Case for a Stanley Cup run: History has a funny habit of repeating itself. LA | DAL. And that could make a huge difference for the Avalanche this spring. My other prediction for this series? Anze Kopitar led the team in scoring. Hilary Knight: Lightning in seven The Panthers repeatedly fell into multiple-goal deficits they were able to erase because, well, see above. ", Make picks throughout the postseason for a chance at $14,000 in prizes. Non-Playoff team from 2021 that will make 2022 Playoffs: Dallas Stars . But he's expected to miss a few games in the first round due to a lower-body injury. A game-changing talent who also is playing for his next contract (from Nashville or someone else). Because he picked this opportunity. If the Flames win the Cup, it wouldn't be hard to see him taking home a Conn Smythe. Tarasenko had 11 goals and 17 points during the Blues' 2019 run. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Tampa knows how to win. Unfortunately, Alex Ovechkin cornered the market on "he can still do that at his age, wow!" 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. The uptick of physicality in McDavid's game has been well-documented. . Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Lightning in six That core has been augmented by strong seasons from a supporting cast of forwards Evan Rodrigues and Danton Heinen, and especially defenseman Mike Matheson, who had a career-redefining campaign. It doesn't help that in front of Bobrovsky, Florida got a little too comfortable late in the season as the Cardiac Cats. The last time they did was in the first round, when Crosby's line ran roughshod over them (Crosby had 10 points in six games) -- until a Trouba hit cost No. Expect more great performances from him. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. But I have a lot of faith in Shesty," he said. Washington lives and dies on the performance of its franchise star, especially on the power play. If the season ended today we'd have the Heat . His playoff struggles are a bit overblown -- his numbers aren't that bad overall -- but the doubts linger. 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. 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. While Florida's offensive talent is its best asset, if the overall team defense can't hold up (especially if Aaron Ekblad isn't able to return to form due to his knee injury), it could make for a shorter run than the Panthers are aiming for. The Avalanche have an excellent power play (34.5%) but weaker penalty kill (73.1%). Washington Capitals (MP) 8. 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. But it was also a campaign that saw Alex Ovechkin score 50 goals and carry the team for stretches this season. What will be the key to solving Igor Shesterkin? Hagel took a puck off one of his feet in Game 2 against the Panthers, though he appeared in Games 3 and 4. It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. . 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. They're very ordinary on the back end without him. Period. Unlike the other two teams on this list, the Portland Trail Blazers are currently on the outside looking in. Saros missed the last two games of the season with a lower-body injury, and his status is uncertain heading into the postseason. All of those little things add up when they're coming top down through the lineup. XFL owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shouted out former Alabama quarterback A.J. 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. Obviously not. will be coming full force. And it's not just the Avs' marquee names -- Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar to name a few -- who are having an impact. Those types of intangibles are impossible to quantify in the unknowable season ahead. Not too shabby. Don La Greca: Panthers in seven Football Women's Basketball Games Home ESPN Fantasy App While Dallas has every reason to feel good about its top point-getters, in a tight playoff series the secondary scoring often puts teams over the top. They rallied to beat the Penguins after being down 3-1 in their first-round series. Same with its overall consistency. Once the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchups are set, hockey fans worldwide can start creating and submitting brackets outlining their predictions for each playoff series online. Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. At Pickswise we have expert NHL picks for every game of the 2021/22 season. Chris Kreider became just the fourth player in Rangers history to top 50 goals. We just didn't go away. Every first-round Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be available on ESPN or ESPN2. Brodin is a leader on the ice and anchors the Wild in a way that is crucial to their success. Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Stars made the playoffs in large part because of their top line. Center Ross Colton, who scored the only goal in their Cup-clinching game last summer against the Canadiens, has played the majority of his minutes with Brandon Hagel, whom the Lightning acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline. Biggest flaw(s): Can the Predators keep it together in their own end? The Wild have had offensive stars emerging throughout the season, from Kirill Kaprizov to Kevin Fiala to Mats Zuccarello. Might the Colorado Avalanche, the top seed in the West and an underachiever the past two postseasons, break through? Kavanagh: Blues in seven Ferraro: Flames in seven 6 Virginia (21-5, 13-4 ACC) . Portland Trail Blazers. Bolden: Hurricanes in six DiPietro: Flames in six The Bruins' top blueliner hasn't garnered the same attention as some of the league's flashiest defenders this season, but he has been excellent in his own right. How they got here: Defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3, defeated Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. If New York wants this to be a 1-0 goalie duel, the Lightning can win those, too. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Subscribe to ESPN+ 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. Stanley Cup Playoffs second-round predictions NHL.com staff members make their picks for four series But if there's a true flaw with the Oilers, it's once again found in the crease. The Stars need to be more than just a one-line wonder. He does all the little things, is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute just about anywhere. While offense can sometimes dry up the deeper we get into postseason play, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be the case here. The Rangers didn't have to face Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen, who missed the playoffs with a lower-body injury; instead, they saw Antti Raanta for six games and half of Game 7 until his injury, and then third-stringer Pyotr Kochetkov. New York Rangers 2. 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. 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). Shilton: Avalanche in seven The College Football Playoff will pit Georgia against Ohio State and Michigan against TCU in a bid to figure out the next national champion. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. Heading into the playoffs, Craig Custance gets the lowdown on the Vancouver Canucks from rival players, coaches and scouts. NHL betting best bet and free pick analysis. 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 Lightning have done it the past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to boot. Sure, Penguins center Nick Bonino scored the winning goal against the Sharks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. We've also learned that two straight Stanley Cups haven't made the Bolts fat and happy; the hunger to win another, and the killer instinct to close out teams, remains for Tampa. 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. Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA playoff game live on SLING TV. Wyshynski: Flames in seven. He has added 10 assists to his point total, but Rantanen has still fallen short of expectations to date in terms of output. The legend of Mike Smith has only grown this postseason. We'll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who's leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more. The conference final round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs is upon us. NHL odds, picks, and predictions for the Calgary Flames at Vegas Golden Knights on February 23. The Bruins have just about everything you can want in a contender: a deadly top line, an elite defenseman, and a great goalie. 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. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. McDonough: Avalanche in seven John Buccigross: Panthers in seven 12:50 PM. Special teams will play a pivotal role. The first round might actually be the hardest for Tampa, knowing how hungry the Leafs are to overcome their checkered playoff past. Jake Oettinger has played well in net, and Dallas' defense has looked more cohesive lately. How much trust should he place in Jack Johnson or Samuel Girard? NHL playoff series odds: St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild Odds provided by BetMGM Blues +130 vs. Wild -150 Easily the most polarizing series in the Western Conference, both St. Louis and. The 2022-23 NHL season is the 106th season of operation (105th . In the East, it'll be a battle of the goaltenders with the excellent matchup between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. 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. But it's also true that the Lightning haven't faced a goalie like Shesterkin, who is playing out of his gourd right now. ESPN Megacast, formerly known as ESPN Full Circle, is a multi-network simulcast of a single sporting event across multiple ESPN networks and serviceswith each feed providing a different version of the telecast making use of different features, functions or perspectives. Matiash: Rangers in seven Or will the Toronto Maple Leafs shake off their demons and claim their first Cup since 1966-67? Kreider had two goals, after scoring 52 during the regular season. Colton and Perry, the latter of whom was acquired as a free agent this past summer, lead the Lightning with five goals each. 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. The Eastern Conference finals series is on ESPN and ESPN+, while the Stanley Cup Final will be on ABC and ESPN+. 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. Kristen Shilton: Lightning in six CAR (Tuesday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Toronto has got the talent in all three phases of the game. Bold prediction: Toronto shocks the world and wins multiple playoff rounds. Complete playoff coverage Edmonton trended up across the board under Woodcroft, including in the most important area: the standings, where the Oilers finished second in the Pacific. 17 overall, should be able to select . Player to watch: There was a time, not too long ago, when Jonathan Quick was considered one of the best big-game goaltenders in the NHL. Their lineup features solid two-way forwards in Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. 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. Lawrence-Riddell: Avalanche in six Maintaining that intensity each night in the playoffs will be a task in itself. Florida is the only place he wanted to land at the trade deadline. ET, ESPN), followed by Lightning-Leafs (7:30 ET, ESPN2), Blues-Wild (9:30 ET, ESPN) and Kings-Oilers (10 ET, ESPN2). Do you blame us? The Oilers peppered Calgary's Jacob Markstrom with over 34 shots per game in the second round and their elite talent up front (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, etc.) At 29-31, they . 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. DiPietro: Avalanche in seven Patrice Bergeron is still Patrice Bergeron. Biggest flaw(s): Defensive chemistry, and the penalty kill. Physicality gets ratcheted up in the playoffs, and Wilson has shown the ability in the past to turn a series with one big injurious hit. There's power in being an underdog, a freedom to simply play your game without expectation. STL | NSH As long as the Oilers' stars are shining that brightly, they'll have a chance to win any series. The Wild's penalty kill is bottom 10 in the league, and their power play sits somewhere in the middle. The best possible conference finals? 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. 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. The Capitals have a veteran group that can play physical hockey and defend well at 5-on-5. 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. Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Penguins crossed the finish line as a playoff team. Rush to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The image above displays the 2023 NHL Playoff bracket and will be updated after each week. Biggest flaw(s): Consistency and resiliency. 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. 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. 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