Re: ECAC Pick the Playoffs 2010
Finally got around to doing some tallying.
Since 1983, when the ECAC first introduced multi-game series for the playoffs, there have been 137 total series. Of those, 98 (72%) have been decided in two games, but this does include several of those ghastly first-to-three-points series, which clearly made "sweeps" much more likely. That means that only 39 series (28%) have gone past game 2, either to the (even stupider) mini-game or to a full game 3.
The trend has distinctly changed, though. 21 of those 39 extended series have occurred since 2003, when the first two rounds became 3-game series. That's 38% of the 56 series that have occurred since 2003. This makes sense, because in the first round the teams are more evenly matched now (all in the bottom 8) while in the 2nd round even if the lower-seeded team isn't that good, at least it has some momentum going for it from the first round. Still, in a typical year, we're only seeing ~3 game 3's, spread between the rounds. 2008 was an anomaly, with 5 of the 8 series going to a game 3.
And yet, of with 74 people picking 4 series (296 total picks), we've collectively made 170 picks (57%) for game 3's!
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