Kavanagh: Hurricanes in six by Fantasy Hockey Staff @NHLFantasy. Those 5-on-5 opportunities can be -- and almost always are -- limited in the playoffs. Player to watch: Miro Heiskanen. 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. While it's desirable to have the top-end talent Colorado does, it's often the unheralded players who pick up the playoff slack. Those types of intangibles are impossible to quantify in the unknowable season ahead. Yes. And there's the Leafs' excellent special teams, including the NHL's best power play and a penalty kill that is nearly as likely to score short-handed as to get scored on. Things aren't trending well for Pittsburgh at the buzzer. The Blues are rightly playing with incredible confidence, and we know from past experience where that can lead them. At 29-31, they . When the trade deadline rolls around, there are always teams caught in the middle of the standings . Since being acquired at the trade deadline, the former Blackhawks winger hasn't produced. Mike Smith has been great for Edmonton in the playoffs, without question, but we haven't seen the best of Kuemper yet. La Greca: Avalanche in five Player to watch: Marner. Biggest flaw(s): Consistency and resiliency. Metro: CAR | NYR Cohn: Oilers in six Not too shabby. The Oilers bought into playing good defense, stuck to their structure and chipped away at Quick until they broke through. We've seen in other series around the league how important timely scoring is from often unheralded or unexpected players. They are firing on all cylinders. And, as Nashville's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg also has the potential to create some must-see drama. That killer instinct has been a hallmark of Boston's play in the past and hasn't always been at the forefront of late. Mleczko: Hurricanes in seven He had 23 goals and 28 assists and led all Capitals forwards in goals scored above average. As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. Heading into the playoffs, Craig Custance gets the lowdown on the Vancouver Canucks from rival players, coaches and scouts. So if there's room for improvement anywhere, it's from some of the Oilers' second- and third-line skaters like Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi. The Lightning had some bumpier stretches in the season's second half. Colorado has given up the third-fewest goals against per game (2.70) among remaining playoff teams, and its power play is operating at a crisp 34.5% (best in show throughout the postseason). Forward Jason Zucker, who could help, can't stay in the lineup due to injuries. 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. Do the Lightning have what it takes to three-peat? Beyond that, he hasn't won a playoff series since 2015. Team defense has become a part of the equation because that mentality is exhibited by the team's top players (including Matthews). 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. Jonathan Quick's best saves of 2022-23 season (1:58) . 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. If he finally emerges in this series, that's an edge for the Avalanche as well. Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche in six 102) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Ekholm has 268 points (62 goals, 206 assists) in 719 regular-season games with the Predators and 35 points (six goals, 29 . Minnesota has been scorching hot since mid-March, going 19-2-3 since March 16, entering the playoffs with a hard-earned swagger. Complete playoff coverage The last time they did was in the first round, when Crosby's line ran roughshod over them (Crosby had 10 points in six games) -- until a Trouba hit cost No. There is no such problem for the Lightning. Weekes: Flames in seven From there, things started falling apart for the Predators; they didn't perform as well at the top of the standings. Knight: Flames in six Colorado's penalty kill (only 73.1%) and goaltending (see above) have underwhelmed, and would be the most likely potential issues against Edmonton. Physicality gets ratcheted up in the playoffs, and Wilson has shown the ability in the past to turn a series with one big injurious hit. In the East, it'll be a battle of the goaltenders with the excellent matchup between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. That wasn't a given before the season and certainly wasn't while Pittsburgh played through its seemingly annual spate of injuries. Boucher: Hurricanes in six Lawrence-Riddell: Flames in seven Jarvis might not have the point total to make noise in the Calder Trophy race, but you'll know his name after this postseason. (2:28). Steve Levy: Panthers in seven The 24-year-old forward had 103 points and was a plus-58 (!) For all the great stats the Avs have produced this season, they're average on the kill (79%), which could be an issue in the postseason, when it's harder to score and every advantage that goes the other way has the potential to be a backbreaker. ESPN Megacast, formerly known as ESPN Full Circle, is a multi-network simulcast of a single sporting event across multiple ESPN networks and serviceswith each feed providing a different version of the telecast making use of different features, functions or perspectives. 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. All that winning is great at the time, but it cuts into recovery. If he's diminished, so are the Caps' Cup chances -- significantly. Unlike Darcy Kuemper, who has faced the fewest shots among remaining playoff goaltenders, Smith has been peppered with the second-most. Defenseman Jacob Trouba's booming hits took out Penguins star Sidney Crosby for two critical games, and then Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis in Game 7. If the Flames win the Cup, it wouldn't be hard to see him taking home a Conn Smythe. Biggest flaw(s): Minnesota's special teams are less than awe-inspiring. Back-to-back tilts against bottom feeders in the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes should produce value. Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. Bold prediction: As happened to Tampa Bay in 2019, the seemingly unstoppable Panthers fall short with a baffling first-round exit. The Eastern Conference finals series is on ESPN and ESPN+, while the Stanley Cup Final will be on ABC and ESPN+. He's the kind of player to watch with your head on a swivel. Non-Playoff team from 2021 that will make 2022 Playoffs: Dallas Stars . Leah Hextall: Panthers in seven Boudreau totaled a 50-40-13 record, missing the playoffs in 2022. 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. A rundown of 1 to 8 in all four divisions, plus the 16-team postseason field for this upcoming season. Player to watch: Kadri. Game 6 was a good sign as Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar each scored their first of the playoffs, while Charlie Coyle got his second. Editor's Picks. NBA Playoff Picture: Eastern Conference. Columbus Blue Jackets (WC) 5. The Eastern Conference finals series is on ESPN and ESPN+, while the Stanley Cup Final will be on ABC and ESPN+. It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. Playoff position: M2 Games left: 3 Next game: vs. Complete playoff coverage NHL . Player to watch: Tarasenko. He had four points in seven games before that. Some of those came on odd-man rushes, a few on chances on the doorstep. Wyshynski: Hurricanes in five, The Stanley Cup playoffs are back on ESPN and ABC! Shilton: Avalanche in seven The best possible conference finals? Tortorella: Hurricanes in six Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been, and continues to be, Tampa's MVP. Calgary got burned off a couple clean looks for that unit that turned into almost series-defining mistakes. LA | DAL. 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. Heiskanen can set a tone for how the entire team approaches its defensive strategy. Returning contributors Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat can play up or down the lineup with effectiveness. Cam Talbot, solid all season, has improved even further riding shotgun with the newcomer. But teams win with depth in the playoffs, and there's been some falloff here for the Flames. They rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits to defeat the Hurricanes. But equally as ominous is the Capitals' goaltending. And that could make a huge difference for the Avalanche this spring. Mleczko: Avalanche in six 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. I said in my series prediction . Every first-round Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be available on ESPN or ESPN2. Boucher: Avalanche in six The Avalanche will require all hands on deck to keep pace with Edmonton. STL | NSH 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. If Edmonton can do that again in the conference finals, Colorado's march to the Cup finals will be severely impeded -- and perhaps derailed. The All-Star Game and the Stadium Series will be on ABC, and ESPN will have the All-Star Skills Competition. Cohn: Rangers in seven ", Make picks throughout the postseason for a chance at $14,000 in prizes. 2. 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). The NHL playoffs get underway Monday, with all four games on ESPN networks. Is that a sign that Tampa is losing its legs? Here are the current standings in the East, with the bottom four seeds lining up for the Play-In Tournament. will be coming full force. Subscribe to ESPN+ Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the greatest postseason goaltenders in NHL history. Their top defensive pairings of Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson along with Chris Tanev and Oliver Kylington have been outstanding. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. Kristen Shilton: Lightning in six 6 Virginia (21-5, 13-4 ACC) . 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. Toronto is no longer the one-dimensional wonder of its past, capable of putting pucks in the net but incapable of keeping them out. Keeping those three in check starts with good neutral-zone play, limiting their ability to gain speed and forcing play to the outside. UPDATED Jun. Same with its overall consistency. Those matchups are plenty intriguing. . And Kane already had a pair of hat tricks in the playoffs. Maintaining that intensity each night in the playoffs will be a task in itself. 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. But he's expected to miss a few games in the first round due to a lower-body injury. He's an integral part of their success. Their lineup features solid two-way forwards in Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. Lessons from Round 1 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, in his first season with the Lightning, and playoff hero Pat Maroon also bolster the bottom six. The clichs exist for a reason: There's no space out there anymore, no time to make plays or dangle or show off. There has also been more effort on the forecheck. Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. 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.) He hadn't been practicing, but is expected to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Jump to a team: 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. Washington lives and dies on the performance of its franchise star, especially on the power play. Did he skid at the end of this season? Not enough has been made of the Blues. But the defenseman is battling a core muscle injury and he's still playing over 21 minutes per game, so faulting him too harshly for not performing at his most elite would be misguided. Atlantic: FLA | TOR 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. Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Stars made the playoffs in large part because of their top line. Football Women's Basketball Games Home ESPN Fantasy App Ray Ferraro: Panthers in seven 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. Yes, Mike Smith has been in a groove during April, with a .948 even-strength save percentage in nine games. Rantanen must be exactly that for Colorado in the series ahead. (2:28), Stanley Cup playoffs preview: Breaking down all 16 teams in the NHL postseason, 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. Because as good as McDavid has been, Draisaitl might be better (and he's playing hurt, too). Jake Oettinger has played well in net, and Dallas' defense has looked more cohesive lately. Then, of course, there's the personnel. 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. The edge, though, probably belongs to Edmonton. But it was also a campaign that saw Alex Ovechkin score 50 goals and carry the team for stretches this season. , that nhl playoff predictions 2022 espn an edge for the Avalanche this spring past experience where that can lead them, the unstoppable. 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