Eastern Conference Round 1 playoff matchups set, West comes into view
All four Eastern Conference first-round matchups are now locked in and just two are to be decided out West as the NHL's playoff picture has come into view on the penultimate day of the regular season.
The league-best Boston Bruins will face last season's Presidents' Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers, in a series beginning Monday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will meet for the second straight year in a series that's been set in stone for weeks. The Leafs secured second place in the Atlantic Division, while the Lightning finished third. They will kick things off Tuesday night.
The Carolina Hurricanes - who clinched their second consecutive Metropolitan Division title Thursday night - will battle the New York Islanders beginning Monday. The Islanders clinched the NHL's final postseason berth while eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins from playoff contention on Wednesday.
The New Jersey Devils will meet their neighbors and bitter rivals the New York Rangers in a series beginning Tuesday. The Devils finished second in the Metropolitan Division, while the Rangers placed third.
Over in the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights secured the Pacific Division title with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Vegas will face the Winnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 2018 Western Conference Final that starts Tuesday.
The red-hot Edmonton Oilers are the second seed in the Pacific and will meet the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the second consecutive year starting Monday.
Still to be decided is the top spot in the Central Division. Should the Colorado Avalanche win Friday's regular-season finale against the Nashville Predators, the defending Stanley Cup champions would secure the division title and face the Seattle Kraken in the first round. The Dallas Stars would then battle the Minnesota Wild.
If the Avalanche lose in regulation Friday, Dallas will instead square off against the Kraken, while Colorado would meet the Wild.