Can anyone confirm this for me...

[Kovy27]

Since the NHL has a ridiculous scheduling system..

Our Western Conference opponents next year will be:

Pacific Division - at Home
Northwest Division - on the Road
Central Division - We won't see

[DelPen]

Since the NHL has a ridiculous scheduling system..

Our Western Conference opponents next year will be:

Pacific Division - at Home
Northwest Division - on the Road
Central Division - We won't see

That's what makes sense looking at the past two seasons. But then again, this is the NHL, so who knows?

[K2]

I think it's ridiculous that we don't play the Blue Jackets more often. The geography could make for a rivalry

[Kaizer]

i hope thats how it is too. maybe i can go to a nucks/pens game.

[PenguinDouger]

I think it's ridiculous that we don't play the Blue Jackets more often. The geography could make for a rivalry

K2, I couldn't agree with you more. They're no more than about three hours apart from each other and close enough to get a rivalry going. It's sad that they don't attempt to get all divisions in the schedule for every team each year.

Is the problem that the league is too big (referencing another thread) or there are too few games that are in the system? I don't want to go too far in this since the other thread has discussion over expansion.

[the wicked child]

Is the problem that the league is too big (referencing another thread) or there are too few games that are in the system? I don't want to go too far in this since the other thread has discussion over expansion.

The problem is that some jagoff decided we needed to play EIGHT games against the teams in our division and FOUR against everyone else in the confrence.

[DelPen]

Is the problem that the league is too big (referencing another thread) or there are too few games that are in the system? I don't want to go too far in this since the other thread has discussion over expansion.

The problem is that some jagoff decided we needed to play EIGHT games against the teams in our division and FOUR against everyone else in the confrence.

If you reduce the number of intradivision games to 6 that leaves 8 games to make up.

So we could to 6 in the division: 24 games
4 in the conference: 40 games

Now for the other conference, still have a rotation but we do a home and home vs one division then visit one and then host one for 20 games

This brings us back to an 84 game season.

[Erin]

I hate this scheduling thing. They forget about fans that support teams in other areas of the U.S. I'd love for the Pens to play the Wild again!!

[Kovy27]

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that we don't see every team at least once.

[Henry Hank]

Well, with the number of teams in the league now, it's not exactly easy to come up with a balanced schedule for each team with the right ratio of intradivision and intraconference games to make all the groupings of teams meaningful and still playing every team in the league.

I'm of the school of thought that you should play the teams in your division more than other teams. It just makes sense. The teams in your division are closer in proximity which makes them more natural rivals and when first place in a division means something you should have to go through your division to get it. And when all the teams in a conference are competing against each other for a playoff spot, you should face those teams more than the teams in the other conference who aren't directly competing with you.

Given that, I think every team has to play the teams in the same conference but different divisions the same number of times as other teams to keep things fair. Given the point system in the NHL, things stay pretty close now so you've got to keep the schedules balanced to keep things fair.

So how can you make a schedule that works? DelPen's idea is the only one that really works but it also includes adding games to the schedule. Of course, many critics complain because the season is too long. I'm sure there is an overlap between those that say that and those that also complain because every team doesn't play every team. I just don't think you can win here. There's a reason the schedule is set up the way it is and that's because with the way the league is set up there's no easy solution. The only real way is to create an unbalanced schedule and I don't like that idea with the way the playoff system works in hockey.

[tom_servo]

I think it's ridiculous that we don't play the Blue Jackets more often. The geography could make for a rivalry

Geography also happens to place Columbus in the western half of the league. So what can you do?

I would like to see every team in the league at least twice a year, but that probably wouldn't make it a rivalry. They would need to reconceptualize the conference system to make it work.

[the wicked child]

I think it's ridiculous that we don't play the Blue Jackets more often. The geography could make for a rivalry

Geography also happens to place Columbus in the western half of the league. So what can you do?

I would like to see every team in the league at least twice a year, but that probably wouldn't make it a rivalry. They would need to reconceptualize the conference system to make it work.

How about if we trade the west NJ for Columbus?

[Angry Skating Pen w scarf]

Since the NHL has a ridiculous scheduling system..

Our Western Conference opponents next year will be:

Pacific Division - at Home
Northwest Division - on the Road
Central Division - We won't see

Northwest Division - on the Road......yeah baby, road trips to western Canada!!!!!

And who is coming to Colorado?????

[wallflower]

Is the problem that the league is too big (referencing another thread) or there are too few games that are in the system? I don't want to go too far in this since the other thread has discussion over expansion.

The problem is that some jagoff decided we needed to play EIGHT games against the teams in our division and FOUR against everyone else in the confrence.

I like the 8 games as it makes for more of a rivalry and makes those games crucial to win.

I won't argue with the thought process behind that (and I do agree to a certain extent) but wouldn't six games do that just fine? I think so.

I guess my problem is like this past season when the Pens played the Isles three or four times in a two week span - that's just ridiculous.

[King Sid the Great 87]

If the league expands to 32 teams as they will and should, Id change scheduling to

6x3=18 -division games
2x15=30- conference games
16x2=32 other conference
2=regional rivalry

Sweet, 4 games against Columbus, our "regional rival" every year.

Not to mention, there wont be 18 teams in each conference, as you are proposing.

[Kovy27]

Sweet, 4 games against Columbus, our "regional rival" every year.

Personally, I think if the NHL does expand...it will bring a set up like baseball does with it's schedule. We won't see all the teams on the West Side, and vice versa.

[Idoit40fans]

I'd rather see 2 conferences, 2 divisions, and this will not happen, but 2 less teams

One year North Division in West plays North in the East, next year North Plays South and so on.

6X6 Division games = 36
7X4 Against the other division = 28
7X2 Against other conference = 14

78 games

And you can add 2 or 4 rivalry games if you want.

actually id love to see the first and last game of the season be rivalry games. One year one team goes home first the next year the other team goes home first.

[crzymike]

Since the NHL has a ridiculous scheduling system..

Our Western Conference opponents next year will be:

Pacific Division - at Home
Northwest Division - on the Road
Central Division - We won't see

That looks right to me.

[crzymike]

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that we don't see every team at least once.

I am in full agreement, playing division foes eight times is a bit much, five or six IMO would be about right.

[King Sid the Great 87]

If the league expands to 32 teams as they will and should, Id change scheduling to

6x3=18 -division games
2x15=30- conference games
16x2=32 other conference
2=regional rivalry

Sweet, 4 games against Columbus, our "regional rival" every year.

Not to mention, there wont be 18 teams in each conference, as you are proposing.

6 games time 3 teams. If the league expands to 32 it will be divisions of four like the NFL. Recount.

So are you saying we play our division 8 times? 6 in the division and 2 in the conference games? Because if we play the division 6 times, there are only 12 teams left in the conference left, not 15.