The NHL playoffs begin Saturday with three series, followed by four more getting underway Sunday and the last opening on Monday night.
The only certainty is that there won't be a three-peat, since the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers did not make the 16-team field. Here's a by the numbers look at the chase for the Stanley Cup:
2 — Consecutive trips to the final by Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, who lost to Florida each time but are back for another try. The last team to reach the final three years in a row and not win was St. Louis from 1968-70.
4 — Current playoff teams seeking their first Stanley Cup championship: Buffalo, Minnesota, Ottawa and Utah. The Sabres in their 55th season without a title have the second-longest wait of anyone in the league, just behind Toronto's drought that dates to 1967.
6 — Teams in the field that did not make it last year: Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Utah. That is one shy of the largest turnover in history (2021). The Penguins were 6-1 long shots to make it after a three-year absence, while the Flyers got in for the first time since 2020.
7 — Coaches who got their team into the playoffs in their first season in charge. Anaheim's Joel Quenneville, Boston's Marco Sturm, Dallas' Glen Gulutzan, Pittsburgh's Dan Muse, Philadelphia's Rick Tocchet were hired last offseason. Los Angeles' D.J. Smith took over March 1 and Vegas' John Tortorella on March 29.
10 — Players who have skated in 1,000 or more regular-season games and never hoisted the Stanley Cup, led by Colorado's Brent Burns (1,579). The others are Ottawa's Claude Giroux (1,345), Minnesota's Nick Foligno (1,287), Dallas' Jamie Benn (1,252) and Matt Duchene (1,195), Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson (1,159), Dallas' Tyler Myers (1,139), Edmonton's Adam Henrique (1,058) and Minnesota's Marcus Johansson (1,058 GP) and Jeff Petry (1,048).
13 — Years since the Presidents' Trophy winner for the best regular season also won the Stanley Cup. Colorado is looking to become the first since Chicago in 2013 and 16th ever.
14 — Seasons since the Sabres last made the playoffs, the longest drought in NHL history. Detroit now has that distinction (10 seasons).
15 — U.S. players who won gold at the Olympics who now have a chance for a double championship year: Colorado's Brock Nelson, Dallas' Jake Oettinger, Boston's Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman, Tampa Bay's Jake Guentzel, Minnesota's Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber, Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson, Buffalo's Tage Thompson, Carolina's Jaccob Slavin, Tampa Bay's Jake Guentzel, Vegas' Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin, and Anaheim's Jackson LaCombe.
21 — Series victories by the Sabres in their franchise history. Lindy Ruff was coach for 10 of them.
87 — Times Montreal has qualified, the most of any team. Boston is in for a 78th time, ranking second.
201 — Career playoff points for Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, who needs one point to pass former teammate Jaromir Jagr for sole possession of the fifth most in NHL history.
820 — Regular-season games played by Philadelphia's Rasmus Ristolainen, the most of any active player without making the playoffs. Former teammate Rasmus Dahlin of Buffalo (568 games) is also in tor the first time as the only defenseman to make his postseason debut after recording 400 points.
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