The first round of the National Hockey League Playoffs (NHL) are now set, with the first games starting today.

Some highlights of this years playoffs include:

• The Los Angeles Kings are the Presidents’ Trophy Champions.
• This is the first time since 1966 that no team from the New York City area New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers) have failed to make the playoffs.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and their Stanley Cup drought is now at 59 years and counting.
• The reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, failed to make the playoffs, the first time the reigning champions failed to make the playoffs the following season since 2015.
• The Winnipeg Jets became just the fifth Presidents’ Trophy winners not to make the playoffs the following season.
• This is the first time in league history that The Presidents’ Trophy winners have failed to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Let’s take a look of the match-ups:

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (100 points, wild card team) vs. Buffalo Sabres (109 points, Atlantic Division Title)
This is the ninth time that these two teams have met in the playoffs, with the Bruins winning six of the eight previous meetings. The Bruins won three out of four regular season games.

Montreal Canadiens (109 points) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (106 points)
Each team won two games in their regular season head-to-head games. The Lightning have won three of the last four times the two teams have met in the playoffs, the last time in the finals back in 2021.

Ottawa Senators (99 points) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (113 points)
The Hurricanes are the Eastern Conference Champions and Metropolitan Division Titles holders and won two out of three games this season against the Senators. This is the first postseason match-up between the two teams.

Philadelphia Flyers (98 points) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (98 points)
The teams each won two games against their intrastate opponent this season. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was back in the first round of the playoffs in 2018, which the Penguins won. However, the Flyers have won four out of their seven postseason series. Look for the Penguins to win in seven games.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Kings (90 points) vs. Colorado Avalanche (121 points)
The Avalanche won the Western Conference Regular Season Title, the Central Division Title, and the Presidents’ Trophy. The Avalanche won all three regular season games, and have won both times these teams have met in the playoffs.

Minnesota Wild (104 points) vs. Dallas Stars (112 points)
The teams split their four games series this season and the Stars are 2-0 in the postseason against the Wild.

Utah Mammoth (92 points) vs. Vegas Golden Knights, (95 points, Pacific Division Title)
This is the first time the Mammoth are in the playoffs and they won two out of three regular season games this year.

Anaheim Ducks (92 points) vs. Edmonton Oilers (93 points)
The Oilers are the defending Western Conference Title holders and won two out of three games against the Ducks this season. This is the third postseason series between the two teams, with each team winning one series.

My predictions are:

Eastern Conference

• Boston Bruins in six games
• Canadiens in six games
• Hurricanes in five games
• Penguins in seven games

Western Conference

• Avalanche in five games
• Stars in six games
• Knights in five games
• Oilers in six games