7 things to know about the Stanley Cup Playoffs

1. The Columbus Blue Jackets are back in the playoffs for the first time in three years. 

The CBJ had the best regular season in franchise history, finishing 50-24-8 to set a club record for wins.

Their 108 points were only good enough for third in the loaded Metropolitan Division, however, so they will have to go on the road to start the playoffs against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

2. The games start Wednesday night. 

Columbus-Pittsburgh is one of six matchups on the first night of the playoffs. Every game is available on cable/satellite as well as the team’s local broadcast partners.

In addition to Fox Sports Ohio, the CBJ-Penguins matchup will be on USA at 7:30 p.m.

Also playing Wednesday night: Boston vs. Ottawa (NHL Network), St. Louis vs. Minnesota (NBCSN), San Jose vs. Edmonton (USA) and the New York Rangers vs. Montreal (NBCSN).

3. There are three more games Thursday night. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals kick things off at 7 p.m. (USA) with a double-header scheduled for NBCSN as the Nashville Predators play at the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. with the Calgary Flames at the Anaheim Ducks at 10:30.

4. If you look at the standings, you might find some of the matchups kind of screwy. 

The Blue Jackets finished with the third-most standings points in the Eastern Conference, but four of the top five teams in the conference are also in their division.

The top three in each division make the playoffs with the next two teams in each conference getting a wild card, so the CBJ-Pittsburgh series pits the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the conference against each other while the winner of the Atlantic division, Montreal, hosts a wild card team even though the Canadiens had fewer oints than the Capitals, Penguins or Blue Jackets.

5. The Blue Jackets are looking for their first series win in franchise history. 

This will be a rematch of Columbus’ last trip to the postseason.

In 2014, the CBJ got its first two postseason victories but dropped the series 4-2 to the Penguins.

The Blue Jackets were swept by the Red Wings in their only other postseason trip.

6. The Penguins are looking for their third Stanley Cup victory in nine years. 

Sidney Crosby led the NHL in goals (44) this season, and he can pass Pittsburgh legend Mario Lemieux by winning his third cup as the captain of the Pens.

He’ll have to win this one without Kris Letang. The Pens’ star defenseman is out of the season after having neck surgery.

7. Meanwhile, out west...  

A third cup for Crosby would also allow him to match Canadian contemporary Jonathan Toews, who has won three already with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Second City’s favorite team is the top seed in the Western Conference after fusing its Cup-proven core including Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith with youngsters Artemi Panerin, Ryan Hartman and Nick Schmaltz.

They will begin the postseason matched up against a Nashville team they dispatched on their way to the Cup in 2010 and again in ’15.

To get back to the finals, they will probably have to down the Anaheim Ducks, which they did in an epic seven-game Western Conference final series two years ago.

That run also started with a series win over Nashville.

The Blackhawks are less experienced but more athletic than their last cup-winning team, but they know as well as anybody sometimes winning in the postseason comes down to luck as much as anything else.

Of course that’s what makes it both thrilling for casual fans and excruciating for the diehards.

Enjoy the ride everyone!