New NHL champion could lurk in East

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.

Low seeds from the West made it into the last two final series. If another bottom-rung club makes a run this year, don’t be surprised if it’s closer to the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Pacific.

“Every team is dangerous,” said 19-year-old Sidney Crosby, the NHL scoring champion from the fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. “You always look at teams that finish off strong. It’s all about timing.”

You don’t have to look any farther than Long Island to see that. The New York Islanders appeared out of the playoff race following noncompetitive losses just over a week ago to powerhouses Buffalo and Ottawa after goalie Rick DiPietro’s suffered a concussion.

Yet, they bounced back with four straight wins and eked into the playoffs ahead of Toronto and Montreal on the final day of the season by beating New Jersey in a shootout. Now they have their sights on top-seeded Buffalo, which had 113 points and the NHL’s best record for the first time in team history.

“It’s all about opportunity in this game,” said Islanders forward Ryan Smyth. “We didn’t quit. … That’s all you can ask for as a player is to get in.”

The Rangers earned the No. 6 seed on the strength of a 13-3-4 surge and joined Pittsburgh, the Islanders and second-seeded New Jersey as Atlantic Division teams to qualify.

Out West, Detroit again is at the top. The Central Division-winning Red Wings tied the Sabres in points, a season after capturing the Presidents’ Trophy, but failed to repeat, falling three wins short of the Sabres’ NHL-high 53.

Now they hope to avoid another first-round flameout against Calgary after getting knocked out quickly last year by No. 8 Edmonton. The Flames wrapped up the final berth in the West on the second-to-last night of the season.

If the Red Wings slip up, Pacific champion Anaheim will be ready to step up. No longer Mighty, the Ducks are in the playoffs for the first time. Their first test is against seventh-seeded Minnesota and star goalie Niklas Backstrom.

No team will rely on inexperienced players more than the Penguins, who face Ottawa, which often has tons of potential but has yet to reach the finals.

The Penguins are in Ottawa on Wednesday, along with Minnesota at Anaheim, San Jose at Nashville and Dallas at Vancouver.

New York’s Rangers open at Southeast winner Atlanta on Thursday, the first playoff game in the Thrashers’ seven NHL seasons; Calgary is at Detroit; Tampa Bay at Atlantic champion New Jersey; and the Islanders at Buffalo.