Advantage: Vegas, Health: Pacioretty, Martinez, Nosek and Reaves all missed time down the stretch for Vegas, but all should play in the first round. Six players have double-digit power-play points, with Aho, Trocheck and Hamilton leading the pack with 18 apiece. Washington's penalty kill is also very good, ranking fifth in the league. Kucherov should probably slide back to the top line with Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point, a trio that was dynamite in last year's playoffs, combining for 85 points in 25 games. Playoff position: N/A After starting every game in the 2020 bubble, Juuse Saros had 14 more starts than Pekka Rinne this season. He's been great in the playoffs, too: .923 save percentage and four shutouts in 25 career appearances. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? Speaking of inexperience, the Caps' tandem is two youngsters: Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek. Series pick: Hurricanes in five. Initial registration for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket Challenge is now open at NHL.com/Bracket. Defense: It has not been the smoothest transition for Alex Pietrangelo. Coach John Hynes deserves some credit there, but so do the players. Series pick: Islanders in seven. Advantage: Even, Special teams: The Oilers have the league's best power play (27.4% in 54 games) thanks to McDavid and Draisaitl. I think they push the Knights to the brink, but Vegas has the experience and the goaltending to get by them. Playoff position: E1 With the Caps, Ovechkin was resting toward the end of the season thanks to a minor injury, which also might have been precautionary. On paper, the Lightning should have a big edge, but injuries are a concern for two of their top defensemen, Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at $100,000 in prizes. | Forward depth: Since the franchise's first season, the trio of Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith and William Karlsson have been a mainstay. Choose from one of our autofill options and get a bracket in seconds! Advantage: Colorado. The quality of the Montreal goaltending boils down to one question: Which Carey Price, assuming he's healthy, will the Canadiens get? Privacy Policy 3. After a winner is crowned from the four divisions, the "final four" will be rebracketed based on their regular-season records, with No. John Carlson and T.J. Oshie might also be nursing minor injuries. Advantage: Tampa Bay. Full details on the process can be found here. 3 Boston Bruins, No. ET (ESPN) Game 2: Wednesday, May 4 at 9:30 p.m. The Canes also have elite defenders. From a woman coming across an azure-hooded blue jay and believing "Creighton will fly through the early rounds" to a man feeling a little husky, "like UConn" in his dress shirt, the . Playoff position: N/A Grading all the big NHL deals, including Wednesday's trade that saw the Kings and Blue Jackets swap goaltenders, among other assets. The infusion of reinforcements to the Canadiens' lineup, especially Gallagher, will be a boost to Montreal. The first two rounds of the 2021 playoffs will be intradivisional. Interest-Based Ads ESPN's Tournament Challenge is back for the 2023 NCAA College Basketball Tournament! Zach Bogosian last played on April 22, and the prognosis was he would return in four weeks with a shoulder injury; we're coming up on that benchmark. And bear in mind that while Tampa expects Kucherov back, he hasn't played in a game since last summer. 1 pick. ET. Games left: 2 Advantage: Even, Coaching: Sheldon Keefe deserves coach of the year consideration for helping to turn the Leafs into a solid defensive team that limits high-danger chances from opponents. Games left: 3 Advantage: Florida. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. North: TOR-MTL | EDM-WPG Playoff chances: 100% In 35 games this season, the trio had a 64.9% expected goals percentage. That means the four divisions the. Playoff chances: 0% Playoff position: C2 It's now a yearly tradition: discounting the Islanders until they go on a playoff run that forces you to pay attention. May 3, 2021. West: COL-STL | VGS-MIN, First line: It's been a running theme throughout Sidney Crosby's career of just how many linemates he's had, but Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust are a well-oiled machine at this point. Playoff position: N/A Tanner Jeannot, Mathieu Olivier, Eeli Tolvanen and Yakov Trenin have proved that the Preds do have some talent in the pipeline, but they're just not as seasoned as Carolina's group. Advantage: Carolina. Playoff position: N/A The best defenseman on the St. Louis Blues, post-Alex Pietrangelo? Every postseason for Toronto centers around the new and exciting ways it's going to blow it -- this is a team that hasn't won a playoff series since 2004. Next game: vs. NJ (May 8) For the first time, TNT broadcasters will take part in the Bracket. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? Hedman's health is of concern, especially after a precipitous drop off in performance to end the season. Copa del Rey semifinal: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid preview, key players, prediction, Infighting of Women's World Cup faves Spain, France, Canada reveals big issues in the sport, ISL Musings: Bengaluru's Ws continue, Odisha sneak through, ATKMB beat EB (again). NCAAM Video. The 38-year-old Rinne's contract expires this summer, and he is likely done in Nashville -- where he will be remembered as the greatest player in franchise history thus far. Log in here. 1 pick, Points: 75 4 and No. But Jon Cooper is one of the best in the game right now, the man Canada is likely to tap as its 2022 Olympic coach. The Maple Leafs' top line has a generational goal-scoring savant. Children's Online Privacy Policy Advantage: Vegas. | Next game: @ PIT (May 8) Regulation wins: 17 Also, Jarry has played in only one career postseason game, while DeSmith has zero. 2021 NHL playoff series previews: First-round matchups, picks, The triumph of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors in Creed III, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Out of dark, Rodgers vows decision coming soon, Survey: Vikes, Fins, Raiders top FA report cards, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, Kings deal Cup-winning G Quick to Blue Jackets, Eagles defend QB-push tactic as NFL set to revisit, Chargers GM halts speculation: Allen staying put, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, A new home for Michael Thomas? Regulation wins: 28 Playoff chances: 100% Gretzky. Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl continued their strong play that began last season. Assuming Kucherov is fully healthy and as dynamic as usual, the Lightning should have the edge here. Lee won't be back for the postseason, but New York added Palmieri and Zajac at the deadline to help replace him. However, it should enter the playoffs with a mostly intact roster. How will the matchups play out? Right behind Saros on that 5-on-5 save percentage list is Carolina rookie Alex Nedeljkovic, who has emerged as a pleasant surprise and supplanted James Reimer as the Canes' No. 1 selection. Go to ESPN.com/NHL or the ESPN App for up-to-the-minute NHL news, information and analysis, including premium editorial content by ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski, exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers. The Boston Bruins are two points back of Washington and four points back of Pittsburgh, but have three games remaining, the first of which is at 3 p.m. Playoff chances: 0% Pick the correct champion for a chance to. Advanced stats are from Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 74 Advantage: Florida, Special teams: Not a huge difference between the power play for the Panthers (20.5%) and the Lightning (22.4%), though Kucherov's presence could be an X factor. Tragic number: E, Points: 74 The winners of those series will square off in the Stanley Cup Final. Advantage: Tampa Bay, Forward depth: When the Lightning won the Stanley Cup last year, they were lauded for their trade deadline acquisitions of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. Perron had a special season: 58 points in 56 games. ; Pick the correct champion for a chance to win a share of $50,000 in prizes!Fill out 25 brackets to compete for more cash! Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? Playoff chances: 0% Pierre-Edouard Bellemare holds down the fourth line. Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at $100,000 in prizes. Colton Parayko played through injuries this season, and his current pairing with Marco Scandella has an expected goals percentage of 43.5%. On Tuesday, we'll have staff picks and winners. It's on the penalty kill that the Knights have the advantage: They were first in the NHL (86.8%) while Minnesota was 12th (80.8%). 1 -- and then the debates begin. The Blues have two primary lines, but we consider Ryan O'Reilly's line with wingers David Perron and Zach Sanford to be the top one. Games left: 1 The Blues have the sixth-best power-play (23.2%) -- Perron had 21 power-play points -- but their penalty kill was just 25th in the league (77.8%). Tragic number: E, Points: 45 Tyler Bozak can move up and down the lineup. The Habs' trio is great. Log in here. First line: The Golden Knights have two lines that qualify here, but for the purposes of the exercise let's go with Mark Stone's line with Chandler Stephenson and Max Pacioretty. While NBC covered the league at various points in its history, the network's last relationship with the NHL is the result of NBC Sports acquiring the league's broadcast . Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Edmonton's Dave Tippett is 18th in career wins and deserves credit for helping the Oilers improve defensively this season. Veterans Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter join with Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba to make up the top two pairings. 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, The people (and things) we're rooting for in the Stanley Cup playoffs, How the pandemic widened the gender gap in hockey, It appears patience is no longer a virtue for the Rangers, Full details on the process can be found here. Regulation wins: 27 Zach Parise, a healthy scratch this season, is there too. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 58 3 Winnipeg Jets, No. The Greatest NHL Name Bracket - Bronco Horvath, Hakan Loob, Jaromir Jagr and more. Search. Like the Avs, the Blues aren't going anywhere if Jordan Binnington isn't taking them there, as Ville Husso is the backup. No. But credit's hard to find when everyone thinks you just put some McDavid and Draisaitl on anything that ails the team. Vasilevskiy can be a workhorse, and he will be. About Nielsen Measurement In this case it would be (77 - 67). As long as health holds up, the Lightning should win this. The Greatest NHL Name Bracket: Bronco Horvath, Hakan Loob, Jaromir Jagr and more, The triumph of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors in Creed III, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Out of dark, Rodgers vows decision coming soon, Survey: Vikes, Fins, Raiders top FA report cards, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, Kings deal Cup-winning G Quick to Blue Jackets, Eagles defend QB-push tactic as NFL set to revisit, Chargers GM halts speculation: Allen staying put, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, A new home for Michael Thomas? Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle have seen a rotating cast of wingers, with Barry Trotz turning to Leo Komarov often. | Under this season's realignment, the playoffs will be division-based, with the top seed facing the fourth, the second facing the third and the . 329m goal: Felix the only men's contender for Chelsea's Goal of the Month, UFC 285's Shevchenko by the numbers: It all adds up to domination, A battle for No. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? The Canadiens are also hoping to get their top line healthy again, as Brendan Gallagher (fractured thumb) and Phillip Danault (concussion) could reunite with Tomas Tatar. Playoff position: N3 3 Minnesota Wild. Here are the top 10 pivots in the league right now. Playoff chances: 0% The Bruins have the league's ninth-best power play. 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