Playoff intensity is here, and the storylines are already heating up. Travis Green's message to the Sens is undoubtedly to cool it with the penalties after gifting the Leafs too many powerplay chances—Ottawa looked solid 5-on-5, but inexperience showed. Mitch Marner led Toronto with 3 points in a one-sided opener. Carolina looked strong in their win over New Jersey, though injuries and a bizarre friendly-fire moment for the Devils are already concerns. Winnipeg rallied past a physical Blues team in game 1, an important opener for the Jets to win. LA’s home ice edge looms large against an Oilers squad still trying to find chemistry among injury returns. Montreal’s youth faces a tough, heavy Caps team, and Dallas struggled to keep pace with Colorado’s speed in Game 1.

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Ray & Dregs Playoff Preview! Leafs will be a tough out if their stars show up, but the Senators bring energy and strong goaltending. Montreal fought their way into the postseason and are healthier than top-seed Washington, who have shown incredible consistency all season. Florida’s health is a question mark, and Tampa enters with Vasilevskiy in top form. Carolina vs. New Jersey will be low-scoring, can Markstrom steal it for the Devils? Winnipeg is out for redemption, but the red-hot Blues could push them into deep waters. Edmonton faces LA for the fourth straight year, but Ekholm being out and the Kings’ home dominance could give them an edge. Colorado’s season-long roster turnover hasn’t slowed them one bit, expect a beauty in their series against Dallas. Vegas looks built for another run, can the resilient Minnesota Wild prove to be more than a speedbump on their road to the Stanley Cup?

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Injuries, rest and returns are a league-wide overarching theme as the regular season winds down. Connor McDavid made a surprise return in the Oilers' win over St. Louis, notching three assists including a key play on the game-winner. Edmonton isn’t the same without McDavid and Draisaitl, and getting healthy ahead of the playoffs is crucial. The Leafs dropped a rough one to the Panthers Tuesday, then bounced back against Tampa Bay behind a Matthew Knies hat trick on Wednesday, leading to much discussion about which Florida team the Leafs matchup better against. In Minnesota, a wild 8–7 OT win over the Sharks featured big returns from Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek, and what was probably Marc-Andre Fleury’s final home start. Vegas is also eyeing full health with Pietrangelo and Hague recovering, but Hertl and Eichel’s absences are causing concern up front.

Jason Strudwick joins to talk about getting up to game speed for players like Evander Kane and Gabe Landeskog, his concerns about the Oilers' goaltending and how Quinton Byfield could be a difference-maker in this year's playoffs.

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