The playoff format of the professional hockey leagues have been the same for a long time. But now, the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) have changed theirs – and it will be way different.
Fans and critics alike may not enjoy the current NHL playoff format, which focuses more on Divisions and Wild Cards, rather than the 1-8 format. A lot of criticism with the current format is that two high-seeded teams (overall) could play each other earlier than expected (like Washington and Pittsburgh last season).
On the flip side, it could allow Cinderella stories to at least have a shot at the dance as stronger teams may face one another earlier, thus knocking at least one of those powerhouses out. Either way, I don’t see the format changing anytime soon.
Introducing a “Challenge Round”
Whether you’re for or against the current NHL format, the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) just dropped a bomb on playoff formats. The opening round of the SPHL playoffs will feature a ‘Challenge Round.’ This means that teams 1-3 get to pick their opponents (teams 5-8) in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The 4th place team in each Conference will play the remaining team that went unselected.
Best-of-three series
It makes sense that the order of selection will be given to the highest team in each Conference. 3rd will have the last Challenge of the opening round, and all series are best-of-three. In the second round, it’s more conventional as the order of opponent will be based on original seeding before the challenges have been sent.
The 8th place team may seem like a juicy selection, but maybe the 7th or 6th place team hasn’t played well against your team all season. It can create a fun dynamic and will be interesting to see what route higher-seeded teams go.
Could this work in the NHL? It could certainly create new rivalries, but with the divisions heavily focused currently, tweaks would need to be made. Either way, the SPHL is doing something unique and hockey fans alike are gearing up to see how the playoffs turn out.
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