The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers knew they would be meeting in the first round some time ago, with the Canadiens getting home-ice advantage by virtue of the Atlantic Division title.
With the 30 teams all seeing their regular-season campaigns at an end, the NHL has released the schedule for the opening series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Habs will kick things off at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night for the first post-season game in Montreal in two years. After two games, the series will shift to Madison Square Garden on Sunday.