The NHL playoff matchups are set and all of the action begins on Wednesday with five of the eight series getting underway.
At this time of year, the current playoff format is always a topic of conversation and it's always interesting to look at what the matchups would be in the old playoff format.
Examining that is a little more challenging because the league now has 31 teams, but for this exercise, we thought it would make the most sense to put Vegas in the Pacific Division, Winnipeg in the Central, and keep Columbus in the East so as to use the current playoff teams rather than putting them back in the West.
The 1 versus 8 matchup in the East would be the same (Tampa Bay versus Columbus), but Boston would have the No. 2 seed as Northeast Division winners and they would face Carolina.
The Islanders would still face the Penguins, but Washington would get the short end of the stick and have to take on the Leafs as the Capitals used to be in the same division as the Lightning.
Out West, nothing would change as San Jose won the Pacific and would face Vegas who came in 7th in the Conference, while Nashville won the Central and would still face Dallas.
(H/T: NHL.com)
