Sidney Crosby and the Penguins begin defense of their Stanley Cup championship Wednesday night.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The intensity factor gets ratcheted up in the playoffs, and it's time for the NHL's best teams to assert themselves and lay claim to Lord Stanley's Cup.
After running a marathon during the regular season, the eventual champion will run a marathon of sprints in the postseason. It requires four victories in four best-of-seven series that will leave the winner elated and exhausted.
The Chicago Blackhawks were the best Western Conference team in the regular season, while the Washington Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy as a result of having the best regular-season record in the league.