The Stanley Cup playoffs begin Monday with four first-round series, with four more slated to start on Tuesday.
In the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Boston Bruins, the top wild card in the East, will travel to face the Carolina Hurricanes in series that start on Monday.
Beginning Tuesday, the Florida Panthers — the winners of the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s points leader — will host the Washington Capitals. The Pittsburgh Penguins will play their Metropolitan Division foe, the Rangers, in New York.
Out west, the St. Louis Blues will meet the Wild in Minnesota and the Los Angeles Kings will be on the road against the Edmonton Oilers beginning Monday.
In series that start Tuesday, the Colorado Avalanche — the top team in the Western Conference — will host the Nashville Predators, the second wild card from the conference. The Calgary Flames will host the other wild card, the Dallas Stars.
All series are best-of-seven.
–Field Level Media
