Back in 2019, St. Louis went from flailing to thriving at the end of the regular season and carried a hot streak all the way past Boston for the franchise's first Cup title. Toronto is no longer the one-dimensional wonder of its past, capable of putting pucks in the net but incapable of keeping them out. cal: Rangers 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. 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 role players GM Chris Drury added along the way -- such as forwards Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp -- have bolstered the team. Ray Ferraro: Panthers in seven But that's the regular season. Messier: Avalanche in seven Rick DiPietro: Panthers in seven The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. Callahan: Hurricanes in six Wischusen: Avalanche in six Obviously not. 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. His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik . 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. But we doubt that's sustainable, and the alternative remains Mikko Koskinen. How much trust should he place in Jack Johnson or Samuel Girard? 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round predictions NHL.com staff members make their picks for eight series, Cup, Conn Smythe winner NHL.com @NHLdotcom April 30, 2022 The Colorado. Some nights, the Bruins look impenetrable; the next, they're floundering in their own end. 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. Center Steven Stamkos (eight points) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh have been there in big moments. Hagel took a puck off one of his feet in Game 2 against the Panthers, though he appeared in Games 3 and 4. Luckily for the Blues, that deja vu high they're currently riding is a good one. Bold prediction: Toronto shocks the world and wins multiple playoff rounds. The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. 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? And if Boston is going to turn its defensive advantages into a lengthy playoff run, it will be McAvoy leading the way. Colorado has shown it can win all types of games, whether big-time blowouts or tightly contested grinders. . Buccigross: Hurricanes in seven Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Time: 10:00 p.m. He worked through his emotions during the Rangers' first two games in Pittsburgh, where he was pulled twice. 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. Artemi Panarin averaged 1.28 points per game. Mleczko: Hurricanes in seven Player to watch: Tkachuk's best offensive season arrived, to no one's surprise, as he's headed into restricted free agency this summer. 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. Weekes: Rangers in seven Yet Carolina is not mentioned in the same breath as other Stanley Cup contenders. The Oilers are more resilient than some observers previously thought. The 2022-23 NHL season is the 106th season of operation (105th . Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. Cohn: Avalanche in seven The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs begin Monday night on the networks of ESPN, . 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. Player to watch: Forsberg. Rush to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. 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). Adam Fox, last year's Norris winner, had a strong encore. Yes. Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche in six He's both their last line of defense and their catalyst, as the Rangers feed off his performances when opponents tip the ice. But it was also a campaign that saw Alex Ovechkin score 50 goals and carry the team for stretches this season. Now, does that reflect a deficiency in Kuemper's game? Alas, he's ineligible, having played more than six games in his first two NHL seasons. DiPietro: Avalanche in seven He had four points in seven games before that. They were 27th in goals-against per 60 at 5-on-5 under Tippett; under Woodcroft, they were ninth. 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. Tampa's lineup remains as intimidating as any in the league. A healthy Brayden Point obviously bolsters their advantage. But he's expected to miss a few games in the first round due to a lower-body injury. Forward Jason Zucker, who could help, can't stay in the lineup due to injuries. No one will let the Leafs forget what happened against Boston (twice) or Montreal. 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. View the NHL player point predictions 2021-22 season.How many points will Connor McDavid get? Chandan: Blues in six Player to watch: Miro Heiskanen. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. When Kuemper was tested, he didn't always look sharp; St. Louis caught him in bad positioning and decidedly flat-footed on a few occasions. Bold prediction: Shesterkin pitches two shutouts in the opening round as the Rangers advance. 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, Who goes to the Stanley Cup Final? 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. But it's also true that the Lightning haven't faced a goalie like Shesterkin, who is playing out of his gourd right now. It was once again the Connor and Leon show, as McDavid had 123 points and Draisaitl had 110. Some of those came on odd-man rushes, a few on chances on the doorstep. What will he bring to the table to help make it happen? The NHL has passed the mathematical midpoint of the 2022-23 regular season. 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. Calgary vs. Dallas: Flames in five. Colorado's big three has produced 17 goals and 31 points in 10 games. Washington lives and dies on the performance of its franchise star, especially on the power play. That's the question. Stream the NHL on ESPN, Allen: Avalanche in five Those matchups are plenty intriguing. He's the kind of player to watch with your head on a swivel. The Nashville Predators, at No. 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. McDonough: Avalanche in seven Those 5-on-5 opportunities can be -- and almost always are -- limited in the playoffs. Biggest flaw(s): Power plays don't always come easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs. ET ESPN, SN; . 2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Ranking & Projections - ESPN hsb.accessibility.skipContent ESPN NFL NCAAF NBA NHL Soccer MLB Watch Listen Fantasy Fantasy Hockey Home Sign Up Fantasy Store. USA TODAY Sports' NHL staffers make their predictions for the second round: Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Jimmy Hascup: Avalanche in six. 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. 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. Biggest flaw(s): Minnesota's special teams are less than awe-inspiring. LA | DAL. Their power play is going to do some damage. Kaplan: Avalanche in six They rallied to beat the Penguins after being down 3-1 in their first-round series. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. It starts in their own end and being engaged down low. 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. The Rangers had their share of breaks. A limited if intense calendar, combined with the reality of losing players every round, and a simpler scoring system set . We've already discussed Kuemper. When Jonathan Quick repeatedly slammed the door in the first-round series, Edmonton didn't panic. Bring on the intensity, the heart-stopping drama and the sheer excitement. Like, ever. Biggest flaw(s): Depth scoring has been an issue for the Stars. 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. Obviously, the Lightning would like to see Point back on the ice. That's not great news for a Rangers team whose power-play prowess (fourth in the NHL) far outpaced its even-strength offense (18th). Then, of course, there's the personnel. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. Kreider had two goals, after scoring 52 during the regular season. At 29-31, they . What Keith does best is bring consistency to Edmonton's defensive effort. 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. 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. 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. The image above displays the 2023 NHL Playoff bracket and will be updated after each week. And, as Nashville's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg also has the potential to create some must-see drama. DiPietro: Flames in six Bold prediction: Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Capitals in scoring, but their stay in the playoffs is limited to one round. Edmonton trended up across the board under Woodcroft, including in the most important area: the standings, where the Oilers finished second in the Pacific. How to watch 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. That's a killer combination. The next highest scorer, Zach Hyman, had 54 points. Heading into the playoffs, Craig Custance gets the lowdown on the Vancouver Canucks from rival players, coaches and scouts. We've seen in other series around the league how important timely scoring is from often unheralded or unexpected players. That wasn't a given before the season and certainly wasn't while Pittsburgh played through its seemingly annual spate of injuries. Tortorella: Avalanche in six When Boston is at its best, it is a hard-hitting, back-breaking group to go up against. Player to watch: Marner. These are the playoffs. 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. In over 500 minutes of game action this postseason, Kuemper has faced only 218 pucks. His playoff struggles are a bit overblown -- his numbers aren't that bad overall -- but the doubts linger. Here's a player who requested a trade out of St. Louis and instead has thrived there this season. That killer instinct has been a hallmark of Boston's play in the past and hasn't always been at the forefront of late. Tortorella: Flames in six On paper, the Rangers were out in the first round. 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. The Lightning have done it the past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to boot. Keep an eye on those little things Brodin can do to put Minnesota over the top. 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