It took a little longer in the National Hockey League's Western Conference, but the seedings are set for the 2024 playoffs. Here's a look at the first-round matchups.

Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights 

The Knights are the defending champs, but it hasn’t looked nearly as strong this year as last. And in this matchup against the Stars the team face their former head coach Pete DeBoers, who you know would like to get the last laugh and knock off the last team to hoist the Stanley Cup.  

The Knights are coming into the playoffs on a down note, having lost its last game of the regular season, 4-1, to Anaheim. Had the team won, it could have gotten a more favorable matchup. But instead, it’s the last team in the Western Conference playoff seedings – which obviously isn’t exactly where you want to be if you’re trying to go back-to-back. 

Oh, and adding to Dallas’ bloodlust in this series: Vegas beat ‘em 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals last year. So, this match up could very well be payback and the Knights sure look to be outgunned against a team with 52 wins atop the Central Division standings and on a two-game winning streak. 

Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche 

This is a bit of a weird matchup. Winnipeg and Colorado have been in the same division for a decade. But they’ve never faced each other in the playoffs. Until now.  

So, you’ve got two teams intimately familiar with each other – and remember, familiarity breeds contempt, especially in sports – but they’ve never faced off under the pressure and bright lights of the playoffs. Who’s going to blink first?  

The Jets have a franchise cornerstone in goalie Connor Hellebuyck. But he’s poised to turn 31 in May. Meanwhile, the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, at age 28, is playing at an MVP level while 27-year-old Mikko Rantanen went over 100 points for the second consecutive season and 25-year-old Cale Makar is already a generational blue-liner.  

It’s always hard to handicap series, especially untested ones like this. But you’d have to think Colorado’s got the talent to take this one. 

Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators 

This is the second meeting of the Canucks and the Predators in the playoffs. The last time was in 2011, when the Sedins and Ryan Kesler lead Vancouver past Nashville, 4-2. 

That was a long time ago. Still, the Canucks will enter the series as heavy favorites over the much lower-seeded Preds. Vancouver swept Nashville in its matchups during the regular season. But remember: Nashville is used to playoffs. The team makes it seemingly every year. Vancouver? It hasn’t really done anything since 2015 (or 2020 if you count the weird 2020 playoff bubble).  

Vancouver is the better team, that’s hard to debate. But Nashville has the playoff experience. That might make the difference in this one. 

Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings 

Heading into the last game of the regular season, the Kings were neck and neck with the Knights for playoff positioning. The Knights dropped its last game while the Kings won theirs. So that’s why LA is facing Edmonton.  

This is a familiar matchup, with the teams having met in the first round for three consecutive seasons, with the Oilers winning the previous two. Does that mean this should be a boring matchup? Far from it. The Kings want revenge – badly – and will be highly motivated in this series, especially with the team’s little late regular season run.  

Edmonton on the other hand really wants to show LA who their daddy is and will try to keep a collective foot on the necks of the Kings.  

Yeah, the Oilers are the better team. But there will be plenty of anger and physicality in this matchup.