Well it’s two years old, I was linking to it for RickJay.
It certainly threw me initially.
So they stopped reseeding the teams between rounds 1 and 2? When did they switch? Was it just so that they could facilitate bracket challenge contests like the NCAA has?
I think they are hoping to force long term rivalries by ensmallening the first and second round match up set to inter-division as much as possible, and making teams hit each other year after year.
Isn’t it also to try to have more games between teams in the same time zones? Try to avoid the Chicago vs San Jose or Vancouver games in the first couple of rounds.
Bummer. I LIKED that the N.H.L. re-seeded the teams after the first round. And now they’ve gone and changed that? Shoot!
Chicago is only two hours behind the west coast. Toronto and eventually Detroit moved to the East to beat the 3 hour difference. As a Wings fan I’m happy with the new arrangement as I don’t need to stay up late to see games, plus all new teams for the playoffs.
The playoff format could eventually get boring like the old Smythe, Adams, Norris division stuff back in the day. The brackets are divisional, so if the same three teams in each division finish in the top 3 in the regular season nearly every year the first and second round match ups could get too predictable unless entertaining rivalries form(which could have been the point). The wild card positions are the only thing that stir the postseason up.
Oof. Hammond is looking like an AHLer again. 2 soft goals in each of his first two games. You can’t have that in the playoffs.
Rookie mistakes though. He needs some time to adapt to the skill level in the NHL. I think he’s a very serviceable goalie and belongs in the NHL, but the wrap-around last game, and the spin-o-rama this game caught him off guard. He’ll learn from these, hopefully.
Just got back from the Caps Vs Islanders. Great game for a Caps fan.
I picked the Caps in my pool, but who the heck is this Philipp Grubauer guy, and what’s up with Holtby?
Holtby was ill. The Caps apparently decided to go the Hammond route to save their season and went with their AHL starter (their backup does seem to be pretty awful judging by his stats)
Grubauer played several games last season. Probably was a safer bet than Peters
Crawford has allowed 9 goals in 4 periods. Darling had a 42-save shut-out in game 1 (3+ periods), allowing the Hawks to overcome a 3-0 deficit. I’d at least give Crawford a rest and see how Darling does in game 3, especially at home.
This is a really rough one. Crawford is vastly overpaid for an average NHL goalie. If he gets the game 3 start, he knows he’s on a very short leash. Still, I hate playing goalie roulette. It rarely works well in the playoffs.
Tough call, but not a bad call. Crawford needs some motivation, and it ain’t like Darling dosen’t deserve another shot.
McDavid lottery tonight.
(Please, please, please, please please…)
I’m watching the lottery on NBC because it’s on before the Penguins game. Is this how every other league does this or is this draft-as-reality-show thing just another example of how awful the NHL is at marketing its product?
You have to be fucking kidding me. Poor Connor McDavid, he goes to the hellish pit that is currently the Oilers.
Fucking Edmonton. Again!