The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs start Wednesday night and for the first time since 1970 will not feature a Canadian team.
Eastern Conference
The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Detroit Red Wings in a rematch of the 2015 playoffs that the Red Wings lost.
The Lightning will face some challenges without their leading scorer Steven Stamkos, who is out one to three months after blood clot removal surgery. Tyler Johnson could also miss the opener, as he is currently listed day-to-day with an upper body injury.
For Detroit, rookie Dylan Larkin stood out this year, leading the Red Wings with 23 goals.
For the third straight year, the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins will play in the first round. The Rangers have won the past two meetings, including an exciting seven-game series in 2014.
The Penguins finished the season strong, going 5-1 in their final six. Sidney Crosby led the team in with 36 goals and 85 points. Crosby struggled to start the year but has rebounded en route to a playoff berth.
The Rangers, however, had some difficulty finishing the season. Captain Ryan McDonagh is unlikely to start in the opener due to a hand injury. Losing McDonagh is a major blow to the Rangers defense, as fellow defensemen Dan Girardi and Dan Boyle haven't played well lately.
One major change this series, compared to past, will be seeing Carl Hagelin in black and gold. Hagelin, who adds a ton of speed to the line, was traded midseason to Pittsburgh. Hagelin has been a huge improvement, but could be stopped by his former team that knows his style.
The Florida Panthers will definitely challenge the New York Islanders. The Panthers have remained quiet all season but worked their way to the top of the Atlantic Division. Led by Jaromir Jagr, the Panthers offense was stacked this year. Six players scored at least 50 points and four players scored 25 or more goals for the first time in franchise history.
The Islanders captain, John Tavares, who led the team with 33 goals, had a phenomenal final two weeks of the regular season, carrying the team into the postseason.
The key for the Islanders is the penalty kill and power play. The Panthers did not defend these plays well, finishing at the bottom of the league in both. The Islanders ranked in the middle of the league, but finished fourth in penalty kill. Taking advantage of these could be a game-changer and could result in an upset.
The No. 1 seed Washington Capitals will host the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals were unstoppable this year, with a powerful offense led by Alex Ovechkin, who scored 71 points and led the league in goals with 50. Washington also has goalie Braden Holtby, who led the league in wins with 48 and finished with a GAA of 2.20.
The Flyers lack offensive depth, but do have capable players. Wayne Simmonds led with 32 goals this season, a career best. Philadelphia will turn to rookie Shayne Gostisbehere on the defensive side, especially in the power play.
Western Conference
The Anaheim Ducks will host the Nashville Predators.
Anaheim's strength this year was their goaltending. They have two No. 1 goalies in Frederik Andersen and John Gibson, who have had successful postseason experience.
Nashville's goalie Pekka Rinne is not nearly as reliable, so the postseason run will depend on how well Rinne can defend. Rinne played in 66 games this season, which could cause fatigue in the postseason.
The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars and both looking to make a deep playoff run when they face off.
Most of the Wild roster has made the postseason for three straight years, while the Stars have made one in the past seven years.
Jamie Benn led the Stars with 41 goals and 89 points. Tyler Seguin missed the final ten games with an Achilles injury and could miss the opener. If Seguin is out, the pressure will shift to the team's veterans.
Minnesota's Mikko Koivu tends to disappear in the postseason, but is extremely talented and can help the Wild make a deep run.
The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks will square in a classic intrastate. The Sharks are looking for revenge after losing to Los Angeles in both 2013 and 2014.
San Jose has proven itself this year, ranking among the league’s highest scoring teams with a veteran offense. This is due mainly to Joe Thorton, who sharpened his defense while leading with 82 points.
The Kings have strength in goalie Jonathan Quick. He carried the team to start the season, allowing no more than one goal in the 15 of the first 34 games. Quick is a veteran to the playoffs and could be a factor in carrying Los Angeles through the postseason.
Reigning Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks will have to get passed the St. Louis Blues as they try to continue their dynasty. This series will be a rematch from 2014, when the Blues won the first two games, but the Blackhawks came back to win the next four and move on.
The Blackhawks are back with a killer offense featuring leading scorer Patrick Kane, leading rookie scorer Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov. This line is one of the most dangerous in the league.
The biggest problem for the Blues this season has been staying healthy. Captain David Backes could miss the start of the series due to a lower-body injury. When healthy, the Blues have all the pieces to be a top competitor but they seem to be prone to injuries.
Each team has the capability and talent to take the Cup, which will only lead to a unpredictable and exciting run.