Welcome to 2020, where NHL games are unenthusiastic and Philadelphia Flyers are the most productive hockey team.
When the qualifying round and the circular robin ended on Sunday, the image of the NHL playoffs looked nothing like what it was when the game stopped on March 12 due to the new coronavirus.
At the time, the Boston Bruins seemed untouchable in the most sensible east conference as the first team of 100 points and allegedly seeded No. 1. The team at the moment, the Tampa Bay Lightning, had 8 tracks.
In the West, The Stanley Cup champions, St. Louis Blues, were in the most sensible place with 94 points. The Colorado Avalanche flew around the neck with 92 points.
Now, as the first circular approaches, which begins on Tuesday, the grades have twisted.
In the East, the Philadelphia Flyers got the seed most sensible after sweeping the circular robin, adding get rid of the Lightning on Saturday. When the normal season was suspended, the Flyers finished fourth in the East with 89 points. This is the first time since 2000 to win first place in the East.
The Bruins, winners of the Presidents Trophy, with a 0-3 record in the robin and a 2-1 resolution against the Capitals on Sunday, ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference.
In the West, the Blues actually don’t seem to be able to compete for a back-to-back moment in the Cup, going 0-2-1 in the circular robin and losing 2-1 to the Dallas Stars in a shootout Sunday.
At the end of the qualifying round, the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated.
The full First Round matchups are as follows. The teams will be reseeded after each round, and the remaining rounds will be a best-of-seven format.
Western Conference
1. Vegas Golden Knights vs. 8. Chicago Blackhawks
2. Colorado Avalanche vs. 7. Arizona Coyotes
3. Dallas Stars vs. Dallas 6. Calgary Flames
4. St. Louis Blues vs. 5. Canucks from Vancouver
Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8. Montreal Canadiens
2. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Tampa Bay 7. Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Washington Capitals vs. Washington Capitals 6. New York Islanders
4. Boston Bruins vs. 5. Carolina Hurricanes
Best stats and highlights
The Stars controlled to score only four goals in the entire circular robin before assembling the Blues on Sunday, and they scored a victory in that game thanks to a shootout to secure the third seed in the first circular.
Although the Blues held a 1-0 lead during Sunday’s game-top, Joe Pavelski tied things up with 31.4 seconds to play, forcing the Stars to win the shootout.