Stanley Cup Playoffs: Pros and Cons of a Sweep

Tonight, the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens have a chance to sweep their respective opponents and solidify their spots in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I’ve long wondered what NHL management, coaches and players prefer in a playoff series: a sweep or the elongated road to victory. That might seem like a ridiculous question with an obvious answer, but is a sweep all it’s cracked up to be? I’m not so sure.

Pros:

The biggest advantage of a sweep is players can conserve their energy for the next round. With a game of hockey, playing four games, some that go into multiple overtimes, in a short span is exhausting. Just after one shift you can see players huffing and puffing on the bench. Hockey is a grueling and intense game that needs to be played at an upbeat tempo. So, cutting down the time players will have to be on the ice in a game situation is ideal.

Confidence is also boosted after a sweep. Teams feel good after being able to put down their opponent in only four games. It also means that things are clicking; the offense is gelling and the defense is shutting the door. In general, the team has found a flow. Who wouldn’t want consistency? The answer is no one; it’s a major advantage.

Cons:

Nothing to do but wait. After putting together four spectacular performances, teams that sweep must wait days for their opponent to be revealed and the second round to begin. This means teams can be out of game situations for four or more days. While it does provide much needed rest, it can ruin any type of flow the team had. When a team is on a hot streak, you want to keep that hot streak alive; the best way to do that is play in a high-intense game.

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Obstacles build character. If you watched last year’s playoffs then you know how much character plays a role in the playoffs. The New York Rangers were down in the second round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but rallied around a heartbroken Marty St. Louis, whose mother passed away, to put the Penguins down in seven games. The 2014 Stanley Cup Champions Los Angeles Kings were the epitome of character. They staged an unreal comeback to erase a 0-3 deficit and defeat the San Jose Sharks in the first round. They battled through 21 games in the first three rounds to make it through to the Stanley Cup Finals where they once again raised the Cup.

These two teams made it to the Stanley Cup Finals because their teams had to come together in order to overcome challenges. They didn’t just coast through, they battled. Teams that overcome obstacles, that have to fight to get to the next round, are ready for the push back from their future opponents. They live off the adrenaline of making it through and use it to their advantage.

I know I would rather not have the series decided in a Game 7, but I don’t know if I would be extremely happy with a sweep either. I feel teams that have character and show heart have a better chance at winning the Stanley Cup than those who get by without much resistance. Will the Ducks or Canadiens throw the Games 4 on purpose? Absolutely not—they shouldn’t and wouldn’t. But they should make sure to keep their egos in check because a sweep in one round doesn’t mean they have any sort of edge going into the next.

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