2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[hockeyrobot]

I have a lot more confidence in the Leafs to get by Tampa this year than I did last night.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

[Invictus]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

A cursed blind squirrel in this case....

[pmorrow]

16 teams remain in pursuit of Lord Stanley...

No Sid or Ovie is something

[hockeyrobot]

16 teams remain in pursuit of Lord Stanley...

No Sid or Ovie is something

It's been a while that's for sure.

What a night tonight!

[hockeyrobot]

Who do Leafs fans prefer in their bracket? I would assume they'd rather have the Panthers....

[Feenom]

As a Leaf fan I'm not looking past TB. One foot in front of the other, eyes wide open and shoelaces tied.

[hockeyrobot]

As a Leaf fan I'm not looking past TB. One foot in front of the other, eyes wide open and shoelaces tied.

But if you had to.....

[2014olympicgold]

What I want in the first round:
Carolina vs Florida
NJD vs NYR
Boston vs NYI
Tor vs TBL

Whoever faces Boston, I don't know if you want to face them unless it's a grueling battle and you've had a fairly smooth 1st round. But I think a NYI vs Boston series would be a lot of fun.

The 1v8 format would still have a LOT of movement if it was a thing today. In both the East and West.

[hockeyrobot]

What I want in the first round:
Carolina vs Florida
NJD vs NYR
Boston vs NYI
Tor vs TBL

Whoever faces Boston, I don't know if you want to face them unless it's a grueling battle and you've had a fairly smooth 1st round. But I think a NYI vs Boston series would be a lot of fun.

The 1v8 format would still have a LOT of movement if it was a thing today. In both the East and West.

I sure hope Toronto passes NJ for 3rd in the Conference....because the 6th seed is Tampa

[2014olympicgold]

I sure hope Toronto passes NJ for 3rd in the Conference....because the 6th seed is Tampa

Ya, I like how the 1v8 and the current set up would be pretty much the same last yr and this yr. But it would allow a bit more meaning to the end of the season.

I do like the top 16 teams in Goal Diff are in the playoffs though. Feels right.

[Eskimo Brother]

I think the biggest difference with 1v8 might actually show up in the second round as opposed to the first. Leafs vs Bruins this year should not be a second round matchup.

[hockeyrobot]

I think the biggest difference with 1v8 might actually show up in the second round as opposed to the first. Leafs vs Bruins this year should not be a second round matchup.

I hear Mavericks disagrees with this opinion as well as your baseball pickups.

[2014olympicgold]

I think the biggest difference with 1v8 might actually show up in the second round as opposed to the first. Leafs vs Bruins this year should not be a second round matchup.

It'll only change if there's an upset in the 1st round. Or if Toronto jumps NJD, but then you have TOR vs TBL in the 1st round still. I do hope they change the format, it's so annoying you have a generational team in Toronto (generational for Toronto) at the worst possible time.

There's a surprising small change from the current set up to the previous version. But because you're essentially pitting the top 6 teams against only half of them, it gets decided very quickly.

The 1v8 helps with mystery in the final month. But you can also say the format now helps with keeping guys healthy going into the playoffs as teams rest stars, and dial back stuff at this time of the yr.

[4T2]

The only thing that changes in a 1v8 set up this year is the middle matchups. Tampa is a tough playoff draw for the Leafs no doubt, but would the Rangers really be that much easier? Personally I think the Rags are going further than the Lightning or the Leafs this year. So I don’t know that the seeding makes such a difference this year.

Same thing in the west. Colorado/Dallas/Minny/Edmonton/LA and maybe even Seattle are all tough draws no matter how you seed it.

Seeding is a great talking point and can be a fun exercise but unless you’re talking 1 vs 16 then I don’t think it makes a huge difference. And logistically I don’t think it makes sense to have an east vs west match in the first round.

[Feenom]

But if you had to.....

Oh alright, yes, I'd rather have the Cats. I want no part of the Isle.