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The owners and players association needs to do something to improve the playoffs. The whole seeding by divisions is incredibly stupid! Pre 2015, we still had divisions but we actually seeded 1-8, which is how it should be.
Take for example Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference. They are playing Columbus in the first round and in 2013 they wouldn't face each other until the semifinals as they would be the 2 & 3 seeds in the Eastern Conference but due to the stupid divisions face each other in round 1. Pittsburgh if they win, would have to face the Capitals in round 2, so the 2 best teams in hockey would have to face each other........................in the CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS!!!!!!! Granted, there are some years where one conference will have the top 2 or 3 records, but the teams with the 2 best records shouldn't be playing until at least the conference finals.
IF 7express's becomes NHL commissioner (ha!) here's their playoff reform:
To start of with, we get rid of the stupid shootout (which has probably contributed to this somewhat) and re-structure the point & overtime structure. If a game is tied after regulation we will play one 10 minute sudden death overtime, at which point if the score is still tied we end in a tie. A team gets 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a win in overtime, each team gets 1 point if the game ends tied, and if a team loses in EITHER regulation or overtime they get 0 points (stop rewarding losers! These are multi-million dollar professional athletes, they shouldn't be rewarded for losing!)
4 division winners get automatic placement to the playoffs but NOT guaranteed home ice advantage. The other 6 playoff teams go to the next 6 best teams point wise regardless of division, so if one division has the 6 best records in the conference, that division would get 6 playoff teams. Teams are set 1-8 with the most points getting the 1 seed and the fewest points getting the 8 seed regardless of division, so if the division with 6 playoff teams ends up having the 6 best points in the conference, they would get the top 6 seeds, and the division winner of the other conference would get the 7th seed, and second place in that division the 8 seed. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7, etc. Reseed after the first round (like they used to do) so the lowest seed plays the highest remaining seed.
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My team failed to make it again
Thinking Washington at the very least wins the East this year. If they fail to make it past round 2 again, they never will w/ this group.
Out West, I think Chicago has got at least one more run in them, so I'll pick them this year. I'll also go ahead and pick them to win Lord Stanley again. They've got the experience and will have home ice advantage throughout the West.
I thought maybe Minnesota would make some noise, but after last night I'm re-thinking that.
Thinking Washington at the very least wins the East this year. If they fail to make it past round 2 again, they never will w/ this group.
Out West, I think Chicago has got at least one more run in them, so I'll pick them this year. I'll also go ahead and pick them to win Lord Stanley again. They've got the experience and will have home ice advantage throughout the West.
I thought maybe Minnesota would make some noise, but after last night I'm re-thinking that.
It's discouraging to watch them utterly dominate that game and still lose.
I'm with runningliketheives. I forgot to post my picks, but since no team has played more than 1 game I don't think it's too late to submit these:
East:
Rangers in 6 over Montreal
Bruins in 5 over Ottawa (would have picked Bruins in 5 anyways even if they had lost game 1, that just would've made it almost impossible to happen)
Pens in 5 over the Jackets. I'm not sold on this series being close. Columbus has played really bad down the stretch and the Pens are always a tough team in the playoffs. Maybe they'll show me something in game 2, but I have a feeling the Jackets are only getting 2 games in Columbus this postseason.
Caps over Leafs in 5. Caps are perennial playoff chokers, but I think they should dispatch the young Leafs pretty easily. Next round however...
....speaking of next round.....Pens over Caps in 7. New year, same result, except this time the Caps will actually force game 7 at Verizon center. Makes no difference as the Pens still win.
Rangers over Bruins in 6. Rangers get a complete gift getting to play the Atlantic teams instead of the 105+ point Metropolitan teams.
Pens over Rangers in 7. Pens will have 2 tough series prior to this, so if Columbus takes them deep, and Washington takes them deep which they should, Rangers would definitely be the more fresh team, but the Pens are the better team, and the defending cup champions, so I'll take them to get back to the finals for the 2nd straight year.
West:
Blackhawks over Preds in 5. I figured the Preds would win one in Nashville, so now I'd probably say Blackhawks in 6.
Blues over Wild in 4. A coach that is a choking dog in the playoffs (Boudreau) coupled with another team that struggled down the stretch= short playoff stay. The fact the completely dominated game 1 and STILL lost doesn't inspire much confidence for me they'll win 1 game yet alone 4.
Flames over Ducks in 7. 3 things in life: Death, taxes, and the Ducks losing a game 7 on home ice!
Sharks over Oilers in 6. Oilers haven't made the playoffs in 11 years. Even with home ice I didn't like them advancing over the defending Western Conference champs, and just like the Wild game 1, them blowing a 2 goal lead and losing in overtime game 1 doesn't inspire much confidence they'll win 1 game yet alone 4 needed to advance.
Blackhawks over Blues in 6. I don't think it goes 7 games this year, but should still be a great series.
Sharks over Flames in 5. The Sharks shed their choking dog label last year, and should dispatch the Flames pretty easily.
Blackhawks over Sharks in 7. Same team in the East, not the same in the West, as the Hawks dispatch the Sharks to get back to the Cup.
Stanley Cup:
Blackhawks over Penguins in 6. Looks to me the Penguins will have "tougher" matchups leading up to the finals, so I'll take the Blackhawks to take home another cup.
Last edited by 7express; 04-14-2017 at 01:48 PM..
Reason: Forgot the rest of the west
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