Schedule, Standings and Playoffs
Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 1:33 am
Prior to Vegas' entry into the league, EHEC followed the NHL's schedule, standings system and playoff format as closely as possible. Since then, we have reverted to many pre-(2012-)lockout systems partly out of necessity and partly to improve the league. These are the rules for the 2020-21 season and beyond pending further changes:
- The league is divided into two conferences, each with three divisions of five teams each.
- The Eastern divisions are: Northeast (BOS, BUF, MTL, OTT, TOR), Atlantic (NJ, NYI, NYR, PHI, PIT), Southeast (CAR, CBJ, FLA, TB, WAS).
- The Western divisions are: Northwest (CGY, EDM, COL, VAN, WPG), Central (CHI, DET, MIN, NAS, STL), Pacific (ANA, ARZ, DAL, LA, SJ).
- The league schedule will follow the 2011-12 NHL schedule (and alignment), but swapping WPG and CBJ, and then WPG and MIN.
- Regular season games will earn two points for a win (regulation or OT), one point for a tie, and zero for a loss (regulation or OT). There will be no shootouts.
- Playoff spots will be allocated to the top 8 teams in each conference, with 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 and 4v5 matchups, and re-seeded for each round.
- The top seed in each playoff round will have home ice advantage.
- Division winners will not be guaranteed a top 3 seed or even a playoff spot at all, but will receive some (modest) tangible benefit (TBD) at the end of the season.
- Standing tiebreakers will be: 1) most wins; 2) most OT losses; 3) goal differential; 4) most points in season series, excluding the first home game of the team with the most home games if they are not equal; 5) goal differential in season series; 6) a single tiebreaker game, hosted by the team in the division with the most total points, and ending in a shootout if necessary.
- The league is divided into two conferences, each with three divisions of five teams each.
- The Eastern divisions are: Northeast (BOS, BUF, MTL, OTT, TOR), Atlantic (NJ, NYI, NYR, PHI, PIT), Southeast (CAR, CBJ, FLA, TB, WAS).
- The Western divisions are: Northwest (CGY, EDM, COL, VAN, WPG), Central (CHI, DET, MIN, NAS, STL), Pacific (ANA, ARZ, DAL, LA, SJ).
- The league schedule will follow the 2011-12 NHL schedule (and alignment), but swapping WPG and CBJ, and then WPG and MIN.
- Regular season games will earn two points for a win (regulation or OT), one point for a tie, and zero for a loss (regulation or OT). There will be no shootouts.
- Playoff spots will be allocated to the top 8 teams in each conference, with 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 and 4v5 matchups, and re-seeded for each round.
- The top seed in each playoff round will have home ice advantage.
- Division winners will not be guaranteed a top 3 seed or even a playoff spot at all, but will receive some (modest) tangible benefit (TBD) at the end of the season.
- Standing tiebreakers will be: 1) most wins; 2) most OT losses; 3) goal differential; 4) most points in season series, excluding the first home game of the team with the most home games if they are not equal; 5) goal differential in season series; 6) a single tiebreaker game, hosted by the team in the division with the most total points, and ending in a shootout if necessary.