4 days Ago By Sportsnet Staff
The opening-round matchups of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are almost all locked in with two days to go in the regular season. Four more series were confirmed after Tuesday's action and seven of the eight have now been determined. The Presidents' Trophy Winnipeg Jets will play the St.
Louis Blues after the Blues beat Utah and the Wild beat the Ducks on Tuesday. The Wild will cross over to the Pacific Division side of the bracket and face the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1. The other two series in the West will see Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars take on the Colorado Avalanche , who are expected to have captain Gabriel Landeskog back after missing nearly three years with injuries.
The final West series will be a fourth-consecutive playoff meeting between the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers , with the Kings holding home ice this time around. The NHL's best are ready to battle for the right to hoist the Stanley Cup. Watch every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet and Sportsnet beginning on April 19.
In the Eastern Conference, three of the four series are settled after the Toronto Maple Leafs locked up the Atlantic Division title on Tuesday. The Maple Leafs will host provincial rival the Ottawa Senators in the first round, the first playoff meeting between the two teams since 2004. The other Atlantic Division series will also feature a fierce rivalry as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers battle.
The two state rivals have combined to win three of the last five Stanley Cups. In the Metropolitan Division, one series is locked in as the Carolina Hurricanes will host the New Jersey Devils . But the East-leading Washington Capitals still wait to see who they will play in the opening round between the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets .
If the Canadiens get a point in Wednesday's finale against the Hurricanes, they will clinch the second wild card in the East. But if they lose in regulation, the Blue Jackets will have a chance to steal that spot with a regulation win over the New York Islanders on Thursday. The Stanley Cup Playoffs officially begin on Saturday and all games can be seen on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
The full schedule will be released later this week. Here is how all the matchups look heading into the final two days of the season. Western Conference Winnipeg Jets (C1) vs.
St. Louis Blues (WC2) Dallas Stars (C2) vs. Colorado Avalanche (C3) Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs.
Minnesota Wild (WC1) Los Angeles Kings (P2) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P3) Eastern Conference Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Montreal Canadiens or Columbus Blue Jackets (WC2) Carolina Hurricanes (M2) vs.
New Jersey Devils (M3) Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) vs. Ottawa Senators (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) vs. Florida Panthers (A3).
