The common theme across the four NHL Eastern Conference qualifying-round series is each top seed became healthier during the extended shutdown.
Pittsburgh, Carolina, Toronto and the New York Islanders bring back key pieces who may not have contributed for the whole of a regular postseason.
The quartet of teams need to win a best-of-five series against the ninth- to 12th-best teams in the East based off points percentage to move into the traditional 16-team bracket.
All of the games will be held in the Toronto hub, with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes participating in Saturday's first contest.