NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Summer may be the most enjoyable time of the season for many people, but NHL teams want to put off its start for as long as possible.
For the eight Eastern Conference teams that missed out on the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff party, their goal since the second week of April has been figuring out how to extend their seasons into May -- or even June, like the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
So how can the teams that missed the fun turn into postseason hits?