The puck drops on the first round of the NHL playoffs today when Winnipeg hosts St. Louis followed by the must-see matchup of Colorado and Dallas.

The other six series get going next week, from the Toronto-Ottawa Battle of Ontario to Tuesday’s opener of another cross-state showdown between Tampa Bay and defending champion Florida.

An infusion of young talent fresh to the league in recent weeks, a handful of veterans in their mid-to-late 30s chasing the Stanley Cup and the best goaltender in the league this season looking to change his reputation are among the things to watch as the playoffs unfold.

New guys

A handful of teams added top prospects just in time to make a difference at the most important time of year.

The class of 2025 is headlined by Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, St. Louis’ Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota’s Zeev Buium and Washington’s Ryan Leonard. The hype around Demidov has been the hottest because the 19-year-old Russian winger was considered the best young player not in the NHL. He had a goal and an assist in his very first game.

Snuggerud got his first goal for the Blues on Tuesday. Leonard slid his into an empty net the same night Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s record. Buium could make his debut early in the playoffs.

Demidov and Leonard will face off in the Canadiens-Capitals series.

Older guys

Blues defenseman Ryan Suter is 39 and has played 1,526 regular-season games — the most of anyone currently in the NHL who has not won the Stanley Cup. Carolina’s Brent Burns, also 39, is next at 1,496.

Suter’s team is a long shot to win it all. Burns’ team has a better shot at getting through the East to have a chance at the Cup. There’s also Ottawa’s Claude Giroux at 36 and 1,262 games played and Dallas’ Jamie Benn at 35 and 1,192 games hoping to finally reach hockey’s mountaintop.

Want some other greybeards without a ring? Toronto’s Max Pacioretty, Minnesota’s Mats Zuccarello and Tampa Bay’s Luke Glendening and Cam Atkinson all fit the bill.

Injury concerns

The wear and tear of the regular season has caused some injuries that could tip the balance of series.

The Stars won’t have No. 1 defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee surgery) for at least the start of their series. There’s also concern about scorer Jason Robertson, who left the regular-season finale an injury.

The Capitals have their own questions, with goalie Logan Thompson and 30-goal-scoring Aliaksei Protas out since early April.

Edmonton won’t have top defenseman Mattias Ekholm for at least the first round.