If the National Hockey League (NHL) Playoffs started today, the bracket would consist of the league’s top 16 teams across both conferences that have clinched a spot.

   In the Eastern Conference, the clinched teams include the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, and Washington Capitals.

   In the Western Conference, the clinched teams include the Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, and Vegas Golden Knights. 

   The playoff’s first round has eight series consisting of four to seven games each. The first team in the match-up to win four total games in the series moves on to the next round.

   As of right now, the first-round match-ups are as follows: Rangers and Capitals, Bruins and Maple Leafs, Panthers and Lightning, Hurricanes and Islanders, Stars and Golden Knights, Canucks and Predators, Jets and Avalanche, and the Oilers and Kings.

   With superstitions and curses heightened going into the first round, the most promising contenders for the first round include the Rangers, Bruins, Panthers, Hurricanes, Stars, Canucks, Avalanche, and Oilers. 

   The Rangers have received the President’s Trophy, meaning they have the most points out of the regular season than any other team. The “President’s Trophy Curse” is a legend that any team that wins the President’s Trophy will get eliminated in the first round. It was apparent in the Lightning’s 2019 playoff run when they got swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the Rangers still have the depth and consistency to prevail through this “curse,” and they have more potential of making it to the second round than their opponent, the Capitals, who squeaked into a playoff spot at the last second.

   The Maple Leafs never get far in the playoffs, with moving onto the second round only three times out of the last 18 seasons, so it can be a fairly safe bet they will be eliminated by the Bruins, who have had an impressive season, securing second place in the Atlantic Division.

   The Panthers came first in the Atlantic Division, and statistically, with their defense depth, they could beat out the Lightning. For the “Battle of Florida,” the Lightning definitely will not go down without a fight, and it should be an interesting series to watch.

   As for the Hurricanes beating out the Islanders, it is a tough call. The Hurricanes came second in the Metropolitan Division, and the Islanders came third. It will be a close series, and it could certainly go either way.

   On the western front, the Stars and Canucks came first in their respective divisions, Central and Pacific. The Stars are going up against the last seed, the Predators, and will most likely eliminate them in the first round. The Canucks have proved time and time again that they are a force to be reckoned with this season, and they have extra motivation to prevent the 2023 Stanley Cup winners, the Golden Knights, from moving on and winning back-to-back.

   The match-up between the Jets and Avalanche will be a tough series to watch. The series may go back and forth a couple of times, but the Avalanche will ultimately take the title. Because the Jets have not won a series since the 2021 playoffs, they will be hungry for more. The Avalanche, with their recent Stanley Cup win in 2022, are ready for another round of success, making this series tough to choose a winner. Ultimately, it could be the Avalanche moving on to the second round.

   Finally, the last Western Conference match-up concludes with the Oilers winning against the Kings. The Oilers were second in the Pacific Division, seven points ahead of the Kings, who clinched a wildcard playoff spot. With the power of Connor McDavid, and their recent partial playoff success (making it out of the first round), the Oilers could push through and make it to round two.

   No matter what comes out of the first round, it is bound to have a series of interests all over the league. Each team has worked incredibly hard for their playoff spot, holding onto each point they could.