First round playoff matchups confirmed

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

With the regular season completed, the matchups for the first round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs have been locked in.

Here's who will be facing who in the opening round.

Eastern Conference

1. Baie-Comeau vs 8. Charlottetown

2. Halifax vs 7. Bathurst

3. Moncton vs 6. Chicoutimi

4. Cape Breton vs 5. Rimouski

Western Conference

1. Drummondville vs 8. Saint John

2. Rouyn-Noranda vs 7. Gatineau

3. Victoriaville vs 6. Shawinigan

4. Sherbrooke vs 5. Blainville-Boisbriand

All eight series get rolling on Friday.

The first round of the QMJHL playoffs is often full of blowouts and sweeps — but there are at least a few series to keep an eye on. There's lots of intrigue around how Halifax and Moncton will perform in these playoffs given their hot-and-cold second halves. The Mooseheads really struggled against the Titan down the stretch while the Wildcats will be facing one of the league's hottest teams over the past couple months.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar, with a 53-12-2-1 record for 109 points, were the regular season champions and will be the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs.

The only teams to miss the playoffs were the Val-d'Or Foreurs and Quebec Remparts. This is the first time the Remparts franchise has missed the playoffs since 1992-93 when they were the Beauport Harfangs.