NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket: Everything you need to know about the matchups

The 2023 NHL playoffs are upon us, and the Eastern Conference features some intriguing matchups in the first round.

Let's take a look at each series and preview what we can expect.

WC2 Florida Panthers vs ATL1 Boston Bruins

The Florida Panthers will play foil to the league’s Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins. The Panthers looked dead in the water just two weeks ago but revived their season with a sudden winning streak to make it into the playoffs.

The biggest thing the Boston Bruins should be worried about from the Panthers is getting "goalied" just like the Lightning against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Alex Lyon is on an absolute tear for the Panthers, and if he performs like he has the past two weeks, the Bruins could be in for a rough series.

ATL2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs ATL3 Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s the Leafs and the Lightning. Once again. The Maple Leafs will have a rematch against the team that came back from a 3-2 series deficit to continue the Leafs’ streak of first-round exits. Is this finally the year? All signs seem to indicate that it is.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are still good, but there have been notable signs of wear showing on their team, most notably in goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. With their best-structured team in a long time, the Maple Leafs have all the tools in their arsenal to finally capture that elusive series win.

WC1 New York Islanders vs MET1 Carolina Hurricanes

This might be the least-talked-about matchup in the NHL's Eastern Conference playoffs, but it might be one of the most exciting due to the contrasting styles at play between the two teams.

The New York Islanders are known for their defense-over-everything mentality, while the Carolina Hurricanes have one of the most dangerous forward groups in the entire league. It will be interesting to see how big of a role a top-end goaltender like Ilya Sorokin plays in the final result between the Isles and the Canes.

MET2 New Jersey Devils vs MET3 New York Rangers

This has the chance to be one of the most electric and exciting first-round matchups in recent memory. The New York Rangers bought big at the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring elite NHL scorers like Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.

The New Jersey Devils are the exact opposite. The Devils have one of the most exciting young teams in the game, with most of their scoring coming from players still on their entry-level contracts. The city of New York will be abuzz as one of the biggest rivalries in the sport takes center stage.