Stanley Cup Playoffs: Three Must-Watch First-Round Matchups

Welcome to the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs — two of the best weeks on the annual sporting calendar.

Welcome to intense clashes, thrilling goals, scintillating saves and maybe even a few upsets, with the extra specter of sudden-death overtime.

Now that the NHL’s regular season is in the books, the second season and chase for the magnificent trophy begins with eight first-round series.

All of those meetings are worth following intently, but here are the three we are particularly interested in seeing how they play out:

Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche

Call it the Mikko Rantanen Bowl. Dallas defeated the Avalanche last year in six games, and that’s almost forgotten in the lone meeting featuring two clubs that finished in the top eight of the standings.

The Stars loaded up for a run, which included acquiring Rantanen, who spurned re-signing in Denver before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and later to Dallas.

That is only one storyline. The Stars, who won only one of three regular-season meetings, will be without their top defenseman, Miro Heiskanen, to start the series, while leading goal scorer Jason Robertson was nicked up in their regular-season finale.

The Avalanche rebuilt beyond dealing away Rantanen, adding key forwards Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle and Jack Drury, and new goaltenders in Mackenzie Blackwood — who has never tended net in a playoff game — and Scott Wedgewood. Captain Gabriel Landeskog may also return after missing nearly three full seasons since leading his team to the Cup.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers

The Battle of Florida. For the fourth time in five years, the Sunshine State clubs meet each other. Tampa Bay won the first two meetings — the first in 2021 en route to winning a second consecutive crown, and the second in 2022 before losing in the finals. The Panthers won in five games last year on the way to their title, the fifth consecutive year a Florida-based team reached the championship round.

The clubs split the season series 2-2, and both teams did what they could to retool and load up for the playoffs.

The Panthers have struggled down the stretch due to injuries, notably to Matthew Tkachuk, and the suspension to top defenseman Aaron Ekblad, which will keep him out for the first two games. Florida dropped all but three of its final 10 games, which ended with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Lightning.

The rivalry will unquestionably go to a new level this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators

Speaking of rivals, the Battle of Ontario carries over into the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Maple Leafs have won all four previous playoff meetings.

Toronto will unquestionably be favored, not only having finished ahead in the standings but also boasting far more experience. But this meeting is a study in pressure and its impact.

From Game 1, Toronto’s season was always going to be judged by playoff success — or lack thereof. The Maple Leafs and their core of star forwards — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares — are running out of chances to win before changes come. Another early exit for the franchise that has never reached the third round of the playoffs will mean intense scrutiny, and those stars know it.

On the other hand, Ottawa, which won all three regular-season meetings, is a team playing with house money. The Senators snapped a seven-year playoff drought and know they are huge underdogs with a young and talented group that has been slowly building to this moment.

An added bonus will be seeing how Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk performs in his first playoffs, having watched closely his older brother’s exploits.