Larry Brooks

Larry Brooks

NHL

NHL’s playoff structure is ridiculous

The primary focus thus far has been on the imbalance of power between the West and East — though how ’bout our Devils salvaging the, um, uh, good name of the Metropolitan Division with back-to-back victories on the road against Pacific powerhouses Anaheim and Los Angeles! — but wait until folks begin to zone in on the NHL’s playoff structure.

It is playoff seeding gone mad in the NHL.

Because as it stood following Friday night’s games, the hybrid divisional format would guarantee either the team with the East’s seventh- or eighth-best record advances to the second round, while the club with either the conference’s third or fourth best record is knocked out.

To refresh your memory: 1. The top three teams from each division qualify; 2. The two teams with the next best records within the conference qualify as wild cards; 3. The division winner with the most points plays the wild card with the fewest points in the first round while the other division winner plays the other wild card; 4. The second- and third-place teams within each division meet in the first round; 5. Divisional brackets apply to the second round.

So, in likely the earliest “If the playoffs began …” scenario on record, the East’s first round would be: Pittsburgh (30 points) vs. Montreal (26); Boston (30) vs. Detroit (27); Tampa Bay (29) vs. Toronto (27); Washington (25) vs. Devils (23).

Hence, either the seventh-place Capitals or eighth-place Devils would advance while either the third-place Lightning or fourth-place Maple Leafs would be one-and-done.

A team, therefore, is theoretically better served by being the second- (or third-) place team in a weak division than by finishing with the conference’s best record.

Competitive integrity at its finest.

We know divisional strengths and weaknesses are cyclical and there always have been anomalies in the NHL’s playoff seeding; really, did it ever make sense in the days of the Original Six for No. 1 to play No. 3 while No. 2 drew No. 4?

Still, this structure is as absurd as it gets. Just wait until the spring, when people actually begin to pay attention to what it means.

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By the way, competitive integrity? How about last weekend’s schedule, in which the Blues played at home on Saturday against Columbus, then flew from St. Louis to D.C. for a Sunday 6 p.m. faceoff against the Capitals, who had been home resting?

It was 3-0 within the opening 15:41 for Washington, which then coasted to win it, 4-1.

But have no fear: The revamped NHL matrix — “Matrix:” who doesn’t love these buzz-words? — guarantees years of those eagerly anticipated Florida-Calgary home-and-homes.

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Here’s this about Michael Del Zotto: The Rangers don’t have either Dan Girardi or Anton Stralman under contract beyond this season, so the Blueshirts had best get a minutes-capable defenseman in return for No. 4 if they do indeed trade the 23-year-old.

This too: It’s one thing to move Del Zotto to the right side to play on the second pair in the absence of Marc Staal, as the Rangers were forced to do each of the previous two seasons, but another to move him out of position on the third pair to accommodate John Moore, isn’t it?

No, the Rangers never inquired about Martin Havlat.

It is no accident at all the Devils’ 8-3-2 climb (before Saturday night) back from oblivion into contention coincides with the insertion of puck-moving Eric Gelinas into the lineup to replace injured and immobile Bryce Salvador on the back line.

Salvador has one year remaining on his contract. Anton Volchenkov too. Do the Devils amnesty-buyout either, neither or both over the summer?

* * *

If healthy, it’s a slam-dunk for Jonathan Quick to join Ryan Miller as an automatic pick for the U.S. Olympic Team. The third spot in nets would appear a toss-up between Corey Schneider and Ben Bishop.

Yes, we are treading on Tim Thomas.

* * *

Apparently Daniel Alfredsson is to Ottawa — the NHL’s most disappointing team — as Mark Messier was to the 1997-98 Rangers.

If the Senators would care to part with Mark Methot, general manager Bryan Murray might want to hit Glen Sather’s digits.

* * *

Every team in the East must measure itself against Boston and the prospect of going best-of-seven with the Big Bad Bruins.

Which is why Chris Neil, who does have a limited no-trade in Ottawa, is of definite value to the wanna-B’s of the conference, most certainly including the Rangers.

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The Islanders and Blue Jackets were each flavors of the month, but unfortunately the months were August and September.

You, and more to the point, GM Garth Snow, do realize as of Saturday, the Islanders had won fewer games in regulation and overtime (five) than the 29th-overall Oilers (six)?

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So these NHL general managers that want compensation attached to allowing an assistant to leave mid-contract for a promotion with another organization — why don’t we just slap a hard salary cap onto front office payrolls instead, and see how they like that?

How many straight years out of the playoffs will this be for Brian Burke?