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The fantasy hockey playoffs bring not only nightly excitement on television without the need of having to worry about the Colorado Avalanche or Arizona Coyotes erroneously popping up on your screen, but they also provide an extra reason to get mad at your friends and work colleagues via playoff pools.
Whether it be a box pool, a draft format, or freely choosing your own collection of a set amount of players, all pools follow the same general principals.
DO: Be right
It might be difficult to resist the temptation to be wrong, but this point is the biggest of all. Take it from someone with years of experience with being wrong in playoff pools (and in other ways). Winning a playoff format requires having more players from the champions of each conference than anyone else involved in the pool. Start with a bracket, pick the winner of each matchup, and load up on the players from your hypothetical Stanley Cup Final.
DON'T: Share
Sharing is caring - unless you care about winning. In the real world, not all the star players play for the same team (a total of just 56 players suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks this season). This will cause participants unwilling to follow the first DO to pick only star players and be left with guys on five or more teams. The more concentrated your fantasy roster is on the real-life champion, the better your chances of success.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
DO: Play to win
Playing to win means coming up with a strategy and a roster no one else in your pool will have. This requires selecting some less obvious names who will be a a factor for the eventual Stanley Cup-winning team. Look for third-line players who also see time on the power play, or defensive role players who are likely to see plenty of ice time at the ends of games and in overtime.
DON'T: Be loyal
Unless you're part of the rapidly growing fan bases of the Penguins and/or Blackhawks, chances are your team won't win the Stanley Cup, even with an unlikely (or overdue) playoff appearance. Unlike a sea captain, you don't need to go down with the ship. Playoff pools are the time for bandwagon jumping, even if it means pledging temporary allegiance to a long-time rival.
DO: Take risks
It's not easy (or logical) to select third or fourth liners who struggled to hit 30 points in the regular season over a 80-point star. These decisions are gut-wrenching hours before the postseason starts, but can result in a nice bank account boost once Lord Stanley's mug is passed around. Look to maximize the number of games played by your team as a whole. The stats will follow.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
