Points to Ponder: Eastern Conference VS Western Conference


What does it say when the last place team in the West (Edmonton) would slot into the 11th spot in the East, ahead of the Islanders, Devils, Leafs and Panthers? How about the 14th place Flames in the West slotting in at the #9 slot in the East? Jumping to conclusions we might say that this is proof of a superior western conference, and hey, we may be right!


At the same time, there are some things that should be considered before making that assumption! Take the following points into consideration. They may not sway your final opinion, but they are food for thought!


1) The 15th place Oilers are 8 points removed from the #8 spot, currently held by the San Jose Sharks (27 vs 35 points). Move the Oilers into the Eastern Conference. They move into 11th place. How many points removed are they from the 8th place Tampa Bay Lightning? Nine. A one point difference in spite of moving up four positions in the conference rankings!


2) What’s the difference between 8th and 9th place in the two conferences? Seven in the east (Tampa at 36, Ottawa at 29), zero in the west (San Jose and Chicago at 35 points each, ranked based on games played).


3) Points difference between 8th and 15th place in both conferences? Twenty-one in the east (Tampa at 36, Islanders at 15), eight in the west (San Jose at 35, Edmonton at 27).


4) How do the top eight teams from the two conferences compare points-wise? Lets see:

Pittsburgh: 44 vs Detroit: 41

Washington: 39 vs Dallas: 38

Montreal: 38 vs Vancouver: 36

Philly: 43 vs Nashville: 36

Atlanta: 37 vs Colorado: 36

NY Rangers: 37 vs Anaheim: 36

Boston: 36 vs Los Angeles: 35

Tampa Bay: 36 vs San Jose: 35


East with more points in each match-up


5) But wait! The last point is moot unless we take a look at how the bottom eight in each conference match up also:

Ottawa: 29 vs Chicago: 35

Carolina: 28 vs Phoenix: 34

Buffalo: 28 vs Columbus: 34

Florida: 26 vs St Louis: 33

Toronto: 26 vs Minnesota: 30

New Jersey: 18 vs Calgary: 29

NY Islander: 15 vs Edmonton: 27


Western conference teams higher in each case.


Certainly points to an Eastern conference where there is a clear differentiation between competitors and pretenders as opposed to the Western conference where the difference making and missing the playoffs could be very slight!


Also suggests that tagging the better conference is highly dependent on what perspective you want to take: One could make the argument that comparing the top eight from each conference would put them in a dead heat, and given that it is the top eight from each that compete for the ultimate prize in the Stanley Cup, one wouldn’t be completely off base in using that as a context for comparison. Using all 15 teams as the reference, however, and it’s a completely different debate!


Of course, having the basement dwellers in the East could be inflating the performance of top eight teams in that conference also, so maybe comparing these teams between East and West doesn’t equate anyhow! If anything, the argument could be made that the top teams from the West having comparable points totals to those in the East is a testament to how much better they are as the competition they face is much more difficult.


I have my opinion, but am more interested in yours! What say you after having these points to ponder?


Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Twitter: ShawnHockeybuzz
Facebook: Shawn Gates
Facebook Group: Hockeybuzz Collectibles
BBM: 311A4F7D
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#2 What If Quebec Traded Lindros To The Rangers Instead Of The Flyers?

#3 What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?

#3a What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?: A RESPONSE

#4 What If The WHA Never Existed?

#5 What If The Position Of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?

#6 What If Pittsburgh Had Not Been Awarded A Team In 1967?

#7 What If Steve Smith Had Not Scored In His Own Net In Game 7?

#8 What If The NHL Had a Cross-Conference Playoff Structure?

#9 What If The NHL Asked For Fan Ideas For Improving The Game??

#10 What If Henderson Had Missed The Net In Game 8?

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#12 What If The NHL Returned To Quebec City?

#13 What if Toronto and Edmonton Had Traded Teams in 1981?

#14 What if You Could Create Your Own Hockey Dream Team?

#15 What if An Active Player in the NHL “Came Out” as Gay?

#16 You Could Assemble Your Own Fantasy Pick-up Hockey Team?

#17 Hockey Had A Champions League Tournament?

#18 Team "X" Did NOT Make Trade "Y" At The Deadline?

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#20 Star Players Hadn't Had Their Careers Cut Short?

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