The NHL playoffs are finally set and with a number of exciting games starting on Tuesday night, the league can look back and basically forget the lockout, as attendance has been rising all season and now the Stanley Cup chase can fully begin for teams around the league in the East and West.
The Chicago Blackhawks are the number one team in the NHL and they will play against the Wild, while the defending champion Kings will play the Blues and the Red Wings will open up their series against the Ducks after being one of the last teams to make it in the playoffs after battling with the Wild and the Blue Jackets. The Rangers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL while winning 10 of 14 games to finish the season and the team is now in the sixth seed as the playoffs begin.
The Kings are back in the postseason ready to open defense of their crown against the St. Louis Blues as part of a 16-team playoff for hockey's 'Holy Grail.'
A compacted 48-game schedule that began in January with NHL players and owners apologizing to disgruntled fans and promising a season packed with unpredictable results delivered in spades, setting the stage for an equally fascinating playoffs.
The Red Wings, who needed a win in their final regular season game to extend their streak, open against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday while the Maple Leafs face the Boston Bruins in an Original Six matchup starting on Wednesday.
Canadian attention will be focused on Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and the Vancouver Canucks, who will all carry the hopes of a hockey-mad nation into the playoffs and try to return the Cup to its spiritual home.
The Blackhawks, who open against the Minnesota Wild, spent the entire campaign atop the West standings earning points in each of their first 24 games to shatter the longest previous season-opening streak of 16 games set by Anaheim.
Already with a star-studded lineup featuring league most valuable players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins loaded up for a Stanley Cup run at the trade deadline by adding former scoring champion Jarome Iginla from Calgary, Dallas forward Brenden Morrow and San Jose defenseman Douglas Murray.
The Capitals and Rangers will meet in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons with Ovechkin going up against Henrik Lundqvist, the NHL's reigning Vezina Trophy winner as top netminder.
