2022 NHL Playoffs

[SuperHornet]

I'm NOT happy with this. Only my #2 team got in. My #1 is out, and their close rivals are in. Yuck!

Eastern Conference

8 Washington Capitals (44-26-12 100) vs. 1 Florida Panthers (58-18-6 122)
7 Pittsburgh Penguins (46-25-11 103) vs. 2 Carolina Hurricanes (54-20-8 116)
6 Boston Bruins (51-26-5 107) vs. 3 Toronto Maple Leafs (54-21-7 115)
5 Tampa Bay Lightning (51-23-8 110) vs. 4 NY Rangers (52-24-6 110)

Western Conference

8 Nashville Predators (45-30-7 97) vs. 1 Colorado Avalanche (56-19-7 119)
7 Dallas Stars (46-30-6 98) vs. 2 Minnesota Wild (53-33-7 113) (interesting matchup)
6 Los Angeles Kings (44-27-11 99) (Yuck!) vs. 3 Calgary Flames (50-21-11 111) (Yes!)
5 Edmonton Oilers (49-27-6 104) vs. 4 St. Louis Blues (49-22-11 109)

[tribe_pride]

I'm NOT happy with this. Only my #2 team got in. My #1 is out, and their close rivals are in. Yuck!

Eastern Conference

8 Washington Capitals (44-26-12 100) vs. 1 Florida Panthers (58-18-6 122)
7 Pittsburgh Penguins (46-25-11 103) vs. 2 Carolina Hurricanes (54-20-8 116)
6 Boston Bruins (51-26-5 107) vs. 3 Toronto Maple Leafs (54-21-7 115)
5 Tampa Bay Lightning (51-23-8 110) vs. 4 NY Rangers (52-24-6 110)

Western Conference

8 Nashville Predators (45-30-7 97) vs. 1 Colorado Avalanche (56-19-7 119)
7 Dallas Stars (46-30-6 98) vs. 2 Minnesota Wild (53-33-7 113) (interesting matchup)
6 Los Angeles Kings (44-27-11 99) (Yuck!) vs. 3 Calgary Flames (50-21-11 111) (Yes!)
5 Edmonton Oilers (49-27-6 104) vs. 4 St. Louis Blues (49-22-11 109)

Try again with your matchups. It doesn’t go 1-8 in each conference but 1-3 in each division with last spot in divisional matchup playoffs taken by a wild card of next 2 in each conference.

[SuperHornet]

OK. You're right. The NHL setup these days makes no sense whatsoever. I guess they felt the need to be seen as "doing something." Change for the sake of change never works. Given their stupid All-Star setup, I should have known they'd do something stupid with the playoffs.

EDIT: I just looked. They are STARTING with the top 8 in the division, but then the seeding gets weird. While it's the CONFERENCE top 8, they're doing a division-based bracket with the proviso that when the Conference top 8 works out such that the top four in each division in the conference are in, the 4 seed is a cross-over seed. We see that in the Eastern Conference this year. The top 3 in each division are placed in their home division, but the 4-seed comes from the other division. But the Western Conference hasn't worked out like that. The Western Conference top 8 was biased toward the Central Division. Therefore, the Central 4 seed actually came from the Central. The Pacific 4 seed came from the Central like is seen in the Eastern Conference.

This is too confusing. Either take the top 4 in each division and go 1-4, 2-3, or a straight 8 featuring 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5. It makes more sense. It's more natural. These confusing things turn fans off. I wish the NHL would get that....

[tribe_pride]

5 of 8 series went to 7 games (2 Game 7 OTs) while 2 others went 6 games and then the 4-0 blowout has given Colorado 8 days between games.

2nd rounds are:
Florida (Presidents Trophy winners) vs. Tampa Bay (2 time defending Stanley Cup winners)
Carolina vs Rangers in the battle of the 2 teams that gave up the fewest goals in the regular season
Colorado vs. St Louis
Calgary vs Edmonton to see who is the last Canadian team in the playoffs and a battle of top 2 individual point getters with McDavid (EDM) and Gaudreau (Cal)

[SuperHornet]

My #2 team just barely squeaked by, and that shouldn't happen with a 1 vs. a wildcard in the NHL's stupid format.

[JALMOND]

Calgary vs Edmonton to see who is the last Canadian team in the playoffs and a battle of top 2 individual point getters with McDavid (EDM) and Gaudreau (Cal)

Battle of Alberta. Those two teams do not like each other. Heck, those two cities do not like each other. You declare your allegiance when you first put on a pair of skates and that will define you throughout your life.

Go Flames Go!!!

[SuperHornet]

That's a huge football rivalry, too....

[JALMOND]

That's a huge football rivalry, too....

Politics get nasty between the two as well. Calgarians and Edmontonians could get into a fight over tiddly-winks.

[SuperHornet]

That's a huge football rivalry, too....

Politics get nasty between the two as well. Calgarians and Edmontonians could get into a fight over tiddly-winks.

[JALMOND]

Calgary vs Edmonton to see who is the last Canadian team in the playoffs and a battle of top 2 individual point getters with McDavid (EDM) and Gaudreau (Cal)

Battle of Alberta. Those two teams do not like each other. Heck, those two cities do not like each other. You declare your allegiance when you first put on a pair of skates and that will define you throughout your life.

Go Flames Go!!!

This story by FiveThirtyEight does a great job describing the history of the Battle of Alberta.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ho ... g-as-ever/

[JALMOND]

Glad that is all done. Big Colossal Flame Out!!!

Last time any of my teams won something big was when the Twins won the World Series in 1991. I was 24.

Makes it easy to stay neutral when watching sports, however.

[SuperHornet]

Glad that is all done. Big Colossal Flame Out!!!

Last time any of my teams won something big was when the Twins won the World Series in 1991. I was 24.

Makes it easy to stay neutral when watching sports, however.

[tribe_pride]

Conference finals start soon after Rangers knock off Carolina in Carolina which is no easy task.

Rangers-Tampa starts tomorrow in a rematch of the 2015 conference finals that Tampa won
Colorado-Edmonton starts tonight with first time these two teams have gotten this far in years

Rangers and Colorado with home ice advantage

[tribe_pride]

So apparently the Colorado-Edmonton series may be an all offense, no defense/goaltending series.

Likely the opposite of the East Coast series who has two of the best goaltenders in the world in the Conference finals.

[Gil Dobie]

Avs win!

[SuperHornet]

Avs win!

1. Sucks that Scorey Perry STILL can't get the Cup without the Mighty Ducks.

2. Sucks that the Avs have fumblitis when it comes to the Cup, and it now has the worst dent ever....

[CAA Flagship]

Avs win!

Congrats to Grizalltheway.

[JALMOND]

Avs win!

2. Sucks that the Avs have fumblitis when it comes to the Cup, and it now has the worst dent ever....

Canadians treat Lord Stanley's cup with grace and reverence. Americans treat it like a beach ball.

[SuperHornet]

2. Sucks that the Avs have fumblitis when it comes to the Cup, and it now has the worst dent ever....

Canadians treat Lord Stanley's cup with grace and reverence. Americans treat it like a beach ball.

I don't remember my Mighty Ducks treating the Cup like that....