Florida Panthers

The casual hockey fan's guide to the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs

Published Apr. 13, 2016 9:35 a.m. ET

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When it comes to the postseason in professional sports, there is nothing better than the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is hockey at its very best. The games are fast-paced and full of hard hits, grueling shifts and incredible feats of athleticism that most can't dream of achieving on land, never mind on ice. Combined with the fact that the playoffs boast a sudden-death overtime, the NHL's postseason is must-see TV.

Casual fans might not have followed every hockey game this season, but that's no reason not to watch the playoffs. We're making it a little easier to catch up by highlighting some of the most important storylines to follow during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Although many consider hockey to be Canada's sport, there will be an entirely American flavor to the postseason this year. This season marks the first time in 46 years that no Canadian club made the playoffs. Canada's absence from the postseason might be weird, but it isn't strange that a Canadian team won't win the Cup; the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens won their 24th Cup in franchise history.

The 1993 Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.

The Panthers are known more for their futility than for their postseason heroics, but these Cats are here to make an impact. Florida won the Atlantic Division and set a franchise record with their 103-point season, and they should be an entertaining team to watch this spring.

For one, the Panthers have Jaromir Jagr, the NHL's ageless wonder. Jagr is 44 years old but he can still play, as he led his team in scoring this season with 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) in 79 games. The Panthers also have one of the weirdest traditions of this year's playoff teams. They hand out a blue Kevin Spacey sweatshirt at the end of each game to a player the team names as the player of the game.

Long-time Flyers owner Ed Snider passed away Monday morning after a two-year battle with cancer, and the Flyers will dedicate their postseason run to him. The postseason is short enough that emotional motivation like that can go a long way toward helping a team win a Cup. Ron Hextall, the general manager of the Flyers, spoke Monday about the effect Snider had on this Flyers' squad during their run to the playoffs.

Willie Mitchell: Starship Captain. ?#SpaceyInSpace pic.twitter.com/63DG8jKgwG
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 10, 2016

Philadelphia is also an intriguing team to watch since it boasts a first-year NHL coach in Dave Hakstol and a sensational rookie, Shayne Gostisbehere, who can make plays which are just as spectacular as his name. Philadelphia is up for a challenge, though, as it faces the Washington Capitals in the first round. Washington was the best team in the NHL this season with an impressive 56-18-8 record.

In hockey -- especially in the playoffs -- players tend to play through all kinds of horrific injuries. But some injuries are too serious to play through, and a good portion of teams in this year's playoffs have already lost star players due to serious injuries. The most significant of these is probably Steven Stamkos, the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who is out for 1-3 months due to a surgical procedure he had to resolve a blood clot. Other star players who might miss time this postseason include:

It usually takes a healthy team to win the Cup, so it might be best to manage expectations for these teams accordingly.

This season, the NHL introduced the opportunity for coaches to ask for a review of goals scored on a play that might have been offsides or featured goaltender interference. The rule has been in place all season, but it will likely become pretty important in the postseason, so expect to see at least a few instances of this new feature over the next two months. While the review might not be too meaningful in a 5-2 win, the coach's challenge could become a huge factor in Game 7s or one-goal games this postseason.

The Chicago Blackhawks will look to defend their title and capture their fourth Cup in the past seven seasons, but they have a difficult road to glory. The Blackhawks start the postseason with a series against the St. Louis Blues, who won three of five games against Chicago during the regular season. Also of concern for Chicago is goaltender Corey Crawford, who had a shaky end to the regular season thanks to an injury and a few bad starts.

There's a saying in sports that defense wins championships, and that's certainly true in hockey. A high-flying offense is of no use when it can't beat a goaltender, and hot goaltenders have been known to knock early favorites out of the playoffs. This is good news for the Capitals, Kings, Sharks and Lightning, who all boast some of the best goaltenders in the league. The news is not as good for the Rangers, Penguins, Wild and Stars. New York and Pittsburgh have possible goaltending injuries, and the Stars and Wild are both weak in net.

Tampa's playoff push will begin without Steven Stamkos, who is out with a blood clot.

The Capitals are poised to make a big run in the postseason considering their dominance in the regular season and their well-rounded roster. It's hard to find any major flaws for the Capitals. They also boast one of the most clutch players in the NHL in Justin Williams, a man with such a strong record of postseason success that his nickname is Mr. Game 7.

The biggest concern for Capitals fans is history -- Washington is known for finding a way to blow it in the playoffs. The Capitals posted the best record in the league in 2009-10 as well, but they still lost in the first round of the playoffs that season. Can they change their luck this year to win their first Cup in franchise history? Only time will tell.