Playoff schedule set
By Shawn P. Roarke NHL.com April 8, 2001
The National Hockey League's playoff schedule opens Wednesday as six teams begin what they hope will be a two-month march toward the Stanley Cup. Eight teams that qualified for the postseason will begin their first-round series Thursday. And, finally, Toronto and Ottawa will kick off their series on Friday
The New Jersey Devils, defending the Stanley Cup they won last season, open the playoffs Thursday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, who finished in eighth in the East after Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh.
The Eastern Conference champions, who set a team record with 111 points in the regular season, will host the first two games at the Continental Airlines Arena before moving to Raleigh on Tuesday for Game 3. New Jersey has won 10 straight road games, tying the NHL record for consecutive away wins.
This year's first-round matchups definitely have a feeling of deja vu about them. Six of the eight series are rematches from last year's first round. In the East, Washington and Pittsburgh will go at it again, as will Philadelphia and Buffalo. Canadian rivals Toronto and Ottawa also have a first-round date again this year. In the West, traditional playoff rivals Edmonton and Dallas will renew acquaintances in the first round for the third straight year. Also, San Jose hopes to repeat last year's stunning first-round upset of the St. Louis Blues. Detroit and Los Angeles also will meet for the second-straight season.
With a 2-1 victory over Buffalo Sunday on the road, Philadelphia earned the fourth seed in the East and will enjoy home-ice advantage for their grudge match against the Sabres. Philadelphia won all four regular-season games this year and took last year's playoff matchup in five games. That series will open Wednesday at the First Union Center.
The Capitals' reward for winning the Southeast Division and the third seed is another date with the Penguins. Some reward.
The Penguins have won five of six playoff series against Washington in the recent past, including a five-game upset in Round 1 last spring. To make matters worse, the Pens have Mario Lemieux in the lineup. He was inactive last year, but has 76 points in 43 games so far this season. That series will open Thursday at the MCI Center.
The only all-Canada matchup of the first round completes the Eastern Conference quarterfinal slate. Second-seeded Ottawa, which finished just two points in back of the Devils, will open against seventh-seeded Toronto, which earned their position when Carolina lost its final game Sunday.
The favored Maple Leafs persevered in a brutal series last year against their Northeast Division rivals, taking the series four games to two. Ottawa went 5-0-0 against their Ontario rivals this season. This year's festivities will start with games Friday and Saturday at the Corel Centre.
In the Western Conference, the matchup between top-seeded Colorado and Vancouver is the only new matchup in the bracket.
Colorado, which held off Detroit to win the Presidents' Trophy, will have home ice as long as they last in this year's tournament. The Avs and Canucks have already met five times this season, with Colorado holding a 3-2 advantage. The series will open Thursday at the Pepsi Center.
The rest of the West is all about revisiting bitter postseason rivalries.
The second-seeded Red Wings, who enter the playoffs riding a team-record 19-game home unbeaten streak, will entertain Los Angeles in Game 1 of their series Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit swept the Kings in last year's playoffs, outscoring L.A., 15-6, in the process.
But the Kings, who overtook Phoenix and Vancouver in the final week of the season, are riding high after losing just four of 16 games down the stretch. Goalie Felix Potvin has fueled that run, going 15-5-5 with a 1.98 goals-against average since joining the club in a trade from Vancouver.
Dallas, which fell to New Jersey in a memorable six-game series in last year's Cup Finals, will once again have to get by Edmonton to start its playoff march. The teams will meet in the postseason for the fifth straight year, and the third in a row in the opening round.
Dallas took a 4-1 series win in last year's first round, with three games decided by one goal. In the 1999 playoffs, Dallas swept the Oilers in the first round, but all four games were decided by one goal. The year before, Dallas took a second round series from Edmonton in five games, with three games being decided by a goal. And both teams still remember the classic first-round series in 1997, when the Oilers earned a seven-game upset. Three of those games, including Game 7, were decided in overtime.
This year's war will begin Wednesday at Reunion Arena, which will be involved in its last playoffs. The Stars will begin play next fall in the brand-new American Airlines Center.
The Blues, who followed up last year's Presidents' Trophy campaign with a fourth-place finish this season, couldn't shake the Sharks. San Jose survived a late-season tailspin to claim the fifth seed and will visit the Savvis Center for Thursday's series opener.
In last year's Western Conference quarterfinal matchup, San Jose won three straight games to take a 3-1 lead in the series, watched St. Louis claw back to tie the series 3-3, and then took Game 7 with a 3-1 decision for the biggest upset of last year's tournament.
Eastern Conference
#1 New Jersey vs #8 Carolina
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Thu., April 12 Carolina at New Jersey ESPN (B-net) 7:30 p.m. ET
2 Sun., April 15 Carolina at New Jersey ESPN 3 p.m. ET
3 Tue., April 17 New Jersey at Carolina ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET
4 Wed., April 18 New Jersey at Carolina ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET
5* Fri., April 20 Carolina at New Jersey ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET
6* Sun., April 22 New Jersey at Carolina ESPN 3 p.m. ET
7* Tue., April 24 Carolina at New Jersey ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
#2 Ottawa vs #7 Toronto
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Fri., April 13 Toronto at Ottawa CBC, ESPN, SRC 7 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 Toronto at Ottawa CBC, ESPN, SRC 7 p.m. ET
3 Mon., April 16 Ottawa at Toronto CBC, SRC, ESPN (B-net) 7 p.m. ET
4 Wed., April 18 Ottawa at Toronto CBC, SRC, ESPN (B-net) 7 p.m. ET
5* Fri., April 20 Toronto at Ottawa CBC, ESPN, SRC 7 p.m. ET
6* Sun., April 22 Ottawa at Toronto CBC, ESPN2, SRC 7 p.m. ET
7* Tue., April 24 Toronto at Ottawa CBC, SRC, ESPN (B-net) 7 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
#3 Washington vs #6 Pittsburgh
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Thu., April 12 Pittsburgh at Washington ESPN, RDS 7:30 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 Pittsburgh at Washington ABC, RDS 1 p.m. ET
3 Mon., April 16 Washington at Pittsburgh ESPN, RDS 7 p.m. ET
4 Wed., April 18 Washington at Pittsburgh ESPN, RDS 7 p.m. ET
5* Sat., April 21 Pittsburgh at Washington ABC, RDS 3 p.m. ET
6* Mon., April 23 Washington at Pittsburgh ESPN, RDS 7 p.m. ET
7* Tue., April 24 Pittsburgh at Washington ESPN, RDS 7 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
#4 Philadelphia at #5 Buffalo
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Wed., April 11 Buffalo at Philadelphia ESPN2 7 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 Buffalo at Philadelphia ABC 1 p.m. ET
3 Mon., April 16 Philadelphia at Buffalo ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET
4 Tue., April 17 Philadelphia at Buffalo ESPN 7 p.m. ET
5* Thu., April 19 Buffalo at Philadelphia ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET
6* Sat., April 21 Philadelphia at Buffalo ABC 3 p.m. ET
7* Mon., April 23 Buffalo at Philadelphia ESPN (B-net) 7 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
Western Conference
#1 Colorado vs #8 Vancouver
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Thu., April 12 Vancouver at Colorado ESPN2, CBC 10 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 Vancouver at Colorado ESPN2, CBC 10 p.m. ET
3 Mon., April 16 Colorado at Vancouver CBC 10:30 p.m. ET
4 Wed., April 18 Colorado at Vancouver CBC 10:30 p.m. ET
5* Sat., April 21 Vancouver at Colorado ESPN2, CBC 10 p.m. ET
6* Mon., April 23 Colorado at Vancouver CBC 10:30 p.m. ET
7* Wed., April 25 Vancouver at Colorado ESPN2, CBC 10:30 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
#2 Detroit vs #7 Los Angeles
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Wed., April 11 Los Angeles at Detroit ESPN 7 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 Los Angeles at Detroit ABC 1 p.m. ET
3 Sun., April 15 Detroit at Los Angeles ESPN2 11:30 p.m. ET
4 Wed., April 18 Detroit at Los Angeles ESPN2 10:30 p.m. ET
5* Sat., April 21 Los Angeles at Detroit ABC 3 p.m. ET
6* Mon., April 23 Detroit at Los Angeles ESPN2 10:30 p.m. ET
7* Wed., April 25 Los Angeles at Detroit ESPN 7 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
#3 Dallas vs #6 Edmonton
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Wed., April 11 Edmonton at Dallas CBC, ESPN (B-net) 8 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 Edmonton at Dallas CBC 4 p.m. ET
3 Sun., April 15 Dallas at Edmonton CBC, ESPN2 8 p.m. ET
4 Tue., April 17 Dallas at Edmonton CBC, ESPN (B-net) 9 p.m. ET
5* Thu., April 19 Edmonton at Dallas CBC 8 p.m. ET
6* Sat., April 21 Dallas at Edmonton CBC, ESPN 7 p.m. ET
7* Mon., April 23 Edmonton at Dallas CBC 7 p.m. ET
* - if necessary
#4 St. Louis vs #5 San Jose
Game Date Matchup Network TV Time/Score
1 Thu., April 12 San Jose at St. Louis ESPN2 7 p.m. ET
2 Sat., April 14 San Jose at St. Louis ABC 1 p.m. ET
3 Mon., April 16 St. Louis at San Jose ESPN2 10:30 p.m. ET
4 Tue., April 17 St. Louis at San Jose ESPN2 10:30 p.m. ET
5* Thu., April 19 San Jose at St. Louis ESPN 7:30 p.m. ET
6* Sat., April 21 St. Louis at San Jose ABC 3 p.m. ET
7* Mon., April 23 San Jose at St. Louis ESPN2 7:30 p.m. ET