Best-Within-Range Format Example 2
Here is another example to demonstrate the intricacies of this format:
Once again, the top and/or bottom remaining seed will draw an opponent from a range of the four teams farthest from them in the standings, with priority for selection being with the top seed by default, and priority for drawing an opponent being first a team from the same Division, then from the same time zone, then the nearest time zone:
#1 overall Edmonton has a Division rival in range, so they draw #14 Calgary:
Priority for drawing an opponent shifts to the bottom seed (#16 Montreal), but since they do not have a Division rival in range, and the remaining top seed (#2 Winnipeg) does, Winnipeg draws #15 Minnesota:
With a Division rival now in their range, #16 Montreal draws #6 Ottawa:
Priority back to the remaining top seed, and #3 Carolina has a Division rival in range (#12 NY Rangers):
Remaining bottom seed #13 Arizona draws #5 Nashville, as they are Division rivals (though they are in different time zones):
Priority returns to the remaining top seed (#4 New Jersey), however, both they and the remaining bottom seed (#11 Florida) lack Division rivals in range, so they draw each other. If Florida had a Division rival in range, that matchup would have surpassed the priority on New Jersey:
With both top and bottom remaining seeds having drawn each other, priority goes back to the top (#7 San Jose),who draws the bottom remaining seed (#10 Vancouver):
The two remaining teams draw each other:
Assume that the faded teams have lost their first round matchups, and the remaining 8 teams move on to the second round:
Repeat the process, but with a range of 3, not 4. Priority goes to the top remaining seed, #1 Edmonton, but they do not have a Division rival in range, while #13 Arizona does (#2 Winnipeg), so they draw their opponent first:
Priority shifts back to the top remaining seed, so #1 Edmonton can now draw #8 San Jose, because their range increases by 1 team with Arizona removed from it:
Priority shifts back to the bottom remaining seed, and once again, the top and bottom remaining seed are Division rivals, so they draw each other:
This leaves #6 Ottawa and #7 NY Islanders to draw each other:
Assume the faded teams have lost their second round matchups, and the remaining 4 have moved on to
the third round:
The process repeats for the third round, but since there are now only 4 teams remaining, the range is 2. #7 San Jose and #13 Arizona draw each other by virtue of being in the same time zone. This would still occur if either team had another team in the same time zone, but not the same Division, to draw (Division takes priority):
The remaining two teams draw each other, but they do happen to be Division rivals:
The winners of the third round series face each other in the Stanley Cup Finals:
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