The NHL playoff tournament bracket is now getting underway. Half of the 32 league’s teams make it through to the playoffs under the current system and the goal throughout that long regular season is to finish as high up in the division to receive a higher seeding for the postseason. But do these NHL playoff seeding matter so much in hockey?
If you are looking for the best bets in hockey, you will want to be backing the best teams in the league. The thinking would be that if a team has performed better all year, it should carry on that form to win the title. But is that really the case in the NHL? And how does hockey’s seeding system compare to other sports?
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First Glance
If you are not an avid hockey fan but keep a general eye on what is happening over the regular season NHL schedule and into the playoffs, it is understandable that you may feel as though the seeding system doesn’t matter in the NHL. It feels like every year, some of the best teams crash out early and any team has the chance of glory.
It could be argued that, if that notion is indeed correct, it is something that makes the NHL postseason even more exciting. Not knowing which team is going to be able to beat another adds another level of intrigue to the proceedings. But, at the same time, it does mean that any team finishing higher up in the division and receiving a higher seed is not really rewarded for its effort – if those seeds don’t turn out to mean much at all.
Quick NHL Playoff Reminder
Just in case you are not completely sure about the way the NHL goes about their playoffs, here is a quick reminder on how playoff seeding works in the NHL? The top three NHL teams in each of the four divisions qualify and receive a number one, two, or three seeding respectively. The next best two teams in each conference enter as wild cards – effectively as number four seeds.
The number one seeds play the wild cards, while the number two and three teams from each division play each other. The Stanley Cup playoff bracket does not change as the playoffs progress and the conference finals should produce the “champion” of each division, who then play against each other for a place in the Stanley Cup finals.
While the 2024 NHL playoffs are in their final stages, some teams are already generating buzz as 2024 Stanley Cup favorites. The four remaining teams – Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Florida Panthers – all have a shot at the Stanley Cup odds. While the Stars and Rangers boast strong offensive firepower and goaltending, the Oilers and Panthers can’t be ignored. Keep an eye on the NHL scores and odds of the day and don’t miss the puck action!
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NHL Playoffs Seeding Does Matter – Just Not That Much
Last Five Seasons
To get some perspective on NHL seeding, let’s take a look at the last five seasons of play. That time period does include a league and playoff structure amended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But we can still look at how the fewer number of number one seeds got on that year.
The headline statistic is, that in the last five NHL seasons, a number one-seeded team has won the title twice. Those two victories have been in the last two years. Number two and three-seeded teams have also won championships. That would suggest that seeding does work, as the best teams generally win. But, if you take a look at some of the unlucky finals losers, you will find a bunch of number threes – as well as the wild card Florida Panthers last year.
Looking further back in the NHL playoffs bracket shows even more parity in hockey. The Vegas Golden Knights may have won the Stanley Cup last season but two number one seeds fell in the first round. It is quite common for only one number-one seed to make it to the Conference finals but in the 2018-19 season, all number-one seed teams lost in the first round.
NHL Seeding is Unfair
The NHL’s seeding process continues to draw criticism for its perceived lack of fairness towards some teams. It only seems right that the number one team in each division gets to play what should be the weakest teams in the playoffs – the wild card entrants. But the number two and three teams in each division then have to play each other again.
Familiarity tends to breed contempt and that is surely the case for some teams who play in stronger divisions. The third-best team in the Metropolitan division may be a better team than the second ranked team in the Atlantic. But they don’t get the chance to prove that, as they are restricted to divisional rivals in the first round and will then have to face the division winner in the next.
From this, admittedly, limited research it does seem as though seeding in the NHL playoffs is not as crucial as in other sports. Divisional winners are rewarded well in general but it seems to matter more that a team makes it into one of those eight postseason berths, more than where they rank.
But surely this is a good thing? The fun of sports is not knowing what will happen. Every team that makes it to the playoffs can realistically feel like they have good NHL odds of being able to win it all. And that is what makes the NHL postseason so exciting to watch.
Does the current NHL playoff seeding system require an update to create a more level playing field? Share your thoughts on our X account (formerly Twitter) @InsidersBetDig.
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