Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well, the Eastern Conference games. The Game 1s, anyways. The National Hockey League announced on Thursday evening the schedule of all four Game 1s in the Eastern Conference, which get started this coming Saturday, April 20.
Panthers, Bruins, and Hurricanes, Oh My!
While the Western Conference first-round matchups need a bit more time to settle, the NHL got a head start and has figured out how the opening weekend of the playoffs in the East will roll out.
It all starts on Saturday, April at 5 p.m. as Metropolitan foes the New York Islanders visit the favored Carolina Hurricanes. This is a rematch of last season’s opening-round series. Can the Islanders, now led by head coach Patrick Roy, produce an upset?
Later at 8 p.m. is Game 1 of the series that will assuredly get a lot of eyeballs glued to television screens and streaming devices. The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Boston Bruins. Few franchises are as familiar with one another as these two. This marks the fourth time since 2013 they’ll clash in Round 1. The players and coaches may change, but the fans’ passion remains the same.
Shifting over to the afternoon of Sunday, April 21, the Battle of Florida gets underway at 12:30 p.m. when the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, whereas Florida made the Final last season. It’s Nikita Kucherov versus Sam Reinhart show in this one.
Finally, fans get a mid-afternoon battle at 3 p.m. between the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers and underdog Washington Capitals. New York just capped off a superb season and is littered with talent like Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Can Alex Ovechkin halt their march?
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