The regular season is officially in the books and the matchups are officially set for the 2012 NHL playoffs. The first round begins on Wednesday, and over the course of the next couple months, one of the best events in sports will take place as 16 teams try to capture the Stanley Cup.
Here's a breakdown of the first-round matchups in each conference:
Western Conference
No. 1 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Kings
No. 2 St. Louis Blues vs. No. 7 San Jose Sharks
No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks
No. 4 Nashville Predators vs. No. 5 Detroit Red Wings
Eastern Conference
No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 8 Ottawa Senators
No. 2 Boston Bruins vs. No. 7 Washington Capitals
No. 3 Florida Panthers vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers
The NHL playoff bracket is reseeded after each round. If the Red Wings win and the top three seeds in the Western Conference advance, for example, Detroit would take on the Canucks in round two.
The 2012 NHL playoff schedule will be announced on Sunday afternoon.
For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown. You can check out more hockey news from around the league at SB Nation's NHL page.