Biggest flaw(s): Fatigue. Bold prediction: As happened to Tampa Bay in 2019, the seemingly unstoppable Panthers fall short with a baffling first-round exit. Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven Player to watch: Tom Wilson managed not to get suspended during the regular season, to his credit. 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. will be coming full force. Biggest flaw(s): Consistency and resiliency. 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. MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs. We've graded all 32 teams -- including one A+ and two F's -- and announced the winners of our own batch of awards. ESPN revealed its top five most likely playoff . 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). That could change in a hurry in the postseason, as the Canes flex their impressive depth, stingy penalty kill and offensive power led by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Tortorella: Hurricanes in six Seeing its dedication pay off with a playoff opportunity should be all the motivation Dallas needs to give each game its best. A rundown of 1 to 8 in all four divisions, plus the 16-team postseason field for this upcoming season. The Capitals have a veteran group that can play physical hockey and defend well at 5-on-5. Hextall: Flames in six STL | NSH Edmonton really performed well against Calgary on the penalty kill too, coming up with critical stops that frustrated the Flames' attack. Keith has been on every big stage hockey has to offer. The game-changing swings can come down to special teams, and that's not where the Wild have thrived. Pittsburgh Penguins 4. Their head-to-head matchup will be a primary talking point in the lead-up to Game 1. Levy: Rangers in seven 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. He knows when to push and when to pull back. 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 first-round pick is conditional on the Kings making the playoffs and would become two second-round picks (2023 and 2024) if they do not . Callahan: Flames in five Cohn: Oilers in six Wyshynski: Flames in seven. I think we're there with the Rangers. 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. Both stood out late in the second round with an individual highlight performance (MacKinnon with his Game 5 hat trick, McDavid with the overtime game-winner in his own Game 5). 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 . It's time for our experts to go on the record with their predictions on which four teams will make it one step closer to the Stanley Cup Final, which is returning to ABC this season. If he finally emerges in this series, that's an edge for the Avalanche as well. They were 27th in goals-against per 60 at 5-on-5 under Tippett; under Woodcroft, they were ninth. So it works in Nashville's favor to not just go into the postseason as a wild-card team, but to know there's an uphill battle ahead to make its time in the playoffs last. The Blues are rightly playing with incredible confidence, and we know from past experience where that can lead them. Bolden: Avalanche in six His playoff struggles are a bit overblown -- his numbers aren't that bad overall -- but the doubts linger. This is when he should shine. TB | WSH Weekes: Flames in seven But it was also a campaign that saw Alex Ovechkin score 50 goals and carry the team for stretches this season. 17 overall, should be able to select . Chandan: Hurricanes in five Kavanagh: Oilers in seven 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. Note: Kristen Shilton previewed the Western Conference teams, while Greg Wyshynski previewed the two clubs from the East. 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. Game 3: Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals 1 p.m. One of the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, or Edmonton Oilers will be this year's Stanley Cup champion. The Avalanche have an excellent power play (34.5%) but weaker penalty kill (73.1%). Cam Talbot, solid all season, has improved even further riding shotgun with the newcomer. Player to watch: Kadri. The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Monday night on the networks of ESPN, . We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide the best free NHL expert picks each and every day. Boucher: Hurricanes in six Bring on the intensity, the heart-stopping drama and the sheer excitement. Because as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl might be better (and he's playing hurt, too). 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. Forward Jason Zucker, who could help, can't stay in the lineup due to injuries. Could the Florida Panthers, who raced to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, win their first Cup? Their power play is going to do some damage. The Nashville Predators, at No. Sachin Chandan: Panthers in seven Keeping those three in check starts with good neutral-zone play, limiting their ability to gain speed and forcing play to the outside. 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). Those 5-on-5 opportunities can be -- and almost always are -- limited in the playoffs. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. NFL Survivor Pool 2023 Canada Fantasy Hockey Predictions Rob Ellis - September 9, 2022 0 The XFL has entered the second week of its third season under its . Again, a criticism of Calgary this season is like using one of those eyepieces to search for a flaw on a gorgeously cut diamond. Linda Cohn: Panthers in seven His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek, among others. Against Carolina, Shesterkin gave up two or fewer goals in six of the seven games in the series and won another Game 7, this time on the road. Are we focusing heavily on the best players in this series? The addition of Hampus Lindholm on the back end has really strengthened the B's blue line and gives them more options to mix and match pairings throughout the playoffs as needed. Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. Unsurprisingly, Florida has also produced excellent special-teams numbers (including with its top-10 power play). Colton and Perry, the latter of whom was acquired as a free agent this past summer, lead the Lightning with five goals each. But teams win with depth in the playoffs, and there's been some falloff here for the Flames. 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. Excellent goaltending. Make Your Picks. Case for a Stanley Cup run: This is Edmonton Oilers Version 2.0. But he's not unbeatable. What sort of postseason magic can Kadri create to cap this career season? 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. Hextall: Avalanche in five Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. Wischusen: Rangers 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. Make picks throughout the postseason for a chance at $14,000 in prizes. How they got here: Defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3, defeated Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Until he does, it's Casey DeSmith's crease. 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. McDonough: Flames in seven Kevin Weekes: Lightning in seven 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. The All-Star break is over, and we are almost three-quarters of the way through the 2022-23 season. Pacific: CGY | EDM Most valuable overall options for standard leagues; new podcast episodes. No disrespect intended to Sebastian Aho, but the Rangers didn't have to face an elite offensive player like Kucherov in their series against the Hurricanes. Not too shabby. 12:50 PM. While it's desirable to have the top-end talent Colorado does, it's often the unheralded players who pick up the playoff slack. Venue: Dean Smith Center -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Coverage: ESPN . NHL Rush to the Playoffs: Three National Hockey League Games Monday, Tuesday Night, Exclusively on ESPN, ESPN+ and Hulu ESPN+ NHL Kevin Ota April 25, 2022 Twitter Monday, April 25 on ESPN+/Hulu: Flyers at Blackhawks Tuesday, April 26 on ESPN: Oilers at Penguins, Blues at Avalanche 38 out-of-market games on ESPN+ this week But I have a lot of faith in Shesty," he said. How do the Avs slow down the McDavid-Draisaitl-Kane line? Colorado is notably multifaceted, capable of beating its opponents in different ways. But if there's a true flaw with the Oilers, it's once again found in the crease. ", Make picks throughout the postseason for a chance at $14,000 in prizes. The Oilers' top trio will be a confident bunch going into the series -- as they should be -- and Colorado can send a message early by staying on top of them and standing up to that top line's speed in the middle of the ice. cal: Avalanche in five The 2021-22 season has been incredibly bizarre for Colton Parayko, who has been a puzzling player since the Blues won the Cup in 2019. Callahan: Hurricanes in six In today's Morning 3-on-3, we debate whether both are playoff locks -- and a threat if they make it. The Wild's penalty kill is bottom 10 in the league, and their power play sits somewhere in the middle. 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. The Lightning will have to convert some of those to beat "Shesty.". Colorado has shown it can win all types of games, whether big-time blowouts or tightly contested grinders. The Rangers didn't have to face Penguins starter Tristan Jarry until Game 7; instead, they saw backup Casey DeSmith for five and a half periods and then third-stringer Louis Domingue for just over six games. Each player had some solid stretches late in the Calgary series, but those four have combined for only five goals thus far in the playoffs. Two good goalies coming together. CAR (Tuesday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A. 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. Biggest flaw(s): St. Louis has had defensive issues all 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. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Colorado is a beast. Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Lightning in six We just don't go away, regardless of the score and regardless of where the game is. How much trust should he place in Jack Johnson or Samuel Girard? The 2021-22 NHL season is winding down towards the final . Bold prediction: The Stars take a powerhouse first-round opponent to seven games. The NHL is an exciting sport to wager on and there are plenty of opportunities for wins during the bumper . The goaltending from Ville Husso has been exceptional, and Jordan Binnington is finally rebounding to become a more reliable backup. Shilton: Flames in six Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. No one will let the Leafs forget what happened against Boston (twice) or Montreal. 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. 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