It's always weird seeing the east put on the left and the west put on the right. I always think of west = left and east = right because of maps I guess.
First round brings fresh match ups TOR-CBJ and CAR-NY never played each other, than: PIT-MTL first time since 2010 Isle-FLA 2016 CGY-WPG 1988 EDM-CHI 1992 NSH-ARI 2012 VAN-MIN 2003
@@conyo1942 Winnipeg is Winnipeg, no sane hockey fans would follow the team that left their city, the owners and players change eventually, the city is the only thing that stays the same. The fine citizens of Winnipeg and Jets fans have memories of the Jets both past and present... not of a team in Arizona. The Jets died the moment they left Winnipeg and were revived the moment they returned no matter the name they chose for the team, so yes Winnipeg has played Calgary before. Shannon uses that franchises argument pretty frequently too for some reason, but a team's identity and history lives and dies based on where it is geographically because it is that city's citizens that cultivate and celebrate that history.
@@conyo1942 Because who in Arizona doesn't remember the 1988 Smythe Division Semi-Final? Gonna say the same thing I said last year when they played St. Louis and 3 years ago when Ottawa played Boston. If they are using the same name, in same city and same league they shall be considered the same team.
I have to say this is one of the most fair and exciting ways to finish off a season like this. Who doesn't like the idea of an extra round with that many extra games we all get to enjoy? More playoff hockey is always a good thing because no other sport has playoffs that are as intense and fun to watch as the NHL.
I want to see a playoff format where the top rating teams (however you want to determine that) get to chose which team they play in the first round. The top rated team gets the first chose, the second rated team gets the second chose, etc etc until every match-up is decided. I think this is the most "fair" option plus you could even televise the matchup selection and it would make for great tv. This would make match-ups so much more personal and could spark some great rivalries in the future!
I was curious what they were going to do with DAL and EDM. EDM has more points but DAL has the better point average. They easily could have said the 8 byes are the top 2 per division. Instead, it’s now Atlantic (2), Metro (2), Central (3), Pacific (1). With that said, I think they got it right, but I’m sure EDM and their fans are not happy.
Its frustrating as a fan honestly to have a good season again finally and being pumped for the playoffs to potentially getting knocked off in 2 games by a team like Chicago that wasnt going to make it.
I think a 20 team playoff is coming too. We used to have 16 of 21 making the playoffs so 76% of the teams and soon it'll be 50%. They will want to get more teams a taste of some postseason. There is gate money and TV money there. I was against it and would still be ok for only 16 teams but I think they'll see this and if it works...they'll add a few teams to have a play-in. A best of 3 would be amazing to watch.
You said it best. Sure there might be that asterisk, but there’s still a ring at the end of it. At the end of the day, the players want to make their money and win, they’ve still got the fight in them to win the Cup here.
I don’t mind this format. My only concern is the top 4 teams in each conference don’t get to play games until round 2. What they could do is have those top 4 teams in each conference play a round robin to see where they place within their respective top 4. That way, those top teams get competitive games before round 2 AND it could mean Toronto might not have to play Boston in round 2 if the bruins don’t finish #1.
Coming from a Ducks fan who wants to tank: Divisional hub - play each other twice, each team playing every other day. Top (maybe top two) of the division: playoffs. Host the playoffs in one hub city. Done. Basically erase the entire regular season and create real intensity and meaning from the off as every game would really matter. We'd get plenty of hockey to watch where winning really matters. Cinderella stories galore.
By the way, since the first round isn't a playoff round, that should mean that if the Nucks lose to the Wild, they still have a first round pick in the draft this summer.
I saw this one bracket where the stars would play the Avalanche which would be a good game I bet but that’s one team we couldn’t beat this year. Nice to see maybe we could play the Canucks or wild
It's too bad that the teams needed to be divided into 2 or 4 groups, and travel between them must be minimized, otherwise, the 24-team format I came up with a while ago would be an option. In this format, all 24 teams play 3 rounds, then once they are down to 3 teams, the team with the best record remaining gets a bye to the Finals (which they would actually benefit from, after having played 3 rounds and likely having injuries). But, it wouldn't work for this, because with 6 teams left, you would either have to give one team per conference a bye after only 2 rounds, then Conference semi-final, then stanley cup finals, or you would have to have one crossover to have the three series, then one team getting one bye. Round 1: 24 --> Round 2: 12 --> Round 3: 6 --> Round 4: 3 (highest team gets a bye) --> Stanley Cup Finals
This could actually be good if they shorten next season to 62 games (which players want). Expand playoffs by having play in games, best of 5, which increases rivalries ( which is what the nhl wanted with current format), have top four teams in each conference play inter conference games (4 gms in 7 days), which would equal a 5 gm series if it goes the length. If they treat this like the ufc, where everyone involved is tested for covid before either games or being quarantined in a hotel and a top tier players tests positive like crosby, Ovechkin etc.., that would really change the out come of the playoffs in a big way.
So here's the question I have. Are they committed to the hub city approach all the way through this? What if things get better as this is unfolding and we can have fans in the stands at the end. Will the NHL go back to the traditional way?
If this hold and regular season is over, this makes it 5th year in a row a team makes the playoffs after winning the draft lottery the previous season and 4th time in the last 5 years that 2 of the 3 lottery winners make the playoffs the following year.
i see an easyish matchup into the second round for the jackets. we’re healthy now, can probably do enough to beat toronto. boston is a tough team but the time off is gonna hurt the bruins. not sure about our chances against philly or pittsburgh in the second, but i think we could go farther than people expect. and definitely farther than we would’ve had the season continued on course
"After 22 years, RAYMOND BOURQUE!" But in complete silence would suck. That moment was the loudest I've ever heard the Pepsi Center. Regardless, I still want hockey back, no matter what.
I hope the NHL returnees this year, however if they a return and even one player gets it that will most likely mean the season is over. They have to be really careful about safety with this.
I wish they'd reseed the brackets after the play-in round because as it is right now it looks like we'd get the same matchups (esp in the east) that we've gotten for the last 5+ years.
I think this is a good way to do it if you can't finish the regular season. I would hope that if there are only the two hub cities that they would change it up and re-seed. But if not, as much as it wouldn't be as nice, it'd still work. I mean I think what would be great would be if these 24 teams played a few games, perhaps a max of 5 more to even everyone up (whoever's played the most wouldn't play 5, but the least maybe would), so that the teams who have byes would still play games that mattered for their position. But that'd maybe not be the best for a Montréal team that wants to play something meaningful because they wouldn't have a shot. So I can see why the play-in is more favored. Hopefully the Top 8 team's tournaments would have some impact worth playing hard for still, though. Like getting a better seeding spot or something. But this is a good format still I think. If you can't beat the lower team, like if Pittsburgh can't beat Montréal 3 of 5 times, then I feel like Pittsburgh deserve to be out. For other teams, like Columbus and Toronto who have the same amount of points, it's like a battle to see who would end up eighth just like in the regular season. It's just the same team every time. So I don't mind that at all. However, these are different times. I don't want this to continue after this time. I like the 82 game qualifier for the playoffs. You shouldn't need wildcard games for teams that didn't get into the top 8 of their conference. With all this being said, unless perhaps Montréal, Chicago or Arizona go on a crazy Cup run, I wouldn't say this Cup winner needs an asterisk at all. I don't give the '95 Devils or the '13 Blackhawks an asterisk (just like there's no asterisks for NHL championship teams in the 40s) and most of the teams here in the playoff hunt could have gotten in if they had played even the full 71 games (as tough as that would be for someone like the Rangers). So yeah if this goes through, there's no asterisk on my part. I'd just love to see re-seeding if possible after the play-in.
I honestly think it would be huge for hockey to be the first sport back. It could bring a lot more people to watch it and get hooked since no other sport is on.
Imagine if a team makes it to the cup finals, and somehow their's an outbreak of covid on that team.... That'll be interesting. (highly unlikely though if they are smart and have a good testing regime.)
@@melvynobrien6193 it's a real bug, but not half as dangerous as advertised. More deaths over 80 than below 80, and has only killed .0003 of the population. We do need to protect the elderly, but no one else is in any serious danger.
Most if not all people are upset because they want to finish the rest of the regular season rightfully, but look we're lucky enough to have Playoff hockey or nada. Of course Covid-19 does give a helping hands to Montreal, Minnesota, Chicago, and Arizona getting into the Playoffs whereas otherwise will miss out the Playoffs this season. Only God knows if who wins the Cup! Would be insanely crazy if one of those outside-in teams wins the Cup!
Habs don't deserve it because they did nothing with their play before this "pause" to earn it!! As a fan of a team, you much rather have your team earn a playoff berth instead of it being handed to you.
@wilner No, they are in the play in round against the Pens. If they can beat the Pens in a best three out of five, they then get to face the Flyers in the first round of the actual playoffs.
I'd love to see an acceptance of this season being over like with the lockout in 04/05, nobody gets the actual Stanley Cup this year because of extraordinary global circumstances (causing all decisions to somehow unfairly impact teams), allow EVERY team into a COVID Playoff special event thing like a makeshift Olympics, seed teams based on regular-season position, and then have an epic Summer Madness-esque--every team for themselves--tournament to award the COVID Cup or something cheesy. Single elimination best of 3s, round of 30 (and Boston gets a bye), and then best of 3, round of 16, best of 3, round of 8, best of 5 round of 4, and then a classic bo7 for the finals. It's taken seriously, but can also be taken lightheartedly because of these strange times. Generate some business, generate some hype around the sport.
I think the top seeds would advance to meet each other. But, if upsets were to happen, I'd lean towards Philadelphia and/or Dallas being eliminated. Colorado vs Tampa Bay is my guess.
I came up with an idea for teams with byes to stay fresh, without giving other teams a preview of how they play. The NHL teams could play their AHL affiliates, so aren’t too rusty.
One thing: Competitive playoffs. While I agree that in the current scenario, the Penguin and the Oilers would lose a lot if they drop in first round, realistically if you apply this to a full 82 game season, I would never bet for Montreal against Pittsburgh. This year is only special because there is a what will be more than 3 months break. If you take out Montreal, every team between 6th and 11th are within 3 points of each other. Each of these teams as of right now are not above any of the others. In the west, that same bracket has 6 points. In theory, any team between 6th and 12th in the east could go against Boston and the result should be the same. Also there are restriction considering cities which are special to 2020. But if more time is put into perfecting this, you could end up in a "Draft playoff" where the 4 with byes could chose who they want to face. Or it could also just then refer to the normal playoff system, except you could have 5, 7, 10 and 11th place instead, which if you refer to the current standings, most of these teams are not better than each other. I think the NHL has a golden opportunity amidst all this to make Hockey something a lot more interesting and I hope they take what they learn and try from this year very seriously.
Of course! Of course they found a way for it to be Leafs VS Bruins Round 1. I suppose the bright side is there is no TD Garden and the Bruins benefit more from the fans then the Leafs do
How bout an NHL Battle Royal, All 31 teams on a huge freak pond with 31 goal nets, each team has 3 players 2 forwards and a defenseman if your goaltender gives up four goals that team is eliminated. Last team remaining are the Stanley Cup Champions.
Don't like the idea of a bye week with 3 months off if they don't play any normal games. Most bye teams will lose after all this time off and a team coming in who just won a series.
I have a question. I’m an die hard rangers fan and they’re 2 points out of a wild card spot. How would they deal with the teams that are close and out of a wildcard spot. I’m concerned of what they would do with the teams that are sitting right out of an wildcard spot.
I don't understand how teams ranked 8 or 9 would automatically play the 1 rank. Shouldn't the worst of the remaining team face rank 1 and the best ranked from round 1 would face the rank 4... Not even saying this because I am a leafs fan. The bruins and blues lose the most in this situation. Being a rank 1 should make it so you have the easier schedule getting to the finals. Other than that it seems fine though.
Hey Shannon, you should hold a "The Hockey Guy Perfect Bracket Challenge" and the winner gets a jersey of their choice. If more than one person gets a perfect bracket you draw for an overall winner! Come on.... do it. Anyone choosing to participate can send you their brackets by email.
Honestly I like this format. I have no problems with it. Now the only couple of things I would change is the play in round would be best of 3. Old school. Second I would make it top 16 instead of 24 when this COVID-19 thing is done ie vaccine is out. Other than that I like it.
I am sure the Devils and Sabers are unhappy about this since they omayed 2 less games than Montreal and they were both only 3 points behind them. Sabers probably more since the Devils should get 3 1st round picks in this years draft thanks to Vancouver getting in now and Coyotes have no chances of winning a top 3 pick in the lottery. The Devils have also won 2 of the last 3 lotteries image they win it this year with possibly only 7 teams in this years draft. NHL fanbase would lose their minds.
I don’t really get Shannon’s emphasis on the blues stars rivalry, as a blues fan it is dwarfed in my opinion by the blues blackhawks rivalry, don’t really care about the stars myself
How is Dallas ahead of Edmonton on your board? The Oilers are second in the Pacific at 83 points, Dallas is third in Central with 82. If you roll back to 69 games they both would be at 82 points and the Oilers have more goals scored and their current point differential would got from +8 to +11 compared to Dallas' +6.
@@todddavis5433 I heard that too, but both their records are identical at 69 and if we factor Edmonton at 71 and Dallas at 69 Edmonton has more points. Its a damned if you do damned if you don't kind of situation here.
@@fatttonyy points percentage... THG stated this was done by point percentage to account for the differences in games played between teams - Edmonton is 5th in the western conference by points percentage. EDM 71gp, 83p capturing 83p of a possible 142p = 0.585% DAL 69gp, 82p capturing 82p of a possible 138p = 0.594% DAL at 0.594% > EDM at 0.585% thus, they have the better seed. Any other questions about this, follow the link below to Hockey Reference and click PTS% to sort accordingly. www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2020_standings.html
I’m glad...we don’t f**kin’ deserve to be anywhere near the playoffs...especially like this! Our team is SHIT, same ole same ole SHIT and after NINE of SHIT you shouldn’t be allowed to just default your way into the postseason...NO! NO WAY!
We should as we have a better ROW than Montreal but they played 2 more games. Buffalo should be given those 2 games to try to knock out Habs and make the playoffs
Can we just sit back for a moment and appreciate the fact that, in this format, the three California teams are the only ones in the WC with a 0% postseason chance? Like really, what are the freaking odds?
@@rayh592 excuse you if team canada was a team in the nhl they're the first seed if I had to guess Europeans and Americans make up a majority of canadian teams
MrAlittleofeverythin oh please, if the Leafs, Habs, or Canucks won a Cup Canadians wouldn’t give a shit the nationality of the top players on the team. The Raptors winning with a bunch of Americans didn’t stop the celebrations across Canada. Vancouver’s best player is a Swede, Winnipeg’s best player is Finnish, Toronto’s best player is an American, and Edmonton’s best player this year is a German. This is just a classic argument of being salty that you haven’t won in so long. If Canadian players are so awesome, then why do none of them want to stay in Canada (besides McDavid)?
Ill take it just PLEASE don’t cancel the season i need my playoff hockey
Blues stars amazing seris last year
Carlos Azcarraga Egido true but ill take that than no hockey
Stars are lucky the season ended the way it did. They were not winning much of anything lately. Did they have injuries?
James Kelly Stephen Johns got a chance to play like 3 games, if he had gotten time to get back into it he could've made the difference they needed
It's always weird seeing the east put on the left and the west put on the right. I always think of west = left and east = right because of maps I guess.
Same
But he is in Canada so he is looking down at the U.S. so from his perspective it is correct.
@@paulfrombrooklyn5409 I'm from Canada too.
@@Oheao So you see my point, right?
@@paulfrombrooklyn5409 lmao
NHL Bracket Challenge is gonna be insane to predict
First round brings fresh match ups
TOR-CBJ and CAR-NY never played each other, than:
PIT-MTL first time since 2010
Isle-FLA 2016
CGY-WPG 1988
EDM-CHI 1992
NSH-ARI 2012
VAN-MIN 2003
Technically this WPG has never played CGY, since this WPG is based from the ATL franchise as opposed to old WPG which is now AZ
Shouldn’t Edm be 4th seed because They have 83 pts and Dallas only has 82 points
@@Reaganmacleod12 Winnig-% decide.
@@conyo1942 Winnipeg is Winnipeg, no sane hockey fans would follow the team that left their city, the owners and players change eventually, the city is the only thing that stays the same. The fine citizens of Winnipeg and Jets fans have memories of the Jets both past and present... not of a team in Arizona. The Jets died the moment they left Winnipeg and were revived the moment they returned no matter the name they chose for the team, so yes Winnipeg has played Calgary before. Shannon uses that franchises argument pretty frequently too for some reason, but a team's identity and history lives and dies based on where it is geographically because it is that city's citizens that cultivate and celebrate that history.
@@conyo1942 Because who in Arizona doesn't remember the 1988 Smythe Division Semi-Final?
Gonna say the same thing I said last year when they played St. Louis and 3 years ago when Ottawa played Boston. If they are using the same name, in same city and same league they shall be considered the same team.
Imagine being a 5 seed in your entire conference and you can still lose to a team that never would have even sniffed the playoffs otherwise
The fact the Leafs might have to play Boston in, technically, round 1 again LOL
maybe not
They’re getting upset by Columbus bud
@@iciwiener3569 key word might bud
@@iciwiener3569 i dont think so...too much talent
@@bclmax Tampa said the same thing last year.
I have to say this is one of the most fair and exciting ways to finish off a season like this. Who doesn't like the idea of an extra round with that many extra games we all get to enjoy? More playoff hockey is always a good thing because no other sport has playoffs that are as intense and fun to watch as the NHL.
I want to see a playoff format where the top rating teams (however you want to determine that) get to chose which team they play in the first round. The top rated team gets the first chose, the second rated team gets the second chose, etc etc until every match-up is decided. I think this is the most "fair" option plus you could even televise the matchup selection and it would make for great tv. This would make match-ups so much more personal and could spark some great rivalries in the future!
I was curious what they were going to do with DAL and EDM. EDM has more points but DAL has the better point average. They easily could have said the 8 byes are the top 2 per division. Instead, it’s now Atlantic (2), Metro (2), Central (3), Pacific (1). With that said, I think they got it right, but I’m sure EDM and their fans are not happy.
Its frustrating as a fan honestly to have a good season again finally and being pumped for the playoffs to potentially getting knocked off in 2 games by a team like Chicago that wasnt going to make it.
Scott Nobert Chicago wins
Your commitment to this channel is truly remarkable. Keep up the great work!
I think a 20 team playoff is coming too. We used to have 16 of 21 making the playoffs so 76% of the teams and soon it'll be 50%. They will want to get more teams a taste of some postseason. There is gate money and TV money there. I was against it and would still be ok for only 16 teams but I think they'll see this and if it works...they'll add a few teams to have a play-in. A best of 3 would be amazing to watch.
Imagine coming back to hockey, training for two weeks, being in a mandatory quarantine from your family. And only playing 3 games and losing.
The players literally want this, they've been polled and want to finish the season
Do you want the change to hoist the cup or not come on??
Ok 3 weeks of your life wasted no biggie
It's their job.
So what!....I'm sure they would love to get away for a couple of weeks and play hockey.
You said it best. Sure there might be that asterisk, but there’s still a ring at the end of it. At the end of the day, the players want to make their money and win, they’ve still got the fight in them to win the Cup here.
if you cheer for toronto no are no bruins fan. this will never go away.
I can't wait for the Toronto v. Boston series preview 😄
I don’t mind this format. My only concern is the top 4 teams in each conference don’t get to play games until round 2. What they could do is have those top 4 teams in each conference play a round robin to see where they place within their respective top 4. That way, those top teams get competitive games before round 2 AND it could mean Toronto might not have to play Boston in round 2 if the bruins don’t finish #1.
Coming from a Ducks fan who wants to tank: Divisional hub - play each other twice, each team playing every other day. Top (maybe top two) of the division: playoffs. Host the playoffs in one hub city. Done.
Basically erase the entire regular season and create real intensity and meaning from the off as every game would really matter. We'd get plenty of hockey to watch where winning really matters. Cinderella stories galore.
By the way, since the first round isn't a playoff round, that should mean that if the Nucks lose to the Wild, they still have a first round pick in the draft this summer.
I saw this one bracket where the stars would play the Avalanche which would be a good game I bet but that’s one team we couldn’t beat this year. Nice to see maybe we could play the Canucks or wild
Oh I’m glad they are doing the round robin for the 1-4 ranks
It's too bad that the teams needed to be divided into 2 or 4 groups, and travel between them must be minimized, otherwise, the 24-team format I came up with a while ago would be an option. In this format, all 24 teams play 3 rounds, then once they are down to 3 teams, the team with the best record remaining gets a bye to the Finals (which they would actually benefit from, after having played 3 rounds and likely having injuries).
But, it wouldn't work for this, because with 6 teams left, you would either have to give one team per conference a bye after only 2 rounds, then Conference semi-final, then stanley cup finals, or you would have to have one crossover to have the three series, then one team getting one bye.
Round 1: 24 --> Round 2: 12 --> Round 3: 6 --> Round 4: 3 (highest team gets a bye) --> Stanley Cup Finals
Man I need hockey! This setup might benefit the teams winning the first round of 5 and the higher seeded teams might be rusty in the 2nd round.
this is great work, The Hockey Guy. Really appreciate your videos.
I think after the first round, they should RESEED the playoffs, and then continue as they would normally do.
That would be the best idea if they are gonna use 2 hub cities but it wouldn’t work if they use 4
He addresses that in the first few minutes. If they want to play with 4 hub cities it wouldn't work out
Nice shout out to Michael Scott! Lol
This could actually be good if they shorten next season to 62 games (which players want). Expand playoffs by having play in games, best of 5, which increases rivalries ( which is what the nhl wanted with current format), have top four teams in each conference play inter conference games (4 gms in 7 days), which would equal a 5 gm series if it goes the length.
If they treat this like the ufc, where everyone involved is tested for covid before either games or being quarantined in a hotel and a top tier players tests positive like crosby, Ovechkin etc.., that would really change the out come of the playoffs in a big way.
The potential Toronto Boston match up... this setup is perfect.
So here's the question I have. Are they committed to the hub city approach all the way through this? What if things get better as this is unfolding and we can have fans in the stands at the end. Will the NHL go back to the traditional way?
If this hold and regular season is over, this makes it 5th year in a row a team makes the playoffs after winning the draft lottery the previous season and 4th time in the last 5 years that 2 of the 3 lottery winners make the playoffs the following year.
I think it’s the best option given the current circumstances. Nice Jersey btw!
WOO HOO! My Blackhawks are in! Prediction if this happens I'll have to think about.
The city gonna b jacked!
Would they televise training camp or practices? I would be happy to watch practice even
i see an easyish matchup into the second round for the jackets. we’re healthy now, can probably do enough to beat toronto. boston is a tough team but the time off is gonna hurt the bruins. not sure about our chances against philly or pittsburgh in the second, but i think we could go farther than people expect. and definitely farther than we would’ve had the season continued on course
More teams, more hockey, more revenue, more excitement.
Godwilling things will get better GLG
You are the best thank you for the great content!
Imagine winning this cup though, it would be pretty sad for your team to win it with no fans and no celebrations :(
"After 22 years, RAYMOND BOURQUE!" But in complete silence would suck. That moment was the loudest I've ever heard the Pepsi Center.
Regardless, I still want hockey back, no matter what.
It is the Stanley Cup of Canadian ice hockey. Harder to win than ever bud. Godwilling things will get better GLG
“I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious, but I am a little stitious.” - Michael Scott
I hope the NHL returnees this year, however if they a return and even one player gets it that will most likely mean the season is over. They have to be really careful about safety with this.
2020 Stanley cup champions gose to Chicago Blackhawks
I wish they'd reseed the brackets after the play-in round because as it is right now it looks like we'd get the same matchups (esp in the east) that we've gotten for the last 5+ years.
I think this is a good way to do it if you can't finish the regular season. I would hope that if there are only the two hub cities that they would change it up and re-seed. But if not, as much as it wouldn't be as nice, it'd still work.
I mean I think what would be great would be if these 24 teams played a few games, perhaps a max of 5 more to even everyone up (whoever's played the most wouldn't play 5, but the least maybe would), so that the teams who have byes would still play games that mattered for their position. But that'd maybe not be the best for a Montréal team that wants to play something meaningful because they wouldn't have a shot. So I can see why the play-in is more favored. Hopefully the Top 8 team's tournaments would have some impact worth playing hard for still, though. Like getting a better seeding spot or something.
But this is a good format still I think. If you can't beat the lower team, like if Pittsburgh can't beat Montréal 3 of 5 times, then I feel like Pittsburgh deserve to be out. For other teams, like Columbus and Toronto who have the same amount of points, it's like a battle to see who would end up eighth just like in the regular season. It's just the same team every time. So I don't mind that at all.
However, these are different times. I don't want this to continue after this time. I like the 82 game qualifier for the playoffs. You shouldn't need wildcard games for teams that didn't get into the top 8 of their conference.
With all this being said, unless perhaps Montréal, Chicago or Arizona go on a crazy Cup run, I wouldn't say this Cup winner needs an asterisk at all. I don't give the '95 Devils or the '13 Blackhawks an asterisk (just like there's no asterisks for NHL championship teams in the 40s) and most of the teams here in the playoff hunt could have gotten in if they had played even the full 71 games (as tough as that would be for someone like the Rangers). So yeah if this goes through, there's no asterisk on my part. I'd just love to see re-seeding if possible after the play-in.
Colorado was too dang good at the stopping point to not get a shot at the Cup! Let’s do this!
I honestly think it would be huge for hockey to be the first sport back. It could bring a lot more people to watch it and get hooked since no other sport is on.
Imagine if a team makes it to the cup finals, and somehow their's an outbreak of covid on that team.... That'll be interesting. (highly unlikely though if they are smart and have a good testing regime.)
@@melvynobrien6193 it's a real bug, but not half as dangerous as advertised. More deaths over 80 than below 80, and has only killed .0003 of the population. We do need to protect the elderly, but no one else is in any serious danger.
Yeah i think there is a mistake. Rangers canes should be with wash. Isles panthers should be against TBL
The NHL bracket challenge will be unbeatable with nobody getting anything right
The Rangers are An Dangerous team going into this 24 team playoff
Most if not all people are upset because they want to finish the rest of the regular season rightfully, but look we're lucky enough to have Playoff hockey or nada. Of course Covid-19 does give a helping hands to Montreal, Minnesota, Chicago, and Arizona getting into the Playoffs whereas otherwise will miss out the Playoffs this season. Only God knows if who wins the Cup! Would be insanely crazy if one of those outside-in teams wins the Cup!
Canes pulled a upset on the Caps in the playoffs. I can see them pulling another one against the Rangers this year. It be exciting rival.
As a montreal fan, Id be thrilled. We missed the playoff by a hair last year, we’d be getting in by a hair this year. Its suiting.
Habs don't deserve it because they did nothing with their play before this "pause" to earn it!! As a fan of a team, you much rather have your team earn a playoff berth instead of it being handed to you.
@wilner No, they are in the play in round against the Pens. If they can beat the Pens in a best three out of five, they then get to face the Flyers in the first round of the actual playoffs.
I'd love to see an acceptance of this season being over like with the lockout in 04/05, nobody gets the actual Stanley Cup this year because of extraordinary global circumstances (causing all decisions to somehow unfairly impact teams), allow EVERY team into a COVID Playoff special event thing like a makeshift Olympics, seed teams based on regular-season position, and then have an epic Summer Madness-esque--every team for themselves--tournament to award the COVID Cup or something cheesy. Single elimination best of 3s, round of 30 (and Boston gets a bye), and then best of 3, round of 16, best of 3, round of 8, best of 5 round of 4, and then a classic bo7 for the finals. It's taken seriously, but can also be taken lightheartedly because of these strange times. Generate some business, generate some hype around the sport.
Looks like the kitty is quite excited,Go Flyers..
Line up 1-24 play 3 game series call it good
I think the top seeds would advance to meet each other.
But, if upsets were to happen, I'd lean towards Philadelphia and/or Dallas being eliminated.
Colorado vs Tampa Bay is my guess.
I came up with an idea for teams with byes to stay fresh, without giving other teams a preview of how they play. The NHL teams could play their AHL affiliates, so aren’t too rusty.
One thing: Competitive playoffs. While I agree that in the current scenario, the Penguin and the Oilers would lose a lot if they drop in first round, realistically if you apply this to a full 82 game season, I would never bet for Montreal against Pittsburgh. This year is only special because there is a what will be more than 3 months break. If you take out Montreal, every team between 6th and 11th are within 3 points of each other. Each of these teams as of right now are not above any of the others. In the west, that same bracket has 6 points. In theory, any team between 6th and 12th in the east could go against Boston and the result should be the same.
Also there are restriction considering cities which are special to 2020. But if more time is put into perfecting this, you could end up in a "Draft playoff" where the 4 with byes could chose who they want to face. Or it could also just then refer to the normal playoff system, except you could have 5, 7, 10 and 11th place instead, which if you refer to the current standings, most of these teams are not better than each other.
I think the NHL has a golden opportunity amidst all this to make Hockey something a lot more interesting and I hope they take what they learn and try from this year very seriously.
Of course! Of course they found a way for it to be Leafs VS Bruins Round 1. I suppose the bright side is there is no TD Garden and the Bruins benefit more from the fans then the Leafs do
As long as the top 8 aren’t sitting idle, while lower teams knock rust off, up to 5 games
Loved the Office reference.
Been a Leaf fan for a very long time, but if the Leafs can't beat Boston, they don't that's tough bananas.
How bout an NHL Battle Royal, All 31 teams on a huge freak pond with 31 goal nets, each team has 3 players 2 forwards and a defenseman if your goaltender gives up four goals that team is eliminated. Last team remaining are the Stanley Cup Champions.
you switched tb and wsh... 2 plays winner of 7-10 and 3 plays winner of 6-11
24 of 32 teams in the playoffs now....next step, Buttman gives every team a trophy.
Pre coronavirus the 1 and 2 teams were playing in the second round anyway so now we are worried about fairness
If next season has to be split into pods, how about splitting the league into tiers with promotion and relegation.
seeing the Conferences on opposite sides is triggering my OCD.
Don't like the idea of a bye week with 3 months off if they don't play any normal games. Most bye teams will lose after all this time off and a team coming in who just won a series.
God, they’ll be playing all the way till next training camp...
Not a big deal at all. But why is the east on the left. :)
Give us back the Battle of Alberta!!!
Detroit fans are probably thinking thank god we sucked this year because in the end Detroit kinda wins. 😂
I have a question. I’m an die hard rangers fan and they’re 2 points out of a wild card spot. How would they deal with the teams that are close and out of a wildcard spot. I’m concerned of what they would do with the teams that are sitting right out of an wildcard spot.
I don't understand how teams ranked 8 or 9 would automatically play the 1 rank. Shouldn't the worst of the remaining team face rank 1 and the best ranked from round 1 would face the rank 4...
Not even saying this because I am a leafs fan. The bruins and blues lose the most in this situation. Being a rank 1 should make it so you have the easier schedule getting to the finals.
Other than that it seems fine though.
Rangers Canes is going to be a great series can’t wait. Winner gonna beat Tampa and then Washington
YES THE RANGERS AREE IN IT
Hey Shannon, you should hold a "The Hockey Guy Perfect Bracket Challenge" and the winner gets a jersey of their choice. If more than one person gets a perfect bracket you draw for an overall winner! Come on.... do it. Anyone choosing to participate can send you their brackets by email.
Chicago Blackhawks needs John Hayden to come back 40
Alright, were back.
Honestly I like this format. I have no problems with it. Now the only couple of things I would change is the play in round would be best of 3. Old school. Second I would make it top 16 instead of 24 when this COVID-19 thing is done ie vaccine is out. Other than that I like it.
As much as I would love to see hockey again. My thinking is they shitcan this season, and start fresh next season. This could be cool though.
Why is it 2nd team vs 6/11 in the East and 2nd team vs 7/10 in the West? It's a mistake right?
The kings had started their surge like they were before the season stopped earlier they would’ve squeaked into this bracket....
I am sure the Devils and Sabers are unhappy about this since they omayed 2 less games than Montreal and they were both only 3 points behind them. Sabers probably more since the Devils should get 3 1st round picks in this years draft thanks to Vancouver getting in now and Coyotes have no chances of winning a top 3 pick in the lottery. The Devils have also won 2 of the last 3 lotteries image they win it this year with possibly only 7 teams in this years draft. NHL fanbase would lose their minds.
yes.... this thing please
I don’t really get Shannon’s emphasis on the blues stars rivalry, as a blues fan it is dwarfed in my opinion by the blues blackhawks rivalry, don’t really care about the stars myself
Vancouver was 3 games under 500 in 81 82 when the islanders beat them in 4 it's never been fair stop acting like this is an abnormally
As a Nashville fan this hurts i want to see us play jets Stars and blues not yotes and Vegas
I guess one can dream.
Don't know if that best way .but screw it give me hockey. Let's go avs.
absolute craziness. This hockey fan will be boycotting it.
teams thet get a free pass will be screwed
Devils and Sabres are both 3 points behind Montreal with 2 games in hand. They have to be given a chance or else it’s not fair to them at all
No they don't.
The Hockey Guy they obviously don’t have to be given the chance and probably won’t be, but it’s still unfair to them
As a Rangers fan I’m down!! 😂🤙🏻
Sabres still had a chance so why are they sitting out?
What horse shit.
How is Dallas ahead of Edmonton on your board? The Oilers are second in the Pacific at 83 points, Dallas is third in Central with 82. If you roll back to 69 games they both would be at 82 points and the Oilers have more goals scored and their current point differential would got from +8 to +11 compared to Dallas' +6.
I was looking at that too. I'm guessing the idea is that they are looking at the top 4 points for the conference as a whole
It's winning percentage not points.. You can't go by points since every team hasn't played the same amount of games
@@todddavis5433 I heard that too, but both their records are identical at 69 and if we factor Edmonton at 71 and Dallas at 69 Edmonton has more points. Its a damned if you do damned if you don't kind of situation here.
@@fatttonyy points percentage... THG stated this was done by point percentage to account for the differences in games played between teams - Edmonton is 5th in the western conference by points percentage.
EDM 71gp, 83p capturing 83p of a possible 142p = 0.585%
DAL 69gp, 82p capturing 82p of a possible 138p = 0.594%
DAL at 0.594% > EDM at 0.585% thus, they have the better seed.
Any other questions about this, follow the link below to Hockey Reference and click PTS% to sort accordingly.
www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2020_standings.html
That playoff tree looks extremely exciting.
Michael P looks like a really tough set of potential match ups for Calgary:(
Pens v Caps eastern conference championship will be great to watch. LGP!
Michael P that is true
Disagreed. Because of Toronto possibly having to play the FUCKING BRUINS. AGAIN!!!
Agreed
The fact that even with covid changing the bracket to 24 teams and buffalo still doesn't qualify is hilarious.
Poor sabres fans
Jason Botterill will 100% get fired after extending the sabres playoff drought to 9 years when 24 teams are given a shot
They continue to make mistakes with their roster
I’m glad...we don’t f**kin’ deserve to be anywhere near the playoffs...especially like this!
Our team is SHIT, same ole same ole SHIT and after NINE of SHIT you shouldn’t be allowed to just default your way into the postseason...NO! NO WAY!
We should as we have a better ROW than Montreal but they played 2 more games. Buffalo should be given those 2 games to try to knock out Habs and make the playoffs
It’s bullshit honestly
Any hockey is good hockey!
Yes! For the love of god, I’d watch the Orlando Solar Bears do a skills competition in bubble wrap.
I'm going to say no from....experience
Exactly. Everyone’s acting like a bunch of spoiled brats
Toronto might even get Boston in a brand new bracket lmaooooo
This sucks even as a bruins fan. Change it please NHL. Boring to watch the same rivalry every year ugh
@@jordawesome1716 don't you like beating us every year?
HHAHAA YOURE SO FUNNY... 🤦♂️
And we would beat them
this time they’ll fall to the blue jackets
Can we just sit back for a moment and appreciate the fact that, in this format, the three California teams are the only ones in the WC with a 0% postseason chance? Like really, what are the freaking odds?
Especially since a few years ago those teams used to be deadly. All eastern teams would go 0-3 on a tour through LA, Anaheim, San Jose
1 in 455
I know, it's wonderful ❤
Six Canadian teams in the "playoffs". ... Yeah, I'll take it.
And we’ll be guaranteed one Canadian team in the real playoffs with Winnipeg and Calgary against each other
That's definitely a win for Canadians. Very exiting.
Rip Ottawa
@@rayh592 excuse you if team canada was a team in the nhl they're the first seed if I had to guess Europeans and Americans make up a majority of canadian teams
MrAlittleofeverythin oh please, if the Leafs, Habs, or Canucks won a Cup Canadians wouldn’t give a shit the nationality of the top players on the team. The Raptors winning with a bunch of Americans didn’t stop the celebrations across Canada. Vancouver’s best player is a Swede, Winnipeg’s best player is Finnish, Toronto’s best player is an American, and Edmonton’s best player this year is a German.
This is just a classic argument of being salty that you haven’t won in so long. If Canadian players are so awesome, then why do none of them want to stay in Canada (besides McDavid)?
I don't even care about the specifics anymore, I just want hockey back.
Same, i miss it. Even if my Blues would get knocked out early i'd still watch to the end. Though i would be very angry and bitter.
@@slipknota7xeg You must've been bitter a long time... Or are a 'new' Blues fan
jlumps I’m with u