2011 – 12 AHL season The 2011 – 12 AHL season is the 76th season of the American Hockey League . The regular season began on October 7 , 2011 , and concluded on April 15 , 2012 . The 2012 Calder Cup playoffs follows the conclusion of the regular season . Regular season . The 2011 – 12 season will feature scheduling changes in the regular season and post season . The major change will be the elimination of four games and extending the season by a week . The reasoning behind the change is to eliminate teams having to play four games in five nights . This will bring the total number of games for each team to 76 . To accomplish that , the league has decided to add an additional week to the season . On July 5 , 2011 , the league ' s new realignment was revealed . The league moved from having four divisions of seven / eight teams to six even divisions of five teams , similar to that of the NHL . The Western Conference consists of the West , Midwest , and North divisions ; the Eastern Conference consists of the Atlantic , Northeast , and East divisions . As a result of the Manitoba Moose relocating to St . John ' s , they have switched to the Eastern Conference , while the Charlotte Checkers have moved to the Western Conference . The third installment of the AHL Outdoor Classic took place in Canada , with the Hamilton Bulldogs hosting the Toronto Marlies in a regional rivalry game at Ivor Wynne Stadium on January 21 . The Marlies won the game 7 – 2 in front of a crowd of 20 , 565 spectators . This marks the first time the event has been played in Canada , and the event was moved up to the third weekend in January , instead of the third weekend in February as it has been in previous years . In addition to this game , another outdoor AHL game , between the Hershey Bears and the Adirondack Phantoms , took place as part of the 2012 NHL Winter Classic festivities on January 6 , 2012 . The Phantoms won that game 4 – 3 in overtime , and an AHL attendance record was set as the game drew a crowd of 45 , 653 fans . Playoff format . The 2011 – 12 playoff format will change as a result of the scheduling changes . The first round of the playoffs will now be a best of five series and the following rounds will continue to be best of seven game series ' . Eight teams per conference will qualify for the playoffs . The three division winners will earn the top three seeds . Seeds four through eight will be determined by regular season points out of the remaining teams in the division . Team will be re - seeded after the first round so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed . Standings . " indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot " < br > Statistical leaders . Leading skaters . The following players are sorted by points , then goals . " GP = Games played ; G = Goal s ; A = Assist s ; Pts = Points ; + / – = Plus - minus ; PIM = Penalty minutes " Leading goaltenders . The following goaltenders with a minimum 1500 minutes played led the league in goals against average . " GP = Games played ; TOI = Time on ice ( in minutes ) ; SA = Shots against ; GA = Goals against ; SO = Shutout s ; GAA = Goals against average ; SV % = Save percentage ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OT = Overtime / shootout loss "