Playoffs missing both Cup finalists

[PJKCards]

One thing is certain: A new team will skate with the Stanley Cup this year.

And it could be a club from the East no one saw coming.

For the first time in the modern NHL era, neither finalist from the previous season made it back to the playoffs. So with champion Carolina and Edmonton out of the picture, the 16 remaining teams begin their pursuit of the crown.

The Southeast Division provided the winners on each side of the seasonlong lockout -- Tampa Bay in 2004 and Carolina last year. The Lightning and Hurricanes earned top seeds in the Eastern Conference, then beat upstarts from the bottom of the West. Sixth-seeded Calgary got to Game 7 against Tampa Bay, and No. 8 Edmonton repeated the feat versus the Hurricanes.

If another bottom-rung club makes a run, don't be surprised if it's a team closer to the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Pacific.

Read more here.

[Coltsfan23]

Sabres all the way!