The Ottawa Senators will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the marquee matchup of the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday (CBC, 7 p.m. ET).
The two teams played a series of entertaining games during the season, with three of four won by the Penguins. Pittsburgh won two games in extra time, with a victory over the Senators last week coming in the final seconds of regulation.
Ottawa's Ray Emery makes the save as Wade Redden (6) and Mark Recchi look on in the Apr. 5 game won by Pittsburgh.
(Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-André Fleury will be among a host of Penguins making their playoff debuts after the team's 47-point improvement from last season, the fourth largest in NHL history.
With Buffalo a favourite and Lou Lamoriello drawing attention for his coaching change in New Jersey, the healthy Senators have been as under the radar as possible heading into the playoffs. Ottawa will look to exceed expectations after a series of previous playoff disappointments.
Also on Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks make their first playoff appearance since 2004, hosting Dallas (CBC, 10 p.m. ET). All-star goaltender Roberto Luongo makes his first post-season appearance after several seasons without success in Florida.
The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, look to take a page out of the Carolina Hurricanes' book when they begin the playoffs in Detroit on Thursday (CBC, 7 p.m. ET).
The Flames struggled in the last weeks of the season, but so too did Carolina en route to their Stanley Cup win last season.
The top seed in the West, Detroit, will try and avoid a third straight upset elimination at the hands of an Alberta opponent.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will meet for the second consecutive year. The Sharks last year eliminated the Predators, still in search of the franchise's first playoff series win.
Minnesota returns to the NHL playoffs after a year out to take on the second-seed Anaheim Ducks, a Stanley Cup pick for many prognosticators.
The Sabres, in contrast to last season, enter the playoffs with heavy expectations. The top seed in the East face off against the New York Islanders, which eked into the playoffs behind the play of third-string goaltender Wade Dubielewicz.
Atlanta make their first playoff appearance in franchise history, hosting the New York Rangers in what should be an entertaining Eastern series. Atlanta's first NHL team, the Flames, never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
It has been a full decade since the last playoff game victory for the Rangers, who were swept in the opening round last season by New Jersey.
Lamoriello's Devils will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Inconsistent against many teams, the Lightning actually took three of four games from New Jersey this season.