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Ranking the ten best first-round matchups we might realistically see

Related Topics: Realism, The Flames

We’reu200b down to lessu200b thanu200b twou200b weeksu200b leftu200b inu200b the regularu200b season, and foru200b a handful of teamsu200b stillu200b jockeying for wild-cardu200bu200b positions, there’s plenty left to play for. But for most fans, our teams are either locked into a playoff spot or already eliminated. There’s still seeding and home ice to play for, sure, but for the most part, we know whether our team is in or out.

And that means it’s time to start looking ahead to the single best time to be a hockey fan: The first round of the playoffs. It’s the best, just two straight weeks of non-stop hockey between teams that either already hate each other or are about to.