Shilton: Flames in six Biggest flaw(s): Being a top-heavy offensive team is a good problem to have when the top of one's lineup is filled with players who have more than 35 goals. This postseason has been different because of how strong that duo's defensive habits are. Chris Kreider became just the fourth player in Rangers history to top 50 goals. Boucher: Hurricanes in six That, combined with St. Louis being one of the NHL's worst teams in 5-on-5 possession totals, puts a lot more pressure on Husso -- a rookie appearing in his first postseason -- at the toughest time of year. Player to watch: Rookie forward Seth Jarvis has been absolutely outstanding for the Hurricanes. The Flames' plus-85 trailed only the Presidents' Trophy-winning Panthers for the. There's an argument to be made that Kucherov is the best power-play performer in the NHL, and he has lived up to that with seven points with the man advantage. He's both their last line of defense and their catalyst, as the Rangers feed off his performances when opponents tip the ice. Every first-round Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be available on ESPN or ESPN2. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. After Pavelski, Hintz and Robertson (who all tallied 70 or more points), Dallas' offense has been streaky. And that was against the two best offensive teams in the regular season. Because as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl might be better (and he's playing hurt, too). McDonough: Hurricanes in seven If defense wins championships (and history suggests it's a big factor), the Bruins should be feared by any opponent. Biggest flaw(s): Consistency and resiliency. Look for that to change in the Lightning's second season. Bold prediction: Binnington ends up back in the starter's net, and carries St. Louis deep into the postseason. Forward Jason Zucker, who could help, can't stay in the lineup due to injuries. Sean McDonough: Panthers in seven The Rangers had their share of breaks. How they got here: Defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3, defeated Florida Panthers 4-0. They're not the Maple Leafs or the Panthers, crushed by the weight of expectations and entitlement. But being that he's Sidney Crosby and he knows this could be the last ride for members of this group, he's absolutely the player to watch for Pittsburgh. When the trade deadline rolls around, there are always teams caught in the middle of the standings . Colorado is every bit as good as we thought it was, and could be. It breeds confidence, and that's having a huge impact on the Oilers' success in this postseason. XFL owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shouted out former Alabama quarterback A.J. Yes, Mike Smith has been in a groove during April, with a .948 even-strength save percentage in nine games. He's the kind of player to watch with your head on a swivel. The Blues are rightly playing with incredible confidence, and we know from past experience where that can lead them. At Pickswise we have expert NHL picks for every game of the 2021/22 season. Playoff position: M2 Games left: 3 Next game: vs. The Avalanche will require all hands on deck to keep pace with Edmonton. How much trust should he place in Jack Johnson or Samuel Girard? The Lightning have great depth down the middle of the ice with Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli, electric scoring potential in Nikita Kucherov and an excellent defenseman who leads by example in Victor Hedman. Kaplan: Avalanche in six My other prediction for this series? Mleczko: Flames in six What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason. Complete playoff coverage NHL . Tampa's lineup remains as intimidating as any in the league. Tim Kavanagh: Lightning in six Case for a Stanley Cup run: Let's start with the best goalie in the world. Kuemper came through in that series when the Avalanche needed it, but there wasn't a lot of rhythm to his game. But now that the Penguins are in, with a lineup dotted with familiar names sporting Stanley Cup rings, the best case for a championship run is made by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel. Bold prediction: Boston uses its shutdown capabilities to bounce a high-octane offensive opponent in the first round. To help get you up to speed before the puck drops on Game 1 of the West matchup Tuesday night, we're bringing you a mega-preview, breaking down each team in five different categories and offering our predictions on which clubs will head to the Stanley Cup Final. Linda Cohn: Panthers in seven Granted, Nashville's Ryan Johansen did (accidentally) injure Kuemper's eye in the first round, but the goalie recovered and Colorado swept the Predators in time for Kuemper to return in the second round against St. Louis. In net, Jack Campbell appears back on his game following a midseason downturn and rib injury. NHL predictions: Expert picks for both conference final series in Stanley Cup playoffs Our experts reveal their predictions for which two teams will be moving on to the Stanley Cup Final. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Knight: Flames in six All of those little things add up when they're coming top down through the lineup. This version of Toronto can contend with any team it will face in the playoffs -- but only if the Leafs actually show up as their best selves. More: Full playoff schedule But he's not unbeatable. I think we're there with the Rangers. Boudreau totaled a 50-40-13 record, missing the playoffs in 2022. That wasn't a given before the season and certainly wasn't while Pittsburgh played through its seemingly annual spate of injuries. Playoff teams that need to sign Nerlens Noel: 1. The Stanley Cup playoffs are a place where teams defy the numbers, find an undeniable belief in themselves and create - for lack of a better term - postseason magic. For all the great stats the Avs have produced this season, they're average on the kill (79%), which could be an issue in the postseason, when it's harder to score and every advantage that goes the other way has the potential to be a backbreaker. Lessons from Round 1 Shilton: Avalanche in seven They'll need every bit of his experience and ability to slow the Avalanche down. FiveThirtyEight's 2021-22 NHL forecast predicts the winner of each hockey game and calculates each team's chances of advancing to the playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup. Football Women's Basketball Games Home ESPN Fantasy App Colorado's penalty kill (only 73.1%) and goaltending (see above) have underwhelmed, and would be the most likely potential issues against Edmonton. Again, the Oilers stayed calm, and refocused. STL | NSH Game 6 was a good sign as Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar each scored their first of the playoffs, while Charlie Coyle got his second. He was fourth on the team in goals scored above average. DiPietro: Flames in six 16 teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Wischusen: Flames in seven McDonough: Avalanche in seven Rantanen must be exactly that for Colorado in the series ahead. All we know for sure is that the real winners here are those of us watching the action unfold. Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the greatest postseason goaltenders in NHL history. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? Pittsburgh Penguins 4. Lawrence-Riddell: Hurricanes in seven Player to watch: Vasilevskiy. Editor's Picks. Blake Bolden: Panthers in seven Other than Nathan MacKinnon going off in Game 5 against St. Louis, and Cale Makar just being generally excellent at every turn, it's not as if Colorado has required its superstars to carry the day. Kevin Weekes: Lightning in seven Might the Colorado Avalanche, the top seed in the West and an underachiever the past two postseasons, break through? Those 5-on-5 opportunities can be -- and almost always are -- limited in the playoffs. MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs. Everyone knows anything can happen once the playoffs begin. How they got here: Defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3, defeated Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Can Georgia pull off a repeat? That mindset is critical when every team out there is looking to unseat the champions. 4 NHL Trade Deadline Sellers Looking to Bounce Back in 2023-24. Not exactly the best offensive company to keep. Back in 2019, St. Louis went from flailing to thriving at the end of the regular season and carried a hot streak all the way past Boston for the franchise's first Cup title. That's been the disconnect before, and those demons won't be overcome until Toronto has success when it matters most. Biggest flaw(s): Fatigue. Again, a criticism of Calgary this season is like using one of those eyepieces to search for a flaw on a gorgeously cut diamond. There's power in being an underdog, a freedom to simply play your game without expectation. Those matchups are plenty intriguing. Pacific: CGY | EDM Unsurprisingly, Florida has also produced excellent special-teams numbers (including with its top-10 power play). It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. The All-Star Game and the Stadium Series will be on ABC, and ESPN will have the All-Star Skills Competition. They're the NHL's top-scoring team for a reason, having been consistently outstanding offensively since Game 1. The other thing we've seen from Edmonton is a real commitment to the defensive side of the puck from its top players. Let's key on Mikko Rantanen. Lawrence-Riddell: Flames in seven Jarvis might not have the point total to make noise in the Calder Trophy race, but you'll know his name after this postseason. The trio of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson might still be underrated around the NHL, but they carried Dallas up the standings despite critics having panned the Stars' postseason chances. Steve Levy: Panthers in seven Biggest flaw(s): Beyond McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers don't necessarily have the depth that other contenders in the Western Conference can boast in their forward group or on the blue line. Their second-leading scorer is defenseman Victor Hedman, who is doing as Victor Hedman does: He has 10 points in 11 games and is skating 25:03 per game. Mark Giordano has helped solidify the blue line, and the Leafs actually have good depth there, for once. Portland Trail Blazers. Stream the NHL on ESPN, Allen: Avalanche in five Goalie Frederik Andersen had a dominant regular season, finishing third in goals saved above average (38.7). Goalie Tristan Jarry, who had an outstanding regular season, has been sidelined with a broken foot that he's in the process of rehabbing. For the first time since 1991, the Flames and Oilers meet up in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. DiPietro: Avalanche in seven In general, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been leaning on the same eight forwards up front and limiting the use of his fourth-liners. Matiash: Avalanche in six Seven Avs skaters have at least three goals in the playoffs, and five have double-digit point totals. While there is a lot of "new" happening in the NHL this season, as far as league predictions go for the upcoming 2021-22 season, there is a lot that will feel familiar. NFL Survivor Pool 2023 Canada Fantasy Hockey Predictions Rob Ellis - September 9, 2022 0 Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have underperformed much of the season, and the Stars don't get much scoring help from their defensemen (John Klingberg leads Dallas blueliners with six goals). Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. Hosts Linda Cohn and Emily Kaplan bring their hockey expertise and passion for the sport, discussing the latest news around the league as well as interviewing the biggest names both on and off the ice. Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. TWDC 2022-23 NHL Game Schedule: Date, Time (ET), Teams, Network/Platform Tue, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers, ESPN, ESPN+ Tue, Oct. 11, 10 p.m., Vegas Golden. The opponents are very favourable. General manager Doug Armstrong took a major risk in allowing. Biggest flaw(s): Defensive chemistry, and the penalty kill. The Avalanche are excelling in the ways they should, getting timely goals and playing to their strengths. 2022 NHL Playoffs: B/R Staff 1st-Round Predictions 0 of 8 Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images Let the fun begin. Under coach Dave Tippett, the Oilers were 13th in the NHL in expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5; under interim coach Jay Woodcroft, who took over Feb. 10, the Oilers jumped to fourth in that category. The 24-year-old forward had 103 points and was a plus-58 (!) Kuemper's terrific regular season (37-12-4, .921 SV%, 2.54 GAA) suggests he's up to the task of what's ahead though -- even if his playoff resume to date isn't so dazzling. We're down to the final four teams of the 2021-22 NHL season. They've spent time with fellow deadline pickup Nick Paul, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, but really clicked with veteran winger Corey Perry in the Florida series. Biggest flaw(s): Defense, and goaltending. February 27, 2023 by Rob Couch. Bolden: Hurricanes in six cal: Avalanche in five Levy: Avalanche in five ET, ESPN), followed by Lightning-Leafs (7:30 ET, ESPN2), Blues-Wild (9:30 ET, ESPN) and Kings-Oilers (10 ET, ESPN2). Kavanagh: Oilers in seven Knight: Hurricanes in six After years of falling short in Philadelphia, the former Flyers captain wants to win it all. Again, Hagel has done fine in the roles that they've cast him in during the playoffs. In today's Morning 3-on-3, we debate whether both are playoff locks -- and a threat if they make it. The 2022 college football season doesn't kick off until August 27, but it's never too soon to look at possible College Football Playoff matchups. Bolden: Avalanche in six Heading into the playoffs, Craig Custance gets the lowdown on the Vancouver Canucks from rival players, coaches and scouts. Look back at how Nashville started the season, winning just one of its first five games but then exploding to earn the NHL's best record (23-7-2) from mid-October to early January. Because he picked this opportunity. He hasn't been that guy for a while, and at 36, he might never be that guy again. Alas, he's ineligible, having played more than six games in his first two NHL seasons. You can say the Rangers haven't faced a goalie like Vasilevskiy, and that's true. He received help from familiar Capitals names such as Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and Tom Wilson, while Conor Sheary and Anthony Mantha chipped in. It's hard to imagine the Kings doing anything of consequence in the postseason without Doughty, an accomplished playoff performer who had 31 points in 39 games this season, averaging 25:44 per night. Messier: Oilers in six Bold prediction: Kopitar and Danault do what they can against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but the loss of Doughty proves too much and the Kings fall to the Oilers in six games. The puck drops on the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESPN presented by GEICO with 12 first round games on ESPN and ESPN2 over three days beginning on Monday, May 2. The Lightning will have to convert some of those to beat "Shesty.". We're learned that fatigue hasn't yet been an issue for a team that's gone all the way in two straight postseasons -- perhaps because they followed truncated regular seasons? cal: Rangers in seven He's an integral part of their success. That's by far the fewest among any goalie left in these playoffs. The rare NHL talent who can agitate you with words, deeds and on the scoreboard. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. The next highest scorer, Zach Hyman, had 54 points. Calgary vs. Dallas: Flames in five. by NHL Public Relations @PR_NHL April 29, 2022 NEW YORK - The National Hockey League today announced the dates, starting times and national television coverage for the 2022 Stanley Cup. And that could make a huge difference for the Avalanche this spring. That said, they'd like more than one goal off 18 shot attempts in 11 games from a player who had 25 goals in the regular season. ET Venue: Moda Center -- Portland, Oregon Coverage: ESPN, ROOT Sports NW, and BSNO The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Wednesday with nine more games, including a battle between the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers. Atlantic: FLA | TOR If Edmonton can do that again in the conference finals, Colorado's march to the Cup finals will be severely impeded -- and perhaps derailed. And there's the Leafs' excellent special teams, including the NHL's best power play and a penalty kill that is nearly as likely to score short-handed as to get scored on. Hextall: Flames in six Until he does, it's Casey DeSmith's crease. Their power play is going to do some damage. Wyshynski: Flames in seven. The NHL playoffs get underway Monday, with all four games on ESPN networks. Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Central playoff brackets were written by Shilton, while Wyshynski analyzed the Metro and Pacific brackets. Player to watch: Kadri. But forwards Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie saw their offensive output drop during seasons impacted by injuries and illness. We know Josi is a Norris Trophy-caliber defender, but the rest of Nashville's blue line doesn't exhibit nearly the same consistency. They went 12-8-3 after that. But even he was upstaged this postseason by his adorable infant daughter, Maisie. Darcy Kuemper has been solid if unspectacular in the playoffs, posting a 6-2-0 record, .904 save percentage and 2.44 goals-against average. And Kane already had a pair of hat tricks in the playoffs. The Blues averaged just 26 shots per game at Kuemper, while Colorado was in control averaging 37 shots the other way. Failing to capitalize on man-advantage chances almost always comes back to bite teams in the postseason; ditto with struggling to keep pucks out on the kill. A trade to move Miller out of Vancouver would be surprising considering he signed a fresh seven-year, $56-million contract ($8 million AAV) in September 2022 a deal that won't even kick in until next season. Well, unless it's because of their opponents' goaltending. But the players and Gallant all said that their Game 7 win at the Hurricanes was indicative of what a quintessential effort from the Rangers looks like, getting points from 12 different players. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. NHL Predictions 2022- 23 season | NHL Projected Standings 2022-23 Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division 1. This is when he should shine. Cohn: Oilers in six Oh, baby. Whether or not he'll again be eyeing a trade out of town this offseason, Tarasenko should take every chance to shine in the coming weeks. 26, 2022, at 10:51 PM. Now, these two teams just went through two second-round series that were markedly different. The Penguins' offense is also struggling, with an ice-cold power play and players such as Rust mired in slumps. Player to watch: Under different circumstances, 22-year-old defenseman Evan Bouchard might have been a Calder Trophy finalist with his 43 points in 81 games. Non-Playoff team from 2021 that will make 2022 Playoffs: Dallas Stars . And it's not just the Avs' marquee names -- Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar to name a few -- who are having an impact. But the catalyst for their first playoff berth since 2018 wasn't the kids, but rather the established veterans. Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. View the NHL player point predictions 2021-22 season.How many points will Connor McDavid get? Back for 2022 is the usual playoff format with the top team in the conference facing the second wild card, the other division winner playing the first wild card and N. 2 going up against No. If New York wants to trade chances like they did against the Hurricanes at MSG, the Lightning have finishers that make them pay in ways the Hurricanes could not. ESPN revealed its top five most likely playoff . Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. There's an enviable level of top-end talent, but the balanced depth is really what the Avalanche have displayed in the postseason. The format is a set bracket that is . Before the NBA resumes play on Thursday night, it is time to answer some big questions. We muse, one last time, on the league stages of the 2022/23 Indian Super League (ISL) season: Odisha slip through, somehow It was in their hands going into the final week. 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