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. Not enough has been made of the Blues. La Greca: Hurricanes in six Failing to capitalize on man-advantage chances almost always comes back to bite teams in the postseason; ditto with struggling to keep pucks out on the kill. 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. After a bumpy road through February and most of March, the Blues caught fire into April and have been unstoppable of late. Obviously, the Rangers are going to go as far as Shesterkin takes them. 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 Now they also have some strong depth, and the versatility to play the Islanders' style if needed. 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. Matiash: Rangers in seven Cohn: Oilers in six That presents a perfect backdrop for Minnesota's run. Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA playoff game live on SLING TV. With a healthy Ovechkin, they can be in any series. When the trade deadline rolls around, there are always teams caught in the middle of the standings . One problem Biggest flaw(s): Ovechkin missed the Capitals' final three games after appearing to injure a shoulder in an April 24 game. "Obviously, Vasilevskiy has a track record that speaks for itself. And yet, here we are. Lessons from Round 1 The format is a set bracket that is . That's always been ingrained in the culture of every good team I've been on here. Chandan: Blues in six Steve Levy: Panthers in seven ESPN will air the entirety of the Metropolitan and Pacific divisions on alternating days, beginning Wednesday, May 18. Biggest flaw(s): The fact that the Kings still managed to make the playoffs without Doughty is a testament to how well they played before his injury. The Avalanche have an excellent power play (34.5%) but weaker penalty kill (73.1%). Those types of intangibles are impossible to quantify in the unknowable season ahead. Don La Greca: Panthers in seven Greg Wyshynski: Panthers in six, Allen: Rangers in seven DiPietro: Avalanche in seven You can say the Rangers haven't faced a goalie like Vasilevskiy, and that's true. Editor's Picks. Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the greatest postseason goaltenders in NHL history. Keep an eye on those little things Brodin can do to put Minnesota over the top. 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. 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. 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 . The next highest scorer, Zach Hyman, had 54 points. I said in my series prediction . Tampa's lineup remains as intimidating as any in the league. TB | WSH The trio of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson might still be underrated around the NHL, but they carried Dallas up the standings despite critics having panned the Stars' postseason chances. Ditto Brad Marchand. As long as the Oilers' stars are shining that brightly, they'll have a chance to win any series. They'll need every bit of his experience and ability to slow the Avalanche down. Fantasy hockey owners can expect this to continue, which could be massive this coming week. Editor's Picks. One of the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, or Edmonton Oilers will be this year's Stanley Cup champion. Player to watch: Kadri. Pacific: CGY | EDM Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been, and continues to be, Tampa's MVP. The Stars' first line might be its superpower, but this lineup can offer a lot more than that. Callahan: Hurricanes in six Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche in six Heiskanen missed time this season with illness but is an invaluable asset to Dallas' overall success. But it's also true that the Lightning haven't faced a goalie like Shesterkin, who is playing out of his gourd right now. He hadn't been practicing, but is expected to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Unlike Darcy Kuemper, who has faced the fewest shots among remaining playoff goaltenders, Smith has been peppered with the second-most. Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. Tampa hasn't had much downtime since the NHL's bubble tournament two years ago. Also on a roll: St. Louis' power play, which has been top three in the NHL since late March. Not too shabby. AJ Mleczko: Lightning in seven The Big Cat's run since 2020 in elimination games is the stuff of legend: 10-0, six of the wins by shutout. 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. 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. cal: Avalanche in five Knight: Flames in six But the Rangers star has only had two signature games in the playoffs: a three-point night in Game 2 against the Penguins and an overtime power-play goal in Game 7 of that series. Bold prediction: The Penguins go out in the first round, but goaltending isn't the reason. The Eastern Conference finals series is on ESPN and ESPN+, while the Stanley Cup Final will be on ABC and ESPN+. Kristen Shilton: Lightning in six 87d ESPN staff. In over 500 minutes of game action this postseason, Kuemper has faced only 218 pucks. He received help from familiar Capitals names such as Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and Tom Wilson, while Conor Sheary and Anthony Mantha chipped in. 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. If Edmonton can do that again in the conference finals, Colorado's march to the Cup finals will be severely impeded -- and perhaps derailed. Columbus Blue Jackets (WC) 5. Callahan: Avalanche in seven Edmonton's trio has combined for 26 goals and 67 points in 12 games. 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. Messier: Avalanche in seven Top 100 NHL players for the 2022-2023 season Fantasy Hockey Predictions Rob Ellis - September 17, 2022 0 For those who do not subscribe to The Athletic, they have put out their annual top 100 NHL players for the 2022-2023 season and. reactions, leaving Crosby's incredible season a bit underappreciated. The Rangers still aren't an impressive five-on-five team, relying on Shesterkin to bail them out at even strength, which he has. history but they get to host a game . 3 in . College Basketball Week 17 Top 25 Predictions Note: Projected winners are listed in bold. They're finding ways to win, finding ways to survive and I think they do it again here. Did he skid at the end of this season? It was once again the Connor and Leon show, as McDavid had 123 points and Draisaitl had 110. A healthy Brayden Point obviously bolsters their advantage. Biggest flaw(s): Minnesota's special teams are less than awe-inspiring. Case for a Stanley Cup run: This is Edmonton Oilers Version 2.0. It's part of what has made Husso so invaluable; he covers for all manner of ills in the Blues' own end. There has also been more effort on the forecheck. by Fantasy Hockey Staff @NHLFantasy. 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. Sorting out the optimal defensive pairings will be a task for coach Jared Bednar. Complete playoff coverage NHL . The Lightning have done it the past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to boot. Free agency is looming, and all eyes will be on Kadri as he chases that elusive championship. Sure, Penguins center Nick Bonino scored the winning goal against the Sharks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. 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. 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 . Excellent goaltending. 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. After Pavelski, Hintz and Robertson (who all tallied 70 or more points), Dallas' offense has been streaky. McCarron for choosing his league over the NFL. Chris Kreider became just the fourth player in Rangers history to top 50 goals. While it's desirable to have the top-end talent Colorado does, it's often the unheralded players who pick up the playoff slack. NHL Playoff Predictions 2022 Matchups EASTERN CONFERENCE Playoff Round 1 #1 seed Florida Panthers vs #8 seed Washington Capitals Florida wins (4-1) #2 seed Carolina Hurricanes vs #7 seed Boston Bruins Carolina wins (4-2) Metropolitan Division Match-up #2 New York Rangers vs #3 Pittsburgh Penguins New York wins (4-2) Atlantic Division Match-up But being that he's Sidney Crosby and he knows this could be the last ride for members of this group, he's absolutely the player to watch for Pittsburgh. The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. We just didn't go away. The Oilers are more resilient than some observers previously thought. 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). 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. Luckily for the Blues, that deja vu high they're currently riding is a good one. Yes. 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. Its defense has been a little better than Edmonton's (giving up a playoff-low 27 shots against per game versus the Oilers' 37.5) and its depth is impressive. PIT | BOS Bold prediction: The Stars take a powerhouse first-round opponent to seven games. 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. 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. Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Kings, who flaunt one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, had been waiting a few years for their next generation of stars to mature. They are firing on all cylinders. MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs. Toronto is no longer the one-dimensional wonder of its past, capable of putting pucks in the net but incapable of keeping them out. His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik . Bring on the intensity, the heart-stopping drama and the sheer excitement. Kane is a future Hall of Famer and arguably the best men's American hockey player of all time. More: Full playoff schedule The Lightning have great depth down the middle of the ice with Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli, electric scoring potential in Nikita Kucherov and an excellent defenseman who leads by example in Victor Hedman. New Jersey Devils (MP) 6. Every first-round Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be available on ESPN or ESPN2. Now we're onto the second round, which features four superb matchups: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers. How they got here: Defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3, defeated Florida Panthers 4-0. 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. 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