Ordinary is the furthest possible description of this NHL season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will also fit this meaning. The two best teams could meet in the 2nd round, with other teams facing off against many teams that have not qualified for the playoffs in a long time. The Dallas Stars find themselves in the middle of the fray once again. An outside chance of the Presidents’ Trophy for the Stars could also mean they have to face a much more difficult schedule in the playoffs. The postseason format heavily favors certain teams over others. It’s time for the NHL to make a change. One final month of high-octane action can heavily influence the playoff teams, influencing the ridiculousness of the playoff format.
Unordinary Season
The Buffalo Sabres currently hold the longest postseason drought in NHL history at 14 seasons. Their last playoff game started this streak on April 26, 2011, with a Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. That streak could end as they currently lead the Atlantic Division by a small, respectable margin. Buffalo could finally make it this year. The Eastern Conference is a gauntlet, with last season’s non-playoff teams in the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, and Detroit Red Wings currently holding playoff spots. Many teams are likely out, including the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers being 11 points removed. The Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and Ottawa Senators are also on the outside picture. The Western Conference is even more of a ludicrous contest.
To the West
If you take every Pacific Division team and put them in the Eastern Conference, all eight of those teams are out of the playoff picture. The Anaheim Ducks are looking to join the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and Utah Mammoth in ending long playoff droughts (Including the Utah Mammoth, having never qualified as the Mammoth, while also including the Arizona Coyotes, with their last playoff game being in 2020 as a split/combined franchise in this scenario). The Sharks are one point out of a playoff spot. The Pacific-leading Ducks have 75 points, three less than the wildcard #2 Boston Bruins in the East. The Jets, Blues, and Kings could miss the playoffs unless a major turnaround occurs in the next month. The Central Division is an entirely different animal, especially considering the position of the Dallas Stars.
Fighting Stars
The Stars are currently on their longest point streak since 2001. Their 13-game point streak, including a 10-game win streak, is not enough to get within spitting distance of the Colorado Avalanche. The Minnesota Wild are coming to Dallas in Round 1. The Stars are five points back from the Avalanche, while the Wild are three points behind the Stars and 14 points ahead of the Mammoth. The Stars and Wild are getting royally stiffed here. The Stars have the 2nd most points in the NHL, with the potential to play the 3rd/4th and 1st most in the first two rounds of the playoffs. One Pacific Division team will have a much easier path to the Western Conference Final than the teams in the Central Division. Minnesota will go through hell, staring down the barrel of the Stars and the Avalanche as their first two potential opponents. Changing the playoff format will provide much more entertaining hockey.
Format
Some teams have a much easier path to the Stanley Cup Final than others. Changing back to a 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc. format allows for a broader spectrum of playoff matchups. The #2 Stars should play the #7 Vegas Golden Knights in the first round, not the #3 Minnesota Wild. Taking the current format means the matchups in the first round are 1 vs. 8, 2/3, 4/5, and 6/7. The east matchups are 1/8, 2/6, 3/4, and 5/7. Another format is the 1/16, 2/15, etc. format. The Avalanche will start against the Oilers, the Stars will play the Mammoth, Hurricanes/Ducks, Wild/Blue Jackets, and Sabres/Bruins, etc. The 20th-ranked Seattle Kraken are currently in a playoff spot, trailing 12 Eastern Conference teams. The 12th-ranked Columbus Blue Jackets are out of a playoff spot. In this format, the division-leading Ducks have the 13th-best point total in the league. They’ll get the #15 Utah Mammoth in the first round, if the current standings hold. #13 should never play #15 in any playoff format, ever. It’s not right that two of the top four best teams in the NHL are 100% guaranteed to leave the playoffs before the Western Conference Final, with #2 and #4 having to play each other in the first round.
The playoff format is a broken system, heavily impacting certain teams that are better in the regular season. Two or three of the Stars, Avalanche, or Wild are out by the Western Conference Final. Reaching the Stanley Cup Final is a gauntlet of a challenge, regardless of who a team plays in each round. The Avalanche would play the Kraken at rank 20, then possibly face off against the #2 Stars or #4 Wild in the next round. It’s not crying wolf that the Stars are a tougher opponent, but the Minnesota Wild have the 4th-best record in the NHL. That 4th-best record will start the playoffs on the road. The playoff format must change to where luck and division opponents are not a factor in playoff seeding determination.
Dallas Stars Nation Blogger. You can time how fast I skate with a calendar. Lifetime GAA about 12.50.
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