After the discussion about playoff seeding yesterday, I decided to do some research about how different seeds have fared in the playoffs since the lockout. I posted the numbers in the Clips thread, but it was pretty late and I'm interested to hear what more folks think, and I'd rather not take a second Clips thread to the margin. I've also added the data since the NHL went to Conference-based, rather than Division-based playoffs. The results and a poll below the jump.

(For those of you who want to skip the wall 'o text below, skip to the bottom and click on the image, or click here for the Google Doc.)

1994-1998: The league went from a divisional playoff to a conference playoff in 1994. There were still only four divisions in two conferences, but instead of having each division play each other, the top eight teams were seeded in order of finish (no preference for division winners) and there was re-seeding after each round.

First Round Matchup Records:

1 vs 8: 7-3
2 vs 7: 4-6
3 vs 6: 8-2
4 vs 5: 7-3

Conference Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 5
2 Seed: 3
3 Seed: 5
4 Seed: 3
5 Seed: 2
6 Seed: 1
7 Seed: 1
8 Seed: 0

Total: 20

Cup Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 2
2 Seed: 1
3 Seed: 3
4 Seed: 2
5 Seed: 1
6 Seed: 0
7 Seed: 1
8 Seed: 0

Total: 10

Stanley Cups:

1 Seed: 1
2 Seed: 1
3 Seed: 2
4 Seed: 0
5 Seed: 1
6 Seed: 0
7 Seed: 0
8 Seed: 0

Total: 5

1999-2004: 1998-99 saw the introduction of the conference format as we know it today: two conferences, each with three divisions, with the division winners getting the top three seeds.

First Round Matchup Records:

1 vs 8: 9-3
2 vs 7: 5-7
3 vs 6: 8-4
4 vs 5: 10-2

Conference Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 7
2 Seed: 5
3 Seed: 3
4 Seed: 4
5 Seed: 0
6 Seed: 3
7 Seed: 2
8 Seed: 0

Total: 24

Cup Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 5
2 Seed: 2
3 Seed: 1
4 Seed: 1
5 Seed: 0
6 Seed: 1
7 Seed: 2
8 Seed: 0

Total: 12

Stanley Cups:

1 Seed: 4
2 Seed: 1
3 Seed: 0
4 Seed: 1
5 Seed: 0
6 Seed: 0
7 Seed: 0
8 Seed: 0

Total: 6

2006-2010: Although the format of the playoffs is technically unchanged since the lockout, I think that the introduction of a salary cap and the shootout may have an effect on seeding, therefore I've separated it out.

First Round Matchup Records:

1 vs 8: 7-3
2 vs 7: 8-2
3 vs 6: 4-6
4 vs 5: 5-5

Conference Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 4
2 Seed: 5
3 Seed: 0
4 Seed: 4
5 Seed: 1
6 Seed: 3
7 Seed: 1
8 Seed: 2

Total: 20

Cup Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 1
2 Seed: 5
3 Seed: 0
4 Seed: 2
5 Seed: 0
6 Seed: 0
7 Seed: 1
8 Seed: 1

Total: 10

Stanley Cups:

1 Seed: 1
2 Seed: 3
3 Seed: 0
4 Seed: 1
5 Seed: 0
6 Seed: 0
7 Seed: 0
8 Seed: 0

Total: 5

Totals from 1994-2010:

First Round Matchup Records:

1 vs 8: 23-9
2 vs 7: 17-15
3 vs 6: 20-12
4 vs 5: 22-10

Conference Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 16
2 Seed: 13
3 Seed: 8
4 Seed: 11
5 Seed: 3
6 Seed: 7
7 Seed: 4
8 Seed: 2

Cup Finals Appearances:

1 Seed: 8
2 Seed: 8
3 Seed: 4
4 Seed: 5
5 Seed: 1
6 Seed: 1
7 Seed: 4
8 Seed: 1

Stanley Cups:

1 Seed: 6
2 Seed: 5
3 Seed: 2
4 Seed: 2
5 Seed: 1
6 Seed: 0
7 Seed: 0
8 Seed: 0

Here's all the data in a table (click it to get a better image):

(Sorry for the blurriness of the table. It looks great on Tinypic, but the instant I upload it to SBN it goes all to hell.)