Live look at NHL Playoffs' potential first round matchups
There are just a few days of NHL regular season hockey left.
Most teams have one or two games left on their schedule, but can still have a massive impact of the overall standings and the first round playoff matchups.
At the time of this writing, half of the 16 playoff seeds are still unconfirmed. Here are the positions that have yet to be determined.
Eastern Conference:
No. 3 in Atlantic: Tampa Bay or Boston
No. 3 in Metropolitan: Pittsburgh or Washington
Wild Card 1: Boston or Tampa Bay
Wild Card 2: Washington or Pittsburgh
Western Conference:
No. 2 in Central: Minnesota or St. Louis
No. 3 in Central: St. Louis or Minnesota
Wild Card 1: Dallas or Nashville
Wild Card 2: Nashville or Dallas
Without knowing who will finish where in the overall standings, experts can only predict who should face-off against who in the opening round. Here's a look at the potential matchups in the East.
* Florida (No. 1 in Atlantic) will face Wild Card 2, either Pittsburgh or Washington. The Panthers have played the Penguins in the playoffs once (1996 CF) but have yet to face the Capitals.
* Toronto (No. 2 in Atlantic) will face No. 3 in Atlantic, either Tampa Bay or Boston. The Maple Leafs have yet to face the Lightning in the playoffs but have met the Bruins 16 times, including three of their past six series since 2013.
* Carolina (No. 1 in Metropolitan) will face Wild Card 1, either Boston or Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes lost to the Lightning in the 2021 Second Round (their only playoff meeting) and have faced the Bruins six times (including back-to-back in 2019 and 2020).
* NY Rangers (No. 2 in Metropolitan) will face No. 3 in Metropolitan, either Pittsburgh or Washington. The Rangers have recent playoff history with both clubs, clashing with the Penguins seven times (including three straight years from 2014-2016) and Capitals on nine occasions (including five times in seven years from 2009 to 2015).
Source : NHL Stats
