NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made himself available to the media Friday ahead of the heritage Classic in Saskatchewan this weekend, and took an opportunity to poke a little fun at the Toronto Maple Leafs while he was at it. Bettman was asked about the current playoff format for the NHL, where the second and third seeds in each division meet in the first round of the postseason, regardless if one division is stronger than the other. Bettman's response got a giggle out of many in attendance.
"We think the format we have works extremely well ... unless you're a Leafs fan," Bettman joked.
Last season, the Leafs met the Boston Bruins in the first round, despite the fact they had the fifth-most points in the Eastern Conference and the Bruins had the second-most. It also hurt them in 2017-18, when they tied for the third-most points in the conference but were once again forced to start on the road against the second-seeded Bruins in Round 1. Toronto lost to the Bruins each time. If the old playoff format was still in use in the NHL, the Leafs would've been at home to the Penguins in 2018, and on the road against the Islanders in 2019.
Current players have spoken out against the format in use now, including Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and Nazim Kadri.
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