At every juncture where past Oilers' teams have misstepped, this group has stepped up. Jake Oettinger has played well in net, and Dallas' defense has looked more cohesive lately. Chris Kreider became just the fourth player in Rangers history to top 50 goals. 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 Stars need to be more than just a one-line wonder. New York Islanders (MP) 7. Their lineup features solid two-way forwards in Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. 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. 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. 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. Bold prediction: Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Capitals in scoring, but their stay in the playoffs is limited to one round. We're down to the final four teams of the 2021-22 NHL season. His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik . As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. The Rangers had their share of breaks. will be coming full force. The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on ESPN presented by GEICO continue into the second round with exclusive doubleheaders this Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? They're not the Maple Leafs or the Panthers, crushed by the weight of expectations and entitlement. Bold prediction: Toronto shocks the world and wins multiple playoff rounds. 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 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. Not too shabby. It starts with Bruins-Canes (7 p.m. He relieves pressure in Edmonton's end, makes smart plays up the ice and is a natural leader from whom few words are required -- but there's no doubt Keith has a "big voice" in the Oilers' room, according to teammates. While Dallas has every reason to feel good about its top point-getters, in a tight playoff series the secondary scoring often puts teams over the top. 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. Yes, Mike Smith has been in a groove during April, with a .948 even-strength save percentage in nine games. There's power in being an underdog, a freedom to simply play your game without expectation. 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. Boucher: Avalanche in six Coach Darryl Sutter has this team primed to bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993. AJ Mleczko: Lightning in seven Carolina Hurricanes 3. The Stanley Cup playoffs are a place where teams defy the numbers, find an undeniable belief in themselves and create - for lack of a better term - postseason magic. Tortorella: Avalanche in six Game 3: Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals 1 p.m. Before the NBA resumes play on Thursday night, it is time to answer some big questions. The Avalanche are excelling in the ways they should, getting timely goals and playing to their strengths. It nearly did not happen, as both teams were pushed to the brink in the first round. Seven Avs skaters have at least three goals in the playoffs, and five have double-digit point totals. The Lightning have a couple of players they'd like to see produce a little more, but their lack of production is injury-related in both cases. He has added 10 assists to his point total, but Rantanen has still fallen short of expectations to date in terms of output. Is that a sign that Tampa is losing its legs? Sorting out the optimal defensive pairings will be a task for coach Jared Bednar. Those matchups are plenty intriguing. In fact, even as he has gotten better as the playoffs have continued -- playing through jitters in the first round that included two games he didn't complete in Pittsburgh -- he has yet to pitch a shutout. Ferraro: Flames in seven NHL predictions: Expert picks for both conference final series in Stanley Cup playoffs Our experts reveal their predictions for which two teams will be moving on to the Stanley Cup Final. Heiskanen missed time this season with illness but is an invaluable asset to Dallas' overall success. Victoria Matiash: Panthers in seven Any notion that the Avs' slide out of the regular season (losing six of their last seven games) was a premonition of poor playoff performance to come was unfounded. 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. Tampa's lineup remains as intimidating as any in the league. Kavanagh: Hurricanes in six Levy: Flames in seven We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide the best free NHL expert picks each and every day. Tarasenko had 11 goals and 17 points during the Blues' 2019 run. The All-Star break is over, and we are almost three-quarters of the way through the 2022-23 season. 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 . All things being equal, Colorado boasts the deeper team. Saros missed the last two games of the season with a lower-body injury, and his status is uncertain heading into the postseason. Selected by Nashville in the fourth round (No. 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? 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. 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. Messier: Oilers in six Los Angeles was 32-19-7 when Doughty went out on March 7. Player to watch: Crosby had 84 points this season, which was his best points-per-60 minutes average for a season with at least 68 games played since 2009-10. Here are the current standings in the East, with the bottom four seeds lining up for the Play-In Tournament. Wyshynski: My Stanley Cup playoffs bracket. He does all the little things, is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute just about anywhere. But it was also a campaign that saw Alex Ovechkin score 50 goals and carry the team for stretches this season. Bolden: Flames in seven Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. We've seen in other series around the league how important timely scoring is from often unheralded or unexpected players. Jarvis might not have the point total to make noise in the Calder Trophy race, but you'll know his name after this postseason. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. 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. But he's expected to miss a few games in the first round due to a lower-body injury. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, in his first season with the Lightning, and playoff hero Pat Maroon also bolster the bottom six. They've spent time with fellow deadline pickup Nick Paul, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, but really clicked with veteran winger Corey Perry in the Florida series. Cohn: Avalanche in seven . Editor's Picks. The opponents are very favourable. The 2021-22 NHL season is winding down towards the final . Oh, baby. He had just two points in the Pens' six-game series loss to the Islanders last playoffs. Case for a Stanley Cup run: This is Edmonton Oilers Version 2.0. NHL playoff predictions 2022: 1st-round winners, most overrated, dark horse, Stanley Cup champion and more. DiPietro: Avalanche in seven 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 Bruins' top blueliner hasn't garnered the same attention as some of the league's flashiest defenders this season, but he has been excellent in his own right. Brian Boucher: Panthers in six Tocchet, most recently head coach of the Arizona . With the 2023 All-Star Game and skills competition approaching on Feb. 3-4, we turn our focus to the collective bold predictions from our ESPN hockey family. If he finally emerges in this series, that's an edge for the Avalanche as well. as well as out-of-market games. The 2022-23 NHL regular season is currently at its midpoint, but it's never too early to start thinking about playoffs. Ryan Callahan: Panthers in six Forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, GM Rob Blake's key offseason pickups, were in the top four in scoring. As Crosby said recently: "I think you try to enjoy it as much as you can and try to take it all in because you know that it's not going to last forever. Complete playoff coverage NHL Predictions 2022- 23 season | NHL Projected Standings 2022-23 Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division 1. The Penguins' offense is also struggling, with an ice-cold power play and players such as Rust mired in slumps. Wyshynski: Hurricanes in five, The Stanley Cup playoffs are back on ESPN and ABC! After Makar and Devon Toews, where do the rest of Colorado's defensemen fit? Are we focusing heavily on the best players in this series? 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. 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. That presents a perfect backdrop for Minnesota's run. 17 overall, should be able to select . Mike Smith has been great for Edmonton in the playoffs, without question, but we haven't seen the best of Kuemper yet. Biggest flaw(s): Consistency and resiliency. The Stanley Cup playoffs are back on ESPN and ABC! Don La Greca: Panthers in seven The Panthers' depth of electric scoring ability has the potential to carry this team a long way into spring. Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. 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