Cup Playoffs Open: Four Sunday Game Ones Across the Bracket

The Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, 121 points) host the Los Angeles Kings (43-33-6, 92 points) to open the Western Conference bracket. Colorado is a heavy home favorite at -230 on the moneyline with the Kings at +190. Puck line Los Angeles +1.5 at -130. Total 5.5 with the over at -120 and the under at +100. This is the fifth straight postseason with Colorado as a Cup favorite under Jared Bednar, and the roster construction continues to orbit around Nathan MacKinnon's MVP-level two-way game, Cale Makar's best-defenseman-alive argument, and Mikko Rantanen's scoring-line production from the right wing.

The Kings enter as a 5-seed that squeaked into the postseason via a late-season run but arrive carrying nearly a decade of playoff frustration against the Avalanche. Los Angeles leans on Anze Kopitar's two-way play at 38 years old, Adrian Kempe as the primary offensive driver, and Quinton Byfield's continued progression into a legitimate second-line center. The goaltending situation is the variable. Darcy Kuemper has been steady across his second Kings season, but the volume differential between Kuemper's workload and Colorado's offensive pressure means the Kings are asking him to make 32-plus saves a night just to compete.

Colorado's structural advantages are overwhelming. The Avalanche finished top-three in Corsi For percentage, top-five in high-danger chances created, and their power play ranked in the top five for conversion rate. Makar's ability to generate transition offense from the blue line essentially forces opposing teams into track-meet hockey, which is not a pace the Kings want to play. Los Angeles' best playoff versions have always been defensively tight, physically punishing, and opportunistic offensively. That template works against certain matchups. It does not work against the Avalanche's speed and skill on 200 feet of ice.

The 5.5 total is tight for a Game 1 featuring these two rosters, but playoff opening games tend to run under the season-average rate as coaches tighten their structures. The under at +100 carries real appeal if you believe Colorado will lean on their structural advantages early rather than chase a 4-goal first period. The Kings' path to a Game 1 cover is Kuemper at .940-plus, Kopitar controlling faceoffs, and converting one of their two power plays. The Avalanche at home with their full complement of top-line forwards is the cleanest Game 1 outcome available on the slate. Opening faceoff is 3:00 PM ET on TNT.

The Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, 106 points) host the Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, 106 points) in an Atlantic Division blockbuster that pits two 106-point rosters against each other to open Round 1. Tampa is a modest home favorite at -180 on the moneyline with Montreal at +155. Puck line Montreal +1.5 at -155. Total 6.5 with the under at -135 and the over at +115. This is Montreal's deepest playoff roster in years. The Nick Suzuki-Cole Caufield-Juraj Slafkovsky top line has been one of the best even-strength units in the league. Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy last year and has taken another step as a top-pair offensive defenseman capable of quarterbacking the power play.

Tampa Bay's structural identity hasn't changed across Jon Cooper's twelve-year tenure. Andrei Vasilevskiy remains one of the five best goalies in hockey. Nikita Kucherov leads one of the league's most dangerous scoring lines with Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel, the latter of whom has fit beautifully after his 2024 offseason arrival. Victor Hedman's even-strength defensive work is as vital as ever, and the Lightning's collective playoff experience from multiple Cup runs gives them a composure advantage in tight Game 1 environments. Tampa has won three of their last four first-round series.

Montreal's injury list creates a complication. Noah Dobson has been sidelined with a lower-body issue and his status for Game 1 is uncertain. The 25-year-old right-shot defenseman has become the Canadiens' most consistent minutes-eater on the back end, and his absence would force Martin St. Louis to lean harder on David Savard and Kaiden Guhle in shutdown minutes against the Kucherov line. Sam Montembeault has been the Canadiens' primary starter and has posted the best numbers of his career this year, but a Game 1 against Vasilevskiy with the Tampa crowd behind him is the kind of spot where experience matters.

The 6.5 total with the under at -135 reflects the reality that playoff Game 1s between evenly-matched rosters tend to run low, and both Montembeault and Vasilevskiy are capable of producing .930-plus games in high-pressure windows. Montreal's path to a Game 1 upset is Suzuki's line producing two-plus goals, Hutson quarterbacking one power-play conversion, and the Canadiens winning the special-teams battle. Tampa's path is Vasilevskiy making the big save and Kucherov scoring the big goal, which is exactly the description of the last ten years of Bolts hockey. Opening faceoff is 5:45 PM ET on TNT.

The Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, 109 points) host the Boston Bruins (45-27-10, 100 points) in a series that represents one of the most significant milestones in recent franchise history for Buffalo. The Sabres ended the longest playoff drought in North American pro sports at 14 seasons, and Game 1 against the Bruins is their first home playoff game since 2011. Buffalo is a moderate home favorite at -166 on the moneyline with Boston at +140. Puck line Boston +1.5 at -185. Total 6.5 with the under at -135 and the over at +114. The Sabres' top line of Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, and Dylan Cozens has been one of the most productive in the league, and Rasmus Dahlin's offensive production from the back end gives Buffalo a genuine top-pair quarterback.

Boston's identity under Jim Montgomery remains defensively responsible hockey built around Jeremy Swayman's goaltending (31-18-4, 2.71 GAA, .908 SV%) and the remaining veteran core of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Brad Marchand. The departures across recent seasons have reshaped the bottom-six more than fans expected, and the Bruins are leaning harder on younger forwards than they have in years. Pastrnak remains the offensive engine at 45-plus goals, and McAvoy's even-strength defense has been elite across the season.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been Buffalo's starter all season (22-9-3, 2.52 GAA, .910 SV%) and his postseason debut is the biggest single variable in the series. Luukkonen's regular-season numbers have been strong, but playoff goaltending is its own category and the Sabres' fanbase is going to experience every swing of emotion that comes with a Game 1 crowd that hasn't cheered a playoff goal in fifteen years. Boston's injury report is relatively clean. Buffalo is dealing with Sam Carrick (out until April 30) and Noah Ostlund (out until April 20), both bottom-six forwards. The Sabres' core is intact.

The 6.5 total with the under at -135 is the tightest playoff number on the slate because both goalies can produce .925-plus games. Boston's recent playoff track record includes four consecutive first-round exits, which is the kind of trend that creates real doubt about whether the Bruins can respond to adversity the way prior iterations of this roster did. Buffalo's first Game 1 in fifteen years has all the emotional energy working for them. The cleanest cover path is Thompson's line producing multiple goals and Luukkonen matching Swayman save for save. Opening faceoff is 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.