New York Islanders-Carolina Hurricanes to start NHL Stanley Cup playoffs

April 19 (UPI) -- The Carolina Hurricanes will host the New York Islanders on Saturday evening, dropping the puck on the 2024 Stanley Cup playoff slate. NHL postseason games will be held through mid-June to determine a champion.

Game 1 of the Hurricanes-Islanders first-round series is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

"We know what they are going to bring," Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson told reporters Thursday. "They are familiar with us, but I think it's a great test [against] a top team in the league with a lot of weapons, and they play a hard style.

"We are all excited for the challenge and we are looking forward to it. It's the best time of the year to play hockey."

Forward Auston Matthews, the NHL's leading scorer (69 goals), and the Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of another Eastern Conference series at 8 p.m. Saturday in Boston.

"This is where we want to have our success," Matthews said Wednesday. "This is where we want to make sure we are elevating our game. For myself, individually, I want to take another step."

Both Saturday matchups will air on TBS and truTV. NHL playoff games will also air on ESPN, ESPN2 and TNT. The Stanley Cup Final series will start in early June.

Each playoff series will be in a best-of-seven game format.

The winner of the Islanders-Hurricanes series will face the New York Rangers or Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 1 of the Rangers-Capitals first-round series will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in New York and air on ESPN.

The winner of the Bruins-Maple Leafs series will face the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning in the other Eastern Conference semifinals series. Game 1 of the Panthers-Lightning series will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in Sunrise, Fla., and air on ESPN.

Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who led the NHL with 144 points, will provide a major test for a Panthers defense that allowed the fewest goals (200) in the Eastern Conference.

Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz, who led the NHL with a stingy 2.03 goals-against average and .925 save percentage, will face an offense that scored the second-most goals in the Eastern Conference (291).

"It's what I consider the most exciting round in playoffs in any sport, is that first round," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Wednesday. "It's emotional chaos and so much fun to watch. It's so much fun to be a part of.

"I'm pretty lucky to have a standing room seat right on the ice for this."

The Winnipeg Jets, who allowed the fewest goals (199) in the NHL, will meet the Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon and the top-scoring Colorado Avalanche (304 goals) in Game 1 of a first-round Western Conference series at 7 p.m. Sunday in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. That game will air on ESPN2.

The winner of that series will meet the Dallas Stars or Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference semifinals. Game 1 of the Golden Knights-Stars series will be at 9:30 p.m. Monday in Dallas and air on ESPN.

The Vancouver Canucks will host the Nashville Predators in another Game 1 at 10 p.m. Sunday in Vancouver. That game will air on ESPN. The winner of the Canucks-Predators series will face the Los Angeles Kings or Edmonton Oilers on the other Western Conference semifinals series.

The Kings-Oilers first-round series will start at 10 p.m. Monday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and air on ESPN2. First-round games could extend through May 5.

Most oddsmakers list the Hurricanes as favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The 2023 runner-up Panthers, Stars, Rangers, Avalanche and Oilers are among the other expected contenders. The reigning-champion Golden Knights are inside the Top 10 favorites of the 16 teams in the field.

The Rangers (55-23-4) led the NHL in wins and points (114) this season. The Stars (52-21-9) logged the second-most points (113), followed by the Hurricanes (111), Panthers (110) and Jets (110). The Panthers logged an NHL-best goal differential of plus-68.

Stanley Cup playoffs openers

All times EDT

Saturday

Game 1: Islanders at Hurricanes at 5 p.m. on TBS and truTV

Game 1: Maple Leafs at Bruins at 8 p.m. on TBS and truTV

Sunday

Game 1: Lightning at Panthers at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN

Game 1: Capitals at Rangers at 3 p.m. on ESPN

Game 1: Avalanche at Jets at 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Game 1: Predators at Canucks at 10 p.m. on ESPN

Monday

Game 1: Golden Knights at Stars at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN