Special Edition: No guts, no glory

The Stanley Cup Playoffs feature 16 of the league’s 32 teams — eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference.

• Within each conference, the top three teams in each division (Atlantic and Metropolitan in the East, Central and Pacific in the West) as well as the two next-best teams in each conference (the Wild Cards) make the playoffs.

Each of the four playoff rounds is a best-of-seven series. In each conference’s first round, the second wild card team (the one with the worse record) takes on the division winner with the best record, while the first wild card team (the better record) faces the conference’s other division winner. The remaining two series pair the No. 2 and No. 3 teams from the same divisions.

• For example, the Winnipeg Jets won the Central Division and the Western Conference, while the Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division.

• Since the Jets had the better record, they’ll face the lower-seeded St. Louis Blues, while the Knights take on the Minnesota Wild.

And all teams are playing for one thing: the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. No guts, no glory.

Washington Capitals (Metropolitan): The Caps silenced the haters in resounding fashion, unexpectedly ascending to the top of the conference standings. And while history-making captain Alex Ovechkin has been the lightning rod, this squad’s biggest strength is their depth — the power of friendship (and seven players with 50+ points on the season) is always a recipe for success.

Dallas Stars (Central): The (victory) green come stumbling into the postseason, losing seven straight games. That’s certainly not ideal, but this group is, ahem, star-studded from top to bottom, especially after the blockbuster deal that landed them dynamic right winger Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline. It’s Cup or bust.

Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan): The storm is once again surging — but regular-season wins haven’t translated to playoff success for the Canes. Their last Stanley Cup appearance was nearly twenty years ago, despite the franchise being one of the winningest teams of the last decade. Led by center Sebastian Aho, it’s time for this bunch of jerks to shed the bridesmaid title once and for all.

Florida Panthers (Atlantic): The defending champs have played a lot of hockey lately, lacing up their skates 290 times (!!!) in 916 days after competing in the last two Stanley Cup Finals. Whether it’s goalie Sergei “Brick Wall” Bobrovsky or the league’s most infuriating forward line, these Cats are hungry for a repeat.

Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific): Death, taxes, and Vegas in the postseason. The perennial powerhouse Knights have only missed the playoffs once in their eight-year existence, winning their first Cup just two seasons ago. Conspiracy theories be damned, captain Mark Stone and Co. just keep on rolling.

Winnipeg Jets (Central): Why are we ranking the Presidents’ Trophy–winning Jets as a contender and not a top team? For starters, the Presidents’ Trophy curse: The league’s best regular-season team hasn’t won the Cup since 2013.

• On top of that, the Jets lack true star power. Yes, they have the league’s top goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck, and they have strong players in Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, but Winnipeg is missing the “it” factor that’s so important in playoff hockey.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Atlantic): The Leafs are desperate to win it all for the first time since 1967, the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history. With a high-scoring season in the books, they’ve proven they’re an offensive powerhouse, but they’ll need a show-stopping performance from tendy Anthony Stolarz to finally be considered a postseason threat.

Edmonton Oilers (Pacific): Oil Country finds itself in a similar position as last year, snagging a playoff spot despite an underwhelming regular season. Fearless leader and team captain Connor McDavid hasn’t been his best this season, but he’s known to find another gear come playoffs. Can he peak at the right time to lead Edmonton back to the Stanley Cup Final?

Colorado Avalanche (Central): If defense wins championships, the Avs need to step up their game. They allowed 231 goals this season, good for second-worst of the West’s playoff-contending teams. That said, the Avs retooled at the trade deadline, including picking up goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks. Let’s see if those moves pay off.

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LA Kings (Pacific): The major key for the Kings? Home-ice advantage. The royal lads boast the league’s best home record this season, establishing Crypto.com Arena as a formidable venue for their foes. If LA can properly leverage their fans’ raucousness and maintain their steadfast defense, they could upend McDavid and the Oilers in the first round.

Ottawa Senators (Atlantic): Look away, Leafs fans. The Buds have only advanced to the second round once in their last nine playoff appearances, and the Sens have a good shot of making that one in 10. Buoyed by the energy of feisty captain Brady Tkachuk (pronounced kuh-CHUCK) and a solid one-two punch in net, the Sens could capitalize on their underdog billing.

New Jersey Devils (Metropolitan): The Devils’ promising season took a turn after their top scorer, Jack Hughes, went down with a shoulder injury. Though Jack will be out for the postseason, his younger brother Luke and the rest of the squad are still optimistic. Their head-to-head with the aforementioned Canes was an even split this season — anything can happen.

There’ll be near-daily playoff hockey for the next month and a half, leading to the start of the Stanley Cup Final in early June. The puck drops on two series tonight before the rest get underway tomorrow and early next week.

• If you’re in the States, you can flip between ESPN and TNT. And in Canada, catch the action on Sportsnet or CBC.

• Clear your schedule — it’s time to enjoy the best game you can name.

🚨Stop scrolling! Before you return to the teams and players to watch, why not put a little skin in the game? In honor of the race for the coolest coldest trophy in sports, The GIST is hosting our very own Pro Men’s Hockey Bracket Challenge, and you’re invited to play.

• Since the puck drops on the playoffs tonight (!!!), we’re extending the deadline to Monday at 5 p.m. ET, so you can watch some Game 1 action before locking in your picks. Hey, rules are meant to be broken.

⏱️ But there’s still not much time to fill out your bracket. Once you finish reading this Special Edition, fill out your bracket ASAP. Time to do that hockey.