Don't Tell Buffalo and Montreal the NHL Playoffs Aren't Any Place For Young Teams
Conventional wisdom says the playoffs favor older teams. But the data suggests that edge may be overstated — and the Sabres and Canadiens are testing it in real time.
Youth can be one of the most exciting attributes in hockey — associated as it is with speed, explosiveness, and perhaps a bit of blissful ignorance around how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup.
When it comes to championship teams, however, we tend to connect them much more strongly with age and experience. There’s a reason why it seems like more players in the Finals tend to feature grays in their playoff beards than struggling to grow them at all.
Two NHL teams will go into Game 2 of their respective series Tuesday as archetypes against this truism — and if the statistical odds are any indication, the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens might just carry the torch for a younger blueprint deeper into the playoffs than conventional wisdom suggests.
