NHL: Setting up the best Stanley Cup Playoffs

dpatop - 13 August 2018, Bavaria, Rosenheim: The ice hockey trophy Stanley Cup is in the Emilo stadium. Born in Rosenheim, Grubauer was the first German goalkeeper to win the North American League title and was received with a ceremony in the city. Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa (Photo by Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Emmanuel Wong/NHLI via Getty Images /

With the NHL season rounding the halfway mark, the playoff picture is starting to take shape, and it is possible that this year’s postseason could be the most entertaining in years.

With the Winter Classic in the rearview mirror and the All-Star Game in the headlights, the NHL season is officially entering its middle ages. Every team has played at least 42 games, and the best teams in the league are starting to separate themselves.

As of right now, it seems as though the delineating mark between the sure-fire playoff teams and the rest is the 50-point mark, where 15 teams have already reached. It is likely that the majority of those fifteen teams will still be in a playoff spot once the end of the season rolls around.

So, given the fact that we can predict with a fair level of confidence which teams will be in the playoffs, it is time to begin the NHL’s version of fan-fiction: dreaming about the most entertaining playoff seedings and matchups.

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Between long-time rivalries, revenge, and the traditional David vs. Goliath, the best playoff matchups have some kind of dramatic storyline underlying the action. That drama tends to translate to entertainment on the ice.

With that in mind, given where the current standings are, what is a realistic playoff bracket that would help to maximize the drama and entertainment of the best postseason in American professional sports? This is my take on that question.

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