With a month still remaining in the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season, commissioner Gary Bettman was more than happy to defend the decision to not expand the bracket like other professional sports leagues in North America have done in recent years.
“If you look at the races that we’re having for the regular season, playoffs have started already,” Bettman said back in March. “We’re in our play-in tournament, and I think it’s terrific. What can be more compelling and exciting and entertaining than that?”
It took until Wednesday, the penultimate night of the regular season, to lock in all 16 playoff teams and the eight first-round series for the postseason, which begins this weekend.
The Florida Panthers, first-time Stanley Cup champions a year ago, open against the Tampa Bay Lightning, their Sunshine State rivals and the winners of the NHL’s prized trophy three times (2004, 2020, 2021). The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators face off in the first Battle of Ontario in more than two decades. The Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche collide in a matchup of two of the top three betting favorites to win it all. And the Edmonton Oilers open the postseason against the Los Angeles Kings for a fourth year in a row.
Here’s look at each of the eight matchups, with division and seeding noted in parentheses.