hoping for a good matchup that may not happen in the later rounds.

What are everybody's else's thoughts, I want to know why this system seems to be so hated.

[tkflames]

So what you are saying is that it does not affect the top and bottom team at all and by round 2 this is all pretty much resolved. In rare cases it will take until round 3.

I dont understand the outrage here. The first round is a crapshoot anyways. If you dont finish first in the conference, why should you be entitled to playing out of division for a favourable matchup. I prefer the rivalry of a Boston/Toronto every few years vs a Toronto/NYI matchup because Leafs fans feel better about it...

[N-E-B]

No, the current format isn’t that bad. You have to play good teams in the playoffs. Every team that makes the playoffs is at the very worst a good team. If you can’t beat one in the first round then you don’t deserve the cup. 30/31 teams will be eliminated at some point, if a good team goes in round one I don’t care.

[Ullr]

It is a good format as it stands. Overall reduction in travel distance between 1st and 2nd round rivalries. Makes the divisional games during the season matter that much more.

You still have to beat every team to win the cup anyways. So I've always found this argument to be a moot point.

[neo45]

It’s just Toronto complaining.

I love the format. The first round has the potential to be insanely exciting. After the first round who cares about matchups, there is so much on the line that no matter who plays who the games are dynamite.

We might get to see Toronto/Boston, Pitt/Wash, and SJ/Vegas all in the first round with this new format. That’s awesome

[btimbit]

I don't mind it that much.

But when Seattle arrives and the divisions are balanced, just have 1-4 in each division make the playoffs. Easy peasy

[joejoe3]

what is Toronto complaining about anyway?

That they always have lose to boston first round?

Just git gud and win the division.

[bcneil]

Thought the whole point of the newer system, is so there will be some great 2 vs 3 matchups in the first round. I don't see the point of trying to engineer more lopsided series.

[Duffalufagus]

The whole thing is ridiculous. Leafs Nation just upset they are getting bounced in round one again. The fans probably look at the 1-8 format and see a potential Islanders matchup (although it could be Pitt too). Much ado about nothing.

[SofaProfessor]

Every team that makes the playoffs is competitive. I don't think any team, no matter how you sort them (except maybe Tampa) looks like they could have an easy walk through round 1. A lower seed can get hot and go on a run, a higher seed can just as easily blow it. The advantage of the current format is the divisional rivalries aspect of it and it makes it easier to create brackets which has betting aspects but, in my case, our family has a friendly competition as well.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Yeah, seems like Leafs bellyaching.

Division winners earn the ‘luxury’ of games against wildcard teams, and 2 vs 3 within each division should arguable be a meaningful and competitive series.

Why do the Leafs want runners up to be rewarded?

If you win the cup, you have to win every series, and some are going to be against good teams. They probably just don’t remember that because it has been a really, really long time since the Leafs won a Cup

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Tiger

A lot of talk about the playoff set up is flawed. Mainly it is because it affects Toronto this year. but is it really a huge deal.

EAST is currently (april 5th)
Lightning - Bluejackets
Capitals - hurricanes
Islanders - Penguins
Bruins - Leafs

If it was 1 vs 8 etc.
Lightning - bluejackets
Bruins - Hurricanes
Capitals - penguins
Islanders - Leafs

Actually, since the old 1v8 format put division winners 1-2, it would be Caps-Hurricanes and Bruins-Penguins. And if Toronto loses their last game and Pittsburgh wins, then the first round match-ups would be exactly the same as the current format.

Of course, Toronto started whining months ago when they thought they were going to be the second best team in the East instead of fifth or sixth. But when Toronto starts crying, it takes a long while for them to acknowledge reality.

[JBR]

I've always wanted the league to go back to the 1-16 format. Would be great to see, but I understand the logistical issues.

That being said, I would want no part of a 1st round match-up with Vegas. Let's try it next year.

[Flames67]

If they change it, it won't matter, something about a new format will be flawed and people will complain. What about something ridiculous, like polled fans determine matchups?

[Vinny01]

The current format is the only reason the Flames have a series victory since 04. When we played the Canucks wasn’t it the equivalent of the 6 seed playing the 8 seed in round one?

[The Cobra]

If you are going to do a 1-16 , or 1-8, you'll need to do a balanced schedule (between the teams ranked that way), which can never happen.

Sometimes it works out in your favour, sometimes it doesn't.

The odds in each round is likely not much better than 60/40 and most are closer to 50/50 anyway.

A team which is 10 points ahead of another during the season means they win about 1 more game for every 16 played. During a 7 game series, the difference becomes even more marginal.

There is a reason why the #1 ranked team during the season doesn't win all that often. They may have proven over an 82 game season to be better than the rest, but with parity and randomness, the odds are still heavily stacked against them, or any team.

Playing 1-16 would help the better teams for sure, but the odds would still remain slim for any particular team winning the Cup.

[mrkajz44]

Without balanced schedules, formats other than the one we have now makes less sense. You play the most against your division, then conference, then rest of the league. The current playoff format recognizes this and is set up accordingly.

I find it funny that Toronto refuses to acknowledge the fact that they have 3 absolute bottom feeders in their division (Detroit - 27th, Buffalo - 28th, Ottawa - 31st) and as a result their point total is likely a little inflated since they played these teams more than those outside their division. Them starting round 1 on the road actually seems pretty fair.

[Enoch Root]

These matchups are meaningless anyway.

Vegas, for instance, knows they are finishing third, so there is nothing to play for. In a 1-16 format, all teams would still be battling for position.

Also, in a 1-16 format, you have to have a more balanced schedule. One of the reasons that the top teams in the east have more points than the top teams in the west is that there are more crappy teams in the east.

You can't compare records if you have an imbalanced schedule.

ALso: this is all about the poor Leafs getting a bad matchup. Call a wahbulance!

[dying4acup]

I favor an 8 division format.

Northwest
Calgary
Edmonton
Winnipeg
Vancouver

Pacific
LA
Anaheim
San Jose
Seattle

Southwest
Dallas
Phoenix (Houston)
Vegas
Nashville

Central
Minnesota
Chicago
St Louis
Colorado

Northeast
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Buffalo (or Quebec City if Florida moves)

Metropolitan
NY Rangers
NY Islanders
New Jersey
Philadelphia

Southeast
Florida
Tampa
Carolina
Washington

Atlantic
Pittsburgh
Detroit
Columbus
Boston

2 teams qualify from each division, then conference, then east vs west.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by btimbit

I don't mind it that much.

But when Seattle arrives and the divisions are balanced, just have 1-4 in each division make the playoffs. Easy peasy

Agreed. Winning the division should be done in the post season. Pacific versus Central for the Western Conference; Metropolitan versus Atlantic for the Eastern Conference.