What to know about the first-round matchups in the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs
As playoff races were raging down the stretch, Commissioner Gary Bettman pointed out that the NHL in years past has had first-round matchups decided on the final day of the season. Needing until the final day is true once again, with three matchups yet to be determined before the playoffs begin this weekend. A look at the matchups (division and seeding noted): East: Carolina (Metropolitan 1) vs.
Ottawa (wild card 2) Carolina (53-22-7, 113 points): The Hurricanes are in the postseason for an eighth consecutive year since Rod Brind’Amour took over as coach, and as the top seed in the East they have home-ice advantage through the conference final. Strengths: They have experience, with three trips to the East final over the past eight years and have seven 20-goal scorers led by Seth Jarvis with 32. Weaknesses: Goaltending is still a question mark, as is the reputation the team has developed for being unable to score when the competition gets tougher.
Ottawa (43-27-11, 97 points with 1 game remaining): The Senators were 15th out of 16 teams in the East on Jan. 25. They won 20 of their next 29 games to clinch a spot.
Strengths: Travis Green's team plays hard, and when Linus Ullmark is on his game in net they can beat anyone. Injuries down the stretch only showed how much organizational depth they have. Weaknesses: Ottawa has taken the seventh-most penalties of any team in the league and is the fourth-worst at killing them off.
They also expended a lot of energy making up ground. Whyno’s pick: Carolina (-175) is a justified favorite based on talent discrepancy but it will be a grind. Hurricanes in six.
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