In a cruel twist of the NHL's divisional playoff format, get ready to say goodbye to one of the three best teams in the league in the first round.

"I don't think it was designed for this," Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. "I don't think it was intended for this to happen."

The Blue Jackets, Capitals and Penguins could finish 1-2-3 in points, but because they all play in the Metropolitan Division, the second- and third-place teams will face off in the first round. 

"It's stupid. It's the stupidest thing ever," Capitals forward Daniel Winnik said. "It doesn't work. It doesn't make sense."