One question for each NHL team ahead of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

Here's what each team needs to consider before the 2021 NHL playoffs begin.

The NHL may not have completed its shortened 56-game regular season just yet — as the Vancouver Canucks’ COVID-19 nightmare pushed their schedule to next week — but most of the league is finished and you know what that means. It’s finally Stanley Cup playoff time!

The 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin on Saturday for three of the NHL’s four divisions, excluding the North who has a few more games left to complete. The playoff format also looks a bit different this year, but the majority of what you need to know is that the teams will play intra-division series for the first two rounds before the top four teams get reseeded in the round leading up to the Stanley Cup Final.

We’ve got some familiar teams among the NHL’s top 16, alongside some fun surprises. With the playoffs just days away, here is one question facing each NHL team before the postseason begins.