Wray Morrison: It’s still great hockey

The current NHL playoff format has it’s faults, but it doesn’t take away from the quality of hockey that we are going to see in the next three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It is too bad to see number three Boston go against number four Toronto in round one in the east.

However, entering tonight’s action, the top four teams in the eastern conference — Tampa Bay, division winner Washington, Toronto and Boston — are all
still alive.

I can also see the concerns of Minnesota fans. The fourth-seeded Wild inthe west drew the third seeded Winnipeg Jets in the first round.

The Wild are out, while the sixth-seeded San Jose Sharks now wait for round two to start.

Don’t get hung up on the shortcomings of this format, and don’t deny yourselves the chance to see some really good hockey in the next month
and a half.

Teams such as the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins,Tampa Bay, Nashville and even Winnipeg are still the mix — and deserve to be.