I’ve never been a fan of the National Hockey League playoff format. I really wish they would go back to the traditional 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, and so on. That format made more sense and rewarded teams properly for their regular-season performance.
Right now, the system just doesn’t feel
1/
right. There’s no reason a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning with 106 points should be facing a team like the Montreal Canadiens with 103 points in the first round. Those are two high-level teams that earned strong seeds, and they shouldn’t be knocking each other out that early.
The playoffs
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should be about rewarding the best teams over an 82-game season—not setting up matchups that eliminate top contenders right away. Go back to 1 through 8. It’s simpler, fairer, and makes the playoffs better
3/3
@Nhl @NHLPA @TheAthleticNHL
Steph Banatte