The National Hockey Playoff Race: Round 1 Match-Ups

The National Hockey League playoffs have begun. As usual, the Western and Eastern Conference teams raced to earn a spot late in the regular season. Divisional games took a #2 ranked team and moved them lower in the standings. Technical playoff qualifications came into play:  a team was automatically in the post-season due to outside circumstances (winning a season series, more regulation wins, games- in-hand).

Playoff Round 1: The match-ups are based on the top 8 hockey teams of both the Western and Eastern Conference. For each team in the NHL, the 2 points for winning is important as the 1 point for an overtime or shoot out loss leads to 3-point games and can decide who makes the post-season. The prior 82 games (48 in this lockout shortened year) played either lead to the hunt for the Stanley Cup or a reassessment of rosters.  For those lucky 16, Round 1 ranks as follows:

#1 versus #8: The President’s trophy winner (most overall points) will reside in one of the number one slots; the other top seed will have the highest amount of points for their conference and a division title. Their opposition will be the 8th place team that either had a hard time hanging on to their playoff spot, got on a winning streak late in the year, or was mathematically (technically) eligible for their ranking:*West: President’s trophy recipient and Central Division champion Chicago Blackhawks v.s Minnesota Wild and* East: Atlantic Division champs Pittsburgh Penguins v.s New York Islanders.

#2 versus #7: Division champions for their conference face an opponent from the lower half of the playoff picture. The #2 seed is not considered secured until the end of the regular season due to the division rankings:*West: Pacific Division winners Anaheim Ducks v.s Detroit Redwings and *East: Northeast Division Champs Montreal Canadiens v.s Ottawa Senators

#3 versus #6: The #3 seed is another top spot for a divisional champion that is any teams’ for the winning up until the regular season ends. The 6^th placed finisher has worked hard to qualify as all teams have done and has earned the chance to face the 3^rd seed in the conference:*West: Northwestern Division -leading Vancouver Canucks v.s San Jose Sharks and *East: Southeast Division Champs Washington Capitals v.s New York Rangers.

#4 versus #5: The middle of the conference pack plays one another. This playoff series is the second most exciting to watch since the teams are on level ground as they are not division champs or a team that snuck into the playoff picture. Those in this match-up could be displaced division leaders by virtue of points or tie-breakers, which makes them all the more focused:*West: St. Louis Blues v.s L.A Kings and *East: Boston Bruins v.s Toronto Maple Leafs.

 Simple Statistics: The above describes the facts and teams involved in the 2012-2013 Stanley Cup race. There are other elements to consider when mentioning the sport’s post-season.There are the fans at the games ecstatic to see their team in the playoffs-It has been a while in Toronto’s case. Those that qualified have individual stars and rivalries that can elevate the level of play and generate some interesting banter between the benches. Above all, it is about the trophy that has been handled by every NHL champion and is paraded around by the team and its organization all summer long: The Stanley Cup.

*I consider NHL.com my source for 2012-2013 playoff and conference information.