There are 35 ways an NHL playoff series can go. Here's the best example of each

Three games in, and this year’s Stanley Cup final is on track to achieve all-time classic status. And while we’ve still got what we hope are four games left to go, the action so far has got me thinking about great playoff series through NHL history.

Let’s start with a question: How many different ways are there to win a playoff series?

There are a few ways to answer that question. We could go existential and say the answer is “an infinite number of way”, because of every series is a unique snowflake that forges its own beautiful identity every time a butterfly flaps its wings and/or a ref blows a call. That’s kind of poetic. It’s also going to make this post way too long, so we need a different approach.

Instead, let’s go with a mathematical answer. There are only so many ways that a seven-game series can play out, based on what order the wins and losses come in. The longer the series, the more combinations we can get. But with two results possible per game, we eventually run into a limit.

So how many combinations are there? It turns out that the magic number is 35. That list starts with a four-game sweep, which can obviously only happen one way – with the winning team winning each game. Call that a WWWW series. There are four more combinations for a five-game series, ranging from LWWWW to WWWLW. The possibilities grow to ten for a six-game series, and then 19 once we go the full seven. Add it all up, and you have 35 different combinations of W’s and L’s that can describe a seven-game series.

(How long did it take me to figure all that out? Way too long, thanks for asking. I have a headache and I think my wife and kids moved out at some point over the weekend. Never let it be said that I don’t make sacrifices for my readers.)

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The road to the Stanley Cup Final: Ranking the 14 series that got us here

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has all the makings of a classic. The teams are tied, both games have been fantastic, and it still feels like there are a ton of twists and turns left to come.

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has been a mixed bag. Game 1 was excellent, Game 2 had its moments, and we avoided the road team stealing both games to set up a short series. There should still be some twists and turns left to come.

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has been a mixed bag. Game 1 was excellent, and Game 2 had its moments, but with Vegas heading home up 2-0, we may be in for a disappointingly short series unless the Hurricanes can get up off the mat.

That’s where we’re headed. But let’s not forget how we got here.

Yes, it’s time for our annual ranking of the 14 series that paved the way. This is an admittedly subjective exercise, but it's based on some general criteria I’m guessing most fans can agree on. A longer series is better than a short one. Closer games are better than blowouts, and overtime is best of all. Some bad blood, controversy or other memorable moments will always help. And expectations matter, sometimes a lot.

Overall, I’d say this year’s postseason has been good but not great. I’m not sure we’ve seen the sort of classic series we’ll be talking about a decade from now, although a few matchups have come close. Let’s remember some series, working our way down from worst to best while hoping that the Hurricanes and Golden Knights can bump everyone down a spot with a final for the ages.

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An NHL playoff contest update, where 850 entered and just two are left standing

Two months ago, we started with a full field of championship hopefuls. Some knew they were facing long odds, but were willing to dream big dreams. Others were bathed in the soothing safety of favorite status. But they all had one thing in common: The abiding belief that this could be their year.

Then the playoffs started, and it all went to hell.

I’m referring, of course, to our annual playoff contest, in which I ask one simple question and almost all of you get it wrong. It launched a few days before the playoffs started, and over 850 of you entered.

How many of those entries are still alive and in the running for the title? Um… two.

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Hurricanes or Knights? A Stanley Cup Final rooting guide for 30 other fan bases

Welcome to one of my favorite columns to write each year, where we go through all 30 teams that didn’t make the Stanley Cup final and offer up a suggestion on which of the finalists to root for. Nothing mandatory, mind you; more of a gentle nudge for the undecided. We have a bit of fun, it usually spurs some fun discussion, and there’s always a bit of suspense over which finalist the scales will ultimately tip towards.

Let’s just say that this year, I don’t think we have much of a suspense factor.

The Golden Knights are the villains here. It’s a role they’ve embraced, not just as far as this final but as the defining quality of their entire existence. The list of reasons to hate the Knights starts with jealousy, as they enter their ninth season of perpetual contention without ever really suffering through a bad season, but it doesn’t end there. Their win-at-all-costs mentality is enviable on some level, but at some point some of start getting tired of their whole act.

That’s not to say that everyone loves the Hurricanes; I’ve seen plenty of fans who don’t, or who seem to view this year’s final as a “none of the above” matchup. But finding fan bases that will be solidly pro-Vegas feels… daunting. So much so that I even briefly considered scrapping this year’s rooting guide altogether. But I like a challenge, and I love a recurring bit that means I don’t have to come up with a new angle. So let’ do this, even if we know how it’s going to end up.

We’ve got 30 teams to get to, and at least as many lenses to view this final through. As always, some reasons will be obvious, and some will be reaches. Will this end up being the most lopsided rooting guide ever? Almost certainly, but let’s dive in and see where we wind up.

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Avalanche regrets, board ads, and thosee disappearing playoff beards: DGB mailbag

We’re almost done with the conference final and haven’t done a mailbag in forever, so let’s dig into the inbox and see what’s on your mind.

As always, submitted questions have been edited for clarity and style. They have not been edited to prevent you from coming up with weird ideas that anyone else would instantly delete and report as spam. Speaking of which…

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