NHL seeds set; playoffs ready to go

Each year for me, the battle is on. How far will the Canadian-based teams go in the NHL playoffs? For those scoring at home, the last Canadian-based team to win was Montreal in the 1992-93 season.

In the Eastern Conference, Ottawa barely pulled out the overall #1 seed at 113 points. Montreal is securely in the #7 seed at 93 points. This is huge because if Ottawa had finished second, the 2 teams would have played each other in the first round, automatically reducing the Canadian teams in half before the next round. Toronto finished 9th, 2 points behind Tampa Bay.

In the Western Conference, Calgary won the Northwest Division with 103 points, gaining the #3 seed (division winners get the top 3 seeds regardless of how many points). Edmonton actually tied Colorado at 95 points, but gets the #8 seed. Vancouver finished 3 points back, despite its many deadline trades.

It's an uphill battle compared to the old days. Ask a Maple Leafs fan how long it's been since Toronto won the Stanley Cup, and you will get an icy stare.

Last Stanley Cup win

Team
Year
Montreal
1993
Edmonton
1990
Calgary
1989
Toronto
1967
Vancouver
Never
Ottawa
Never


So here are the seeds 
and where the Canadian-based teams are:



Eastern Conference

Team
Seed
First-Round Opponent
Ottawa
1
Tampa Bay
Montreal
7
Carolina





Western Conference

Team
Seed
First-Round Opponent
Calgary
3
San Jose
Edmonton
8
Detroit