What to watch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the conference finals arrive

After the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs began with an infusion of new teams that hadn't experienced postseason hockey in a long time, with some even winning a series, the third round is here with some of the usual suspects left standing.

Carolina is back in the Eastern Conference final for a third time in four years and fifth time during the Hurricanes' streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances under coach Rod Brind'Amour. Next up is Buffalo or Montreal.

Vegas is back in the West final for a fourth time in the franchise’s not-even-decade-long existence. Starting Wednesday, the Golden Knights face Colorado, with the Avalanche getting this far for the first time since their Cup run in 2022.

There will be a new champion and no three-peat after the Florida Panthers were derailed by injuries following three consecutive trips to the final. Both finalists will be new after Edmonton got knocked out by the Ducks.

WESTERN CONFERENCE: The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche swept Los Angeles and beat Minnesota in five games, while Vegas got through by beating Utah and Anaheim in six.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:Carolina swept Ottawa and Philadelphia and is the only undefeated team left. Buffalo beat Boston and Montreal defeated Tampa Bay, with the Sabres and Canadiens then putting on a fun second-round series.

The top three teams in each of the four divisions make the playoffs. The other four spots go to the next two highest-placed teams in each conference, regardless of division.

The teams with the best record in each conference open against the wild-card team with the worst record; the other wild card plays the other division winner. Teams that finish second and third in their division play each other in the bracket headed by their respective division winner, so the first-round matchups had some rivalry-style games. The second round thus carries an even higher prospect of division opponents matching up ahead of the conference finals.

All four rounds of the playoffs are best-of-seven; the first team to 16 victories wins the Stanley Cup.

— Carolina vs. Buffalo or Montreal, Game 1 Tuesday or Thursday night

— Colorado vs. Vegas, Game 1 Wednesday night

Colorado is the favorite at a little over even money, followed by Carolina.

Every playoff game will be nationally televised in the U.S on an ESPN or Turner network. The NHL schedule is here and a streaming guide is here. Much of TNT’s coverage, which includes the Stanley Cup Final, will be simulcast on truTV and available on Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. In Canada, games will be showcased on Sportsnet and CBC.

After three rounds of best-of-seven series, the final starts in early June. If the final goes the distance, Game 7 could go as late as June 21.

WEST: The Colorado Avalanche look like a wagon, after being the league's best team since October. Nathan MacKinnon has been a man on a mission, especially after missing a wide-open net in the Olympic gold-medal game when he and Canada lost to the U.S. in overtime. He's surrounded by talent, including all-world defenseman Cale Makar, and in net, career backup Scott Wedgewood has been a revelation.

Grizzled, old-school, no-nonsense John Tortorella took over coaching the Vegas Golden Knights in late March, and they've been rolling since. Mitch Marner, who was maligned for a lack of playoff success during his lengthy time in Toronto, has been arguably the best player around.

EAST: The Carolina Hurricanes are 8-0, getting dominant goaltending from 36-year-old Frederik Andersen and do-it-all play from 2018 league MVP Taylor Hall. They now hope to break through after so many disappointing playoff exits.

After snapping the NHL’s longest postseason drought at 14 years in style, the Sabres handled the Bruins in a back-and-forth series to set up a matchup with Montreal. The Canadiens are Canada's last hope to end the nation's 33-year Cup drought dating to them winning it in 1993.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl