Bettman Stands Firm on Playoff Format Amid Fan Fury

Gary Bettman digs in his heels at the GM meetings, defending the divisional playoff setup even as top teams like the Stars and Wild face brutal early matchups that could send them packing in the first round. GMs and insiders whisper about hybrid 1-8 seeding to fix the fairness issues, but the commish insists the regular season already weeds out the weak.