NHL (2021-2022) v. Congrats Avs. Jack Johnson is a Stanley Cup Champion.

[jingle.boy]

Well, ya can't really compare the last 2 playoff years, but everything seems to be pointing to a reasonable expectation that the #2 seeded team in each conference will be the actual 2nd highest point-getter (or at least very close to it).

2019 - Boston had 3 more points than #2 seeded Washington; SJ had 1 more point than #2 seeded Nashville
2018 and 2017 had some pretty big differences
2016 ... reasonably close
2015, 2014 - seeded exactly as it would've been based on points
2013 - old alignment

So, 2 years out of 9 years it's been noticeable difference with the 2nd highest point getter not being the 2nd seed.  I think I prefer the way it is now, with a 4 division league, vs 6 divisions.  It improves the regular season rivalries, and travel schedules.

[Nick]

There are a few *I will die on this hill because you can't convince me this isn't right* items in hockey and the playoff seeding is one of them.

We see teams within our division enough during the regular season, no need to promote those matchups in the first round as well. So without further adieu, my top 4 fixes to the league, in no particular order.

1. Top 8 teams in the conference are seeded as such, division is meaningless here.
2. All games are worth the same amount of points. I don't care if it's 2 for a win and 0 for a loss, period, or if you do 3 for a win in regulation, 2 for a win in OT, 1 for a loss in OT, and 0 for a regulation loss. But any system that has some games worth different amounts than others is 100% complete ass.
3. Injuries should never factor in to suspensions or penalty calls. Punish wrongful actions, not wrongful results. Clean plays can result in awful injuries and dirty plays can result in everyone being fine. But you look to punish the dirty plays and remove them because they have the higher chance of causing bad results. Punishing due to an injury is just punishing bad luck, it's ridiculous. 
4. Officiating should be consistent in all games and within games. A penalty in the first period of a pre-season game should be a penalty in overtime in the playoffs, period.

[jingle.boy]

1. 
2.  I pretty much concur
3.  I concur wholeheartedly
4.  Meh... I think the rulebook in any league can be applied situationally.  Whatever the calls are going to be, just be consistent about it.  If Team A slew-foots someone without a call, then don't call a slewfoot by the other team next period.  Penalties are often subjective (we've all seen marginal calls that you'd be ok if it was or wasn't called a penalty), and missed calls are actually a thing.  When the game is on the line, and certain games have greater magnitudes, then I can be ok with penalty calls needing also to have some magnitude.

[Nick]

I get what you're saying about refs having to manage within a game. But through the course of a season my point is that there shouldn't be as much of a gap. We shouldn't accept that in preseason every stick on stick touch will be called a slash and in the playoffs you can have guys hacking away with no calls because it's playoff hockey. Call the game consistently, but look for the overall calling to be similarly consistent.

[jingle.boy]

I get what you're saying about refs having to manage within a game. But through the course of a season my point is that there shouldn't be as much of a gap. We shouldn't accept that in preseason every stick on stick touch will be called a slash and in the playoffs you can have guys hacking away with no calls because it's playoff hockey. Call the game consistently, but look for the overall calling to be similarly consistent.

I can't argue with this too much.

[pg1067]

I get what you're saying about refs having to manage within a game. But through the course of a season my point is that there shouldn't be as much of a gap. We shouldn't accept that in preseason every stick on stick touch will be called a slash and in the playoffs you can have guys hacking away with no calls because it's playoff hockey. Call the game consistently, but look for the overall calling to be similarly consistent.

It feels to me like they've done a LOT over the last 5-8 years to close this gap.  I'm not going to do it, but I'd be interested to see what the average is for penalties called in playoff games since...2016 as compared to...2001-10.  I feel like the numbers have been much higher in recent years.

I'm kind of meh on the all games are worth the same number of points thing.  "[A]ny system that has some games worth different amounts than others is 100% complete ass."  But why?  If you do the math and tell me that either of the alternative systems you mentioned would have had a significant change on the standings over the past 10 years, then I might get more behind this.

[TAC]

2. All games are worth the same amount of points. I don't care if it's 2 for a win and 0 for a loss, period, or if you do 3 for a win in regulation, 2 for a win in OT, 1 for a loss in OT, and 0 for a regulation loss. But any system that has some games worth different amounts than others is 100% complete ass.

So you're saying that every game there's 3 points up for grabs. Win it in reg and you get all 3?
Interesting. That's a lot of points in one swoop.

[jingle.boy]

2. All games are worth the same amount of points. I don't care if it's 2 for a win and 0 for a loss, period, or if you do 3 for a win in regulation, 2 for a win in OT, 1 for a loss in OT, and 0 for a regulation loss. But any system that has some games worth different amounts than others is 100% complete ass.

So you're saying that every game there's 3 points up for grabs. Win it in reg and you get all 3?
Interesting. That's a lot of points in one swoop.

Isn’t that how soccer does it?

[TAC]

I don't know, is it?

[Kwyjibo]

In soccer you get 3 points for a win and 1 point if the game ends in a tie. There's no overtime or shootout to determine a winner, unless it's a knock-out game in a tournament.

This was introduced some 20 to 30 years ago, initially to make the game more attractive, because the powers that be thought that teams then would put a larger focus on offense.

[KevShmev]

My real beef with the current system is how unfair it could be due to possibly playing the a team from the other division in the first round.

Let's say Nashville ended up with the best record in the West and the Canucks were the 2nd wild card team.  Nashville's reward then for being the 1 seed is having to travel to Vancouver in the first round.  Meanwhile, say the Blues and Wild still got 2nd and 3rd in the division. Teams with lesser records get an easy travel schedule, while the 1 seed has to travel across two time zones. That seems a bit unfair.

[SchecterShredder]

My real beef with the current system is how unfair it could be due to possibly playing the a team from the other division in the first round.

Let's say Nashville ended up with the best record in the West and the Canucks were the 2nd wild card team.  Nashville's reward then for being the 1 seed is having to travel to Vancouver in the first round.  Meanwhile, say the Blues and Wild still got 2nd and 3rd in the division. Teams with lesser records get an easy travel schedule, while the 1 seed has to travel across two time zones. That seems a bit unfair.

That's the only way to do it unless you strictly take top 4 from each division,  which would cause the bigger issue of the 4th place team in one division potentially (probably?) having less points than a 5th place team in a strong division. This year could be exactly that scenario with the central likely sending 5 teams to the show. If vancouver makes it this year,  it's likely in the 3rd place spot in the pacific.  I still think the stars and preds take the WC.

[jingle.boy]

You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time... but never all the people all the time.

[Nick]

I can pretty much be certain for various reasons that this will never happen, but what do you guys think about this:

For starters I don't think the league has much reason to be at the top in the regular season, especially compared to say, football. There you not only get a bye week, but your games are 100% at home. In hockey it's just that in some series you might play a little more at home. So why not give the top teams the ability to dictate their travel or strengths in the first round?

Have the top three teams in each conference pick their opponents from the bottom 4 teams in the conference. Obviously top team picks first, then second, then third. Fourth seed is stuck with whoever is left.

[pg1067]

My real beef with the current system is how unfair it could be due to possibly playing the a team from the other division in the first round.

Let's say Nashville ended up with the best record in the West and the Canucks were the 2nd wild card team.  Nashville's reward then for being the 1 seed is having to travel to Vancouver in the first round.  Meanwhile, say the Blues and Wild still got 2nd and 3rd in the division. Teams with lesser records get an easy travel schedule, while the 1 seed has to travel across two time zones. That seems a bit unfair.

Hasn't that been part and parcel of being in the Western Conference for...pretty much ever?  Western Conference teams routinely log 5-8,000 miles in the first three rounds, whereas some Eastern Conference teams barely have to roll out of bed for road games.  The 2012 Kings logged nearly 18,500 miles in the playoffs (despite only playing 20 games), whereas the 2017 Penguins logged just over 4,300 (despite playing 25 games).  Even in 2014, the Kings logged over 10,000 air miles despite logging ZERO air miles for their second round series.  In that same season, Anaheim logged over 3,600 miles just for its first round series.

[TheCountOfNYC]

That’s why I kind of like how the MLB does it. They split the games between the stadiums 2-3-2 instead of 2-2-1-1-1. While on one hand, it makes it so if the series goes past four games the lower seeded team at one point has more home games, but it also lessens the travel. The NHL should look into doing that, especially to help with the mess that is the Central division.

[TAC]

I hate the 2-3-2 format. Hate it.

My real beef with the current system is how unfair it could be due to possibly playing the a team from the other division in the first round.

Let's say Nashville ended up with the best record in the West and the Canucks were the 2nd wild card team.  Nashville's reward then for being the 1 seed is having to travel to Vancouver in the first round.  Meanwhile, say the Blues and Wild still got 2nd and 3rd in the division. Teams with lesser records get an easy travel schedule, while the 1 seed has to travel across two time zones. That seems a bit unfair.

Hasn't that been part and parcel of being in the Western Conference for...pretty much ever?  Western Conference teams routinely log 5-8,000 miles in the first three rounds, whereas some Eastern Conference teams barely have to roll out of bed for road games.  The 2012 Kings logged nearly 18,500 miles in the playoffs (despite only playing 20 games), whereas the 2017 Penguins logged just over 4,300 (despite playing 25 games).  Even in 2014, the Kings logged over 10,000 air miles despite logging ZERO air miles for its second round series.  In that same series, Anaheim logged over 3,600 miles just for its first round series.

Yes, the West kind of gets screwed, but what are you gonna do (rhetorical question).

As far as playing another division as the as a Division winner...the advantage should be offset by playing the weakest team to make the playoffs in yourconference.

[jingle.boy]

I can pretty much be certain for various reasons that this will never happen, but what do you guys think about this:

For starters I don't think the league has much reason to be at the top in the regular season, especially compared to say, football. There you not only get a bye week, but your games are 100% at home. In hockey it's just that in some series you might play a little more at home. So why not give the top teams the ability to dictate their travel or strengths in the first round?

Have the top three teams in each conference pick their opponents from the bottom 4 teams in the conference. Obviously top team picks first, then second, then third. Fourth seed is stuck with whoever is left.

Would you have all 18 skaters from both teams throw their stick in a pile, and have the ref separate them into 2 piles to set the teams as well?  Maybe the teams could also decide how long their power-plays should be?

I hate the 2-3-2 format. Hate it.

Something we agree on!

[KevShmev]

I also hate 2-3-2, in any sport, as I do not believe the team with home ice/field advantage should have ever played more road games than home games at any point in the series.

I am also not in favor of having teams pick their opponent. 

[TAC]

Bruins/Blues on ESPN+ tonight.

Fuck you ESPN!

[King Postwhore]

2-3-2 sucks!  Hate it as well.

[KevShmev]

Bruins/Blues on ESPN+ tonight.

Fuck you ESPN!

I was looking all over for it like WTF and then finally looked online to see where it was supposed to be.  Bastages.

[Anguyen92]

That was a tough win for the Kings against the Ducks in Anaheim.  Quick really carried this game for the team today.  I wanted to go to this one as well, but there were no tickets today that was under $50.00 and I was checking the sites throughout the day.

Heck, the winning goal was immediately waived off by the refs due to apparent goalie interference, but Todd McLellan wanted to challenge it and the reviewers in Toronto decided on this day that was a good goal.  Phillip Danault with 25 goals this season.  Don't think anyone actually saw this coming when he signed.  Been a huge difference maker this season.

[pg1067]

That was a tough win for the Kings against the Ducks in Anaheim.  Quick really carried this game for the team today.  I wanted to go to this one as well, but there were no tickets today that was under $50.00 and I was checking the sites throughout the day.

Heck, the winning goal was immediately waived off by the refs due to apparent goalie interference, but Todd McLellan wanted to challenge it and the reviewers in Toronto decided on this day that was a good goal.  Phillip Danault with 25 goals this season.  Don't think anyone actually saw this coming when he signed.  Been a huge difference maker this season.

Seriously huge win.  Vegas and Vancouver both have a game in hand on the Kings, but he Kings have five points on both of those teams.  Feeling really good about the #3 spot in the division (with an outside chance of moving up to #2, but Edmonton has two GIHs).  Really hope they can take care of the Hawks pretty easily on Thursday and get another big win against the Ducks on Saturday.  REALLY don't want that final game at Vancouver to be meaningful.

They were talking about Danault positively on the broadcast.  Great work by Blake to get him in the fold.  And that was serious vintage Quick!  It would have been nice if they had SHOWN Getzlaf giving Quick a stick tap at the end of the game.  As much as I HATE that guy, I have to give him props, and I hope the crowd at Staples gives him some props (hopefully as the clock ticks down on a 3 goal victory).  On the other hand, Saturday is likely to be Dustin Brown's final (regular season) home game as a King, so he should be hearing big love.

[romdrums]

I hate the 2-3-2 format. Hate it.

My real beef with the current system is how unfair it could be due to possibly playing the a team from the other division in the first round.

Let's say Nashville ended up with the best record in the West and the Canucks were the 2nd wild card team.  Nashville's reward then for being the 1 seed is having to travel to Vancouver in the first round.  Meanwhile, say the Blues and Wild still got 2nd and 3rd in the division. Teams with lesser records get an easy travel schedule, while the 1 seed has to travel across two time zones. That seems a bit unfair.

Hasn't that been part and parcel of being in the Western Conference for...pretty much ever?  Western Conference teams routinely log 5-8,000 miles in the first three rounds, whereas some Eastern Conference teams barely have to roll out of bed for road games.  The 2012 Kings logged nearly 18,500 miles in the playoffs (despite only playing 20 games), whereas the 2017 Penguins logged just over 4,300 (despite playing 25 games).  Even in 2014, the Kings logged over 10,000 air miles despite logging ZERO air miles for its second round series.  In that same series, Anaheim logged over 3,600 miles just for its first round series.

Yes, the West kind of gets screwed, but what are you gonna do (rhetorical question).

In the 2007 playoffs, the Wings played Calgary, San Jose, and then Anaheim.  Each series went 6 games, so there were two round trips in each series.  In 2006, the Oilers played Detroit, San Jose, Anaheim and then Carolina, which might be the highest total mileage for a Western Conference Team to travel in the playoffs.

[pg1067]

I hate the 2-3-2 format. Hate it.

My real beef with the current system is how unfair it could be due to possibly playing the a team from the other division in the first round.

Let's say Nashville ended up with the best record in the West and the Canucks were the 2nd wild card team.  Nashville's reward then for being the 1 seed is having to travel to Vancouver in the first round.  Meanwhile, say the Blues and Wild still got 2nd and 3rd in the division. Teams with lesser records get an easy travel schedule, while the 1 seed has to travel across two time zones. That seems a bit unfair.

Hasn't that been part and parcel of being in the Western Conference for...pretty much ever?  Western Conference teams routinely log 5-8,000 miles in the first three rounds, whereas some Eastern Conference teams barely have to roll out of bed for road games.  The 2012 Kings logged nearly 18,500 miles in the playoffs (despite only playing 20 games), whereas the 2017 Penguins logged just over 4,300 (despite playing 25 games).  Even in 2014, the Kings logged over 10,000 air miles despite logging ZERO air miles for its second round series.  In that same series, Anaheim logged over 3,600 miles just for its first round series.

Yes, the West kind of gets screwed, but what are you gonna do (rhetorical question).

In the 2007 playoffs, the Wings played Calgary, San Jose, and then Anaheim.  Each series went 6 games, so there were two round trips in each series.  In 2006, the Oilers played Detroit, San Jose, Anaheim and then Carolina, which might be the highest total mileage for a Western Conference Team to travel in the playoffs.

Based on air miles from this source ( https://www.airmilescalculator.com/ ), the 2006 Oilers traveled 26,840 miles (not including the return trip from Carolina following the loss in game 7 of the SCF).  However, at least two other teams beat that number.

The 2011 Canucks traveled 26,966 (had the Canucks had a longer WCF or not been the home team for every series, they'd probably be the "winners"), but it appears the most miles traveled by a Stanley Cup FINALIST is....

The 1993 Kings with 29,620 miles.  Road team for all four series, a 7-game WCF against Toronto, and an SCF against Montreal.  The only possible issue here is that game 7 of the WCF in Toronto was played on May 29, 1993, and game 1 of the SCF was played in Montreal only three days later, on June 1, so it's possible that the Kings didn't return to Los Angeles between the two series.  If they went directly from Toronto to Montreal, then their number drops to 25,287.

[TAC]

Wondering where Kev's post-the-day-after-a-Blues-game is.

[King Postwhore]

Lololol

[King Postwhore]

Wondering where Kev's post-the-day-after-a-Blues-game is.

I'll ask him when I see him next Friday. 

[TAC]

Wondering where Kev's post-the-day-after-a-Blues-game is.

I'll ask him when I see him next Friday.

Middle fingers coming my way, I'm sure.

[King Postwhore]

It's at a church. Not sure. Lol

[KevShmev]

The game wasn't on TV, so I didn't feel comfortable commenting on a game I did not see. 

[TAC]

You guys are going to church together? 

[KevShmev]

It's the Church of Power Windows.   We will pray it takes us to the Promised Land.

[King Postwhore]

*Stabs are Tim*