The matchups and storylines are set as the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs get underway this week, with the last team standing hoisting the cherished chalice sometime in late June.
Will that be the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are looking to become the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980 to 1983? Could the Florida Panthers, who raced to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, win their first Cup? Might the Colorado Avalanche, the top seed in the West and an underachiever the past two postseasons, break through?