The Stanley Cup playoffs officially start Wednesday. There are three games on the schedule with Minnesota at Winnipeg, Philadelphia at Pittsburgh and Los Angeles at Vegas.
There will be a game thread for each night throughout the playoffs.
In Blackhawks news, the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs.
BLACKHAWKS
**Enter SCH’s Bracket Challenge (SCH)
**IceHogs clinch spot in Calder Cup playoffs (SCH)
**Crawford’s injury changed everything, led to Hawks’ demise (Chicago Sun-Times)
**GM Bowman gives his season recap (SCH)
**Q&A: Hawks assistant GM Norm Maciver discusses his NHL career, roster building and more (The Athletic)
**Quenneville calls for Hawks to be ‘relentless’ next season (SCH)
**Saad ‘definitely not happy’ with his production in return to Hawks (SCH)
**GM Bowman: Hossa’s status ‘unchanged’ (SCH)
**Kane will captain Team USA at Worlds (SCH)
**Which Hawks will play at Worlds? (SCH)
**Saying farewell (again) to Patrick Sharp (SCH)
**Speed or strength? Toews doesn’t want to give up either (Chicago Sun-Times)
**Sikura is experienced and confident on his developmental path (Chicago Tribune)
**Understanding the Hawks’ defensive catastrophe this season (The Athletic)
**Celebrate Blackhawks legend Scott Foster with this T-shirt (SCH)
CENTRAL DIVISION
**Predators vs. Avs Series Preview: Colorado special teams (On The Forecheck)
**Predators vs. Avs Series Preview: Colorado goaltenders (On The Forecheck)
**Johansen pays tribute to Humboldt hockey team (The Tennessean)
**Preds’ Ellis pens article supporting Rinne (The Tennessean)
**Look back at Avs’ playoff history (Mile High Hockey)
**Avs star MacKinnon returns to practice after rest day (The Denver Post)
**Jets prospect Niku named AHL defenseman of the year (Arctic Ice Hockey)
**Jets’ Enstrom to miss Game 1 vs. Wild (Arctic Ice Hockey)
**Blues’ Tarasenko out 4 to 6 months with shoulder injury (St. Louis GameTime)
NHL
**Golden Knights vs. Kings playoff preview (Knights On Ice)
**Ranking Golden Knights’ most memorable plays from regular season (Knights On Ice)
**Penguins-Flyers strategy: Previous matchups, systems, fancy stats (Pensburgh)
**Devils vs. Lightning playoff series preview (All About The Jersey)
**Does Bruins’ Rask have upper-hand on Leafs’ Andersen? (Stanley Cup of Chowder)
**Bruins sign Frozen Four MVP Kuhlman (Stanley Cup of Chowder)
HOCKEY WORLD
**OHL Playoffs: Sproviero powers Sting past Rangers; Sarnia leads series 2-1 (Sportsnet)
**QMJHL Playoffs: Fitzpatrick perfect as Titan shut out Phoenix (Sportsnet)