Oh, baby. The Rangers goalie has been their best player through the first two rounds -- heck, he has even chipped in three assists on top of his stellar goaltending. What he's done this year has been insanely impressive. 87 a game and a half. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Let's start with the best goalie in the world. 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. I think we're there with the Rangers. A limited if intense calendar, combined with the reality of losing players every round, and a simpler scoring system set . General manager Doug Armstrong took a major risk in allowing. PIT | BOS And it's not just the Avs' marquee names -- Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar to name a few -- who are having an impact. Here's a player who requested a trade out of St. Louis and instead has thrived there this season. There's a massive monkey on Marner's back, and seeing how he responds to that in the postseason this year is going to go a long way in determining just how good the Leafs can be. The Ducks and Penguins have moved back into the playoff race and will face off Monday. Mleczko: Flames in six John Buccigross: Panthers in seven 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. What do the Stars have to lose? Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. Sean McDonough: Panthers in seven The 2021-22 NHL season is winding down towards the final . A rundown of 1 to 8 in all four divisions, plus the 16-team postseason field for this upcoming season. If New York wants this to be a 1-0 goalie duel, the Lightning can win those, too. In net, Jack Campbell appears back on his game following a midseason downturn and rib injury. 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. 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. Picks for Rangers-Lightning, Avalanche-Oilers, 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: Highlights and analysis from the entire postseason, Free-agency, draft plans for Avs, Lightning, every other NHL team, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But even he was upstaged this postseason by his adorable infant daughter, Maisie. will be coming full force. Ferraro: Avalanche in six Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. Shilton: Avalanche in seven Central: COL | MIN Their power play is going to do some damage. 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. Tortorella: Flames in six The All-Star Game and the Stadium Series will be on ABC, and ESPN will have the All-Star Skills Competition. They could use some more from him, especially at five-on-five. 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. as well as out-of-market games. The opponents are very favourable. When things aren't going Boston's way -- when the Bruins struggle to score a goal or give up a bad one -- can they persevere and push back? Make Your Picks. Here is how the Stanley Cup playoffs will play out, from the opening round through the last game of the Final. Can Georgia pull off a repeat? Playoff teams that need to sign Nerlens Noel: 1. 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). This postseason, he's 8-3 with a .932 save percentage and has 6.76 goals saved above average to lead all goalies still playing in the postseason. He knows when to push and when to pull back. Goalie Tristan Jarry, who had an outstanding regular season, has been sidelined with a broken foot that he's in the process of rehabbing. Knight: Avalanche in seven Again, a criticism of Calgary this season is like using one of those eyepieces to search for a flaw on a gorgeously cut diamond. Calgary vs. Dallas: Flames in five. How will the Rangers handle Nikita Kucherov? The Rangers are playing with house money. UPDATED Jun. Cohn: Oilers in six If Edmonton can do that again in the conference finals, Colorado's march to the Cup finals will be severely impeded -- and perhaps derailed. That's by far the fewest among any goalie left in these playoffs. Kreider had two goals, after scoring 52 during the regular season. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Blake Bolden: Panthers in seven That's not great news for a Rangers team whose power-play prowess (fourth in the NHL) far outpaced its even-strength offense (18th). Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Penguins crossed the finish line as a playoff team. As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. That unit shows no signs of slowing, either, and that should give Dallas a confidence boost going into the first round. ESPN revealed its top five most likely playoff . Orchestrating all of it is coach Rod Brind'Amour, for whom the players would skate through a wall. All we know for sure is that the real winners here are those of us watching the action unfold. Unlikely contenders emerge year after year. Fantasy hockey owners can expect this to continue, which could be massive this coming week. Now, these two teams just went through two second-round series that were markedly different. 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. How they got here: Defeated Los Angeles Kings 4-3, defeated Calgary Flames 4-1. ET Venue: Moda Center -- Portland, Oregon Coverage: ESPN, ROOT Sports NW, and BSNO The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Wednesday with nine more games, including a battle between the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers. Washington lives and dies on the performance of its franchise star, especially on the power play. 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. The image above displays the 2023 NHL Playoff bracket and will be updated after each week. 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. Obviously, the Rangers are going to go as far as Shesterkin takes them. Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven Hagel took a puck off one of his feet in Game 2 against the Panthers, though he appeared in Games 3 and 4. Mike Smith has been great for Edmonton in the playoffs, without question, but we haven't seen the best of Kuemper yet. Defenseman Adam Fox said he's looking forward to the battle between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin. Biggest flaw(s): Defensive chemistry, and the penalty kill. The XFL has entered the second week of its third season under its . Biggest flaw(s): Depth scoring has been an issue for the Stars. The Flames' plus-85 trailed only the Presidents' Trophy-winning Panthers for the. If you just ignore the three goals he gave up in the first six minutes of Game 1 against Calgary, and also put aside that he allowed a 132-foot clearing attempt past the posts in Game 4, then Smith has been unequivocally rock solid for the Oilers. View the NHL player point predictions 2021-22 season.How many points will Connor McDavid get? Pittsburgh Penguins 4. How well Colorado's back end -- led by Makar, Devon Toews and Bowen Byram -- can manage those assignments will go a long way in determining the series. The winger is having an unbelievable regular season but hasn't scored a playoff goal since 2017-18 and has only eight assists in 12 postseason games the past two years. 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. Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. They aren't going to wilt if the Rangers control the tempo. Goalie Frederik Andersen had a dominant regular season, finishing third in goals saved above average (38.7). One problem Biggest flaw(s): Ovechkin missed the Capitals' final three games after appearing to injure a shoulder in an April 24 game. 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. But the kids were all right too: Forwards Arthur Kaliyev, Rasmus Kupari and Quinton Byfield, as well as defensemen Mikey Anderson and Sean Durzi, also contributed. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been, and continues to be, Tampa's MVP. 87d ESPN staff. He has added 10 assists to his point total, but Rantanen has still fallen short of expectations to date in terms of output. The team gets contributions from steady veterans (Jordan Staal), stellar young talents (Martin Necas) and other teams' castaways (the divisive but effective Tony DeAngelo). 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 . What will he bring to the table to help make it happen? They're the NHL's top-scoring team for a reason, having been consistently outstanding offensively since Game 1. The Lightning will have to convert some of those to beat "Shesty.". Callahan: Hurricanes in six 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.) Granted, that included 12 overtime losses, a middling even-strength offense and goaltending issues galore. Colorado is fortunate to have dynamic middle-six scorers such as Valeri Nichushkin and quiet contributors such as Artturi Lehkonen who can sneak up and burn opponents unexpectedly. After Makar and Devon Toews, where do the rest of Colorado's defensemen fit? Listen here . 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. But the Flames don't get quite as much contribution as some teams from their bottom six. Buccigross: Hurricanes in seven The edge, though, probably belongs to Edmonton. Same with its overall consistency. They have depth at forward and are getting excellent play from defensemen like Fox and Trouba. Cohn: Avalanche in seven Read on for predictions for every game involving a Top 25 team on the schedule over the next seven days. Kevin Weekes: Lightning in seven Colorado is notably multifaceted, capable of beating its opponents in different ways. Those aren't encouraging totals. Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans Game Info. It's easy to talk about Minnesota's goaltending and offensive prowess, but Brodin has been helping facilitate all that with locked-in defensive play (and he's no slouch with the puck either, registering a career high in points this season). Anze Kopitar led the team in scoring. The final day of the NHL regular season is April 13, 2023 and the playoffs will begin a few days later. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, in his first season with the Lightning, and playoff hero Pat Maroon also bolster the bottom six. Team defense has become a part of the equation because that mentality is exhibited by the team's top players (including Matthews). The uptick of physicality in McDavid's game has been well-documented. The 24-year-old forward had 103 points and was a plus-58 (!) Weekes: Rangers in seven 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. Toronto Maple Leafs. He is the Russian Machine, and seeing him play in the first round would not be a surprise, although coach Peter Laviolette said that Ovechkin would not have been able to play had the playoffs started last week. But it was also a campaign that saw Alex Ovechkin score 50 goals and carry the team for stretches this season. Brehm: Hurricanes 4, Bruins 2. Editor's Picks. Levy: Rangers in seven Since being acquired at the trade deadline, the former Blackhawks winger hasn't produced. Philadelphia Flyers (MP) Atlantic Division 1. Seven Avs skaters have at least three goals in the playoffs, and five have double-digit point totals. In the East, it'll be a battle of the goaltenders with the excellent matchup between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. Biggest flaw(s): The playoffs couldn't arrive at a worse time for Pittsburgh. 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. Linda Cohn: Panthers in seven Ditto Brad Marchand. The Stars need to be more than just a one-line wonder. That must be what the Hurricanes felt like in 2021-22, as they set a new standard for points in a season, won the Metropolitan Division for the first time and led the league in goals-against average. 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. NHL Events 2022-23; ESPN, Turner Schedules; 2022-23 Must-See Games; . 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. No one will let the Leafs forget what happened against Boston (twice) or Montreal. Wyshynski: My Stanley Cup playoffs bracket. We know Josi is a Norris Trophy-caliber defender, but the rest of Nashville's blue line doesn't exhibit nearly the same consistency. But the catalyst for their first playoff berth since 2018 wasn't the kids, but rather the established veterans. From there, things started falling apart for the Predators; they didn't perform as well at the top of the standings. There's a real calmness that the Lightning have in the toughest moments, a constant belief in their ability to weather any storm. 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. When Jonathan Quick repeatedly slammed the door in the first-round series, Edmonton didn't panic. The Rangers had their share of breaks. The matchups and storylines are set as the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs get underway this week, with the last team standing hoisting the cherished chalice sometime in late June. The Capitals have a veteran group that can play physical hockey and defend well at 5-on-5. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. Those 5-on-5 opportunities can be -- and almost always are -- limited in the playoffs. DiPietro: Avalanche in seven College Basketball Week 17 Top 25 Predictions Note: Projected winners are listed in bold. The Wild have had offensive stars emerging throughout the season, from Kirill Kaprizov to Kevin Fiala to Mats Zuccarello. The Lightning had some bumpier stretches in the season's second half. The Blues do have scoring talents, including Jordan Kyrou and Vladimir Tarasenko, but with more limited chances in tight-checking postseason games, St. Louis will have to really focus on the defensive details to avoid a letdown. He does all the little things, is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute just about anywhere. The goaltending from Ville Husso has been exceptional, and Jordan Binnington is finally rebounding to become a more reliable backup. Wischusen: Rangers in seven It was once again the Connor and Leon show, as McDavid had 123 points and Draisaitl had 110. The first round might actually be the hardest for Tampa, knowing how hungry the Leafs are to overcome their checkered playoff past. The format is a set bracket that is . For the first time since 1991, the Flames and Oilers meet up in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Biggest flaw(s): Fatigue. Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA playoff game live on SLING TV. 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. There hasn't been a ton of that for the Oilers; most of their key tallies have come from the same group of four or five guys. At every juncture where past Oilers' teams have misstepped, this group has stepped up. Bob Wischusen: Panthers in seven 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. history but they get to host a game . Free agency is looming, and all eyes will be on Kadri as he chases that elusive championship. If he finally emerges in this series, that's an edge for the Avalanche as well. It doesn't help that in front of Bobrovsky, Florida got a little too comfortable late in the season as the Cardiac Cats. Colorado is every bit as good as we thought it was, and could be. We don't roll out the term "juggernaut" for just anyone around here. That's always been ingrained in the culture of every good team I've been on here. Bold prediction: Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Capitals in scoring, but their stay in the playoffs is limited to one round. cal: Avalanche in five The All-Star break is over, and we are almost three-quarters of the way through the 2022-23 season. And coach Gerard Gallant is pushing the right buttons when it comes to line combinations. 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 NHL offseason formally begins with the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, starting with Thursday's first round (6 p.m. CT, ESPN).. cal: Oilers in seven All that winning is great at the time, but it cuts into recovery. Hextall: Avalanche in five It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. Then again, Kuemper hasn't been facing a ton of shots. There's more to the team than just a dominant goalie, however. The Igor Shesterkin that we saw during Round 1 is not the Igor Shesterkin that the Lightning are going to see. LA | DAL. They were third in expected goals against and fourth in expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season. Matiash: Avalanche in six There were times when Carolina created chaos around Shesterkin's crease but couldn't find the rebounds he'd leave. Colorado's penalty kill (only 73.1%) and goaltending (see above) have underwhelmed, and would be the most likely potential issues against Edmonton. One of the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, or Edmonton Oilers will be this year's Stanley Cup champion. While offense can sometimes dry up the deeper we get into postseason play, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be the case here. Or was it symptomatic of the Blues' inconsistent attack? Bold prediction: Coach Dean Evason bucks tradition by not naming a playoff starter in net, opting to alternate between Fleury and Talbot instead. Sachin Chandan: Panthers in seven But teams win with depth in the playoffs, and there's been some falloff here for the Flames. The Panthers' depth of electric scoring ability has the potential to carry this team a long way into spring. 12:50 PM. If he's diminished, so are the Caps' Cup chances -- significantly. . New York Rangers 2. 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). We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide the best free NHL expert picks each and every day. New York Islanders (MP) 7. Yes. Player to watch: Under different circumstances, 22-year-old defenseman Evan Bouchard might have been a Calder Trophy finalist with his 43 points in 81 games. He received help from familiar Capitals names such as Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and Tom Wilson, while Conor Sheary and Anthony Mantha chipped in. Marc-Andre Fleury has been lights out since arriving at the trade deadline from Chicago. Bold prediction: Boston uses its shutdown capabilities to bounce a high-octane offensive opponent in the first round. Unfortunately, Alex Ovechkin cornered the market on "he can still do that at his age, wow!" Other than Nathan MacKinnon going off in Game 5 against St. Louis, and Cale Makar just being generally excellent at every turn, it's not as if Colorado has required its superstars to carry the day. 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