Brutus1;2315099; said:
what's the schedule against division opponents?
NEW REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE MATRIX
Western Conference (7-Team Divisions)
Within Conference (Division): 29 games
? 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND 4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
? 5 X 5 =25 games
? 1 X 4 = 4 games
Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games
? 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs.three teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
? 3 X 7 = 21 games
Non-Conference: 32 games
? 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)
? 2 X 16 = 32 games
(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)
Eastern Conference (8-Team Divisions)
Within Conference (Division): 30 games
? 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
? 5 X 2 =10 games
? 4 X 5 = 20 games
Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games
? 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs.four teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
? 3 X 8 = 24 games
Non-Conference: 28 games? 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)? 2 X 14 = 28 games
NEW STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF FORMAT
Playoff qualification will be primarily Division-based, with the top three finishers in each Division qualifying for the first 12 spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (and the first three "seeds" in each Division).
The two additional playoff spots in each Conference, designated as "Wild Cards," will be awarded to the next two highest-placed finishers in each Conference, ranked on the basis of regular-season points and regardless of Division.
"Seeding" of the Wild Card teams within each Divisional Playoff will be determined on the basis of regular-season points. The first-place finisher with the highest number of regular-season points in the Conference will be matched against the Wild Card team with the lowest number of regular-season points, and the first-place finisher with the second-highest number of regular-season points in the Conference matched against the Wild Card team with the second-lowest number of regular-season points.
The Playoffs will proceed as follows:
? #1 vs. #4 / #2 vs. #3:winners play each other for berth in Conference Championship
? Conference Finals: Two advancing teams in the West and two advancing teams in the East meet in Conference Championship
? Eastern and Western Conference Champions will meet in Stanley Cup Final.
http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/03/nhl_realignment_plan_approved.html
Clear as mud....