Special Edition: Tension grows

The Stanley Cup Playoffs feature 16 of the league’s 32 teams — eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference. The top three teams in each division (Atlantic and Metropolitan in the East; Central and Pacific in the West), along with the two next-best teams in each conference (the Wild Cards) complete the 16-team field.

They say the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports: After an 82-game regular-season gauntlet, each of the four playoff rounds is a best-of-seven series. No guts, no glory.

• In the first round, the second Wild Card team (the one with the worse record) takes on the division winner with the best record, while the first Wild Card team (the better record) faces the conference’s other division winner. The remaining two series feature the No. 2 and No. 3 teams from the same divisions.

• For example, the league-best Colorado Avalanche won the Central Division, while the Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific. Since the Avs boast the better record, they’ll face the lower-seeded LA Kings, while the Knights take on the Utah Mammoth.

Not everyone’s happy about this playoff setup though: There’s been a push to change the system to avoid high-powered clashes (like the Dallas Stars vs. the Minnesota Wild) in the opening round. But for now, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

📈 The Buffalo Sabres snapped their 14-year playoff drought — the longest active one in North American pro sports — and won the juggernaut Atlantic Division in the process. Welcome back, boys.

❌ There won’t be a repeat champ after the two-time defending champ Florida Panthers couldn’t claw their way into the postseason, finishing seventh in the Atlantic Division. It’s the first time in six seasons the Cats have missed the playoffs.

🇨🇦 A Canadian team hasn’t hoisted the Cup since 1993, one year before noted Canadian hockey fan Justin Bieber was even born. Three squads have the opportunity to break the 33-year drought this year: the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, and Ottawa Senators.

• Powered by the dynamic forward tandem of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oil have come the closest recently, losing in the last two Stanley Cup Finals. But with Draisaitl’s injury status in question, a deep playoff run is anything but guaranteed.

👀 Intriguing first-round matchups abound, highlighted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers renewing their feisty playoff rivalry in the Battle of Pennsylvania. Elsewhere in the East, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Canadiens will clash in a 2021 Stanley Cup Final rematch.

• Over in the Western Conference, the aforementioned Stars vs. Wild series is unquestionably the spiciest of the bunch. Look no further than their last regular-season tilt, where the teams combined for nine roughing penalties. Icy and spicy.

🏔️ Colorado Avalanche (Western Conference): The Avs have been the best team in hockey all season — and it’s not particularly close. Buoyed by bona fide superstars forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, their goal differential was an impressive +97 this season. If anyone can break the Presidents’ Trophy curse (more on that below), it’s Colorado.

🌀 Carolina Hurricanes (Eastern Conference): The Canes have become a playoff mainstay, competing in the last eight postseasons. That said, they haven’t turned their regular-season dominance into a Stanley Cup victory…yet. With seven 20-goal scorers for the first time since 1987, this could be their year. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all.

⭐ Dallas Stars (Western Conference): Like the Canes, the Stars have been knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Final for the last few years, but they’re entering this year’s playoff run shorthanded due to injuries. That said, this is one of the deepest rosters in hockey, led by sharpshooting forwards Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston.

⚡ Tampa Bay Lightning (Eastern Conference): The Lightning boast a lethal combination of big-game experience and elite goal-scoring ability — but they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022 despite making nine straight postseason appearances. See if brickwall Andrei Vasilevskiy, aka the best goalie in the playoffs, can get them over the hump.

❤️ Montreal Canadiens (Eastern Conference): The Habs may be Canada’s best hope to break that 33-year Stanley Cup drought…if they can get past the Lightning in the first round. The youngest roster in hockey, this team’s chock-full of talent, be it prolific goal scorer Cole Caufield or 26-year-old captain Nick Suzuki. Allez.

🚨Stop scrolling! Before you return to the teams and players to watch, why not put a little skin in the game? In honor of the postseason, The GIST is hosting our very own Pro Men’s Hockey Bracket Challenge, and you’re invited.

• They say it’s the hardest trophy to win in sports, but playing a bracket challenge with The GIST is as easy as can be. No expertise required — just five minutes of your time and the good vibes that come with being a GISTer.

• Since the puck drops on the playoffs tonight (!!!), we’re extending the deadline to April 20 at 6p.m. ET, so you can watch some Game 1 action before locking in your picks. Hey, rules are meant to be broken.

⏱️ But there’s still not much time to make your picks. Once you finish reading this Special Edition, fill out your bracket ASAP. Time to do that hockey.