Wyshynski: Blues in seven, Allen: Flames in six Ferraro: Hurricanes in six But it's also true that the Lightning haven't faced a goalie like Shesterkin, who is playing out of his gourd right now. Biggest flaw(s): Confidence. The legend of Mike Smith has only grown this postseason. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Tampa knows how to win. What Keith does best is bring consistency to Edmonton's defensive effort. Some teams have improved, while others went into re-build mode. Boucher: Avalanche in six Beyond that, he hasn't won a playoff series since 2015. 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. 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. A limited if intense calendar, combined with the reality of losing players every round, and a simpler scoring system set . The second round against Calgary couldn't have started any worse with a quick 3-0 deficit for Edmonton in Game 1 and another 2-0 hole to start Game 2. Wyshynski: Flames in seven. The rare NHL talent who can agitate you with words, deeds and on the scoreboard. Now they also have some strong depth, and the versatility to play the Islanders' style if needed. The 2021-22 NHL season is winding down towards the final . Forward Jason Zucker, who could help, can't stay in the lineup due to injuries. Lawrence-Riddell: Hurricanes in seven 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. 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. How do the Avs slow down the McDavid-Draisaitl-Kane line? Case for a Stanley Cup run: Nashville is a great underdog -- back the Predators into a corner and wait to see some of their best hockey. Kuemper came through in that series when the Avalanche needed it, but there wasn't a lot of rhythm to his game. They're tremendous on the power play, as Carolina witnessed. That wasn't a given before the season and certainly wasn't while Pittsburgh played through its seemingly annual spate of injuries. There has also been more effort on the forecheck. 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. Wyshynski: Hurricanes in five, The Stanley Cup playoffs are back on ESPN and ABC! Here's a player who requested a trade out of St. Louis and instead has thrived there this season. 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 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Monday night on the networks of ESPN, . With a healthy Ovechkin, they can be in any series. Forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, GM Rob Blake's key offseason pickups, were in the top four in scoring. NHL betting best bet and free pick analysis. There's a real calmness that the Lightning have in the toughest moments, a constant belief in their ability to weather any storm. This series projects to trend more toward what Edmonton just experienced, with the potential for larger momentum swings and opportunity to generate offense. 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? He had 23 goals and 28 assists and led all Capitals forwards in goals scored above average. Why not Dallas? 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. And yet, here we are. The Nashville Predators, at No. The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. Unsurprisingly, Florida has also produced excellent special-teams numbers (including with its top-10 power play). ESPN will air the entirety of the Metropolitan and Pacific divisions on alternating days, beginning Wednesday, May 18. Non-Playoff team from 2021 that will make 2022 Playoffs: Dallas Stars . cal: Avalanche in five 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. 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game; North Carolina (17-11, 9-8 ACC) vs. No. The Blues averaged just 26 shots per game at Kuemper, while Colorado was in control averaging 37 shots the other way. Kavanagh: Blues in seven Igor Shesterkin led the NHL in save percentage and goals saved above average, carrying the Rangers for the first two-thirds of the season as New York was near the bottom of the league in even-strength analytics. 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. Why Rangers-Lightning, Avs-Oilers demand your attention, 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. But he's not unbeatable. It was once again the Connor and Leon show, as McDavid had 123 points and Draisaitl had 110. There were times when Carolina created chaos around Shesterkin's crease but couldn't find the rebounds he'd leave. At every juncture where past Oilers' teams have misstepped, this group has stepped up. They're very ordinary on the back end without him. DiPietro: Hurricanes in six Biggest flaw(s): Can the Predators keep it together in their own end? Tarasenko had 11 goals and 17 points during the Blues' 2019 run. Edmonton's top line is stacked, it's slippery and it's been operating at an incredibly high level. We know Josi is a Norris Trophy-caliber defender, but the rest of Nashville's blue line doesn't exhibit nearly the same consistency. It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. The Ducks and Penguins have moved back into the playoff race and will face off Monday. Because as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl might be better (and he's playing hurt, too). Goalie Tristan Jarry, who had an outstanding regular season, has been sidelined with a broken foot that he's in the process of rehabbing. If he makes it back, Jarry still has to demonstrate his postseason prowess after flopping against the Islanders in their 2021 series. by Fantasy Hockey Staff @NHLFantasy. 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. And that was against the two best offensive teams in the regular season. Game 3: Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals 1 p.m. 26, 2022, at 10:51 PM. John Buccigross: Panthers in seven What we've learned about this team so far in the postseason. NHL Events 2022-23; ESPN, Turner Schedules; . The uptick of physicality in McDavid's game has been well-documented. Do the Lightning have what it takes to three-peat? When Boston is at its best, it is a hard-hitting, back-breaking group to go up against. The NHL playoffs get underway Monday, with all four games on ESPN networks. They have depth at forward and are getting excellent play from defensemen like Fox and Trouba. XFL owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shouted out former Alabama quarterback A.J. 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. Matiash: Flames in seven The All-Star Game and the Stadium Series will be on ABC, and ESPN will have the All-Star Skills Competition. 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. Not too shabby. Those types of intangibles are impossible to quantify in the unknowable season ahead. 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. Bold prediction: Toronto shocks the world and wins multiple playoff rounds. Returning contributors Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat can play up or down the lineup with effectiveness. We're down to the final four teams of the 2021-22 NHL season. The Lightning goalie will have to be better than his best to get Tampa over the hump and back into postseason cruise control. They'll help power what could be a last attempt at a Cup for this aging core, with Malkin, Letang and Rust among the team's pending free agents. No one will let the Leafs forget what happened against Boston (twice) or Montreal. ET, ESPN), followed by Lightning-Leafs (7:30 ET, ESPN2), Blues-Wild (9:30 ET, ESPN) and Kings-Oilers (10 ET, ESPN2). All that winning is great at the time, but it cuts into recovery. Again, Hagel has done fine in the roles that they've cast him in during the playoffs. Hextall: Avalanche in five But I have a lot of faith in Shesty," he said. They are firing on all cylinders. 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). CAR (Tuesday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A. He does all the little things, is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute just about anywhere. This Western Conference finals present a hockey feast for the eyes: Colorado's top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin vs. Kane, McDavid and Draisaitl. 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. That's where depth will come into focus, and the Oilers will want to be sure theirs is on point. That formula doesn't generally work in the postseason. ESPN revealed its top five most likely playoff . There's more to the team than just a dominant goalie, however. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. If the Flames win the Cup, it wouldn't be hard to see him taking home a Conn Smythe. The Oilers are more balanced (28.1% on the power play, 85.4% on the kill). A healthy Brayden Point obviously bolsters their advantage. Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. 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. How will the Rangers handle Nikita Kucherov? All of those little things add up when they're coming top down through the lineup. Mleczko: Flames in six We just don't go away, regardless of the score and regardless of where the game is. We all saw what happened to netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in last season's playoffs (when he was replaced midway through the first round by rookie Spencer Knight), and the veteran has struggled down the stretch this season (with a save percentage below .900 in three of four recent appearances). 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. New York Rangers. Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven Kristen Shilton: Lightning in six How they got here: Defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3, defeated Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Until he does, it's Casey DeSmith's crease. They were third in expected goals against and fourth in expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season. In today's Morning 3-on-3, we debate whether both are playoff locks -- and a threat if they make it. It nearly did not happen, as both teams were pushed to the brink in the first round. Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans Game Info. 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. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? He had just two points in the Pens' six-game series loss to the Islanders last playoffs. Those matchups are plenty intriguing. 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. cal: Oilers in seven Player to watch: Miro Heiskanen. Shilton: Avalanche in seven Kavanagh: Oilers in seven At 29-31, they . The Stars need to be more than just a one-line wonder. DiPietro: Flames in six How to watch In net, Jack Campbell appears back on his game following a midseason downturn and rib injury. Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche in six MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs. Biggest flaw(s): Depth scoring has been an issue for the Stars. Florida is the only place he wanted to land at the trade deadline. The Lightning have done it the past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to boot. 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