So the NHL has its brackets, even if at the expense of the most equitable playoff system in North American pro sports.
The change in structure, which pits divisional second-and-third place clubs against one another in the first round regardless of their rank within the conference, has created a scenario under which either the No. 5 Rangers or No. 6 Flyers will advance to the second round while either the No. 3 Canadiens or No. 4 Lightning goes home.
And the elimination of round-by-round re-seeding to the bracket formula means the Bruins, who finished with the best record in the East, automatically would draw a team with a better record in Round 2 than would the second-place Penguins, presuming for these purposes that Boston and Pittsburgh will advance. There are similar anomalies in the West.
The Bruins are prohibitive favorites to get out of the East — Boston a team that has been to two Finals in the previous three years, winning the first in 2011 before losing the next in 2013, and seemingly is without a weakness. The West appears wide open, with the Blues having somehow finished behind Colorado by losing their last six games and thereby drawing the defending champion Blackhawks in Round 1, and with Pacific powerhouses Anaheim and San Jose perhaps unsettled in goal.
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault likes to use the idiom, “If I were a betting man,” when forecasting lineup decisions. The following represents The Post’s playoff predictions. If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet on them.
East First Round
Blue Jackets over Penguins in 6: The post-2009 Cup champion Penguins, who persevered through myriad significant injuries to effectively seal the Metro title by Thanksgiving, have become the NHL’s version of the 2001-08 Yankees, a perennial regular-season dynamo unable to live up to postseason expectations. Marc-Andre Fleury is guilty until proven innocent in nets. The Blue Jackets — deep, tough and mean-edged — will attempt to hammer the Penguins and force them out of their comfort zone, the way the Flyers have done in the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky gives Columbus an edge in nets. The Brandon Dubinsky-Sidney Crosby match should be worth the price of admission, for those two guys don’t like each other one whit.
Rangers over Flyers in 5: So long as the Blueshirts aren’t forced to play this series in the corners and along the boards and maintain their discipline, they have enough talent, playoff experience and goaltending to take this one in relatively routine manner.
Bruins over Red Wings in 6: Boston was extended to Game 7 in the first round last year before the miracle rally to overcome a third-period 4-1 deficit and defeat the Maple Leafs in overtime a year after losing a first-round Game 7 OT to an inferior Capitals team, so the first round may be the best time to get Boston. The Red Wings, though still without Henrik Zetterberg, should be as healthy as they have been all season. It will be fascinating to see how playoff neophytes Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco respond to the Bruins’ relentless physical work.
Canadiens over Lightning in 7: Montreal’s speed, attack mentality and stability in nets with gold medalist Carey Price gives the Canadiens a tiny edge over a Tampa Bay squad whose Vezina-contending goaltender Ben Bishop is likely out indefinitely with an elbow injury and then would watch Anders Lindback try to carry the early load. The Lightning, whose Steven Stamkos is the best player in the series, will try and slow Montreal with a grinding attack that will provide Ryan Callahan a final platform for free agency.
West First Round
Stars over Ducks in 6: Dallas’ up-tempo, pace-setting attack in front of a revived Kari Lehtonen seems made for the playoffs and an upset of the West’s top team. The Tyler Seguin-Jamie Benn duo up front might be the most dynamic forward combination extant. Anaheim likely will open the playoffs with Calder contender Frederik Andersen in goal, but 20-year-old John Gibson, who made his NHL debut on April 7 and has just three games of NHL experience, could be next.
Sharks over Kings in 6: San Jose does seem to have it all this time — the necessary mixture of youth and age, the ability to play up-tempo or grind. There could be uncertainty in nets, however, where 26-year-old, first-year NHLer Alex Stalock, who got 18 starts during the season, could supplant Antti Niemi, who won the Cup as a rookie with Chicago in 2010. The Kings can use their size to grind down anyone, Jonathan Quick is elite, but the 2012 champs appear to have become stagnant.
Blackhawks over Blues in 7: It’s almost as if Chicago couldn’t have planned it any better with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane rejoining the lineup after spells on IR that allowed them to recuperate and replenish just before the tournament. There is championship pedigree up and down the lineup. The Blues, on the other hand, are battered by injuries and must reverse the late-season free fall in a hurry. There is much on the line for St. Louis’ prospective free agent goaltender Ryan Miller.
Avalanche over Wild in 5: Colorado is deep and attacks relentlessly in front of Vezina contender Semyon Varlamov. The Avs are green but aren’t exactly facing a perennial postseason success story in Minnesota — the Wild having won four playoff games since 2003. Ilya Bryzgalov is expected to get the call in goal for Minnesota, which appears a bit too top-heavy.
Round Two
Rangers over Blue Jackets in 6
Bruins over Canadiens in 6
Sharks over Stars in 5
Blackhawks over Avalanche in 5
Conference finals
Bruins over Rangers in 6
Sharks over Blackhawks in 6
Stanley Cup Final
Sharks over Bruins in 6