The Predators can score well enough, but how well they can execute team defense and keep the puck out of their own net will be the key. He backstopped the Kings to the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, posting an incredible .946 save percentage to win that initial championship. Biggest flaw(s): Defensive chemistry, and the penalty kill. He knows when to push and when to pull back. As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. Can Georgia pull off a repeat? McDonough: Avalanche in seven Two good goalies coming together. Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. He had just two points in the Pens' six-game series loss to the Islanders last playoffs. Long playoff runs result in short offseasons to follow. 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. Philadelphia Flyers (MP) Atlantic Division 1. Calgary vs. Dallas: Flames in five. This series against Colorado could see each team's top talents canceling each other out. . 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. How to watch The Oilers are more resilient than some observers previously thought. The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. 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. Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. But if there's a true flaw with the Oilers, it's once again found in the crease. "I've kind of referred to us as cockroaches. The All-Star Game and the Stadium Series will be on ABC, and ESPN will have the All-Star Skills Competition. 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. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Thanks to the steepest parity the Eastern Conference has seen in some time, the Capitals had a 100-point season for the sixth straight 82-game campaign. There's a lot we already knew about the Lightning after back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, from their ability to win in a variety of ways to their efficiency in elimination games. While the 29-year-old is still producing at a steady clip with 54 points in 59 games (he tallied a career-high 99 points last season . 87d ESPN staff. 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. Patrice Bergeron is still Patrice Bergeron. 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. Matiash: Rangers in seven NHL Matchups 2022-2023 - Today's Hockey Previews, Scores & Schedules NHL Scores & Matchups Odds Free Picks News & Analysis NHL Contest Stanley Cup Injuries Teams Players Standings. Knight: Flames in six We've graded all 32 teams -- including one A+ and two F's -- and announced the winners of our own batch of awards . Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? Wyshynski: Hurricanes in five, The Stanley Cup playoffs are back on ESPN and ABC! They'll need continued offense from Fox, who had 18 points in 14 games. Edmonton's top line is stacked, it's slippery and it's been operating at an incredibly high level. Again, a criticism of Calgary this season is like using one of those eyepieces to search for a flaw on a gorgeously cut diamond. I think we're there with the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. That can't happen again. 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. 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. It's part of what has made Husso so invaluable; he covers for all manner of ills in the Blues' own end. NHL betting best bet and free pick analysis. 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. Some of those came on odd-man rushes, a few on chances on the doorstep. The clichs exist for a reason: There's no space out there anymore, no time to make plays or dangle or show off. All things being equal, Colorado boasts the deeper team. Also note that wild-card teams are listed according to which playoff bracket they're playing in (the Capitals, for example, are in the Atlantic). DiPietro: Hurricanes in six Those aren't encouraging totals. cal: Rangers in seven Adam Fox, last year's Norris winner, had a strong encore. Heiskanen missed time this season with illness but is an invaluable asset to Dallas' overall success. 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. And yet, here we are. That mindset is critical when every team out there is looking to unseat the champions. by Fantasy Hockey Staff @NHLFantasy. How do the Avs slow down the McDavid-Draisaitl-Kane line? Buccigross: Avalanche in seven 4 NHL Trade Deadline Sellers Looking to Bounce Back in 2023-24. Another matchup against the Dallas Stars, who are a mess right now and Domi just recently torched, could be another interesting game for him. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Colorado is a beast. Kane is a future Hall of Famer and arguably the best men's American hockey player of all time. They were third in expected goals against and fourth in expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season. Bold prediction: The Penguins go out in the first round, but goaltending isn't the reason. Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA playoff game live on SLING TV. Lawrence-Riddell: Flames in seven The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Monday night on the networks of ESPN, . 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. From there, things started falling apart for the Predators; they didn't perform as well at the top of the standings. Player to watch: Tarasenko. There is a winning pedigree in Boston that starts with its leadership, and spreads to David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, Charlie McAvoy, and on down the list. Yet Carolina is not mentioned in the same breath as other Stanley Cup contenders. But breaks are only breaks if one capitalizes on them, and the Rangers have shown an impressive resiliency. Unsurprisingly, Florida has also produced excellent special-teams numbers (including with its top-10 power play). XFL owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shouted out former Alabama quarterback A.J. Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? Special teams will play a pivotal role. DiPietro: Flames in six Bold prediction: The Flames advance to the Western Conference finals, including a Battle of Alberta win over the Oilers. Heiskanen can set a tone for how the entire team approaches its defensive strategy. Cohn: Avalanche in seven Knight: Avalanche in seven That presents a perfect backdrop for Minnesota's run. 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 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. Make Your Picks. Ditto Brad Marchand. Subscribe to ESPN+ 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. Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Central playoff brackets were written by Shilton, while Wyshynski analyzed the Metro and Pacific brackets. Los Angeles was 32-19-7 when Doughty went out on March 7. The format is a set bracket that is . 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. Carolina Hurricanes 3. Mleczko: Avalanche in six La Greca: Hurricanes in six Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. Toronto is no longer the one-dimensional wonder of its past, capable of putting pucks in the net but incapable of keeping them out. They went 12-8-3 after that. It was once again the Connor and Leon show, as McDavid had 123 points and Draisaitl had 110. A limited if intense calendar, combined with the reality of losing players every round, and a simpler scoring system set . Arda cal: Lightning in six The Igor Shesterkin that we saw during Round 1 is not the Igor Shesterkin that the Lightning are going to see. 26, 2022, at 10:51 PM. The NHL is an exciting sport to wager on and there are plenty of opportunities for wins during the bumper . He's a dynamic offensive talent who has 11 points in his past 15 playoff games. Defenseman Adam Fox said he's looking forward to the battle between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin. Rick DiPietro: Panthers in seven The Avalanche are excelling in the ways they should, getting timely goals and playing to their strengths. Some nights, the Bruins look impenetrable; the next, they're floundering in their own end. Atlantic: FLA | TOR As Crosby said recently: "I think you try to enjoy it as much as you can and try to take it all in because you know that it's not going to last forever. Biggest flaw(s): Power plays don't always come easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Victoria Matiash: Panthers in seven USA TODAY Sports' NHL staffers make their predictions for the second round: Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Jimmy Hascup: Avalanche in six. Oh, baby. 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. Bold prediction: Coach Dean Evason bucks tradition by not naming a playoff starter in net, opting to alternate between Fleury and Talbot instead. Do you blame us? Colorado is every bit as good as we thought it was, and could be. Draisaitl has unmatched playmaking ability and when he's on a roll, it's hard to think of how Colorado will totally contain how adept he is with the puck. Unlike the other two teams on this list, the Portland Trail Blazers are currently on the outside looking in. Watching all of it from the crease is Vezina contender Jacob Markstrom. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been, and continues to be, Tampa's MVP. Because as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl might be better (and he's playing hurt, too). Non-Playoff team from 2021 that will make 2022 Playoffs: Dallas Stars . If the season ended today we'd have the Heat . 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. Unlikely contenders emerge year after year. 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. 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