A regular season of ice hockey is as long as a lifetime: 52 team matches, following which the best go to heaven (the play-offs for the title) and the worst go to hell (the play-outs once morest the relegation). In the meantime, four teams find themselves in purgatory for a short week, the time to play a best-of-three pre-play-off series. The first team with two victories goes on the right side, the other finds itself on vacation.
