16 storylines for 1st round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The most compelling time of the hockey season is here.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin with four Game 1s on Monday. There will be plenty of storylines that develop as each series progresses, but there's already a lot to consider before the puck even drops.
Here are 16 storylines for the first round:

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Rematch round

Two of the eight first-round series this season are rematches from last year, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings reprising their roles.
The Lightning and Oilers each advanced in seven games last season after trailing 3-2. And, just like last year, Toronto and Edmonton will again be the higher seed with home-ice advantage.
Edmonton finished the season as the hottest team in the NHL, winning its final nine games and going 14-0-1 in its final 15. Game 1 against the Kings will be at Rogers Place on Monday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSW).
Toronto also finished the season strong, winning its final four games, including 4-3 at Tampa Bay on April 11. Game 1 against the Lightning will be at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, BSSUN).

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Maple Leafs can end 19-year drought

The Maple Leafs qualified for the postseason for the seventh straight season. They're 0-6 in their previous six opening-round series.
Toronto hasn't advanced out of the first round since 2004, when it defeated the Ottawa Senators in seven games in the conference quarterfinals before losing in six to the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference semifinals.
Since 2018, the Maple Leafs are 0-9 in games when they have a chance to close out a series, including 0-4 in Game 7s. They also lost a series-deciding Game 5 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs.
But everything can change if Toronto defeats Tampa Bay this time around.
Although they lost to them last season after holding a 3-2 series lead, the Maple Leafs retooled their roster ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring forwards Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty, and defensemen Jake McCabe, Luke Schenn and Erik Gustafsson.

Lightning limping

The good news is the Lightning ended a four-game losing streak by winning their regular-season finale 5-0 against the Detroit Red Wings at Amalie Arena. The bad news is it was their second four-game losing streak in less than a month.
The Lightning went 4-8-0 in their final 12 games, but it goes beyond that. They were 14-15-5 after the All-Star break, ranking 21st in the NHL in points (33) and 24th in points percentage (.485) in that span. They also averaged 3.12 goals per game and allowed 3.29, each of which was 19th.
Part of their struggles might have been related to human nature. The Lightning have known for a long time they would be opening the playoffs against the Maple Leafs. They were second or third, respectively, in the Atlantic Division every day since Dec. 8.
The Lightning will try to turn it back on starting with Game 1 on Tuesday. They are trying to become the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final in four consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders did it five times in a row from 1980-84.

McDavid's encore

Connor McDavid had a historic regular season with 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games. The Oilers center is the first player to exceed 150 points in a season since Mario Lemieux had 161 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.
McDavid is likely going to finish as a runaway winner for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. It'll be the third time he has won the award.
However, this looks like McDavid's best chance to raise the big trophy. He led the NHL with 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 16 playoff games last season, when the Oilers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.

A renewal of the Hudson River Rivalry

The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers will meet in the playoffs for the seventh time in their history and first since the 2012 Eastern Conference Final. Game 1 will be at Prudential Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TBS, SN360, TVAS).
The arenas, Prudential Center for the Devils and Madison Square Garden for the Rangers, are separated by the Hudson River and 14 miles.
The most famous series between them was the Eastern Conference Final in 1994, when the Rangers eliminated the Devils in seven games on a goal by Stephane Matteau at 4:24 of the second overtime.
New York also needed seven games to defeat New Jersey in the Patrick Division semifinals in 1992, and five games in the 1997 conference semifinals and 2008 conference quarterfinals.
The Devils defeated the Rangers in six games in 2012, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final on a goal by Adam Henrique at 1:03 of overtime. Of the two current rosters, Rangers forward Chris Kreider is the only player remaining from that series. New Jersey also swept New York in the 2006 conference quarterfinals.

Don't forget the Islanders

The three teams in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area are in the playoffs for the first time in 16 years and the fourth time in history. And they're all in the same Metropolitan Division bracket.
The winner of the series between the Rangers and Devils will play the winner of the series between the Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes, who finished first in the division.
Game 1 between the Islanders and Hurricanes is at PNC Arena on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2, BSSO, MSG, MSGSN).
The Islanders, Rangers and Devils also all made the playoffs in 1990, 1994 and 2007.

Hurricanes trying to find their game

Carolina capped off a trying last month of the regular season with consecutive wins, but it went 9-9-1 in its final 19 games, which started with a 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 11, when forward Andrei Svechnikov sustained a season-ending knee injury.
The Hurricanes are also without forward Max Pacioretty, who was limited to five games this season because of separate torn Achilles injuries.
Prior to Svechnikov's injury, Carolina averaged 3.33 goals per game (11th in NHL) and was 21.7 percent on the power play (15th). After the injury, it averaged 2.72 goals per game (26th) and was 10.9 percent on the power play (31st).
Ironically, the only team worse on the power play in that span was the Islanders (9.7 percent).
The Hurricanes may not need to score four goals per game to beat the Islanders, but it's hard to imagine them winning without scoring at least three. New York averaged 2.95 goals per game this season.

Did loading up work?

The Rangers are going to find out if it really was worth it to load up ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline by acquiring right wings Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Kane will be on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Kreider, and Tarasenko will play with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin against the Devils in Game 1.
Tarasenko had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 31 games after the Rangers acquired him from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9. Kane had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 19 games after he was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade on Feb. 28.

Similarly, the Devils will get a chance to assess the full value of their trade with the San Jose Sharks for forward Timo Meier on Feb. 26. Meier had 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 21 games.
It's fair to throw Bo Horvat into the mix, too. The Islanders acquired the center from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 30 and signed him to an eight-year contract on Feb. 5. Horvat had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 30 games with the Islanders.

Kraken the field

In just their second season as an NHL team, the Seattle Kraken will make their playoff debut when they take on the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 at Ball Arena Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, TVAS, ALT, ROOT-NW).
The first playoff game at Climate Pledge Arena will be Saturday. It will also be the first playoff game involving an NHL team in Seattle since March 29, 1919, when the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association lost 4-3 in overtime to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. That series would end in a 2-2-1 tie because of the Spanish Flu.
The Kraken finished the season with 46 wins and 100 points after getting 27 wins and 60 points in their inaugural season. It's the largest improvement in each category by a team from its first to second season in NHL history.
Seattle had six players score at least 20 goals, including 40 from Jared McCann. It also had eight players finish with at least 40 points, led by McCann's 70.
Although the Kraken did not have anybody in the top 50 in scoring, their balanced attack allowed them to finish tied for fourth in the NHL in goals per game (3.52).

Avalanche injuries

The Avalanche will try to defend their Stanley Cup championship without forward Gabriel Landeskog, who they announced on Thursday would not play in the playoffs. Landeskog, Colorado's captain, did not play this season after having knee surgery in October.
On the surface, it looks like a big blow to the Avalanche to not have Landeskog, who had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 20 playoff games last season. But Colorado has played without him all season and still finished first in the Central Division with 109 points.
Of greater concern is the health of defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the final seven games of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
Makar is skating, but will he be ready for Game 1 against the Kraken? He missed 22 of Colorado's final 40 games because of injuries.

Eichel set for NHL playoff debut

Jack Eichel, in his eighth NHL season, will play in the playoffs for the first time.
The Vegas Golden Knights center, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Buffalo Sabres, who have not qualified for the playoffs since 2011.
Eichel was traded to the Golden Knights on Nov. 4, 2021, and played in 34 games with them last season, but Vegas failed to make the playoffs for the first time in its history.
Eichel will finally get a chance to experience playoff hockey on Tuesday, when the Golden Knights, who finished first in the Pacific Division and Western Conference, play Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets at T-Mobile Arena (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SNW, TVAS2, ATTSN-RM).

History made, Bruins looking for more

The Boston Bruins have reached Game 1 of the playoffs with nothing guaranteed in front of them, which is exactly where they knew they'd be after the best regular season in NHL history.
The Bruins set NHL single-season records for points (135) and wins (65), but they'll tell you everything they accomplished is irrelevant right now. And they'll be right.
They know the history, too.
Boston surpassed the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning and 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most wins in a season. Both the Lightning and Red Wings finished with 62 wins, but neither won the Stanley Cup. The Lightning were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets; the Red Wings lost to the Avalanche in six games in the Western Conference Final.
On the other hand, the team they passed for the most points in a single season, the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (132), did win the Stanley Cup, sweeping the Bruins, in fact.
Game 1 for Boston will be against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, NESN, BSFL).

Lyon roaring for Panthers

The Panthers are in the playoffs with Alex Lyon as their No. 1 goalie, or at least that's what it looks like.
Lyon started the final eight games of the regular season, going 6-1-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and .943 save percentage to help the Panthers rally and claim the second wild card from the East.
Sergei Bobrovsky is healthy and available to play, but the Panthers rode the hot hand of Lyon and likely will continue to do so. Bobrovsky was 0-3-0 and allowed 12 goals on 94 shots in his final three starts, all in a row from March 23-27.
Lyon had played in seven games this season prior to his hot streak, including six straight from Jan. 19-28, when he went 3-2-1 with a 3.89 GAA and .892 save percentage. He also allowed five goals on 23 shots in a 6-3 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on March 21.
So to say his hot streak to close the regular season came as a surprise would be an understatement.

DeBoer effect

Peter DeBoer has never lost in the first round of the playoffs in his first appearance with a team. The coach led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, the Sharks to the Final in 2016, and the Golden Knights to the Western Conference Final in 2020.
DeBoer will try to keep that trend going this season with the Dallas Stars, who host the Minnesota Wild for Game 1 at American Airlines Center on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2, BSSW, BSN, BSWIX).
The Stars earned home-ice advantage by ending the season on a six-game winning streak and going 10-2-1 in their last 13. They also went 2-0-2 against the Wild this season, though the teams haven't played since a 2-1 shootout win by Minnesota on Feb. 17.
Stars forward Jason Robertson had 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) this season, which is second in Stars/Minnesota North Stars history to Bobby Smith, who had 114 in 1981-82. Robertson had 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in the last 13 games of the season.
Also worth noting is that Jake Oettinger can become the first Minnesota-born goalie to win a series against a Minnesota-based team in NHL history.

Wild goalies, again

The same question the Wild had to deal with entering the playoffs last season is again being asked this season: Who is going to be their Game 1 starting goalie?
Last season, it was Marc-Andre Fleury or Cam Talbot. Fleury started the first five games against the St. Louis Blues. Talbot got the nod in Game 6, when the Wild were eliminated.
This season, the question is between Fleury and Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson had the better regular season, going 22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA and .931 save percentage in 39 games (37 starts). Fleury was solid, though, going 24-16-4 with a 2.85 GAA and .908 save percentage in 46 games (45 starts).
They basically alternated starts in the final 25 games of the season. Gustavsson started 13 of them, going 7-1-5 with a 2.09 GAA and .936 save percentage. Fleury was 8-3-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .924 save percentage in 12 starts.
Fleury has played in 167 NHL playoff games. Gustavsson has played in zero.
Maybe the Wild buck the popular trend of picking a goalie and trying to ride him in the playoffs and instead continue alternating Gustavsson and Fleury. It's certainly possible.

A postseason without Sid and Ovi

For the first time in 17 years, the NHL playoffs will begin without either Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin competing for the Cup, which the two generational stars have won a combined four times.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, captained by Crosby, did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2006, ending a 16-year postseason run, which was the longest active streak by a team in any of North America's four major professional sports.
This will be the second time Crosby has missed the playoffs, with 2005-06 being his rookie year. It's the first time Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have missed.
The Washington Capitals, captained by Ovechkin, failed to qualify for the first time since 2014. The Capitals also missed with Ovechkin in 2006 and 2007, his first two NHL seasons.