April 5, 2021

[IslandersGM]

Super Busy Night - No Suspensions - and spoiler.. the Wings didn't loses either and somehow neither did my Islanders

All this and more coming up!

Starting to see who is playing who in the playoffs as teams settle in.

John Gibson FLA (didn't play tonight) and Spencer Knight PHI both are at 67 games played now.

File as usual: https://ehec.pro/EHEC.zip

[Gritty]

Flyers clinch!

[NYRNYRNYR]

Flyers clinch!

Grats man! Fought hard the last few weeks.

[DetroitGM]

Carolina's victory and Buffalo's loss, along with the tie-breakers, means that the playoff teams are decided, sadly no last day heroics - a Buffalo win over 28th placed Boston combined with a Carolina loss to Florida would leave the two teams tied with 37-35-10 records, but Carolina's 4 OTL gives them the second tie-breaker over Buffalo's 2.

So what do we know about seeding? Chicago has long been 1st in the West, but the next four could end in almost any order. Arizona will be 6th, 7th/8th still to be decided. So just two teams and no series' are set with really only one day left (though a St. Louis win tonight would affix them to 7th and ensure Nashville faces Chicago in round one).

In the East, Ottawa has clinched 1st, Montreal stuck in 2nd, and the Rangers' clearly 3rd. Tampa and the Pens will meet in the first round, but home ice is not set (Tampa has the advantage, with Pittsburgh needing a win combined with any non-win for Tampa in their final games). The specifics of 6th-8th are as yet undetermined.

For the draft lottery: Colorado has locked up first and my Wings second. Boston and Vancouver have 3rd/4th, while the Leafs have 5th. After that the only clear thing is Buffalo in 14th.

[SensGM]

Carolina's victory and Buffalo's loss, along with the tie-breakers, means that the playoff teams are decided, sadly no last day heroics - a Buffalo win over 28th placed Boston combined with a Carolina loss to Florida would leave the two teams tied with 37-35-10 records, but Carolina's 4 OTL gives them the second tie-breaker over Buffalo's 2.

So what do we know about seeding? Chicago has long been 1st in the West, but the next four could end in almost any order. Arizona will be 6th, 7th/8th still to be decided. So just two teams and no series' are set with really only one day left (though a St. Louis win tonight would affix them to 7th and ensure Nashville faces Chicago in round one).

In the East, Ottawa has clinched 1st, Montreal stuck in 2nd, and the Rangers' clearly 3rd. Tampa and the Pens will meet in the first round, but home ice is not set (Tampa has the advantage, with Pittsburgh needing a win combined with any non-win for Tampa in their final games). The specifics of 6th-8th are as yet undetermined.

For the draft lottery: Colorado has locked up first and my Wings second. Boston and Vancouver have 3rd/4th, while the Leafs have 5th. After that the only clear thing is Buffalo in 14th.

So disappointing for Buffalo who's made big trades at deadline. They'll bounce back next season with this young core group.

Why can't Arizone finish 7th?

[DetroitGM]

Why can't Arizone finish 7th?

Because I'm an idiot who knew they and St. Louis had two games left each (I even noted that St. Louis played tonight) but somehow assumed that everyone only had one game left when looking at Arizona

[TBGM - Geoff]

Carolina's victory and Buffalo's loss, along with the tie-breakers, means that the playoff teams are decided, sadly no last day heroics - a Buffalo win over 28th placed Boston combined with a Carolina loss to Florida would leave the two teams tied with 37-35-10 records, but Carolina's 4 OTL gives them the second tie-breaker over Buffalo's 2.

So what do we know about seeding? Chicago has long been 1st in the West, but the next four could end in almost any order. Arizona will be 6th, 7th/8th still to be decided. So just two teams and no series' are set with really only one day left (though a St. Louis win tonight would affix them to 7th and ensure Nashville faces Chicago in round one).

In the East, Ottawa has clinched 1st, Montreal stuck in 2nd, and the Rangers' clearly 3rd. Tampa and the Pens will meet in the first round, but home ice is not set (Tampa has the advantage, with Pittsburgh needing a win combined with any non-win for Tampa in their final games). The specifics of 6th-8th are as yet undetermined.

For the draft lottery: Colorado has locked up first and my Wings second. Boston and Vancouver have 3rd/4th, while the Leafs have 5th. After that the only clear thing is Buffalo in 14th.

So disappointing for Buffalo who's made big trades at deadline. They'll bounce back next season with this young core group.

Why can't Arizone finish 7th?

Gaborik is cancer apparently. My Lightning have been rocking and rolling since I sent him to Buffalo

[NYRNYRNYR]

Gaborik is cancer apparently. My Lightning have been rocking and rolling since I sent him to Buffalo

*Reigning Art Ross and Maurice Richard winner Marian Gaborik...

At least until (likely) Jeff Carter and Ilya Kovalchuk wrestle them away from him, respectively, with apologies to Tom Novak and Eric Staal.

[TorontoGM]

I can't wait to drop to 8th in the draft lottery

[TBGM - Geoff]

Gaborik is cancer apparently. My Lightning have been rocking and rolling since I sent him to Buffalo

*Reigning Art Ross and Maurice Richard winner Marian Gaborik...

At least until (likely) Jeff Carter and Ilya Kovalchuk wrestle them away from him, respectively, with apologies to Tom Novak and Eric Staal.

I think he's turning into a grumpy old man, to which I relate

[AvalancheGM]

The last-place team only won the lottery twice in the last 10 years. They went from 48% to 18%, I think the bottom team should get more like 25%.

[NYRNYRNYR]

The last-place team only won the lottery twice in the last 10 years. They went from 48% to 18%, I think the bottom team should get more like 25%.

I think tanking should be allowed and encouraged. Especially in an online league without fans or income.

[DetroitGM]

I don't know that I agree, it's generally too easy* to tank and rebuild, so the odds are fine by me. Having said that, the NHL is reportedly reducing from 3 lottery spots to 2 and I think that's probably the better route to go as it creates more certainty of the range a pick might end up without changing anyone's odds of winning the lottery.



* I say that despite somehow going on a stupid 6-2-3 run that very clearly cost me 30th overall.

[NYRNYRNYR]

I don't know that I agree, it's generally too easy* to tank and rebuild, so the odds are fine by me. Having said that, the NHL is reportedly reducing from 3 lottery spots to 2 and I think that's probably the better route to go as it creates more certainty of the range a pick might end up without changing anyone's odds of winning the lottery.

* I say that despite somehow going on a stupid 6-2-3 run that very clearly cost me 30th overall.

To be fair I support the Gold plan in the NHL. Which is most number of points earned after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The worse your team is, the earlier you are eliminated - however if you are just so bad and purposefully awful, you still won't win enough games/points to "earn" the first pick.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/sha ... ery-draft/

[DetroitGM]

To be fair I support the Gold plan in the NHL. Which is most number of points earned after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The worse your team is, the earlier you are eliminated - however if you are just so bad and purposefully awful, you still won't win enough games/points to "earn" the first pick.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/sha ... ery-draft/

Frankly, I don't. There are two conferences and unequal scheduling that make it a terrible idea.

For example, in 2018-19, Arizona was eliminated on April 4th, when Colorado took Winnipeg to OT in a 9pm EST game (they won, but that doesn't matter). Does Arizona's game that same day at 10pm EST (which they won) count? Does it depend on which game finished first, or does it happen the moment Colorado got to OT? Regardless, that was Arizona's 81st game and they had 86pts afterwards, which is how they finished the season. Meanwhile, Florida finished the season with 86 as well, but they were eliminated on March 26th, after they lost to Montreal and Columbus beat the Islanders, leaving Florida with just 78pts from 77gp.
Another relevant team from that season is Minnesota. They were eliminated on April 2nd, when they had 83pts from 80gp (again, they won that night in an 8pm EST game but Colorado's win in a 9pm EST game the same night put them out of reach), and ended the season with 84pts.

So here's how things looked at the end of the season:
Arizona 82gp, 86pts (0 or 2 "gold" points from 1 or 2 games)
Florida 82gp, 86pts (8 "gold" points from 5 games)
Minnesota 82gp, 83pts (0 "gold" points from 2 games)

How is it fair to Arizona, Minnesota, and probably some teams below them that Florida was able to play so many more "gold" games despite the three teams finishing with very similar point totals?

[NYRNYRNYR]

How is it fair to Arizona, Minnesota, and probably some teams below them that Florida was able to play so many more "gold" games despite the three teams finishing with very similar point totals?

It's not. Nor is it "fair" that a random ping pong ball fell and a team that was the 12th worst gets the 1st pick.

When asked "what should we do about X?" in the NHL my answer is almost always "let it be decided on the ice". Fair or not, at least its hockey and not a ping pong ball.

[DetroitGM]

It's not. Nor is it "fair" that a random ping pong ball fell and a team that was the 12th worst gets the 1st pick.

When asked "what should we do about X?" in the NHL my answer is almost always "let it be decided on the ice". Fair or not, at least its hockey and not a ping pong ball.

The ping pong ball uses the games on the ice just as much as the "gold" method, which is as much decided by the schedule makers as by the players.

If they want it decided on the ice, they should have a post-season tournament for non-playoff teams. Winner gets 1st overall, loser of the final 2nd, the rest goes in proper order. Once they have 32 teams it'd work perfectly, 16 going for the Cup and 16 going for 1st overall. Owners and players would like the extra revenue, fans would be engaged in the quest for 1st overall, and they can keep things short by making it like soccer's home-and-home (rather than a 3, 5, or 7 game series) so it doesn't upstage the real playoffs.

[Jets GM]

My vote for anything to do with anything is to leave things as is. \

Except extra practices. those should be banned

[NYRNYRNYR]

It's not. Nor is it "fair" that a random ping pong ball fell and a team that was the 12th worst gets the 1st pick.

When asked "what should we do about X?" in the NHL my answer is almost always "let it be decided on the ice". Fair or not, at least its hockey and not a ping pong ball.

The ping pong ball uses the games on the ice just as much as the "gold" method, which is as much decided by the schedule makers as by the players.

If they want it decided on the ice, they should have a post-season tournament for non-playoff teams. Winner gets 1st overall, loser of the final 2nd, the rest goes in proper order. Once they have 32 teams it'd work perfectly, 16 going for the Cup and 16 going for 1st overall. Owners and players would like the extra revenue, fans would be engaged in the quest for 1st overall, and they can keep things short by making it like soccer's home-and-home (rather than a 3, 5, or 7 game series) so it doesn't upstage the real playoffs.

Would never work. Why would UFAs play in that tournament?

[NYRNYRNYR]

My vote for anything to do with anything is to leave things as is. \

Except extra practices. those should be banned

Don't worry we aren't actually saying to change our league. It's a hypo debate on the NHL

[TorontoGM]

Honestly, I feel like a Lottery Tournament(AKA Loser Tournament) would just become a money pit for the NHL

[NYRNYRNYR]

Honestly, I feel like a Lottery Tournament(AKA Loser Tournament) would just become a money pit for the NHL

Why would any veteran play in it?

[DetroitGM]

Why would any veteran play in it?

Veterans or UFAs, either way, the reason they would play and compete in this kind of tournament is the exact same as why they would play and compete in games after elimination? They're playing for pride, for a contract, whatever. Anyway, maybe not all of them do play, but why should that matter? If someone decided to retire after the season ends, without playing the tournament, fine, so be it? It still has more integrity than either the lottery or the 'gold' method.

[SharksGM]

Except extra practices. those should be banned

Marchenko scored a goal, had a hit and takeaway in 8:30 of play and went right back to slumping. A monthly correction to this nonsense keeps me from raging too much.

As for the lottery, the system isn't perfect but it's fine. I think it gives the bottom 5 teams a good enough chance at a top pick while discouraging egregious tanking.

I think tanking should be allowed and encouraged. Especially in an online league without fans or income.

I generally don't find games fun if players aren't actually trying to win (one way or another) and just fuck around to play spoiler occasionally. Of course tanking one season might be the best way to win in the future, but I do want to discourage extremes like waiving/scratching your best players just to guarantee a #1 pick and I think the existing lottery odds do that well enough.

[Bernyhawks]

My vote for anything to do with anything is to leave things as is. \

Except extra practices. those should be banned

Agree!