Ranking the four 1st-round series in the Eastern Conference

Over the past 12 years, only three Eastern Conference teams have won the Stanley Cup: the Carolina Hurricanes (2006), Boston Bruins (2011), and Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017).

This year's crop of eight teams have varying degrees of potential, as do the matchups. Here, we rank the East's four first-round series based on entertainment value and competitiveness.

1. Penguins vs. Flyers

It would be hard to find a hockey fan who wasn't hoping for another installment of the Battle of Pennsylvania, quite possibly the NHL's hottest and most entertaining rivalry.

It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are far from friendly, and they finished only two points apart in the Metropolitan Division, setting up their first head-to-head playoff matchup since a wild encounter in 2012.

This series features five of the league's top 15 regular-season scorers (Claude Giroux, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, and Jakub Voracek) and enough defensive question marks that all those stars may have a chance to shine.

If we're lucky, this one goes the distance.

2. Bruins vs. Maple Leafs

Thanks to the current playoff system, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs enter this series as the fourth- and seventh-ranked teams in the NHL, respectively. But they'll meet in the first round, stirring up memories of the Bruins' epic Game 7 comeback in 2013.

This isn't the same Toronto team that allowed Boston to walk out of TD Garden that night with a miraculous win; in fact, only five of those Maple Leafs remain on the roster, namely Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, and Leo Komarov. They're now surrounded by an incredibly talented young core and other veterans eager to exorcise any lingering demons from five years ago.

At the other end of the ice, the Bruins have their own unique and successful mix of veterans and youngsters, and they look as dangerous as the team that advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final after being taken to the brink in the first round that year.

Bruins-Leafs isn't quite at the level of Penguins-Flyers on the rivalry spectrum, but it could get pretty close by the end of this series, and it could be as fun to watch as any matchup on the board.

3. Capitals vs. Blue Jackets

The Capitals and Blue Jackets have both long sought credibility as contenders. Both teams were set aside by the Penguins last year - Columbus in the first round and Washington in the second - but have managed to avoid Pittsburgh in this spring's opening series (and perhaps, if the Flyers have anything to say about it, will dodge them completely).

At any rate, neither club wants to exit the playoffs this early. For the Capitals, anything less than a trip to the Conference Finals will be another bitter disappointment, and the Blue Jackets won't easily accept losing yet another series - they've only won three playoff games in the franchise's existence despite some recent regular-season success.

This series has "slobberknocker" written all over it.

4. Lightning vs. Devils

The disparity between Eastern Conference playoff teams is most pronounced here, as the Tampa Bay Lightning finished 16 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils.

Sure, neither team made the playoffs a year ago, but the Lightning have had serious Cup aspirations for several seasons now, while the Devils' rebuild is perhaps a bit ahead of schedule.

These aren't the old-regime Devils that earned a reputation for lacking entertainment value while collecting championships. Hart Trophy candidate Taylor Hall won't go down without a fight in his playoff debut, but the Lightning will try to strike early and often, considering the Devils but a stepping stone.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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