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Back-to-Back- Not Good
by Paul on 05/03/08 at 04:57 PM ET
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from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,
The NHL’s second-class status when it comes to arena dates and television schedules, on U.S. TV anyway, has resulted in a familiar problem in the playoffs. And it will get worse the deeper you go in the playoffs, where fatigue becomes a bigger factor with the players.
I’m talking about the back-to-back games, often in different cities, that are part of almost every playoff series.
The problem is that often NHL teams do not have first call on their arena’s availability, especially when that arena is shared with an NBA team.
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Earlier this week, for example, the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars had to play back-to-back, with the Stars winning 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday night in San Jose and then losing 2-1 the next night back in Dallas. By all accounts, the latter game was a snoozer.
Shoalts, you suck. The truth is, *both* of those games were in Dallas. But we wouldn’t want to let silly things like facts get in the way.
By my count there have been 65 playoff games, and only six of those came without a preceding day off. Three of the six required travel, of which I’d consider only Dallas to Anaheim (1200 miles) worth mentioning (Montreal to Boston is 250, Philly to DC half that).
Both Dallas and San Jose have had the misfortune of playing in two ‘no-rest’ games, so I’ll use them as examples. During the regular season, Dallas played in fourteen ‘no-rest’ games, and thirteen of them required travel beforehand. San Jose played in sixteen ‘no-rest’ games, and fifteen of those needed travel. Percentage-wise, the number of ‘no-rest’ playoff games is right in line with what these teams experienced during the regular season (Dal 18% vs 17%, SJ 17% vs 20%). For the other teams, it’s less than what they’re used to.
So Shoalts, kindly STFU.
Posted by shep from california on 05/03/08 at 06:15 PM ET
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Actually, the Habs-Flyers situation comes up Saturday/Sunday, not whatever the lazy writer was trying to point out.
Posted by Steve from New Jersey on 05/03/08 at 04:33 PM ET