The Eastern Conference first-round matchups locked into place Thursday night as most teams completed their regular season schedule. The playoff picture in the West will not be fully complete until today, when the defending champion Colorado Avalanche take on the Nashville Predators in the final game of the 2022-23 NHL regular season. If the Avs win, they will overtake the Dallas Stars for the Central Division title and will play the wild card Seattle Kraken in the first round. If the Avs lose Friday, they will begin their title defense against the Minnesota Wild.
Here’s a look at every first round playoff series that is set in stone (with team seeds in parenthesis).
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins (Atlantic 1) vs. Florida Panthers (Wild Card 2)
Toronto Maple Leafs (Atlantic 2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Atlantic 3)
Carolina Hurricanes (Metro 1) vs. New York Islanders (Wild Card 1)
New Jersey Devils (Metro 2) vs. New York Rangers (Metro 3)
Western Conference
Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific 1) vs. Winnipeg Jets (Wild Card 2)
Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (Pacific 3)
