Clarkson Cup, Round One: Inferno hoping not to see Stars against Montreal

Wednesday marks the beginning of the Clarkson Cup playoffs in Markham, Ont. and the Inferno are coming in with their best record yet (15-6-3) as the second seed behind Boston. They face a strong third seed in the Stars, who struggled early on, but found their groove mid-season and pushed hard for the top spot before getting swept by the Blades. The Stars and Inferno split their season series and remained pretty even in scoring and shots for the most part, give or take a couple of three-goal games.

Here's what you need to know about this matchup:

This really is a toss-up. The Stars and Inferno are similar teams in many ways. The Stars have slightly better defense and better goaltending, while the Inferno has a deep and talented offense. It's really going to come down to those little differences in their game, plus who gets hot at the right time. So… if you're looking for a prediction, I got nothing. Just know that this series will be a highly entertaining one.

Here is the schedule:

Notes: The Clarkson Cup playoffs have an entirely new streaming package. It costs $10 CAD ($8 USD) and will include all of the games, including the championship game. All regional Sportsnet channels will provide a live broadcast of the games in Canada as well; meanwhile, American viewers can catch one-hour versions of the games the morning afterward. Check here for more information.

by Angelica Rodriguez