Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. Toronto Maple Leafs. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, Lineup picks, matchups, start or sit advice for Wednesday, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres, 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: Highlights and analysis from the entire postseason, Wyshynski: My Stanley Cup playoffs bracket, Ranking NHL players who need a Stanley Cup, last two games of the season with a lower-body injury. Bring on the intensity, the heart-stopping drama and the sheer excitement. While it's desirable to have the top-end talent Colorado does, it's often the unheralded players who pick up the playoff slack. Matiash: Rangers in seven Los Angeles was 32-19-7 when Doughty went out on March 7. Not enough has been made of the Blues. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. A healthy Brayden Point obviously bolsters their advantage. Two good goalies coming together. Or will the Toronto Maple Leafs shake off their demons and claim their first Cup since 1966-67? Those matchups are plenty intriguing. Lessons from Round 1 Any notion that the Avs' slide out of the regular season (losing six of their last seven games) was a premonition of poor playoff performance to come was unfounded. NHL.com ranks the top 200 overall fantasy hockey players in standard . Tampa's lineup remains as intimidating as any in the league. When the trade deadline rolls around, there are always teams caught in the middle of the standings . While offense can sometimes dry up the deeper we get into postseason play, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be the case here. Excellent goaltending. What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason. He's an integral part of their success. Meanwhile, MacKinnon will be leading the charge up front. That killer instinct has been a hallmark of Boston's play in the past and hasn't always been at the forefront of late. But even he was upstaged this postseason by his adorable infant daughter, Maisie. Oh, baby. Wischusen: Avalanche in six 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. 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. The Oilers will have to settle for Bouchard logging 19:46 in average ice time and being part of a successful pairing with Duncan Keith, which is not something Edmonton fans would have predicted before the season. View the NHL player point predictions 2021-22 season.How many points will Connor McDavid get? He's the club's leading scorer, averaging more than a point a game, and eats important minutes. It was once again the Connor and Leon show, as McDavid had 123 points and Draisaitl had 110. But the Rangers star has only had two signature games in the playoffs: a three-point night in Game 2 against the Penguins and an overtime power-play goal in Game 7 of that series. Only four teams had a lower expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 than the Rangers this season: the Sabres, Kraken, Coyotes and Blackhawks. Some of those came on odd-man rushes, a few on chances on the doorstep. He relieves pressure in Edmonton's end, makes smart plays up the ice and is a natural leader from whom few words are required -- but there's no doubt Keith has a "big voice" in the Oilers' room, according to teammates. MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs. In general, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been leaning on the same eight forwards up front and limiting the use of his fourth-liners. Washington Capitals (MP) 8. TB | WSH That bodes well for Edmonton in this series, since Colorado happens to be a high-volume shot team (39.8 per game); if that continues, Smith will be back under a spotlight early and often in the next round. The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Monday night on the networks of ESPN, . But if there's a true flaw with the Oilers, it's once again found in the crease. Stream the NHL on ESPN, Allen: Avalanche in five The Avalanche are excelling in the ways they should, getting timely goals and playing to their strengths. The Wild have had offensive stars emerging throughout the season, from Kirill Kaprizov to Kevin Fiala to Mats Zuccarello. Player to watch: Crosby had 84 points this season, which was his best points-per-60 minutes average for a season with at least 68 games played since 2009-10. But don't underestimate the drive of MacKinnon and McDavid to really show off here. Make picks throughout the postseason for a chance at $14,000 in prizes. They have depth at forward and are getting excellent play from defensemen like Fox and Trouba. Messier: Oilers in six If he finally emerges in this series, that's an edge for the Avalanche as well. The role players GM Chris Drury added along the way -- such as forwards Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp -- have bolstered the team. Biggest flaw(s): Minnesota's special teams are less than awe-inspiring. Bob Wischusen: Panthers in seven Shilton: Flames in six 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. What he's done this year has been insanely impressive. Brodin is a leader on the ice and anchors the Wild in a way that is crucial to their success. Kevin Weekes: Lightning in seven Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. Campbell-Pascall: Hurricanes in five NHL odds, picks, and predictions for the Calgary Flames at Vegas Golden Knights on February 23. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. Player to watch: Vasilevskiy. Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESPN presented by GEICO continue into the second round with exclusive doubleheaders this Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. (2:28), Stanley Cup playoffs preview: Breaking down all 16 teams in the NHL postseason, Wyshynski's NHL trade deadline tiers: From elite game-changers to bargain beauties, NHL trade deadline guides for all 32 teams: Players, picks in play, cap space, team status. The Rangers still aren't an impressive five-on-five team, relying on Shesterkin to bail them out at even strength, which he has. 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. One of the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, or Edmonton Oilers will be this year's Stanley Cup champion. Then again, Kuemper hasn't been facing a ton of shots. Bolden: Flames in seven More: Full playoff schedule And Kane already had a pair of hat tricks in the playoffs. There was never any doubt that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could score in the regular season, but the playoffs have brought their challenges in keeping up that pace offensively. 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. The 2022-23 NHL season is the 106th season of operation (105th . Goalie Frederik Andersen had a dominant regular season, finishing third in goals saved above average (38.7). Artemi Panarin averaged 1.28 points per game. Record: 54-21-7 (115 points) Case for a Stanley Cup run: Toronto has got the talent in all three phases of the game.Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are one of the NHL's . One problem Biggest flaw(s): Ovechkin missed the Capitals' final three games after appearing to injure a shoulder in an April 24 game. Washington lives and dies on the performance of its franchise star, especially on the power play. Rush to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Colorado is notably multifaceted, capable of beating its opponents in different ways. Player to watch: McAvoy. Case for a Stanley Cup run: History has a funny habit of repeating itself. I said in my series prediction . Bold prediction: Boston uses its shutdown capabilities to bounce a high-octane offensive opponent in the first round. Unlike Darcy Kuemper, who has faced the fewest shots among remaining playoff goaltenders, Smith has been peppered with the second-most. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Welcome to the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs!The first round gets rolling on Saturday with Game 1 of the Washington Capitals-Boston Bruins series.. There's plenty of history in many of these matchups, as the NHL is using an intradivisional format for the first two rounds, before re-bracketing the final four for the semifinals. Biggest flaw(s): The playoffs couldn't arrive at a worse time for Pittsburgh. Player to watch: Kadri. Lawrence-Riddell: Hurricanes in seven The NHL offseason formally begins with the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, starting with Thursday's first round (6 p.m. CT, ESPN).. 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. The Lightning will have to convert some of those to beat "Shesty.". Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. College Basketball Week 17 Top 25 Predictions Note: Projected winners are listed in bold. What makes Nashville dangerous (other than Roman Josi, Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg and Juuse Saros, of course) is the chip on its shoulder, the hunger to prove the team's critics wrong. If he makes it back, Jarry still has to demonstrate his postseason prowess after flopping against the Islanders in their 2021 series. We've graded all 32 teams-- including one A+ and two F's -- and announced the winners of our own batch of awards. In the East, it'll be a battle of the goaltenders with the excellent matchup between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. AJ Mleczko: Lightning in seven Are we focusing heavily on the best players in this series? We've got all the angles covered to get you ready for the playoffs as ESPN hockey reporters Greg Wyshynski and Kristen Shilton take a look at each of the 16 postseason teams, offering the reasons each team could win it all, along with their (potentially) biggest flaws, players to watch and a bold prediction for every contender. There has also been more effort on the forecheck. Bold prediction: As happened to Tampa Bay in 2019, the seemingly unstoppable Panthers fall short with a baffling first-round exit. DiPietro: Hurricanes in six Hagel took a puck off one of his feet in Game 2 against the Panthers, though he appeared in Games 3 and 4. The All-Star break is over, and we are almost three-quarters of the way through the 2022-23 season. LA | DAL. It starts with Bruins-Canes (7 p.m. Obviously, the Rangers are going to go as far as Shesterkin takes them. Defenseman Adam Fox said he's looking forward to the battle between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin. Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. What will be the key to solving Igor Shesterkin? Boucher: Flames in six Patrice Bergeron is still Patrice Bergeron. But we doubt that's sustainable, and the alternative remains Mikko Koskinen. His playoff struggles are a bit overblown -- his numbers aren't that bad overall -- but the doubts linger. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, Lineup picks, matchups, start or sit advice for Wednesday, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres, Who goes to the Stanley Cup Final? Those aren't encouraging totals. The Oilers played a wide-open, goal-scoring bonanza of a five-game spread against Calgary versus the Avalanche's more bruising, defensive-conscious, six-game affair against St. Louis. Calgary got burned off a couple clean looks for that unit that turned into almost series-defining mistakes. From there, things started falling apart for the Predators; they didn't perform as well at the top of the standings. Kristen Shilton: Lightning in six Those 5-on-5 opportunities can be -- and almost always are -- limited in the playoffs. Bold prediction: Shesterkin pitches two shutouts in the opening round as the Rangers advance. 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. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? Rantanen's 36 goals led Colorado in the regular season, so seeing him hesitate to shoot the puck and fail to drive play like a $9.25 million-per-year player should in the postseason is odd. The Avs' Norris Trophy finalist defenseman projects to draw Edmonton's toughest matchups, and as the Oilers proved against Calgary, its top line is tough to contain. The NHL playoffs get underway Monday, with all four games on ESPN networks. Bold prediction: The Avalanche flip the season script, struggling to score in the early going of the playoffs and relying on team defense to step up and move them along. Keep an eye on those little things Brodin can do to put Minnesota over the top. Biggest flaw(s): Confidence. They are firing on all cylinders. Bold prediction: The Flames advance to the Western Conference finals, including a Battle of Alberta win over the Oilers. Sorting out the optimal defensive pairings will be a task for coach Jared Bednar. Vitek Vanecek has been wildly inconsistent, while Ilya Samsonov has played to a sub-replacement level this season. But it's also true that the Lightning haven't faced a goalie like Shesterkin, who is playing out of his gourd right now. Offseason keys for eliminated teams, Sean Allen: Panthers in six The Oilers are more balanced (28.1% on the power play, 85.4% on the kill). The conference final round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs is upon us. Tampa hasn't had much downtime since the NHL's bubble tournament two years ago. 4 NHL Trade Deadline Sellers Looking to Bounce Back in 2023-24. The Avalanche are top three in league scoring, top six in goals against, have a top-five power play and boast enviable depth at forward and on the back end to complement Darcy Kuemper, who has had a resurgent second half in net. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, Lineup picks, matchups, start or sit advice for Wednesday, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres, What the remaining Stanley Cup contenders learned in Round 1, Why the Avalanche are the NHL's postseason juggernaut, 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: Highlights and analysis from the entire postseason, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Selected by Nashville in the fourth round (No. ", Make picks throughout the postseason for a chance at $14,000 in prizes. The Stars' first line might be its superpower, but this lineup can offer a lot more than that. Victoria Matiash: Panthers in seven There is no such problem for the Lightning. But what we've seen so far in the playoffs is Colorado primarily at its best. New York Islanders (MP) 7. 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. As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. After Pavelski, Hintz and Robertson (who all tallied 70 or more points), Dallas' offense has been streaky. Heiskanen can set a tone for how the entire team approaches its defensive strategy. Unfortunately, Alex Ovechkin cornered the market on "he can still do that at his age, wow!" Luckily for the Blues, that deja vu high they're currently riding is a good one. Beyond that, he hasn't won a playoff series since 2015. Period. Blake Bolden: Panthers in seven Seven Avs skaters have at least three goals in the playoffs, and five have double-digit point totals. That's always been ingrained in the culture of every good team I've been on here. So if there's room for improvement anywhere, it's from some of the Oilers' second- and third-line skaters like Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi. Until he does, it's Casey DeSmith's crease. The Rangers had their share of breaks. Listen here . Emily Kaplan: Lightning in seven Bold prediction: Toronto shocks the world and wins multiple playoff rounds. Chris Kreider became just the fourth player in Rangers history to top 50 goals. But right around the trade deadline, the Rangers' play started to pick up and continued to trend upward through the final month of the season under first-year coach Gerard Gallant. This postseason has been different because of how strong that duo's defensive habits are. If the Flames win the Cup, it wouldn't be hard to see him taking home a Conn Smythe. But this was his best season since 2017-18, and there were enough moments of "vintage Jonathan Quick" to make one wonder if there isn't just a little more playoff magic left in him, 10 years after winning the Conn Smythe. Chandan: Flames in six The Wild have that, big-time. Levy: Avalanche in five Bold prediction: Brandon Hagel comes alive at last. Bold prediction: Coach Dean Evason bucks tradition by not naming a playoff starter in net, opting to alternate between Fleury and Talbot instead. Center Steven Stamkos (eight points) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh have been there in big moments. We've already discussed Kuemper. 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. And it's not just the Avs' marquee names -- Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar to name a few -- who are having an impact. Pittsburgh Penguins 4. Every first-round Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be available on ESPN or ESPN2. When Boston is at its best, it is a hard-hitting, back-breaking group to go up against. Let's key on Mikko Rantanen. Biggest flaw(s): Fatigue. Why not Dallas? Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been, and continues to be, Tampa's MVP. The Bruins are one of the league's stingiest teams (averaging 2.69 goals against) and excel at limiting shots against (28.7 per game, third fewest in the NHL) and high-danger chances (first overall). Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. Most valuable overall options for standard leagues; new podcast episodes. The Rangers are playing with house money. Messier: Avalanche in seven The 13th overall pick in 2020, Jarvis had 11 points in a nine-game stretch near the end of the season, running shotgun with Aho for a lot of it. 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. They had three 40-goal forwards in Johnny Gaudreau, who posted a remarkable 115-point season, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm, with Andrew Mangiapane (35 goals) not far off the pace. 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. Matiash: Avalanche in six He's both their last line of defense and their catalyst, as the Rangers feed off his performances when opponents tip the ice. Player to watch: Forsberg. Florida has three 30-plus goal scorers, six players with 50-plus points and a Hart Trophy contender in Jonathan Huberdeau, who can go toe-to-toe with any offensive threat in the league. NHL trade grades: Kings make smart additions in Gavrikov, Korpisalo, NHL trade tracker: Latest deals, rumors and grades, Capitals send Eller to Avs for second-round pick, Kings deal Cup-winning G Quick to Blue Jackets, Rangers clear hurdles, get Kane from Blackhawks, Oilers bulk up defense, secure Predators' Ekholm, Leafs win Schenn sweepstakes, trade for veteran, Leafs deal Sandin to Capitals for Gustafsson, pick, Wild add depth, acquire Johansson from Capitals, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? Did he skid at the end of this season? 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. How they choose to defend Kucherov's line is going to be a key for the series. But that doesn't mean the playoffs haven't enlightened us about some aspects of this Lightning team. Jake Oettinger has played well in net, and Dallas' defense has looked more cohesive lately. Do you blame us? For example, we've learned that they've effectively rebuilt their bottom six after the offseason exodus of their celebrated checking line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. Subscribe to ESPN+ NHL Predictions 2022- 23 season | NHL Projected Standings 2022-23 Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division 1. But the defenseman is battling a core muscle injury and he's still playing over 21 minutes per game, so faulting him too harshly for not performing at his most elite would be misguided. Biggest flaw(s): Can the Predators keep it together in their own end? Jonathan Quick's best saves of 2022-23 season (1:58) . 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. 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. Colorado's big winger has one goal in these playoffs, which he scored on an empty net in the Avs' 6-3 victory over St. Louis in Game 4. The Hurricanes had their best success on high-danger chances, scoring eight high-danger goals against the Rangers goaltender, the second-most allowed in the second round. ESPN will air the entirety of the Metropolitan and Pacific divisions on alternating days, beginning Wednesday, May 18. The Nashville Predators, at No. Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the greatest postseason goaltenders in NHL history. Game 3: Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals 1 p.m. The team also had strong seasons from veterans Trevor Moore, Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe and Alex Edler, a resurgent campaign from Jonathan Quick and an outstanding season from Drew Doughty before he went out with a wrist injury. NHL.com staff members have made their predictions for the Stanley Cup First Round and Playoffs, and most believe the Honda West Division representative will win it all. Colorado has given up the third-fewest goals against per game (2.70) among remaining playoff teams, and its power play is operating at a crisp 34.5% (best in show throughout the postseason). This series projects to trend more toward what Edmonton just experienced, with the potential for larger momentum swings and opportunity to generate offense. The edge, though, probably belongs to Edmonton. You could put Nurse here, and say he hasn't been an obvious difference-maker for the Oilers (to the degree a top-pairing defender usually is). Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. How they got here: Defeated Los Angeles Kings 4-3, defeated Calgary Flames 4-1. Player to watch: Mika Zibanejad was back to being a point-per-game center this season, playing the majority of his time with Kreider and assisting on 24 of his goals. 2. Tocchet, most recently head coach of the Arizona . 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. Biggest flaw(s): Power plays don't always come easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is when he should shine. Colorado's penalty kill (only 73.1%) and goaltending (see above) have underwhelmed, and would be the most likely potential issues against Edmonton. They'll need every bit of his experience and ability to slow the Avalanche down. 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