Stanley Cup Playoffs field set, play starts Wednesday

After an eventful Sunday, the field for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set.

Play gets underway Wednesday night with three first-round games.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the Metropolitan Division with 108 points, play Game 1 of their Eastern Conference First Round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday at Consol Energy Center (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC). The Blue Jackets assured themselves of the first wild-card spot when they held off the Florida Panthers 3-2 Saturday night in their regular-season finale. Pittsburgh won all five regular-season games against the Blue Jackets, all in regulation.

The Tampa Bay Lightning clinched second place in the Atlantic Division on Sunday with their 1-0 shootout victory against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. The win moved the Lightning one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens, giving Tampa Bay home-ice advantage in that first-round series. Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday at Tampa Bay Times Forum (7 p.m. ET, CNBC, CBC, RDS). Three of the four regular-season games between the Lightning and Canadiens went past regulation; Tampa Bay went 3-0-1.

The Anaheim Ducks assured themselves of the top seed in the Western Conference on Saturday night when their game against the Los Angeles Kings went into overtime; they increased their season total to 114 points with a 4-3 shootout victory. The Ducks, who won the Pacific Division, will face the Dallas Stars, the second of the two wild-card teams in the West. That series begins Wednesday at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN). Anaheim lost two of three regular-season games against the Stars.

The Colorado Avalanche won the Central Division on Sunday afternoon when the St. Louis Blues suffered a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Scottrade Center. That means the Avalanche will face the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs, while the Blues collide with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Detroit Red Wings, who were awarded the second wild card in the East, will face the Boston Bruins, who are the Presidents' Trophy winners as the NHL's regular-season champion. The Bruins and Red Wings are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 1957, when Boston won their semifinal series in five games. Game 1 will take place Friday at TD Garden (7:30 p.m., NBCSN, TSN). The Bruins went 1-3-0 against Detroit during the regular season.

The Philadelphia Flyers' 4-3 overtime victory against the Penguins on Saturday assured the Flyers third place in the Metropolitan Division. Philadelphia will face the second-place New York Rangers in the first round, with Game 1 set for Thursday at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET, CNBC, TSN). The Flyers and Rangers split four games during the regular season, but Philadelphia has not won at MSG in more than three years.

The Anaheim Ducks assured themselves of the top seed in the Western Conference on Saturday night when their game against the Los Angeles Kings went into overtime; they increased their season total to 114 points with a 4-3 shootout victory. The Ducks, who won the Pacific Division, will face the Dallas Stars, the second of the two wild-card teams in the West. That series begins Wednesday at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN). Anaheim lost two of three regular-season games against the Stars.

Colorado will host Game 1 of its series against the Wild on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET, CNBC, TSN). It will be the first time they've faced each other since Jan. 30; the Avalanche won four of five.

St. Louis, which lost its final six games during the regular season to lose its grip of first place in the Central, will host the Blackhawks in Game 1 on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC). The Blues won the first three games of their regular-season series with Chicago before the Blackhawks responded and won the last two.

The other first-round pairing in the Western Conference is the San Jose Sharks and Kings, who finished second and third in the Pacific Division. Their series will begin in San Jose on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC). Los Angeles won three of five against the Sharks during the regular season; four of the five were decided by one goal.