Conference-Range Example 3
One final example, to show more quirks in this format, starting with the positions in each Conference by record:
Here is the seeding after using the top-2-in-Division-get-top-4-seeds rule. In the East, all 4 standard matchups are not Divisional, which means that since #4 draws #6, #3 has to draw #5, and the #7 and #8 seeds switch opponents as well since their possible alternatives are taken for other matchups to maximize the number of Divisional matchups that occurs (i.e. #3/7 and #2/6 would leave 2 non-Divisional matchups, hence this priority):
When the Divisions are unbalanced like the West in this example (4th in one Division with a better record than 2nd in the other), the 2nd place team will always draw the 3rd place team from the other Division, since the 6th seed will always also be from the 5th seed’s Division (i.e. if the 4th seed draws 6th, that could only happen if the team that is actually in 6th is from the same Division as 4th, so 4th cannot be any lower than 5th in the Conference by record):
Assume the faded out teams have lost their matchups, and the remaining 8 move on to the 2nd round:
For the second round, the process repeats, but the teams in each Conference are completely re-seeded based on their previous position 1-4, and their eligibility to play opponents is based on +/- 1 seed in a 1-4 arrangement:
In the East, #1 and #2 both switch to their alternative opponents, because both matchups are Divisional, while in the West, 2 non-Divisional standard matchups occur because the top 2 are Pacific and bottom 2 are Central, so no swapping of opponents can occur. #11 Edmonton retains a higher seeding position than #8 Dallas because these new seeds are based on the positions from the previous round, not on record:
Assume the faded out teams lost their matchups, and the 4 remaining teams move on to the 3rd round:
3rd Round matchups are between the 2 remaining teams per Conference:
Remaining teams meet in the Stanley Cup Finals:
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