1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

nutbutter

3 TPE

10. Written, 50 to 200+ words. The Unexpected
Toronto ended up making it into the playoffs by one point while Atlanta had the best regular season since S71 Winnipeg. Yet in the playoffs Atlanta ended up losing the second round, while Toronto made it to the conference finals. Does regular season success matter in the long run if the team fumbles in the playoffs? Should teams give much importance to the regular season or focus all of their energy to playoffs once their team has secured a spot? Should the league in general regard the regular season results more highly?

The league I think places a lot of importance on the regular season record for a team, which is to some extent the incorrect way to think about it. Yes getting home advantage is nice, and yes being able to say that they won the division is also a very nice feeling. Hoever the real important part of course is the post season, and making it there and making an impact in the post season is more important than regular season results. I mean look at some of the underdog stories where the lower seed beats the higher seed, and in real life the LA Kings winning the cup from being the team with the least points to enter the NHL postseason in 2012. I think probably the biggest thing is entering the post season with momentum from the last few games of the regular season. You want to be on the upswing to have a positive result going in, although a lot of the timing is out of your control.

3 TPE 171 words

11. Written, 50 to 200+ words. Did We Really Win
This seasons we saw something unusual as both conferences featuring a division where winner got arguably harder matchup than the second place team as the wild card from the other division finished with more points than the third place team in their division. How does it make you feel about the playoffs structure? Was it actually even worse for New Orleans and Buffalo to have won their division? Or does it really matter as if you are reaching for the cup likely should be prepared to face any team anyway? How much do you think it benefited Los Angeles and Philadelphia to face opponents out of their own division during first round?

The playoff structure could use a revamp, I think 1 versus 8 is better than the divisional format currently. That way the teams in the so called tougher divisions can actually attain the wildcard spot easier, and don't have to claw and fight for the last few spots in. The fact that some teams have managed to be out of the post season while having higher points than the teams that did make it in is unfair, and something that needs to change in my opinion. I don't know if this is feasible in the current way that things are structured but it is something to think about in future planning for divisional realignments.

114 words 2 TPE