The NHL playoffs have a number of intense rivalries and matchups in the postseason and one reason is due to the high volume of Canadian teams in the playoffs, with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs all looking to win the Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs are in the postseason for the first time in a number of years, while the Canucks are looking to finally capitalize on all their regular season success over the past few seasons. The team has lost in the playoffs in the first round as well as in the Stanley Cup finals and after winning their division for the third straight season, they will try to take down the San Jose Sharks in the first round as the third seed in the three-six matchup.
Montreal held off Boston to win the division and now the team will play against fellow Canadian club the Ottawa Senators, who lost four of five games down the stretch to fall down into the seventh spot. The New York Rangers held off the Winnipeg Jets throughout the end of the season while winning 10 of 14 games to take the seventh seed and now they will play Washington for the third straight year, while the Senators now have slipped into the seventh spot. The Maple Leafs are the five seed to break their streak and they will play Boston after the team defeated the Senators in the final game of the season that was a makeup from the marathon bombing attack.
The Canucks will have a tough road since they have to go through Chicago in the West, while Montreal and the Maple Leafs have to deal with the Penguins. The Flames and Jets are left out of the playoffs as Canadian teams, but the other four will hold the torch and try to bring the Cup back north of the border for the first time since Montreal won it.
