The National Hockey League (NHL) post-season playoffs begin in less than three weeks, April 17, and as has been the case since the current 2013-2014 playoff format went into effect, some are questioning its relevance and wanting to return to the previous scheme.
Previously, a season-ending association’s best team had to play the eighth-placed team in the first round, with the top spots reserved for the group leaders; Formations 2 and 7 collided, the other duels involved clubs 3 and 6 and 4 and 5. Then the best-placed club, which was still in the running, met the opponent with the fewest points. this was the case from the spring of 1994, the year of the last Stanley Cup for the New York Rangers.
However, if the wish of some, particularly Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who mentioned to the media that teams are coming, had already been granted, the first-round playoffs would obviously be going a little differently than those about to be shocked.
However, the task would remain just as colossal for some clubs, including the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Tampa Bay Lightning are virtually guaranteed to return to their previous format for a second straight year, and considering Friday’s standings, they should go head-to-head with the Rangers in a 4-on-5. The “Bolts” would face the New Jersey Devils as the sixth seed in the east.
The potential Boston-Pittsburgh and Caroline-Islanders series, which will continue if the current order remains intact, would also take place under the old-time scheme. The Bruins and Hurricanes would take No. 1 and 2 respectively, thanks to their dominance in the Atlantic and Metropolitan sections.
On the West side, if the playoffs started now, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers would play the Los Angeles Kings again in the first round. However, if the pre-2014 formula still holds, their rivals would be the Minnesota Wild instead. Phillip Danault and the Kings would have to master the Colorado Avalanche.
The encounters between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars and the Seattle Kraken would remain unchanged. Vegas leads the West with 96 points while Dallas leads the Central Division with 92 points.
Earlier this month, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on the sidelines of the annual general managers’ meeting that he was not considering any changes to the playoff format, saying it was “working well.”