With all but one qualifying series decided, the NHL’s first round playoff matchups are starting to take shape. Teams are re-seeded each round of this year’s playoffs in the reimagined postseason as a result of the current global pandemic. In a fact that might seem crazy, two 12-seeds from the qualifying round beat the 5-seeded teams (Montreal Canadiens over Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks over Edmonton Oilers), completely changing the chemistry of the playoffs as most NHL fans would have contemplated when the league was paused in early March.
Eastern Conference
The winner of today’s Tampa Bay Lightning/Philadelphia Flyers round robin game will see the Montreal Canadiens in the first round as the lowest seed to qualify for the playoffs.