This year in hockey has certainly been one to remember. The United States Women’s and Men’s Olympic teams both taking home gold was historic in it’s own respect. And to beat our neighbors up north was certainly a cherry on top. But those Olympic games have been put in the rearveiw mirror. The ultimate goal now becomes lifting the most sought after trophy in hockey, the Stanley Cup. The cup is iconic, revered, yet elusive. Carved into its side are the names of some of the games greats, the best teams in the NHL each year etched into hockey history for eternity. Today, the chase for the cup officially begins as the puck drops on the NHL postseason.
One of the biggest storylines of this year’s playoff push has been the end of a long and arduous drought. For the first time in 14 seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have punched their ticket to the postseason. Adding onto it, they won the Eastern Atlantic Conference for the first time since the 2009-10 season. After a plethora of different head coaches, former coach Lindy Ruff was brought back onto the staff and delivered one of the teams best regular seasons in over a decade.
Other teams, like the Minnesota Wild, have been to the playoffs plenty but have not won a round itself in over a decade, the last time coming in 2015 when they beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 in the first round.
Then you have your mainstays, the “blue bloods” to steal a term from the recently wrapped up NCAA tournament. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights (just to name a few); all teams that have played in the Stanley Cup Finals in the last 10 years.
All of these teams start with a blank slate in one of the best postseason tournaments we have in the four major North American sports. The NHL postseason delivers the most raucous of crowds, the best enviroments and some of the best contests. In the playoffs, every shift matters. Guys are putting their bodies on the line and diving in front of pucks with zero regard for their own safety. It just means more in the pursuit of the cup.
Here’s the full weekend schedule for the first round of the playoffs:
(1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC2) Ottawa Senators
Game 1: Saturday, April 18 | at CAR | 2 p.m. | ESPN
(2) Dallas Stars vs. (3) Minnesota Wild
Game 1: Saturday, April 18 | at DAL | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1: Saturday, April 18 | at PIT | 7 p.m. | ESPN
(1) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Los Angeles Kings
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 | at COL | 2 p.m. | TNT
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3) Montreal Canadiens
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 | at TB | 4:45 p.m. | TNT
(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (WC1) Boston Bruins
Game 1: Sunday April 19 | at BUF | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN
(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Utah Mammoth
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 | at VGK | 9 p.m. | ESPN
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