The idea of the current playoff structure is that it would encourage budding rivalries and hopefully reduce travel over the grind of the postseason. It makes sense, and for the most part, I think rivalries are burning a little hotter right now, especially when teams are good in the same conference at the same time for a while.
The conferences are supposed to be geographically attuned, but this year, that isn't leading to much relaxed travel. In the west, it doesn't help that only one of the teams from Alberta and one from California made the postseason, and those two squads, the Oilers and Kings, will play in the first round. Seattle is in the playoffs, as is Vegas, and both are crossing divisions to play the Avs and Jets, respectively. In the Central, the two teams with the furthest distance between them, (since the Jets were off the board) the Stars and Wild, will play.
The West covers a lot of ground, though, and even in the best of years, it seems like there will be quite a bit of distance between the teams, but this year, the East is requiring a bit more first round travel than normal. First the good news: Every New York area team made the post season, and the Devils and Rangers are playing. The Islanders are squaring off with the Hurricanes in Raleigh.
The real strain will come on the other half of the bracket, where both Florida teams appear, naturally not playing one another. The Lightning play the Maple Leafs and the Panthers are pitted against the Bruins. The Bruins, in particular, are going to be able to pick at this quirk of scheduling. The Bruins have been the best regular season team in NHL history, and will be rewarded with the longest possible first round trip. Never mind the fact that I believe the Panthers to be pretty feisty.
With the spirit of arduous travel in mind, my finals picks are the Kraken and Panthers. Get your frequent flyer cards ready.
