After holding an optional skate on Friday morning, Martin St-Louis held a regular practice on Saturday. While it was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., at 10:30, most of the players were already on the ice,

If the answer is “no,” that’s OK. Montreal nearly backed its way into the playoffs and the Washington Capitals hit a rough patch of their own. Still, this matchup brings a whole bunch of juice — the most prolific goal scorer of all time, the East’s top team and the return of postseason hockey to one of the sport’s true epicenters.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Saturday. Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference First Round between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens.