10 Playoff Series You Can't Miss

The NHL playoffs kick off with a first-round slate packed with grudge matches and heavyweight clashes that front offices have circled for months. Veterans in those locker rooms know these series often hinge on a single power-play goal or a goaltender's hot streak nobody saw coming. Teams with quiet regular seasons suddenly flip the script, and the stakes climb fast as home-ice dreams turn into do-or-die battles across the bracket.