This is the hardwatching staff’s favorite time of the sports year: Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Eight – count ’em, eight – best-of-seven series, during which hockey fans become acquainted with teams they haven’t seen all year (hello, Nashville Predators).

And then there are the West Coast games, which start at 10:30 p.m. and end who knows when.

Excellent. Nothing like a triple overtime game from Vancouver to get the night owls whoting.

As for the local hockey squad, Rule #1 at the Global Worldwide Headquarters: Sell short.

That’s how the Bruins usually come up.