Down Goes Brown: A sentence to get hyped for all 64 possible round-one matchups
Canadiens vs. Bruins
Quite possibly the greatest rivalry in hockey history, and it has a way of transforming even run-of-the-mill stuff like too-many-men penalties and handshake lines into something dramatic, so you don’t need my help to sell this one.
Hurricanes vs. Bruins
It would be a rematch from last year’s Eastern Conference finals that should have been so much better than it actually was, plus it would be fun when the Canes showed up in Whaler uniforms just to confuse everyone.
Blue Jackets vs. Bruins
They met in the second round of last year’s playoffs and if you’re not a fan of either team you probably remember virtually none of it, but it was actually a darn good series that saw the underdog Blue Jackets give the Bruins a run for their money.
Islanders vs. Bruins
We could all play a game of, “Which franchise did Mike Milbury embarrass himself more with?”
Panthers vs. Bruins
The Panthers are a sneaky good team that’s well-positioned for a deep run, and while we all want to skip ahead to the showdown between the Bruins and Lightning, sneaking in a fresh matchup that isn’t the usual Boston/Toronto series would add some unpredictability.
Rangers vs. Bruins
There’s some Original Six history here, although not as much as you might think, but it really doesn’t matter because Boston/New York sports always delivers.
Maple Leafs vs. Bruins
If you’re the sort of person who likes to read the last few pages of a novel so you already know how the story is going to end before you start, you’ll love the Leafs/Bruins playoff rivalry.
Penguins vs. Bruins
These two teams have a low-key but decades long rivalry over everything from uniform colors to Ulf Samuelsson to custody of Jarome Iginla, plus we’d get to see Team Canada’s entire first line in the same series.
