If the standings remain the way they are now, we’ll have the following 12 playoff teams:
HAM, CHI, BUF from Great Lakes
MAN, NEW, ATL from Atlantic
CGY, EDM, WPG from Northwest
NOLA, TEX, LAP from Southwest

With the way the standings look now, it looks like we’re going to have the following four division winners who will be awarded first round byes:
HAM, MAN, CGY, NOLA

TEX could catch NOLA in the next 6 games but I’ll assume for this that they don’t. In any case, that seems to be the only race in doubt at this point.

That leaves the 8 teams situated in the following matchups based on seeding:

1-CHI vs 8-WPG
Winnipeg just hasn’t quite fully arrived yet. The only team to make the playoffs with a losing record, Winnipeg has been the first beneficiary of the expanded playoffs set up. Their reward is facing a team with a claim to 2nd best team in the SHL. Third in points, but they’re in a buzzsaw of a division in the Great Lakes. I see Chicago handling Winnipeg without much difficulty. CHI in 5

2-BUF vs 7-LAP
This matchup got a lot more interesting with the Panther’s acquiring 1900 TPE Forward Jimmy Slothface at the deadline. Buffalo is not the same team that win the Challenge Cup last season as they had some key offseason departures. However, I don’t want to overact to the Slothface deal. Los Angeles had their flaws going in to the year and Buffalo still has a lot of weapons left over from their cup run. They finished 3rd in their stacked division but should still be in the discussion for the league’s 5 best teams. LAP still leaves a lot to be desired on the blueline, I don’t see them getting past a more well-rounded Buffalo team. BUF in 6

3-EDM VS  6-ATL
This is a matchup of two of the most interesting storylines in the SHL. Atlanta is a success story of an expansion team and it’s exciting to see them have early success. Edmonton is a really good team with a better team in their division. They play in arguably the toughest division not called the Great Lakes and they finished 2nd in the conference in points. I love Atlanta’s focus on defense in building their roster and it helps cover for them not having a goalie over 1000 TPE. I want to pick at least one upset and I think this one has the most potential. ATL in 7

4-TEX vs 5-NEW
I’ve said before that Texas is my favorite team that’s not Toronto. I like their logo and colors and I like the makeup of their roster. They’re pushing NOLA for the division title in the Southwest and they still only have one regressing player on their roster. They’ve got a bright future in Texas. On the other side, there is a lot to like about New England as well. They’re a fairly well rounded team and the emergence of Frans Eller in net has filled the only hole that this team really had. Still, I like Texas in this one but I think it can go the distance. TEX in 7

ROUND 2 matchups:
1-HAM vs 8-ATL
Prediction: HAM in 4

2- CGY vs 7-TEX
Prediction: CGY in 5

3-CHI vs 6-NOLA
Prediction: NOLA in 7

4-MAN vs 5-BUF
Prediction: BUF in 6

ROUND 3 Matchups:

1-HAM vs 4-NOLA
Prediction: HAM in 6

2-CGY vs 3-BUF
Prediction: BUF in 7

FINALS:

HAM vs BUF
HAM in 6
Probably boring to pick the best regular season team to win it all. I suppose the 'hottest take' that I have here is that the finals will be a Great Lakes division matchup. I do think that Buffalo is better than their record indicates and I just can't see how anyone will be able to upset Hamilton.