Eastern Conference playoff series finalized, West gets closer

After a wild night on the ice on Tuesday, we have the matchups for the four NHL Eastern Conference playoff series.

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders

The Capitals secured the final playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on an empty-net goal by T.J. Oshie with three minutes left in a bizarre scenario.

The Bruins-Leafs contest might lead to nightmares for Toronto fans. The Bruins beat the Leafs in Game 7 of a first-round series in 2013 after rallying from a 4-1 deficit in the third period and also ousted Toronto in the 2018 and ’19 playoffs.

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Broadcast schedule

It looked for weeks like the Leafs would face the Florida Panthers, but Florida’s win over Toronto on Tuesday combined with Boston’s loss to the Ottawa Senators flipped the script.

The reigning finalist Panthers, meanwhile, will face the Lightning in the third all-Florida series in the past four years. Tampa eliminated Florida in 2021 and ’22.

Meanwhile, the Capitals face the top-seeded Rangers for the sixth time in the past 20 post-seasons — making them the most common playoff foes in the previous two decades.

The Islanders battle the Hurricanes for the second year in a row. Carolina won in six in the first round last year.

In the West, the only series locked in is the Colorado Avalanche against the Winnipeg Jets, with the latter team earning home-ice advantage on Tuesday.

The final two days of the regular season will determine the other three matchups.

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