The NHL playoffs begin Saturday with three series, followed by four more getting underway Sunday and the last opening Monday night.
The only certainty about the title chase is that there won’t be a three-peat; the Florida Panthers, after winning back-to-back championships the past two seasons, did not make the 16-team field.
Here’s a by-the-numbers look at the chase for the Stanley Cup.
2: Consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup by the Edmonton Oilers, who lost to Florida each time but are back for another try. The last team to reach the title series three years in a row and not win was the St. Louis Blues from 1968-70.
4: Current playoff teams seeking their first Stanley Cup championship: Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Utah Mammoth. The Sabres, in their 55th season without a title, have the second-longest wait of anyone in the league, just behind the Toronto Maple Leafs’ drought that dates to 1967.