We at WIIM aren’t here to tell you how to fan or that once the Red Wings’ season is over, you should lock yourself in a hockey-free cave and throw piles of your favorite bodily waste at anybody who tells you hockey is still going on outside the World Championships.

That would be silly and gross.

What we are interested in is holding an open thread so that we all can share in whatever we need to cope with what’s still happening in hockey (and to root against the teams we hate). With that in mind, let’s get the playoffs started with tonight’s three matchups.

Bandwagon Rooting Guide – Eastern Conference

Bandwagon Rooting Guide – Western Conference

Minnesota Wild (Central Division 3) at Winnipeg Jets (Central Division 2)

Series: Tied 0-0

Time 7:00pm ET (6pm Winnipeg time, lol)

Television: CNBC, FSN, TVAS2, SN

The forgettable pretender versus the oft-overlooked contender in this matchup. No idea why this is starting at 7pm ET other than the NHL is really bad at scheduling things. With the matchup that NBC cares more about going at the same time on the premier channel, this series is going to get treated like an also-ran, but should promise some actual excitement.

Philadelphia Flyers (Metropolitan Division 3) at Pittsburgh Penguins (Metropolitan Division 2)

Series: Tied 0-0

Time 7:00pm ET

Television: NBCSN, CBC, ATTSN-PIT, NBCSP, TVAS

The Keystone State Slugfest is on and blah blah blah East Coast Bias.  Pittsburgh dominated the season series 4-0, but it’s a new season now and Philly is… I dunno. They’re not as good, to be honest. Still, if Philly can make the ECF with backup Petr Mrazek winning six games, Detroit gets their 2nd rounder.  At this point, that’s probably not the only reason you’re rooting against Pittsburgh though.

Los Angeles Kings (Wild Card 1) at Las Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific Division 1)

Series: Tied 0-0

Time 10:00pm ET

Television: NBCSN, CBC, ATTSN-RM, FS-W, TVAS

The upstart-of-all-upstarts are the favorites in this series while an experienced cup-winning squad full of fartfaces like Dustin Brown and Dion Phaneuf looks to end their Cinderella run. Honestly I hate rooting for the Kings here, but the better Vegas’ pick in the first round ends up, the happier I am.  I don’t want either of these teams winning the cup, so no matter what, one of them getting eliminated will make me happy.

As always, have fun in the comments and LG…??