Opinion: Current playoff format reinvigorates rivalries, and that’s why it should stick around

Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesThe NHL playoff bracket is set, as teams and their respective fan bases gear up for the first round. Fans in Toronto, Ottawa, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and Florida are ready to face familiar and not-so-likeable foes. That's good for hockey, great entertainment, and, inevitably, the right way to do this playoff thing! Were there some less-than-watchable games in the last week or two of the season due to predetermined outcomes? Sure, but I'll take the good with the bad, seeing as the good comes in the form of renewed rivalries, like a lot of them. I will put these matchups on a silver platter to prove my point.

The Battle of Ontario

Let's start with the…