The current format of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is flawed. It is imbalanced, and, too often, it unintentionally rewards mediocrity while not doing the same for success.
One just needs to take a look at the state of the Western Conference to see why so many hockey fans and stakeholders want to change the system.
The Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild sit first, second, and sixth, respectively, in the NHL’s overall standings, as of Sunday morning.
They are also first, second, and third in the Central Division, which means that they will be in the same section of the tournament come playoff time.
Colorado, which is extremely likely to win the division, will play the team that finishes in the last wild-card spot in Round 1, leaving Dallas and Minnesota to square off.
That means that at least one of the NHL’s best teams is guaranteed to be eliminated in the first round. And at least two of them will be gone before the conference finals.
It doesn’t seem fair, but this is nothing new for the NHL.
In previous seasons, it was the Atlantic Division that was a royal rumble with Tampa Bay, Boston, Florida and Toronto all pummeling one another on the way to the conference finals.
What is unique this year is just how soft the rest of the Western Conference is behind the Avs, Stars, and Wild.
Before play on Sunday, only one other team from the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks, sat inside the top 15 in the league.
Despite leading the Pacific Division, Anaheim is in 14th place overall with 86 points (just two more than the Flyers), and a minus-6 goal difference.
The Red Wings, who currently occupy sixth-place in the Atlantic, would be in first place if they played in the Pacific.
Nashville, which currently occupies the final playoff spot, is on pace for just 86 points, which would be the lowest total of any team to make the postseason in the Salary Cap era.
Now, for the silver lining. An imbalanced draw always creates betting opportunities, and there are a couple of teams that could come out of nowhere to take advantage of this flawed system.
Los Angeles Kings (90/1, DraftKings)
The Kings have yet to get their act together this season. They can’t score, they’re poor on the power play and penalty kill, and their goaltending is just mediocre.
Everything about this team is middling, but that may be enough to not only get into the playoffs this season but also go on a run.
Before playing on Sunday, Los Angeles was one point behind Nashville for the last playoff spot, and four back of Vegas, with a game in hand, for the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division.
Perhaps most notably, the Kings have the easiest remaining schedule of any team in the NHL. Six of Los Angeles’ last nine games are against bottom-10 clubs, and two of the other three against the Predators, who are just above the Kings in the conference standings.
If the Kings can put together a hot finish and nab the No. 3 seed in the Pacific, they’d set themselves up with a realistic chance of getting into the conference finals.
Betting on the NHL?
Winnipeg Jets (700/1, DraftKings)
This time last year, the Winnipeg Jets were well on their way to clinching the Presidents’ Trophy with 116 points. This season, the Jets are on pace for 83.
And yet, there’s still hope.
As of Sunday morning, the Jets trailed Nashville by three points for the final wild-card spot. Even if they catch the Preds, they would be squaring off with the Avalanche.
But Winnipeg could have hope in that series thanks to all-world goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Although his play has dipped from last season’s MVP performance, Hellebuyck is still the best goaltender in the world and could push the Jets on a run, should they get into the dance.
And it’s not like the Jets are a completely different team from the one that we saw last spring. There’s upside here.
Simply put, if you get 700/1 odds on a playoff team that has the best goaltender in the world, it’s worth a sprinkle.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
