Finishing fourth in the powerhouse Metropolitan Division may have been a boon for the New York Rangers, who visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. New York ousted Atlantic Division champion Montreal in six games for the right to face Atlantic runner-up Ottawa, which also won its first-round series in six games.

Generational talents Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will resume their personal rivalry as their respective teams, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, meet in the playoffs for the second time in as many years and third since 2009. While the clubs are set to open their Eastern Conference second-round series Thursday in Washington, Ovechkin was quick to insist that there's more on the line than just one-on-one bragging rights.