The chase for Lord Stanley will begin Monday.
After a dramatic ending to an exhilarating 82-game schedule that saw heartbreaks and last-ditch efforts to make the playoffs, 16 teams will battle to capture the Stanley Cup. We saw the Boston Bruins become the fastest team to reach 50 wins. They continued to etch their names into the history books by setting the NHL’s regular season points record with 133 points, surpassing the Montreal Canadiens dynasty that set the previous record in 1976-77.
There were also a whopping number of player accomplishments this season too. Connor McDavid became the first player to register 150 points in a season since Mario Lemieux. Jason Robertson set the Dallas Stars’ regular season point total record after registering 109 points. Jack Hughes set the points record for the New Jersey Devils after a career-high season, notching 99 points, and Sharks’ Erik Karlsson became the first defenseman to register 100 points since 1991-92.
The Pittsburgh Penguins saw their playoff dreams crushed this last week, marking the first time since 2005-06 that Sidney Crosby and the Penguins have not reached the playoffs. Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals were also eliminated from playoff contention marking the first time in nine seasons.
With the bracket nearly set, it’s time to expect the unexpected.
Here are the first two dates for each of the eight Stanley Cup matchups, with times to be determined:
Eastern Conference
#A1 Boston Bruins vs. #WC2 Florida Panthers
Monday, April 17
Wednesday, April 19
#A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
Tuesday, April 18
Thursday, April 20
#M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #WC1 New York Islanders
Monday, April 17
Wednesday, April 19
#M2 New Jersey Devils vs. #M3 New York Rangers
Tuesday, April 18
Thursday, April 20
Western Conference
#C1/2 Dallas Stars vs. #C3 Minnesota Wild or #WC1 Seattle Kraken
Monday, April 17
Wednesday, April 19
#C1/2 Colorado Avalanche vs. #C3 Minnesota Wild or #WC1 Seattle Kraken
Tuesday, April 18
Thursday, April 20
#P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. #WC2 Winnipeg Jets
Tuesday, April 18
Thursday, April 20
#P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. #P3 Los Angeles Kings
Monday, April 17
Wednesday, April 19
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