Playoff Format

[Dr Pepper]

It isn't needed. If you're not one of the top four teams in your division, you shouldn't be in the playoffs. If you're just competing against the conference as a whole, why bother even having divisions?

St. Louis - 5th in the Central, with 84pts

Calgary - 4th in the Pacific, with 82pts

No, you're right, the Blues are shit outta luck, being 5th and all. Gotta give those 4th place teams a shot!

 

[Lt Dan]

St. Louis - 5th in the Central, with 84pts

Calgary - 4th in the Pacific, with 82pts

No, you're right, the Blues are shit outta luck, being 5th and all. Gotta give those 4th place teams a shot!

 

[No Fun Shogun]

If I had the magic power to change the playoff format, 1v16 is what I'd pick.

But I recognize that there's borderline zero major support for that, so I'm not going to let perfection be the enemy of good. Bring back 1v8.

 

[Masked]

St. Louis - 5th in the Central, with 84pts

Calgary - 4th in the Pacific, with 82pts

No, you're right, the Blues are shit outta luck, being 5th and all. Gotta give those 4th place teams a shot!

That's right. The fourth best team in a division deserves a playoff spot versus the fifth best team in a different division. Team play their schedules based upon their division and they should be judged against the other teams in their division.

 

[Golden_Jet]

That's right. The fourth best team in a division deserves a playoff spot versus the fifth best team in a different division. Team play their schedules based upon their division and they should be judged against the other teams in their division.

Disagree I like the option of possibly 5 from one division, in the years one division is stronger than the other. No use letting teams in with less points.

 

[banks]

I actually like the current system just fine. I like the set bracket. I like the rivalries it pushes. I like the wildcard making sure the best teams get in, even if they're from the same division. And I like that the travel is less of an impact so early.

It's fine. Leave it alone.

 

[Summer Rose]

I've said it before but I could definitely believe the argument that the current playoff format drives total viewership of the playoffs above the old 1 vs. 8 with reseeding format. It ends up with you getting some premier matchups in the first and second rounds, then as the playoffs go on, people are more likely to continue tuning in because the stakes are inherently higher the deeper in the playoffs you are.

As far as fairness of format from a sporting perspective, I don't think it really matters. It's a single-elimination tournament designed to crown a champion and only a champion. At the end of it, the champion will have won all four of their playoff series, so the order in which they face them is kind of a wash.

 

[Shonky]

1v8. 3,2 1 pts system

 

[Golden_Jet]

1v8. 3,2 1 pts system

No to 3,2,1 , don’t need to see 125 points to make playoffs.

I’d be good with a 2, 1.5, 0.5

 

[EastVillageBlues]

meh. I prefer the divisional format as I believe that's how the best rivalries are built... but when we're reached the point where there is only 3 BoA matches this year, I'm not sure how much longer real rivalries will exist.

Rivalries are basically a fool's gold. And a very heavy price to pay for extremely unbalanced playoff seeding in some years.

 

[pockets]

Keep the conferences separate, for each conference playoffs division winners get seeded 1 and 2, the remaining 6 spots are all wildcard, matchups follow 1v8, 2v7, etc., reseeding after each round.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Just do a modified 1v8 with the division winners occupying the top two seeds rewards winning your division while also allowing the best teams to face eachother later in the playoff instead of rounds 1 or 2. The conference finals should be the most exciting series besides the cup finals and it should allow the best teams to have a fair chance to fight it out there.

Still remember the #1 and #2 Jets and predators were stuck facing eachother in a brutal 7 game series in the second round only for Vegas to beat the winner after facing much weaker competition in that pacific division

 

[Gjman2019]

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