The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here. Will we see an unlikely team make a deep playoff run, or will the favorites run the show?

The first-round matchups are set for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and 16 teams will begin their journey toward hockey's ultimate prize. Only eight of them will make it past this first round, and we're here making picks for which teams will stay alive to fight another round.

The Stanley Cup playoffs comprise four rounds with winners determined by best-of-seven game series. Teams with the higher regular-season point total have home-ice advantage. Each series is contested in a 2-2-1-1-1 format with the home-ice advantage holder hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and its opponent hosting Games 3, 4 and 6.