An NHL rink can be imposing to a visiting team even on the best of days. These three buildings are arenas opposing teams dread making the trip out to, and they'll continue to strike fear into visitors during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Madison Square Garden

Location: New York, N.Y.
Rangers' reg. season home record: 27-10-4

Madison Square Garden has seen some epic sporting events in its time. In guiding the Rangers to a Stanley Cup Final and the seventh game of the East Final over the last two seasons, Henrik Lundqvist has made it a place opposing teams fear. King Henrik allowed two goals or fewer in 17 of 23 home games in that stretch.

United Center

Location: Chicago, Ill.
Blackhawks' reg. season home record: 26-11-4

For decades, Chicago was the home to countless playoff failures for a franchise that endured the second-longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history (49 years). Since then, the Blackhawks have brought the Holy Grail to the Windy City three times. Over the last three postseasons, the team has displayed its dominance at the United Center, compiling a 28-6 record at home in bringing two Cups back to Chicago.

Verizon Center

Location: Washington, D.C.
Capitals' reg. season home record: 29-8-4

In racing out to the top spot in the NHL standings and clinching the Presidents' Trophy, the Capitals rode the best home mark in the league. Goaltender Braden Holtby compiled a 25-3-3 record at the Verizon Center during the regular season, where Alex Ovechkin scored 26 of his league-leading 50 goals. For the Capitals, the road to exorcising the demons of past playoff failures runs through D.C.

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Wednesday, with the biggest names in the sport taking aim at Lord Stanley's mug. Casting terror into the hearts of their opposition, these three players have established themselves as the most feared stars in the NHL postseason.

Sidney Crosby

Pos: C | Postseason record: 55-45
Stanley Cups won: 1

No player's been hotter since the All-Star break than Sid the Kid, who paces all skaters in points since the start of February. He'll be on a mission come playoff time, looking to get his Penguins back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning the silver chalice in 2009. Among players that have played at least 100 playoff games, only four - Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, and Mike Bossy - average more points per game in the postseason than Crosby.

Jonathan Toews

Pos: C | Postseason record: 73-44
Stanley Cups won: 3

"Captain Serious" saves his best for when the lights are brightest. Prior to his arrival in Illinois as the third overall selection in the 2006 draft, the Blackhawks were mired in the second-longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history. Since, they've claimed The Holy Grail three times - equaling their bounty from their first 80 years of existence. In 117 postseason games, Toews has totalled 39 goals and 102 points while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time.

Jonathan Quick

Pos: G | Postseason record: 45-31
Stanley Cups won: 2

Quick's last three postseason results speak for themselves - a Stanley Cup win in 2012, a loss to the eventual champion Blackhawks in the Western final in 2013, and a Stanley Cup win in 2014. Over 64 games in that time, Quick went 41-23 with a 2.01 GAA and .928 save percentage, and his eight shutouts were more than any other goaltender. His next postseason shutout will break a tie with Mike Richter for most career playoff shutouts by an American goaltender.

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The NHL playoffs can turn lifelong friends into temporary enemies, but one thing every hockey fan can agree on is how great it is watching a grizzled veteran hoist the Stanley Cup, knowing the chance may never come again.

From 36-year-old Calgary Flames co-captain Lanny McDonald lifting the trophy for the first time in 1989, to Ray Bourque finally winning the championship with the Colorado Avalanche to end his 22-year career, there have been plenty of memorable Cup moments involving veteran players.

Here's a trio of experienced NHLers who are likely taking their last shot at claiming hockey's Holy Grail in 2016.

Pavel Datsyuk

The 37-year-old Detroit Red Wings forward says he hasn't decided whether to return to Russia or remain in the NHL next season, after admitting he's considering going home to finish out his career.

Datsyuk doesn't have much left to prove in North America, with a pair of Stanley Cup championships, three Selke trophies and four Lady Byng awards in a 14-year NHL career.

The Magic Man still has his moments, though, and his revelatory statements over the weekend make it more evident than ever that it's time to savor every one of them while we still can.

Vincent Lecavalier

The Los Angeles Kings forward plans to retire at season's end, so unless he has a Datsyukian change of heart, this is it for Lecavalier.

The former Tampa Bay captain won the Cup with the Lightning in 2004, but it's eluded him since.

The Kings are always a threat to win come playoff time, and Lecavalier has shown occasional flashes of his former dominance since being traded to L.A. by the Philadelphia Flyers in January.

Willie Mitchell

The Florida Panthers captain hasn't played in months due to concussion symptoms that may force him into retirement.

Mitchell is skating with the team every day, and if he's able to play this spring, his mere presence will provide the Panthers' young core with some added motivation.

The 38-year-old won the Cup twice with the Kings, in 2012 and 2014, and could ride off into the sunset with a third championship if Florida is able to keep its regular-season momentum going with a title run.

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Midway through the NHL season, it didn't appear as though the Anaheim Ducks, nor the Nashville Predators, would reach the postseason.

Thanks to drastic second-half turnarounds for both teams, though, the Ducks and Predators are set to square off in the opening round.

Nashville won the season series 2-1, but the clubs haven't met since November. Both strong possession teams that have trouble scoring, this has the makings of a long, tightly contested series.

Tale of the tape

Key players

John Gibson and Frederik Andersen

Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau joked he may flip a coin to decide between Gibson and Andersen to start the series, and luckily for him, both sides of that coin are reliable between the pipes.

In a series that will likely be hard-pressed for goalies, the Ducks - no matter who starts in net - have a capable goalie to shut down opponents.

Ryan Johansen

Someone needs to score for Nashville, and a strong series from Johansen could solidify his worth to the Predators' brass.

Acquired in one of the biggest trades of the season, Johansen tallied only eight goals in 42 games with Nashville, but a good showing in the playoffs would erase a troublesome regular season.

Beyond Filip Forsberg and James Neal, Nashville's offense needs to step up to beat the team that allowed the fewest goals in the 82-game campaign, and although it's a small sample size, Johansen has tallied six points in six career playoff games.

Corey Perry

Perry's style of play is built for the playoffs.

The gritty winger excels in getting under opponents' skin, and is a menace in front of the net. Nashville's top defensive pairing of Roman Josi and Shea Weber will be in charge of neutralizing Perry's time and space, but that's easier said than done.

The 30-year-old Perry has already racked up 90 career playoff contests, in which he's scored 32 goals and 42 assists.

Schedule

*If necessary

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With Mike Richards set to face the team he spent the first six years of his career with, Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz has promoted the forward to the team's third line, beside Jason Chimera and Marcus Johansson.

"I'm excited to see him play in the playoffs," Chimera said of Richards, per CSN's Chuck Gormley. "He's one of those guys that gets it done. He always brings out the physicality. Guys like him and (Justin Williams) always seem like the bigger the game the bigger they play. It’s a different dynamic for sure."

Richards has struggled to produce during his short tenure in Washington, recording just five points in 39 games. But Gormley notes that like Chimera, Richards has averaged more points per game during the playoffs (0.70) than in the regular season (0.65) during his career.

"He has the ability to slow things down when everything gets hectic," Trotz said of the two-time Stanley Cup champion. "In the playoffs he's been a player who finds a way to affect the game in a positive way. It's the same with Justin Williams."

He and Williams - his former Los Angeles Kings teammate - both boast incredible 7-0 career records in Game 7's, and the Capitals hope this veteran experience can finally bring them the playoff success that's escaped them in the past.

Game 1 between the Capitals and Flyers is scheduled to begin Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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Canadian teams may have been shut out of the NHL postseason, but there is still a plethora of young Canadian talent looking to steal the spotlight as they chase a Stanley Cup, with the eyes of the entire hockey world upon them.

Here's a trio of young Canucks - under 25 - worth watching this spring:

Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers

After being selected first overall in 2014, Ekblad needed to wait just two seasons before making his playoff debut, and the 20-year-old heads into a series against the New York Islanders in incredible form.

The defenseman has seven points and a plus-5 rating in his last six games as his ice time continues to increase, playing at least 21 minutes in all but one game since March 1.

Paired with 36-year-old Brian Campbell and surrounded by veterans with a wealth of playoff experience including Roberto Luongo and Jaromir Jagr, Ekblad won't be looked upon to carry his team, but the Calder winner could make a huge statement with an impressive playoff run.

Ryan Johansen, Nashville Predators

The Predators long coveted a No. 1 center, and believed they finally found their man after dealing Seth Jones to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Johansen. The 23-year-old will now have to prove that he can be the difference for a team who has won just two of ten postseason series all-time.

While he failed to score at the 30-goal pace set in his past two seasons, Johansen has emerged as a key playmaker for the Predators, posting a career-high 46 assists this season while seeing power play time beside 30-goal scorers James Neal and Filip Forsberg.

Nashville faces a tough test in the Anaheim Ducks, but the Predators did manage to take two of three regular-season meetings - all before the Johansen trade. If the young forward can find his scoring touch early, a first-round upset may not be unrealistic.

Jonathan Drouin, Tampa Bay Lightning

One of the biggest storylines of the NHL season is now continuing into the playoffs as Drouin has been thrust into a top-six role in the absence of captain Steven Stamkos - who is dealing with a blood clot.

The 21-year-old was recalled in the midst of a five-game goal-scoring streak with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, and he continued his productive run with goals in both of his games with Tampa Bay since being brought up April 7.

Last year, Drouin went pointless in six games during the Lightning's Stanley Cup Finals run, but if his recent offensive output is any indication of how he'll play in the playoffs, Steve Yzerman's decision to keep the winger at the deadline - and give him a second chance - might just save their season.

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