A Look at Realignment and the Penguins

[X-Terminator]

Last season, Pittsburgh finished first in the Atlantic Division, ahead of the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, Philadelphia and New Jersey. This upcoming season, the Penguins will be looking to defend that title against those same teams plus three new ones – Carolina, Columbus and Washington – in the Metropolitan Division.

As part of the NHL’s realignment plan that will be implemented for the 2013-14 campaign, the league will be in a more geographically appropriate two-conference, four-division format with 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 teams in the Western Conference.

The Eastern Conference divisions (Metropolitan and Atlantic – which will now consist of Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, and Toronto) have eight teams in each while the Western Conference divisions (Central and Pacific) have seven teams in each.

Here’s how realignment affects Pittsburgh’s schedule…

• In total, the Penguins will play 82 regular-season games this season – 30 against their seven fellow Metropolitan Division foes; 24 games against the eight teams from the Atlantic Division; and 28 games against the 14 teams from the Western Conference.

• Pittsburgh will play five games against the Philadelphia Flyers (3 home; 2 away) and Columbus Blue Jackets (2 home; 3 away); and four games (2 home; 2 away) against the other five Metropolitan Division teams.

• The Penguins will play three games each against the eight teams in the Atlantic division – either two at home and one away or once at home and twice away. Teams that the Penguins will play twice at home and once away are Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Pittsburgh will play Boston, Detroit, Florida and Tampa Bay just once at home.

• And finally, for the first time since the 1997-98 season, the Penguins will play each of the 14 Western Conference teams once at home and once on the road.

Read more: http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.ht...id=DL|PIT|home

[salamander]

Dumbest name for a division...ever.

[Godfather]

Dumbest name for a division...ever.

This x1000. Especially if Seattle gets a team. Then the division will be named after a team in a different division.

Can't we just go back to Patrick/Adams/Norris/Smythe?

[X-Terminator]

This x1000. Especially if Seattle gets a team. Then the division will be named after a team in a different division.

Can't we just go back to Patrick/Adams/Norris/Smythe?

You see, that would have been the easiest thing to do and the one that makes the most sense. Which, of course, means the NHL "brain trust" dismissed it in about 5 seconds.

[Count Steeler]

Just checked the NHL standings. Apparently if you have played a game and lost, you are ahead of a team that has not played at all. In baseball, these teams are already 1/2 game back. How can they be listed ahead of teams that haven't played.

Case in point, Washington is atop of the Metropolitan () division, despite having lost and no other team in the division has played as yet.