We’re almost to the end of the 2023-24 NHL regular season and the postseason is going to get underway beginning on April 22. Over in the NBA, we’re prepping for the play-in tournament, which was adopted back in 2020 during the COVID-19 season to make things a bit more fair for teams trying to get into the playoffs with fewer games. Since its inception in the NBA, we’ve gotten a lot of good one-game playoffs out of the format. But at what cost? We’re going to look at the NHL’s playoff format and whether or not a play-in tournament system would be good to implement.
Is the current NHL playoff system working?
The NHL shifted away from the 1-8 format in each conference to a Wild Card system. The top 3 teams in each division get into the postseason while the two remaining top teams from each conference get in as Wild Card teams. That has created much debate as to whether or not the first-round matchups are deemed fair. It creates natural rivalry series in the first round, which is good for the game. Most of the 2-3 seed first-round series are natural rivals from the division. But we’ve also seen some of the lower-seeded teams perform well.
That could be more of a testament to the competitiveness of the NHL overall. We saw the WC2 Florida Panthers knock off one of the best regular season teams ever in the Boston Bruins last season in the first round. We saw the Seattle Kraken defeat the No. 1 Colorado Avalanche in the first round last season. We’re going to see more upsets but is it because of the playoff format? Or is it just because that’s hockey? Teams get hot. Teams get cold. Teams get good bounces. Teams get bad bounces. One play can shift an entire series. That’s what’s great about the game. Not a flaw in the system.
Would it water down the regular season?
Looking at the NBA, the regular season has always kind of been watered down the past few decades. Defense isn’t as much of an emphasis until the postseason. Veteran teams don’t generally worry so much about seeding and home-court advantage. They just worry about getting in. We saw LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers go from the play-in tournament, to the No. 7 seed, to the Western Conference Finals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. We saw the Miami Heat go from play-in, to No. 8 seed, to NBA Finals as well.
Home-ice advantage matters a bit more but teams adopt the same philosophy in the NHL: Win and get in. Worry about seeding and matchup after the fact. The top teams likely wouldn’t squander opportunities to avoid a hypothetical NHL play-in tournament. There would be too much at stake and anything can happen in the NHL. A goalie can stand on his head and steal a game. A call can decide the game. With basketball, it’s much easier to turn things on in the play-in and dictate play.
So if we look at the standings this season, if there were a play-in game, it would make more sense in the Eastern Conference. There are about five teams vying for two spots (mostly). The Detroit Red Wings can only get the second Wild Card while the Islanders, Penguins, Flyers and Capitals are fighting for third place in the Metro and the WC2. The NHL could implement a format where if teams are this close at the end of the season, a one-game play-in would take place to decide the final spot. It seems a bit unfair but we’ve seen this format in place in the NBA and even MLB before it was axed after 2021.
But why reward a team for failing?
This feels like the biggest issue. There are 8 spots in each conference and if you have fewer points, you don’t get in. That’s the way it should be and that’s what’s fair. Really, the main argument for a play-in system would be for monetary reasons and for the fans. Some fanbases would be upset they have to fight to get that last spot. Most other fans would welcome a one-game NHL playoff game. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are already arguably the best playoff product in all of professional sports. Now you’re giving us a one-game, winner-take-all situation? It would make for some great sports moments if implemented.
We’re already getting those moments without the play-in
Another strong argument. The current format and competitiveness of the League overall creates this games organically. For example, going into Thursday, April 11, the Penguins and Red Wings face off tied at 84 points in the standings with four games remaining each. It’s basically a de factor playoff game. We’re also going to get Penguins vs. Islanders on April 17 to wrap their regular seasons. That could be for one or both teams to get into the playoffs depending on how the dominos fall. The Capitals also face the Flyers to finish their regular seasons. Again, a game that could be for a playoff spot. In the West, the teams are mostly decided, so the only meaningful games are for seeding, which don’t matter as much.
Final Thoughts
I like the idea of putting in a system where if the 8-9 teams are close enough in the standings, that they play a one-game playoff for the Wild Card spot. It puts an emphasis on teams being more than a few points clear of the team behind them in the standings. It would make teams play a bit harder down the stretch and even have teams lower in the standings fighting to get within range of that one-game playoff. Sure, you’d get one upset team and fanbase. You’d also get some high drama, more TV and ad revenue, additional ticket sales for whichever team hosts the game. And a ton of happy hockey fans.
Again, there’s nothing like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I don’t think a system similar to the NBA would work in the NHL. The West is a good example. You’d force either the Kings or Golden Knights to face a St. Louis Blues teams that doesn’t really deserve to have a shot. If it were exactly like the NBA system. You give the Blues and Wild the 9-10 seeds with a chance to play for the last Wild Card spot. Minnesota likely finishes about 10-12 points behind the final Wild Card in the West. That wouldn’t exactly be fair. At least in the NBA standings, the difference between the 10 and the 7 seeds isn’t always that wide. This season, in the East it is. In the West the standings are tight, so the play-in makes more sense.
It’s always going to change season-to-season. That’s what makes it interesting. Some years we get really bad basketball games. Some seasons we get LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Or Joel Embiid vs. Jimmy Butler. For the NBA, that’s going to be incredibly beneficially on multiple levels. For the NHL, would it also be the same? I’m not so sure. For now, let’s enjoy the organic “playoff” games we get during the end of the regular season. But don’t be surprised if the NHL sees an easy path to money and kicks the tires on a play-in tournament type of format.
