Is this Baseball???

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when all the aspects of the "new NHL" were being discussed, the only schedule impact that I remember was the increased emphasis on divisional rivalries. Now, you hear about teams playing opponents from the other conference for the first time this year - take a look at the expanded standings over at ESPN and you'll see that we've entered the equivalent of Major League Baseball's Interleague Play.

Not that this is entirely a bad thing, but it was surprising to find out. I wonder if Las Vegas offers a parlay on total combined win/loss between the conferences. The smart money would presumably be on the quicker Western Conference, but what do I know?