It has been quite the season for NHL fans with brutal divisional battles and bitter rivalries—not to mention some Olympic action for good measure—but the postseason promises to be the icing on the cake.
Armed to the teeth with superstars and a new head-scratching format, the 2014 iteration of the Stanley Cup Playoffs promises to be one of the best to date.
Let's take a look at the new format and highlight some of the top superstars to watch with the playoffs just around the corner.
Schedule Analysis
Let's try to figure this out.
One division can send five teams to the postseason under the new rules. Why? There's a wild-card element now after the top three teams in each division qualify. The final four spots go to the two highest-placed finishers in each conference—regardless of division.
Why doesn't division matter? Because there is not an equal amount of teams in each conference.
What results is division winners playing wild cards and no re-seeding after the opening round.
Got all that? With some of the bracket st ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Chris Roling
Stanley Cup Playoffs 2014: Schedule Analysis and Predictions for Top Performers
April 12th, 2014 by Chris Roling Leave a reply »
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