The Stanley Cup Playoffs are widely considered the best postseason in any North American sport, and this year, which features no clear-cut favorites, should live up to these lofty expectations.
The field is so wide open that many pundits have the No. 1 seeds (Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers) losing in the opening round. Ask a group of 10 hockey fans who they think will win it all, and you may get 10 different answers.
The Rangers, winners of the 2014-15 President's Trophy, certainly feel pressure to come out on top. New York lost in the Final last spring to the Los Angeles Kings, and have done an admirable job avoiding a major hangover. If the Blueshirts, who feature a lot of depth and a star goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist, can take home the Cup, it'll be their first since 1994.
The Ducks are feeling the heat too, especially head coach Bruce Boudreau. The veteran bench boss has enjoyed a lot of regular seasons success -- both in Washington and in Anaheim -- but this hasn't translated to the playoffs. The Ducks have won the Pacific Division for three straight campaigns under Boudreau's watch, however they've yet to get beyond the second round in that stretch. Boudreau's Capitals squads were famous for their postseason blunders.
The format
The top three teams in each division -- Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific -- earned automatic postseason berths, while the final four spots were given to two wild card teams in each conference based on point totals. The top seeds in both conferences play against the lowest wild card teams in the first round, and the other division winners face off against the other wild card qualifiers. Otherwise, the matchups aren't based on conference standings -- rather, the second and third seeds in each division square off. From there, whoever emerges from the series involving division champions take on the winners of the series involving the second and third seeds in what is known as the conference semifinals. The winners advance to the Conference Finals, and then the Stanley Cup Final.
Each series is best-of-seven, played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
The teams
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1. Montreal Canadiens - 110 points
2. Tampa Bay Lightning - 108 points
3. Detroit Red Wings - 100 points
Metropolitan Division
1. New York Rangers - 113 points
2. Washington Capitals - 101 points
3. New York Islanders - 101 points
Wild Cards
1. Ottawa Senators - 99 points
2. Pittsburgh Penguins - 98 points
Western Conference
Central Division
1. St. Louis Blues - 109 points
2. Nshville Predators - 104 points
3. Chicago Blackhawks - 102 points
Pacific Division
1. Anaheim Ducks - 109 points
2. Vancouver Canucks - 101 points
3. Calgary Flames - 97 points
Wild Cards
1. Minnesota Wild - 100 points
2. Winnipeg Jets - 99 points
Bracket
Bracket: NHL.com
Schedule and results
All times Eastern
*if necessary
Wednesday, April 15
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 1: Montreal 4, Ottawa 3 (recap)
Game 1: NY Islanders 4, Washington 1 (recap)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 1: Chicago 4, Nashville 3 (2 OT) (recap)
Game 1: Calgary 2, Vancouver 1 (recap)
Thursday, April 16
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 1: NY Rangers 2, Pittsburgh 1 (recap)
Game 1: Detroit 3, Tampa Bay 2 (recap)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 1: Minnesota 4, St. Louis 2 (recap)
Game 1: Anaheim 4, Winnipeg 2 (recap)
Friday, April 17
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 2: Montreal 3, Ottawa 2 (OT) (recap)
Game 2: Washington 4, NY Islanders 3 (recap)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 2: Nashville 6, Chicago 2 (recap)
Game 2: Vancouver 4, Calgary 1 (recap)
Saturday, April 18
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 2: Tampa Bay 5, Detroit 1 (recap)
Game 2: Pittsburgh, NY Rangers 3 (recap)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 2: St. Louis 4, Minnesota 1 (recap)
Game 2: Anaheim 2, Winnipeg 1 (recap)
Sunday, April 19
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 3: NY Islanders 2, Washington 1 (recap)
Game 3: Montreal 2, Ottawa 1 (recap)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 3: Chicago 4, Nashville 2 (recap)
Game 3: Calgary 4, Vancouver 2 (recap)
Monday, April 20
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 3: NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 3: St. Louis at Minnesota 8 p.m. (CNBC)
Game 3: Anaheim at Winnipeg, 9 p.m. (NBCSN, NHL Network)
Tuesday, April 21
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 3: Tampa Bay at Detroit, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 4: Washington at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m. (USA)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 4: Nashville at Chicago, 9:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 4: Vancouver at Calgary, 10 p.m. (USA)
Wednesday, April 22
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 4: Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m. (USA)
Game 4: NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 4: St. Louis at Minnesota 9:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 4: Anaheim at Winnipeg, 9:30 p.m. (USA)
Thursday, April 23
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 4: Tampa Bay at Detroit, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 5: NY Islanders at Washington, TBD
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 5: Chicago at Nashville, TBD
Game 5: Calgary at Vancouver, TBD
Friday, April 24
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 5: Ottawa at Montreal*
Game 5: Pittsburgh at NY Rangers, TBD
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 5: Minnesota at St. Louis, TBD
Game 5: Winnipeg at Anaheim*
Saturday, April 25
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 5: Detroit at Tampa Bay, TBD
Game 6: Washington at NY Islanders*
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 6: Nashville at Chicago*
Game 6: Vancouver at Calgary*
Sunday, April 26
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 6: Montreal at Ottawa*
Game 6: NY Rangers at Pittsburgh*
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 6: St. Louis at Minnesota*
Game 6: Anaheim at Winnipeg*
Monday, April 27
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 6: Tampa Bay at Detroit*
Game 7: NY Islanders at Washington*
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 7: Chicago at Nashville*
Game 7: Calgary at Vancouver*
Tuesday, April 28
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 7: Ottawa at Montreal*
Game 7: Pittsburgh at NY Rangers*
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 7: Winnipeg at Anaheim*
Wednesday, April 29
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Game 7: Detroit at Tampa Bay*
Western Conference quarterfinals
Game 7: Minnesota at St. Louis*
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