NHL playoffs 2023: What are the first round series in Stanley Cup Playoffs? (2024)

jace evans, usa today

Sat, Apr 15, 2023, 5:12 AM·6 min read

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (Atlantic 1) vs. Florida Panthers (Wild Card 2)

The Bruins (65-12-5) enter the playoffs having completed the best regular season of all time by wins (65) and points (135). That, of course, puts a lot of pressure on them to perform. They will look to avoid the fate of the 2018-19 Lightning, who lit up the NHL with a then record-tying 62 wins only to be swept in the first round. Boston will play last year's Presidents' Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers (42-32-8), who rallied for a playoff spot after an uneven season under first-year coach Paul Maurice.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Atlantic 2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Atlantic 3)

This rematch of last year's seven-game first-round series has been inevitable for months. The Maple Leafs (50-21-11) are making their seventh straight playoff appearance, but they have not won a series since 2004. They swung a big trade before the deadline, acquiring 2019 Conn Smythe winner Ryan O'Reilly, with the hopes of changing that. Tampa Bay (46-30-6), meanwhile, has been stumbling its way into the postseason, but it would be foolish to count the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions out.

Carolina Hurricanes (Metro 1) vs. New York Islanders (Wild Card 1)

Carolina had an uneven close after it lost dynamic forward Andrei Svechnikov for the season due to injury. Still, the Hurricanes (52-21-9) are the Metro champions for the third straight year. Standing in their path as they begin what they hope is a deep playoff run is the Islanders (42-31-9). New York could be a tough out. Ilya Sorokin is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and the Islanders' core has plenty of postseason experience after back-to-back final four appearances in 2020 and 2021.

New Jersey Devils (Metro 2) vs. New York Rangers (Metro 3)

The longtime rivals get reacquainted in their first playoff series since the 2012 Eastern Conference final. This was a breakout year for the Devils (52-22-8), who have only made the playoffs once since they fell to the Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. They broke the franchise's all-time points record while Jack Hughes, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, put together the best offensive season in team history. The Rangers (47-22-13), looking to build on last year's conference final appearance, picked up a pair of stars at the trade deadline in Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Western Conference

Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific 1) vs. Winnipeg Jets (Wild Card 2)

After missing the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's young history last season, the Golden Knights (51-22-9) are back in the postseason, claiming their fourth division crown in six years and the conference's No. 1 seed. Jack Eichel, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, is set to make his long-awaited postseason debut with Vegas, and the Golden Knights could be getting another big boost with the potential return of captain Mark Stone. They will be playing the Jets (46-33-3), who did just enough to hold onto a playoff spot following a serious second-half swoon. Still, Winnipeg has Connor Hellebuyck, one of the league's better goaltenders, and a core that's made several playoff runs together at this point (though only one especially deep one).

Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (Pacific 3)

The Oilers (50-23-9) enter the playoffs red-hot after winning 14 of their last 15 games. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins paced a league-leading offense as they became the first trio of teammates to record at least 100 points since the 1995-96 Penguins. McDavid's season in particular was historic; he became the first player since Mario Lemieux in that 1995-96 season to record 150 points. All told, the Kings (47-25-10) will certainly have their hands full, but they pushed the Oilers to seven games in the first round last year and they've gotten great play from goalie Joonas Korpisalo since he came over via trade. Could he be the difference this year?

Colorado Avalanche (Central 1) vs. Seattle Kraken (Wild Card 1)

The Avalanche (51-24-7) enter the playoffs seemingly under the radar despite being the defending champs, perhaps due to the regular season dominance of the Bruins and individual brilliance of Edmonton's Connor McDavid. Alexandar Georgiev has stepped in seamlessly in net following Darcy Kuemper's departure but otherwise the core from last year's team that ripped through the playoffs is here – with the notable exception of captain Gabriel Landeskog, who is out injured. Few expected the Kraken (46-28-8) to be here after they finished last in the Pacific Division in their inaugural season last year. Driving their 40-point improvement is the league's sixth-best offense, which features 13 double-digit goal scorers, including six 20-goal men (led by Jared McCann's 40).

Dallas Stars (Central 2) vs. Minnesota Wild (Central 3)

Dallas spent a large chunk of the season atop the Central Division, but despite winning six straight to close the year, the Stars (47-21-14) were passed by the Avalanche for the division crown on the final day of the season. Despite losing home ice, the Stars should be a prime contender. Jason Robertson is an emerging superstar, the team has four other 70-point scorers highlighted by veterans Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski, and goalie Jake Oettinger was nearly unbeatable in last year's first round and had a strong season. Minnesota (46-25-11) has its own superstar in Kirill Kaprizov, recently returned from injury, but can the Wild score enough to keep up with the team that used to call Minnesota home?

Battle for Connor Bedard

For all the teams not taking part in the playoffs, attention turns to the offseason and the NHL draft. One of the other big battles solidified Thursday night was the "race" for last place, with the reward being a 25.5% chance of picking generational talent Connor Bedard with the first overall pick. The Anaheim Ducks (23-47-12), who ended the season on a 13-game losing streak and won just 13 games in regulation all year, have the best lottery odds after finishing 32nd in the NHL with 58 points. They needed help, though, and they got it Thursday – the Columbus Blue Jackets, who play their final game Friday, defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime to move one point clear of the Ducks. Had the Blue Jackets lost their final two games in regulation, they would have locked up the top lottery odds with 57 points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL standings, Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket: Every first round series