The Dust Has Settled

With sixteen teams having officially secured their spots in the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, we'll see the NHL kick into playoff mode on Monday night as schedules begin to be released over the next 24 hours. Some teams will be in tough in their first-round matchups while others may look overmatched, but will closer than they appear. This is the intrigue of the Stanley Cup Playoffs where seven-game series will bring out the best - or the worst - in each of the teams who made the cut. For those that didn't make it, it's all about May 8 and the lottery pick sweepstakes for Connor Bedard, but we'll likely see a lot of good hockey between now and the Draft Lottery Selection event.

With Colorado defeating Nashville in overtime tonight, each of the sixteen qualified teams has a final position for the playoffs. That also means that all sixteen entrants in the Survivor: NHL Playoffs also have a team assigned to them based on their randomly-chosen selections. With Colorado ending up in first-place in the Central Division, this is how the Survivor roster looks.

It's always nice to have a full roster, and a lot of good people came forward after just a handful of people called into the radio show last night. We're always grateful for listeners, but it baffles me that people don't want to enter a free contest that simply requires one to select a number. As you likely are aware, no one's participation in Survivor will affect any team's play on the ice, so I struggle to understand why more people don't call in for this freebie where we're begging you to take prizes off our hands.

Nevertheless, sixteen people are ready to go come Monday night as the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway. Monday night's games include the following series (all times are Eastern Time):

• Panthers at Bruins - 730pm on ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC, & TVA
• Islanders at Hurricanes - 7pm on ESPN2, Sportsnet 360 & TVA2
• Wild at Stars - 930pm on ESPN2, Sportsnet 360 & TVA2
• Kings at Oilers - 10pm on ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC, & TVA

If you're wondering, TNT will have coverage, but only for specific games. They will not have any games televised on Monday, though, and it appears that the Rogers-owned network of CityTV and Disney-owned FX will also have select games throughout the playoffs on those stations. ESPN+ will also carry some games in the US. The full schedule can be found here, and the Survivor challenges begin on Monday with the games. Some will say it's not fair since their teams don't play until Tuesday night, but that's how the puck bounces.

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoff matchups are set. Survivor: NHL Playoffs is set. All we do now is wait for the games to be played, and we'll see that happen on Monday until there's only one team left standing. It's the best time of the year if you're a hockey fan, and it's even better if you're winning prizes on Survivor!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!