Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round storylines include Lightning health

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight division-based best-of-7 series, which start Saturday.
Here are the matchups and four storylines to follow in each division throughout the Stanley Cup First Round.

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MassMutual East Division

1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 4. New York Islanders
   2. Washington Capitals vs. 3. Boston Bruins
      1. Big Z vs. the spoked B
      Zdeno Chara had to know this was a possibility when the defenseman signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on Dec. 30.
      The former captain of the Boston Bruins will face them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
      The Capitals have home-ice advantage, so the 44-year-old won't play a playoff game at TD Garden as a visitor for the first time in his 23-season NHL career until Game 3 on Wednesday. He scored 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 55 games with the Capitals this season.
      Chara was the longest-tenured NHL captain before signing with Washington. He was in that role all 14 of his seasons in Boston, helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011.
      2. Deadline additions look to make impact
      Each of the four teams made a big move before the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline.
      The Bruins acquired left wing Taylor Hall in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres, and he has found a home on the second line with David Krejci and Craig Smith.
      The Penguins acquired Jeff Carter in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings, and the two-time Stanley Cup winner filled in as the No. 2 center behind Sidney Crosby when Evgeni Malkin was out with a lower-body injury. As the No. 3, Carter gives the Penguins enviable veteran center depth.
      The Capitals acquired forward Anthony Mantha in a trade from the Detroit Red Wings, giving them another big body (6-foot-5, 234 pounds) to play in their top-six or top-nine forward group.
      The Islanders acquired forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac in a trade from the New Jersey Devils, giving them added scoring (Palmieri is a five-time 20-goal scorer) and another center (Zajac).

3. Ovi and Sid looking for more
Neither Alex Ovechkin nor Crosby has won a playoff round since 2018, when Ovechkin's Capitals eliminated Crosby's Penguins in the Eastern Conference Second Round before going on to win the Stanley Cup.
The captains again will try to prove their championship mettle this season. Crosby, a center, led Pittsburgh with 62 points (24 goals, 38 assists) in 55 games this season. Ovechkin, a left wing, scored 42 points (24 goals, 18 assists) in 45 games.
The Penguins have won one postseason game since losing to the Capitals in 2018, against the Montreal Canadiens last season in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
4. Inexperienced goalies for Penguins, Capitals
If the Penguins and Capitals are going to meet in the second round, it likely will be on the backs of goalies who have a combined one game of NHL postseason experience.
Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry played in Game 4 of the qualifiers against Montreal last season, allowing one goal on 21 shots in a 2-0 season-ending loss. He was with the Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2017 but did not play.
Washington's Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov have never played in an NHL postseason game.

Discover Central Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes vs. 4. Nashville Predators
   2. Florida Panthers vs. 3. Tampa Bay Lightning
      1. Sunshine State series
      The Lightning and Panthers will be playing each other in the playoffs for the first time. It's the fourth time they have reached the postseason in the same season (1996, 2016, 2020).
      The Lightning have the clear advantage in playoff experience, both in recent seasons and overall. Tampa Bay has played 15 series since 2015, and Florida has played two. The Lightning have won the Stanley Cup twice (2004, 2020) and played 28 playoff series (18-10). The Panthers, who have played nine playoff series (4-5), reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 but have not won a series in five trips to the postseason since.
      Florida was 5-2-1 in eight games against Tampa Bay this season, winning the last three.
      2. Lightning looking for reinforcements in title defense
      The Lightning plan to begin defense of their Stanley Cup championship with forwards
      Nikita Kucherov
      and Steven Stamkos, defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh in the lineup.
      Kucherov, who led the NHL with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in the playoffs last season, didn't play in the regular season after having hip surgery Dec. 29. He's been practicing, and the plan all along was for him to be back by the start of the playoffs.
      Stamkos should be back after missing the last 16 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. He was limited to one playoff game last season because of an injury and played five shifts for 2:47, scoring in the 5-2 victory against the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
      Hedman (lower body) and McDonagh (upper body) missed the last two games of the regular season, 5-1 and 4-0 losses at the Panthers.

3. Hurricanes' goalie choice
The Hurricanes have three goalies to pick from to start Game 1 against the Predators: Petr Mrazek, Alex Nedeljkovic and James Reimer. It's likely coach Rod Brind'Amour is deciding between Mrazek and Nedeljkovic, with Reimer looking like the No. 3.
Nedeljkovic was the Hurricanes' best goalie this season based on numbers; he was 15-5-3 with a 1.90 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and three shutouts. Mrazek, limited to 12 games (all starts) because of injuries, was 6-2-3 with a 2.06 GAA, .923 save percentage and three shutouts. Reimer was 15-5-2 with a 2.66 GAA and .906 save percentage in 22 games (21 starts).
Reimer was their best goalie against the Predators (3-0-0, 1.67, .952). Nedeljkovic's numbers against Nashville were 2-1-0, 1.64 and .938. Mrazek (1-1-0, 3.01, .872 against the Predators) allowed five goals on 27 shots in a 5-0 loss at Nashville on Monday.
4. Saros' net for real now
Goalie Juuse Saros has completed his apprenticeship behind Pekka Rinne and is now the clear No. 1 in Nashville. He should start Game 1 against Carolina after he was 21-11-1 with a 2.28 GAA, .927 save percentage and three shutouts in 36 games (35 starts) this season.
It's a changing of the guard for the Predators. Rinne started all 89 of Nashville's playoff games from 2010-19 before Saros started all four in the loss to the Arizona Coyotes in the qualifiers last season. Saros struggled in that series (1-3, 3.22, .895).

Scotia North Division

1. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. 4. Montreal Canadiens
   2. Edmonton Oilers vs. 3. Winnipeg Jets
      1. Rivalries renewed
      Montreal and Toronto will meet in the playoffs for the first time since 1979 and the 16th time dating to 1918, in the NHL's inaugural season. The Canadiens have won eight of the 15 series.
      At 42 years, this is their longest stretch without facing each other in the playoffs; the previous longest was 19 years (1925-44). They met in the playoffs six times in the 1960s, winning three series each.
      The Jets and Oilers will face each other in the playoffs for the first time since Winnipeg got its NHL team back in the 2011-12 season with the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers. Winnipeg and Edmonton met in the playoffs six times from 1983-90 with the Oilers winning each series and going 22-4.
      2. McDavid's time
      Oilers center Connor McDavid will win the Art Ross Trophy in a runaway as the leading scorer in the NHL with 105 points (33 goals, 72 assists).
      Now McDavid must prove he can help the Oilers win in the playoffs. They have lost two of three series since he entered the NHL in 2015-16.
      He scored nine points (five goals, four assists) in the qualifiers last season, but Edmonton lost in four games to the Chicago Blackhawks. McDavid scored a point on nine of the Oilers' 15 goals.
      He scored nine points (five goals, four assists) in 13 playoff games in 2017 when the Oilers reached the Western Conference Second Round before losing in seven games to the Anaheim Ducks.

3. Starting goalies for Montreal and Toronto
Carey Price is expected to be back for the Canadiens after missing the last 13 games of the regular season with a concussion.
The Maple Leafs' goaltending situation is less clear with Frederik Andersen having returned Wednesday after missing 23 games with a knee injury. Jack Campbell has been Toronto's No. 1 for the better part of the second half of the season, starting 19 of 25 games since March 20. He was 14-3-2 with a 2.28 GAA, .917 save percentage and one shutout in that span.
Toronto has been better with Campbell than it was when Andersen was getting the bulk of the starts (22 of the first 31 games; 13-8-2 with a 2.91 GAA and .897 save percentage).
4. Thornton giving it another shot
Joe Thornton signed a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs in the offseason with the intention of helping them win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years and finally getting his name on it.
Thornton is sixth in NHL history with 1,680 games played. The only player with more who hasn't won the Stanley Cup is his former teammate with the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau, the NHL all-time leader with 1,779.
Thornton reached the Stanley Cup Final with Marleau and the Sharks in 2016 but lost in six games to the Penguins. The forward, who will turn 42 on July 2, scored 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 44 games this season.

Honda West Division

1. Colorado Avalanche vs. 4. St. Louis Blues
   2. Vegas Golden Knights vs. 3. Minnesota Wild
      1. Kaprizov's NHL postseason debut
      Kirill Kaprizov put his stamp on the NHL during the regular season, leading rookies with 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games. The forward was arguably the driving force behind the Wild becoming one of the top 10 scoring teams in the NHL (3.21 goals per game, tied with the Lightning for eighth).
      The 24-year-old will try to carry his and the Wild's success into their first-round matchup against the Golden Knights.
      Kaprizov is arguably Minnesota's most important skater because of his game-breaking ability, which helped the Wild go 5-1-2 against the Golden Knights this season. Kaprizov led Minnesota with six goals and eight points against Vegas.

2. Lehner or Fleury, or both?
Golden Knights goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner have alternated starts for the past 24 games.
The biggest decision coach Peter DeBoer has entering Game 1 against the Wild is choosing who will be in net. Beyond that, will the Game 1 starter also start Game 2 regardless of the result?
Fleury was 9-3-0 with a 1.84 GAA, .932 save percentage and two shutouts in his 12 starts since March 29. Lehner was 8-3-1 with a 2.13 GAA, .921 save percentage and one shutout in his 12 starts
3. MacKinnon's health key for Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon didn't play in the final two games of the regular season because of an undisclosed injury. The center's health is paramount to Colorado's Stanley Cup chances.
MacKinnon also missed games May 7 and 8 against the Los Angeles Kings because of a lower-body injury. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said the injuries are not related and they're hopeful that MacKinnon will be ready to play Game 1 against the Blues.
MacKinnon scored 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists) in 48 games this season. He finished fourth in the playoffs last season with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 15 games and averaged 1.67 points per game, the most among players who played five or more games.
4. Will Tarasenko and Dunn be ready to go for Blues?
The Blues have question marks surrounding the health of two players who could make a significant impact in their series against the Avalanche.
Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 24 games, missed the final six regular-season games and eight of the last nine with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Vince Dunn, who scored 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 43 games, missed the last 11 games with an upper-body injury.
It's also worth noting that defenseman Colton Parayko didn't play in the regular-season finale against the Wild on Thursday because of an undisclosed injury. But his availability to start the series seems to be less of a question than that of Tarasenko and Dunn, who each is day to day. Neither has played in a while, and St. Louis might have to forge on without them against Colorado.