Instead of the current system, under which the top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs, the new plan will award spots to the top three teams in each division along with the next two teams with the best records as wild cards.

WSJ: Players' association gives OK to NHL realignment

We can hope that some of them can make finals and preferably finish in the top eight, and therefore contribute to the placement table which I feel is a more accurate measure of a country's prowess than medals alone.

BBC: World athletics predictions

For the first time this decade, six of the eight teams poised to make the playoffs rank among baseball's top nine payrolls.

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