Excellent goaltending. The Nashville Predators, at No. 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 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. Knight: Hurricanes in six A limited if intense calendar, combined with the reality of losing players every round, and a simpler scoring system set . 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game; North Carolina (17-11, 9-8 ACC) vs. No. 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: Highlights and analysis from the entire postseason. As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. If the season ended today we'd have the Heat . John Buccigross: Panthers in seven Most valuable overall options for standard leagues; new podcast episodes. McDonough: Flames in seven Tortorella: Avalanche in six Granted, Nashville's Ryan Johansen did (accidentally) injure Kuemper's eye in the first round, but the goalie recovered and Colorado swept the Predators in time for Kuemper to return in the second round against St. Louis. 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. 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. If his Game 5 hat trick against the Blues was any indication, "Playoff Nate" is ready to dance toe-to-toe with McDavid & Co. MacKinnon already has eight goals and 13 points in 10 games. Knight: Flames in six And it's not just the Avs' marquee names -- Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar to name a few -- who are having an impact. Steve Levy: Panthers in seven Center Anthony Cirelli has two points in 11 games but has provided what the Lightning need in the middle after Brayden Point's injury. The other thing we've seen from Edmonton is a real commitment to the defensive side of the puck from its top players. Jake Oettinger has played well in net, and Dallas' defense has looked more cohesive lately. Lawrence-Riddell: Hurricanes in seven Sorting out the optimal defensive pairings will be a task for coach Jared Bednar. The Stars' first line might be its superpower, but this lineup can offer a lot more than that. 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. 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). The 2022-23 NHL season is the 106th season of operation (105th . Knight: Avalanche in seven He had four points in seven games before that. They were third in expected goals against and fourth in expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season. 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. Some of those came on odd-man rushes, a few on chances on the doorstep. There's an argument to be made that Kucherov is the best power-play performer in the NHL, and he has lived up to that with seven points with the man advantage. There's a real calmness that the Lightning have in the toughest moments, a constant belief in their ability to weather any storm. View the NHL player point predictions 2021-22 season.How many points will Connor McDavid get? Do you blame us? Columbus Blue Jackets (WC) 5. 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. Obviously not. Biggest flaw(s): Depth scoring has been an issue for the Stars. Colorado's will have less pressure to produce given their second unit is anchored by a guy named Nazem Kadri, who's coming off an 87-point regular season and is averaging a point per game in the playoffs. And that was against the two best offensive teams in the regular season. We've graded all 32 teams-- including one A+ and two F's -- and announced the winners of our own batch of awards. Mark Messier: Lightning in seven They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. Biggest flaw(s): Can the Predators keep it together in their own end? Stream the NHL on ESPN. The team also had strong seasons from veterans Trevor Moore, Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe and Alex Edler, a resurgent campaign from Jonathan Quick and an outstanding season from Drew Doughty before he went out with a wrist injury. Calgary vs. Dallas: Flames in five. Not too shabby. And coach Gerard Gallant is pushing the right buttons when it comes to line combinations. 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. Could the Florida Panthers, who raced to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, win their first Cup? 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. NBA Playoff Picture: Eastern Conference. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? The Avalanche have an excellent power play (34.5%) but weaker penalty kill (73.1%). It nearly did not happen, as both teams were pushed to the brink in the first round. All that winning is great at the time, but it cuts into recovery. He has added 10 assists to his point total, but Rantanen has still fallen short of expectations to date in terms of output. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Colorado is a beast. This is when he should shine. Yet Carolina is not mentioned in the same breath as other Stanley Cup contenders. 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 Bruins' goalie tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman deserves credit in this area too, providing consistently good performances that have more than assuaged fears about how the team would move on from Tuukka Rask. 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. Toronto Maple Leafs. Those aren't encouraging totals. Tampa's lineup remains as intimidating as any in the league. NHL betting best bet and free pick analysis. On paper, the Rangers were out in the first round. General manager Doug Armstrong took a major risk in allowing. Kaplan: Avalanche in six . Team defense has become a part of the equation because that mentality is exhibited by the team's top players (including Matthews). Unlike the other two teams on this list, the Portland Trail Blazers are currently on the outside looking in. If the Flames win the Cup, it wouldn't be hard to see him taking home a Conn Smythe. 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. will be coming full force. Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. It starts with Bruins-Canes (7 p.m. Here are the current standings in the East, with the bottom four seeds lining up for the Play-In Tournament. The All-Star break is over, and we are almost three-quarters of the way through the 2022-23 season. The 2022-23 NHL regular season is currently at its midpoint, but it's never too early to start thinking about playoffs. Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. Lawrence-Riddell: Avalanche in six He's a dynamic offensive talent who has 11 points in his past 15 playoff games. UPDATED Jun. But if there's a true flaw with the Oilers, it's once again found in the crease. Keep an eye on those little things Brodin can do to put Minnesota over the top. 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 Stars are the only team in the playoffs with a negative goal differential. Case for a Stanley Cup run: This is Edmonton Oilers Version 2.0. And, as Nashville's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg also has the potential to create some must-see drama. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been, and continues to be, Tampa's MVP. His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik . The Bruins have just about everything you can want in a contender: a deadly top line, an elite defenseman, and a great goalie. The Lightning have done it the past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to boot. Kevin Weekes: Lightning in seven The Wild's penalty kill is bottom 10 in the league, and their power play sits somewhere in the middle. On paper, they're winning this series. Player to watch: Miro Heiskanen. He backstopped the Kings to the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, posting an incredible .946 save percentage to win that initial championship. Artemi Panarin quietly had points in the last three games against Carolina, including a great outlet pass that sprung Strome for a critical goal that put them up 3-0. 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. But the catalyst for their first playoff berth since 2018 wasn't the kids, but rather the established veterans. 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. Note: Kristen Shilton previewed the Western Conference teams, while Greg Wyshynski previewed the two clubs from the East. How do the Avs slow down the McDavid-Draisaitl-Kane line? They went 12-8-3 after that. Doug Armstrong took a major risk in allowing x27 ; d have the Heat over, and are. 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