Why is the NHL being bush league about the 2nd round?

[Stout]

What the heck is going on? The Pens and the Rangers are a 2nd-round matchup. We know that for a fact. They should be playing in a day or two, and yet I can find NO SCHEDULE for their 2nd round series. WTF!?!?!? This is frickin' bush league by the NHL. Other sports, the MINUTE the outcome is determined for the next round, they're announcing the matchups, dates, and usually even times. What gives?

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

What the heck is going on? The Pens and the Rangers are a 2nd-round matchup. We know that for a fact. They should be playing in a day or two, and yet I can find NO SCHEDULE for their 2nd round series. WTF!?!?!? This is frickin' bush league by the NHL. Other sports, the MINUTE the outcome is determined for the next round, they're announcing the matchups, dates, and usually even times. What gives?

Because it isn't a fact. The NHL does not operate on the same bracket system as the NBA. For the second round, the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed, and the second highest remaining seed plays the second lowest remaining seed. Thus, if Boston comes back to beat Montreal for example, Pittsburgh as the #2 seed would be the highest remaining seed, and would play Boston, who at #8 would be the lowest remaining seed.

 

[Scott MS]

As stated above, the NHL follows the same approach as the NFL, which is re-seeding after the first round. You'll see an asterick all the time stating re-seeding after the first round. You would never re-seed again because there will only be two teams left in each conference after the 2nd round.

 

[Stout]

Well, that changes things. I don't know how I feel about the whole re-seeding issue, though. Seems like it can really penalize a team that sweeps by completely bringing them out of their game. I mean, you're already likely going to sit and wait if you sweep, but if you have to wait for every other series to end too...jeesh. We need Roberts to get his rest, but man, this is going to be a looooooooooooong layoff.

 

[NightHawk11and81]

Pittsburgh could also play Washington in the next round if the Capitals come back. Why did you think it was a fact that the Penguins and Rangers would play anyway if you didn't know about the re-seeding? Pittsburgh is the 2 seed, the Rangers are the 5. If there was no re-seeding, Pittsburgh would be facing the winner of Philadelphia and Washington in round 2.

 

[Stout]

I read several media outlets talking about the upcoming Pens/Rangers series, as well as some people I know.

 

[Assface]

I read several media outlets talking about the upcoming Pens/Rangers series, as well as some people I know.

During intermission of the game I'm watching right now they were talking about a possible Rangers/Penguins matchup.

*sigh* our teams are too good and now we have to wait for all the sucky teams to take care of their business. I'm ready to get the second round started.

 

[Stout]

During intermission of the game I'm watching right now they were talking about a possible Rangers/Penguins matchup.

*sigh* our teams are too good and now we have to wait for all the sucky teams to take care of their business. I'm ready to get the second round started.

C'mon, Assface...you don't want to be eliminated so quickly, do you?

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Well, that changes things.

Yep, I thought we were going to play the Rangers. This re-seeding thing is interesting.

 

[Scott MS]

Hold on to your seat. If Boston wins tonight in Game 7 and upsets Montreal (#8 beat the #1), the Penguins would play Boston.

So far, the only two series to finish in the East is Pittsburgh winning and the New York Rangers pulling the upset and beating New Jersey.

 

[Stout]

Hold on to your seat. If Boston wins tonight in Game 7 and upsets Montreal (#8 beat the #1), the Penguins would play Boston.

So far, the only two series to finish in the East is Pittsburgh winning and the New York Rangers pulling the upset and beating New Jersey.

Go Bahstan!

 

[Stout]

Okay, since Montreal (1 seed), the Pens (2 seed), and the Rangers (5 seed?) all advanced, we're STILL waiting for the winner of the Caps (3 seed) v Flyers (6 seed) series to find out what the 2nd round matchups are, right? Because, should the Caps win, it would be the Pens (2) v the Caps (3) and the Habs (1) v the Rangers (5), right? And if the Flyers win, it would be the Pens (2) v the Rangers (5) and the Habs (1) v the Flyers (6), right?

Ugh, makes my frickin' head spin. This re-seeding is ludicrous. Just play the damn games and advance through a bracket, huh?

 

[NightHawk11and81]

I like the reseeding. The best teams are rewarded with the easiest path possible. Is it really that important to know who you're facing next when the first round is still going on? It's the system that makes the most sense for a professional league. Far better than how it used to be done, by division only.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

i like the reseeding as well - although the old school playoff system was far from intuitive and far from fair - it sure could make things interesting as the matchups were all teams that were very familiar with each other and really didn't like each other by the time the playoffs came around - also kept them fairly intense during the regular season matchups

 

[Stout]

I used to like the theory of re-seeding, but it has one major disability that really kills it for me. If the 1-8 matchup is over in a sweep, and the 4-5 matchup is over in five games, in a normal playoff scenario, they're playing the 2nd round by the time game six is supposed to go up. With re-seeding, all it takes is one series to go seven games, and all of a sudden everyone else has to wait. Waiting can be good or bad for a team itself, because while you might lose your game you can also get healthy; for that reason, I think it will help the Pens (see the player in my sig). Unfortunately, waiting is horrible for the fans and for the playoffs as a whole. Who needs hockey to last far into JUNE, for God's sake?

 

[NightHawk11and81]

I used to like the theory of re-seeding, but it has one major disability that really kills it for me. If the 1-8 matchup is over in a sweep, and the 4-5 matchup is over in five games, in a normal playoff scenario, they're playing the 2nd round by the time game six is supposed to go up. With re-seeding, all it takes is one series to go seven games, and all of a sudden everyone else has to wait. Waiting can be good or bad for a team itself, because while you might lose your game you can also get healthy; for that reason, I think it will help the Pens (see the player in my sig). Unfortunately, waiting is horrible for the fans and for the playoffs as a whole. Who needs hockey to last far into JUNE, for God's sake?

No, they wouldn't be, because that's too much of a disparity when the conference finals begin. Best case for the teams that finish early in your scenario is they're playing the first game on the night of the seventh game of the first round series. They're still waiting no matter what.

And for your final question, I do. I hate waiting for hockey to start again. The longer the better as long as the quality is still good.

 

[Stout]

No, they wouldn't be, because that's too much of a disparity when the conference finals begin. Best case for the teams that finish early in your scenario is they're playing the first game on the night of the seventh game of the first round series. They're still waiting no matter what.

And for your final question, I do. I hate waiting for hockey to start again. The longer the better as long as the quality is still good.

Actually, without a re-seed, we would have been playing the winner of the Flyers-Caps series, and Montreal would have the winner of the Rangers-Devils series, so both of us would have had to wait until after game seven anyway. Still, this re-seeding business...I'm not yet sold on it.

 

[chickenhead]

I think the long season would be better addressed by a shorter regular season, which would lead to more healthy playoff teams as well. But there's no way the owners will give up revenue from 10-12 games, so it's a pipe dream...

I could definitely live with a bracket system, but I like how re-seeding validates the accomplishments of the regular season--somethng dismissed enough already. I love it when a #8 upsets a #1, but I don't think they should be rewarded for it with the top seed's route to Cup Finals. Pittsburgh was in the race for the top seed until the last minutes of the season. If Montreal got upset, I think the Pens should have owned the right to the lowest seed in the second round.