Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, left, shoots against Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke during the third period on March 2 in Los Angeles. (AP photo)

The field for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set, with the first series set to begin today.

Six of the 16 teams did not qualify a year ago, including Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Boston in the East. It’s the 10th time in 12 seasons under the divisional wild card format that there have been five or more new teams.

There will be a new champion and no three-peat after the Florida Panthers were derailed by injuries following three consecutive trips to the final.

Who’s in

Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota and Utah from the stacked Central Division, and Vegas, Edmonton, Anaheim and Los Angeles from the Pacific. The top-seeded Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy to ensure home ice throughout.

Eastern Conference: Carolina, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia made it from the Metropolitan, with the Hurricanes earning the conference’s top seed. Buffalo won the Atlantic after the Sabres ended their NHL record 14-year postseason drought, and division rivals Montreal, Tampa Bay, Ottawa and Boston also are in.

Matchups

In the Eastern Conference:

• Carolina vs. Ottawa, Game 1 today.

• Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 1 today.

• Buffalo vs. Boston, Game 1 on Sunday.

• Montreal vs. Tampa Bay, Game 1 on Sunday.

In the West:

• Dallas vs. Minnesota, Game 1 today.

• Colorado vs. Los Angeles, Game 1 on Sunday.

• Vegas vs. Utah, Game 1 on Sunday.

• Edmonton vs. Anaheim, Game 1 on Monday.

Favorites

Colorado is the 3-1 favorite to win the Stanley Cup, followed by Carolina and Tampa Bay at 5-1 and Dallas and Vegas at 10-1.

How to watch

Every playoff game will be nationally televised in the U.S on an ESPN or Turner network. Much of TNT’s coverage, which includes the Stanley Cup Final, will be simulcast on truTV and available on Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. In Canada, games will be showcased on Sportsnet and CBC.

After three rounds of seven-game series, the final starts in early June. If the final goes the distance, Game 7 could go as late as June 21.

What to know

EAST: The feel-good stories reside here, from Buffalo to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

Buffalo snapped the NHL’s longest postseason drought at 14 years and did it in style, winning the Atlantic Division behind leading scorer Tage Thompson (a big part of the U.S. winning Olympic gold) and raising hopes that the city could finally, maybe, win its first Stanley Cup.

The trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson helped Pittsburgh reached the playoffs for the first time in three years but they are a deeper, more explosive team under first-year coach Dan Muse. Can Crosby and Co. go on a run to land his fourth Cup?

If so, the Pens will have to first get through the Philadelphia Flyers, whose youthful duo of Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone were a big part of the reason the team reached the playoffs for the first time in six years.

All of these teams are undersogs to the powerhouse Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay.

WEST: The West is loaded, with Colorado, Dallas, Vegas and Minnesota all considered among the favorites.

Colorado has MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon and star defenseman Cale Makar. Edmonton is led by star Connor McDavid but is playing better defense this season after reaching the Cup Final the past two years. If you don’t know Minnesota standouts Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, you will by the end of their first-round tilt against Dallas, which has their own stars in Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnson and Mikko Rantanen.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl