Tweaking Playoff Seeding

[tgo0]

Noticed that the #1 and #2 teams in the East are both in the same division (NYR and PIT) which would set up a second round matchup between the two best teams (at least pointswise) in the conference.

A few years ago the NBA changed their playoff format to prevent this. Each of the 3 division winners are still guaranteed a top 4 spot (not top 3), and therefore home court/ice in the first round, but would avoid having this #1 vs #2 in the 2nd round, saving what on paper would be a better matchup for the Conference Finals, assuming both teams make it.

Hockey has a LOT more upsets in the playoffs than basketball so it's not a guarantee that those teams make the CF or that it would be a better matchup but wanted to get other opinions on whether it would be a good idea for hockey to make a similar change to their playoff format.

[Shrimper]

Play-offs are about playing the toughest teams. If New York face Pittsburgh in the second round, they should face them not avoid them because they're in the same division.

[manilaNJ]

Honestly, if you want to win the cup, you have to have a team that's ready and willing to beat anybody and everybody.

Good playoff hockey isn't determined by seeding, it's determined by the team's ability to show up and adapt quickly.

Whether you face a team in the quarterfinals or the conference finals, you still have to win the games. That's it.

[Lazyking]

I agree wholeheartedly with the op.. I'm fine giving division winners home ice but a team in a tough division is really penalized in the current system

[Pierre Dagenais]

nvm delete

[Shrimper]

Originally Posted by Lazyking

I agree wholeheartedly with the op.. I'm fine giving division winners home ice but a team in a tough division is really penalized in the current system

How is a tough team penalized in the current system?

[joe89]

I don't think it's that important but I tend to agree.

[Lazyking]

Originally Posted by Shrimper

How is a tough team penalized in the current system?

Because take the Pens for example, if we were to use the NBA system, the Pens would be seeded second and They'd play the Sens instead of likely playing the Flyers in the first round.

No division winner loses home ice, Boston would have three seed and Florida would still have home ice against the Flyers.

So, you're still rewarding teams for winning their division but not punishing a team that might be the second best team in the conference just because they're in the same division as the best team (points wise anyway.)

[Sandusky]

Well, this year in the Western Central, either St. Louis or Detroit will certainly pull the 4 seed, when there's a pretty good chance one of them will have the second best record in the conference. At worst Detroit and St. Louis will finish 2nd and 3rd in the conference, yet one of them has to take the 4th seed.

[tgo0]

Originally Posted by Shrimper

Play-offs are about playing the toughest teams. If New York face Pittsburgh in the second round, they should face them not avoid them because they're in the same division.

I totally agree that playoffs are about playing the best teams, and that if you want to win you need to go through the toughest teams, this system isn't designed to change that. It just means you don't play the toughest teams until the CF.

Also I don't think that this is the #1 thing the NHL needs to address by any means, just a minor tweak that I think makes sense for the offseason.

[Lazyking]

Originally Posted by tgo0

I totally agree that playoffs are about playing the best teams, and that if you want to win you need to go through the toughest teams, this system isn't designed to change that. It just means you don't play the toughest teams until the CF.

Also I don't think that this is the #1 thing the NHL needs to address by any means, just a minor tweak that I think makes sense for the offseason.

I want this tweak like you do but I'm not sure the NHL would care much since they really wanna push the new realignment. It won't be for next year but still.