It's the most exciting time of year for hockey as the Stanley Cup playoffs are set to kick off on Wednesday.
In the Atlantic Division bracket, the top-seeded Panthers will hold home ice over the Wild Card-winning Islanders, while the No. 2 Lightning do the same over the No. 3 Red Wings. This time of year is always filled with classic games and memorable moments, and this bracket won't be any different.
You can view the full schedule for Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs right here. To view how this format works in its third season,head here. Click start at the top right of this page to view our slideshow.
Our picks for the Metropolitan Division bracket can be found here.
Here is a preview and our predictions for the Atlantic bracket in the first round.
No. 1 Florida Panthers (47-26-9, 103 points) vs. W.C. No. 1 Islanders (45-27-10, 100 points)
Cup Dreams: The Panthers are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season and will look to eventually make it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since a loss in their only finals appearance in 1995-96. The Islanders are in the postseason for the second time in three seasons and will look to eventually get to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1983-84, when their dynasty ended.
Season Series: Panthers 2-1.
Special Teams: Panthers: 16.9 percent power play (23rd), 79.5 percent penalty kill (24th); Islanders: 18.3 percent power play (17th), 84.5 percent penalty (4th)
Projected Goalie Matchup: Roberto Luongo, Panthers (35-19-6, 2.35 GAA, .922 save percentage); Thomas Greiss, Islanders (23-11-4, 2.36 GAA, .925 save percentage)
Series Overview: A significant drought will end for one of these two teams as the Panthers will hope to get beyond the first round for the first time since 1996, while the Islanders will look to do the same for the first time since 1993.
Florida has a great blend of veterans and youth, the former which includes the ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr, who was on the Penguins team which lost to the Islanders the last time they played in the second round. Luongo, who was drafted No. 4 by the Islanders and then shipped out in an ill-fated trade, is another veteran presence in the crease.
Jagr led the Panthers with 66 points this season, while having a lot of help from the young guns. Aleksander Barkov, age 20, Vincent Trochek, 22 (currently day-to-day), Rielly Smith, 25, and Jonathan Huberdeau, 22, each reached the 20-goal plateau for Florida this season. Aaron Ekblad, 20, also had a big year for the Panthers on the blue line.
The Islanders offense begins with captain John Tavares, who picked up nine points in his final five games to give him a club-best 78 for the season. Tavares also led the Isles with 33 goals this season. Brock Nelson (26), Kyle Okposo (23) and Frans Nielsen (20) each scored at least 20 goals during the campaign. With Anders Lee out, Nelson especially will need to step up in the playoffs.
In net, there is a big difference in postseason experience. Luongo has played in 64 games (50 starts) and owns a 32-31 record. Greiss, who is in for the injured Jaroslav Halak (groin) at least for the first round, played one postseason game with the Sharks in 2010, allowing two goals on 28 shots.
Last Word: This is truly one that can go either way as the Islanders could be poised for a deep run now that they ended up in the Atlantic bracket, but the Panthers have the playoff experience in Luongo and Jagr. The last time Jagr played in the postseason, however, was 2013 with Boston and he failed to find the back of the net in 22 games. The real question will be whether the big stage stifles the youthful Panthers, but with the edge in goaltending, home-ice advantage and the veteran leadership of Jagr, it's hard to pick against them.
The Pick: Panthers in 7.
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning (46-31-5, 97 points) vs. No. 3 Detroit Red Wings (41-30-11, 93 points)
Cup Dreams: The Lightning is in the playoffs for the third straight season while looking to make it back to the Cup for the second straight year and to then win it all for the first time since 2004. The Red Wings, meanwhile, are enjoying their 25th straight trip to the postseason and will look for their first Stanley Cup since 2008 when all is said and done.
Season Series: 2-2.
Special Teams: Lightning: 15.8 percent power play (28th), 84.0 percent penalty kill (7th); Red Wings: 18.8 percent power play (13th), 81.5 percent penalty kill (14th)
Projected Goalie Matchup: Ben Bishop, Lightning (35-21-4, 2.06 GAA, .926 save percentage); Jimmy Howard, Red Wings (14-14-5, 2.80 GAA, .906 save percentage)
Series Overview: This is a first-round rematch of last season's Stanley Cup playoffs, which saw the Red Wings blow 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 series leads to lose to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Lightning.
Tampa Bay would be a heavy-favorite to win this series if it wasn't ravaged by injury. Steven Stamkos (blood clot) won't play, Anton Stralman (fractured leg) is out, Victor Hedman (upper-body) is banged up, but will return and Nikita Kucherov and Ryan Callahan also have their own ailments.
The responsibility is on Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Kucherov to step up and lead the injury-plagued team. Johnson exploded in the postseason last year, scoring 13 goals and netting 23 points.
The Red Wings have a nice mix of youth and veteran players and this could be the last hurrah for Pavel Datsyuk, who may return to Russia to play after this season. Datsyuk (49 points) and Henrik Zetterberg (team-best 50 points) are two of the biggest leaders on this club.
The youth movement is paced by explosive rookie Dylan Larkin, who had a team-best 23 goals and finished with 45 points. Gustav Nyquist (17-26--43) and Tomas Tatar (21-24--45) are also key contributors.
The Lightning appears to have the edge in net as Bishop is coming off of a season in which he finished first in goals-against average (2.06) and second in save percentage (.926). It's uncertain who Jeff Blashill will peg as his starter, but Howard started the regular season finale. If he starts and falters, Petr Mrazek is waiting in the wings.
Last Word: This is a tough series to call as the Lightning would be the easy pick if they weren't so banged up. The Datsyuk factor could also be something that galvanizes the Red Wings. When in doubt, turn to the goaltending. Bishop's great season and the Lightning's Conference-best 2.41 goals allowed per game give Tampa Bay a slight edge, but it won't be as easy as it would have been if the club was fully healthy.
The Pick: Lightning in 7.
