5 of the top 6 teams are from out of the West.

[Master P]

...let's not mention North vs South, eh...

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Too bad they will never get far enough to do so in the playoffs

No doubt we'd love to be in the Oilers position every year.

 

[Summer Rose]

No doubt we'd love to be in the Oilers position every year.

I’m sure you would.

The season format, considering it’s divided into groups and features single-elimination playoffs doesn’t go very far in fairly ranking competitors who don’t win the championship. That’s just what we get.

 

[PuckG]

Leafs love playing the West. Like a recipe for what ails ya.

The Leafs love playing no one. Especially in the playoffs.

 

[Dr Robot]

You know you can just compare East vs West win records to determine this?

 

[Summer Rose]

You know you can just compare East vs West win records to determine this?

Eastern teams are 474-363-90 against western teams this season. I probably didn’t need to quote you to say this, and I’m not going to try to draw any conclusions about it right now, but it is worth pointing out in case anyone else didn’t want to look it up.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Eastern teams are 474-363-90 against western teams this season. I probably didn’t need to quote you to say this, and I’m not going to try to draw any conclusions about it right now, but it is worth pointing out in case anyone else didn’t want to look it up.

16*16*2=512 < 927 = 474+363+90

 

[Summer Rose]

16*16*2=512 < 927 = 474+363+90

Well I suppose I should have fact checked that website. Now I look stupid.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Well I suppose I should have fact checked that website. Now I look stupid.

The Western Conference is 185-160-42 against the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference is 202-148-37 against the Western Conference. So, despite the Western Conference being top heavy, the Eastern Conference has won 441 points while the Western Conference has won 412 points in inter-conference games.

The second thing the new commissioner should do is decree that all regular season games are worth the same number of points. Obviously the first is to get DOPS up to snuff.

 

[Ghost of Murph]

Too many variables at work. Look at SEC football over the past decade or so. Those teams beat up on each other and the third or fourth place team is likely better than higher ranked teams from weaker conferences many years. It's easier to have a nice w-l record when you face weaker competition more than other teams.

Then in the postseason it's more difficult to win the finals if you're beat up due to going through a gauntlet. UCLA during the Wooden years would lead people to believe that the West was better because UCLA has all those banners. Opposite was true. East back then was infinitely better but by the finals UCLA had waltzed through since brackets were done geographically, unlike modern times, and the East finalist had gone through a buzz saw to get to the finals.

Only decent way to decide NHL East/West superiority is record vs each other since every team plays every opposing conference team twice in the NHL. All of that blathering aside, I have enjoyed Western games more this season because it seems to me there is more quality in the upper half of the conference.

 

[BB79]

Should we tell the OP that 5 of the 7 worst teams in the league are also in the west?

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Should we tell the OP that 5 of the 7 worst teams in the league are also in the west?

...why ruin the surprise??...

 

[Daximus]

I mean in recent memory obviously. The Atlantic has had the clear cup favorites for at least the last 7 years

I'd say it's kind of flip flopped a little bit. Over the last 7 seasons it's kind of been between Tampa, Florida, Vegas and Colorado as to who is the favourite. Dallas, Washington, Boston and Nashville have had high expectation seasons in there as well.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

If a tree falls in the forest but nobody is awake to watch it or hear it does it really matter

 

[Daximus]

The West had a lot of teams like Anaheim, Chicago, San Jose, Nashville, Calgary, St. Louis, Vancouver that were consistently in the mix for a good chunk of the 2010's now in rebuilds or retools. . The teams that weren't really in the mix that much in the east for a good chunk of the 2010's like New Jersey, Detroit, Carolina, Florida, Toronto, and Ottawa are on the other side of their rebuilds starting to compete more.

I'd imagine within the next 5 or 6 years we will see a good chunk of those teams entering rebuilds again and the teams who are at the bottom in the west will move up. It's all cyclical. Of course you will always have a few teams like Buffalo that just seem to spin their tires no matter what. For a long time that was Edmonton.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Recently dominated by the East

Panthers
Avalanche
Knights
Lightning
Lightning
Blues
Caps
Pens
Pens
6/9 East winners

The years before though were dominated by west teams during the Hawks and Kings

Hawks
Kings
Hawks
Kings
Bruins
Hawks
Pens
Wings - West at the time
Ducks
Canes
7/10 West winners

I definitely am leaning towards these next few years that the very top end West teams are better.

Oilers and Stars are my 2 favorites.

East has Florida and Canes?

(Sorry Caps I don't see it this year but you are amazing this year)

 

[HockeyVirus]

I'd say it's kind of flip flopped a little bit. Over the last 7 seasons it's kind of been between Tampa, Florida, Vegas and Colorado as to who is the favourite. Dallas, Washington, Boston and Nashville have had high expectation seasons in there as well.

I'm not just talking about the winners. You have the Bruins for example who were clear cut above other teams and the cup fav who lost in round 1. You had the Panthers losing to Tampa, Leafs etc. Basically for a long stretch of the top 7 teams in the league 3/4 were in the Atlantic.

 

[Daximus]

I'm not just talking about the winners. You have the Bruins for example who were clear cut above other teams and the cup fav who lost in round 1. You had the Panthers losing to Tampa, Leafs etc. Basically for a long stretch of the top 7 teams in the league 3/4 were in the Atlantic.

Neither am I. Vegas has been in the conversation just as long honestly despite some ho-hum playoff performances. First season aside where there was no expectation on them they have been considered a contender pretty much every year since. Both Colorado and Dallas have had years were many have picked them to go all the way.

As of now I'd say both Florida and Tampa likely aren't viewed as favourites. Toronto suffers from the same lack of playoff success as Winnipeg so no one is picking either to be the favourite right now. People are wondering if the Caps are the Cinderella team this year so I doubt anyone has them as the favourite. Carolina despite some deep runs hasn't really inspired any confidence to go deeper.

As of right now I think most people are probably leaning on Dallas or Vegas as the favourites unless Florida steps up their game down the stretch. Edmonton will be media darlings in Canada for sure but I don't think anyone outside of the media thinks they are a favourite.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

The Leafs were a western team in 2021. Like always, they exited early. The Habs, on the other hand, took advantage of their opportunity and won their first Western Conference championship.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

No doubt we'd love to be in the Oilers position every year.

Sometimes you're the Leafs and sometimes you're the Bruins.

 

[bucks_oil]

No doubt we'd love to be in the Oilers position every year.

Really?

You were going to beat Colorado in 22?

Vegas in 2023?

Florida last year?

I don't think that's based in any form of reality.