Is it possible for all five teams in a division to make the playoffs?

Question

Like this year 4 out of 5 of the atlantic division teams made the playoffs. Is it possible with the interdivision games for all 5 to make it?

Answer 1

Yes, but I don't see it ever happening.

Answer 2

Max W, come on, try looking at your numbers and really thinking about that. It is highly unlikely for ONE team to ever get 148 points in a season, let alone every team from one division. Cut that point total in half, since wins are worth 2 points, that would mean a team would need 74 wins in a season to get that, and you're saying every team in one division has a possible chance for 74 wins (or at least the equivalent of 74 wins, if you include some points for OT losses)? By the way, the record for the most wins in a season is 62 and the record for the most points in a season is 132, and that one was done in an 80 game season.

But, it's still possible for all 5 teams in one division to make the playoffs, and you don't have to have outlandish records to do it. It actually almost happened just a few years ago. In the 03-04 season, the Northeast Division had Boston (104 pts.), Toronto (103 pts.), Ottawa (102 pts.), Montreal (93 pts.) all make the playoffs, and Buffalo ended up in last place with 85 points, just 6 points behind the 8th seeded Islanders who had 91 points. (Buffalo even had just one less win than NYI). So, if at some time during that 82 game season, if Buffalo had just gotten 2 more wins, with the Islanders getting 1 less win, or 2 less points, they both would have had 89 points and Buffalo would have made the playoffs by virtue of having more wins, and hence the entire Northeast Division would have gotten in. So it is indeed possible, and probably will happen at some point when one division has a lot of poor teams, like the Southeast did in that year (the bottom 4 teams had no higher than 78 points).

OK, Max.. if your scenario is not probable in the least, what's the point in even bringing it up? The asker asked if this was possible, but I assume he can tell that all 5 teams in one division can make the playoffs since all they have to do is be in the top 8 in the conference.. I believe what he really wanted to know is if it were really probable for it to happen here in the real world, not in fantasyland. It's mathematically possible for a team to go 82-0-0 in the regular season, and then 16-0 in the playoffs, for a perfect 98-0 season.. but it's not probable at all, and hence has no bearing on anything real. If you want a real possible scenario, I gave one from the 03-04 season that came extremely close to actually happening.. and oddly enough, no one needed 148 points.

Answer 3

Theoretically, it's possible, but the likelihood is low given the NHL's current unbalanced schedule. The Patrick division teams all feasted on the meek, loading up on points in their 8 head to heads vs the Flyers. The spread between 5th place and 1st in the division was 51 points.

In fact, that was the pattern across the league as stronger sides fed on the 90 lb weaklings in their division. The Southeast was the only division that bucked that trend, with the respective quintet posting a spread of 27 points between high and low.

While the wheels came off the Caps wagon towards the end, the Canes and Panthers vied for a playoff berth up to the last two weeks in the season. The result of the tougher divisional competition was that only 2 of the teams made it through.

Answer 4

Theoretically, it's possible.

However, it would involve four of the top five non-division winners in the entire conference all coming out of the same division. But with the way the schedule is so divisional-play laden, that is very unlikely. You mentioned that four of the five Atlantic Division teams made the playoffs; well, one could make the case that the reason four teams made it from the Atlantic is because all of them got to play eight games against the crappy Flyers.

Look at the west. The Pacific Division has three teams among the top six seeds. It didn't hurt them (Dallas, particularly) that they each played eight games against Los Angeles and Phoenix).

Answer 5

In the regular season, each team plays 82 games. Currently, of the 82 games, teams play 32 games within their division, 40 games against non-divisional intra-conference opponents, and 10 inter-conference games. If every team in a division were to win all of the games outside of their division as well as split the games within their division between victories and overtime losses, it is possible for every team in a division to end up with 148 points (80+20+32+16) which would be more than enough to make the playoffs.

To those who would criticize the math of an engineer:
•40 wins against non-divisional intra-conference opponents = 80 points
•10 wins against inter-conference opponents = 20 points
•16 wins against divisional opponents = 32 points
•16 overtime/shootout losses against divisional
opponents = 16 points

It all adds up for a total of 148 points

I was not presenting a probable situation, rather I was presenting the most points mathematically possible for every team in a division to accumulate.

Rich, Perhaps you should read the question again:

Is it "possible" for all five teams in a division to make the playoffs

Nowhere do I see: Is it "probable" for all five teams to make the playoffs

I was simply emphasizing the "possibility" by presenting an extreme scenario

Answer 6

I'd have to do the math but with the new 3 point games anything is possible. Especially if all 5 teams dominate their games outside the division and play to OT/SO games in their division.

Answer 7

It could be possible on a far stretch! That would be crazy to see! But, as much as the teams within a division play each other, statistically, it shouldn't happen. That would have to resault in the division breaking even in games against everybody in that division, and them winning most of the games against non division teams. Plus almost every team in the Conference would have to do bad for that to happen.
But, all in all it actually could! =)

Answer 8

Don't forget, you currently get a point for a tie. So if you are in a division that always plays each other tight, and almost all of them are 3 point games, while playing other divisions they dominate outright, then it is possible.

Answer 9

Oh, yeah, it's definitely possible. I think the NBA had something like that last year with whatever division Detroit and Chicago's in, and their system isn't that different from the NHL's. So, mathematically, it is possible.

Answer 10

It is possible, but I hope the playoff format changes back to the real divisional format.