Forsberg can, and will, challenge any defense the Predators see in coming weeks. We muse, one last time, on the league stages of the 2022/23 Indian Super League (ISL) season: Odisha slip through, somehow It was in their hands going into the final week. Look back at how Nashville started the season, winning just one of its first five games but then exploding to earn the NHL's best record (23-7-2) from mid-October to early January. And coach Gerard Gallant is pushing the right buttons when it comes to line combinations. Or was it symptomatic of the Blues' inconsistent attack? Those matchups are plenty intriguing. James O'Brien, NHL writer: Bruins in 6. What he's done this year has been insanely impressive. Heiskanen missed time this season with illness but is an invaluable asset to Dallas' overall success. New Jersey Devils (MP) 6. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. Are we focusing heavily on the best players in this series? He had just two points in the Pens' six-game series loss to the Islanders last playoffs. Case for a Stanley Cup run: The Penguins crossed the finish line as a playoff team. If he's diminished, so are the Caps' Cup chances -- significantly. How they got here: Defeated Los Angeles Kings 4-3, defeated Calgary Flames 4-1. Watching all of it from the crease is Vezina contender Jacob Markstrom. 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. Cohn: Rangers in seven 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. La Greca: Flames in six Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. 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. Knight: Hurricanes in six Team defense has become a part of the equation because that mentality is exhibited by the team's top players (including Matthews). Complete playoff coverage Greg Wyshynski: Panthers in six, Allen: Rangers in seven Defenseman Adam Fox said he's looking forward to the battle between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin. history but they get to host a game . will be coming full force. Tampa Bay is better 5-on-5. Weekes: Blues in seven I said in my series prediction . We know Josi is a Norris Trophy-caliber defender, but the rest of Nashville's blue line doesn't exhibit nearly the same consistency. For example, we've learned that they've effectively rebuilt their bottom six after the offseason exodus of their celebrated checking line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. But he's not unbeatable. Metro: CAR | NYR That killer instinct has been a hallmark of Boston's play in the past and hasn't always been at the forefront of late. It's easy to talk about Minnesota's goaltending and offensive prowess, but Brodin has been helping facilitate all that with locked-in defensive play (and he's no slouch with the puck either, registering a career high in points this season). They went 12-8-3 after that. The first round might actually be the hardest for Tampa, knowing how hungry the Leafs are to overcome their checkered playoff past. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Thanks to the steepest parity the Eastern Conference has seen in some time, the Capitals had a 100-point season for the sixth straight 82-game campaign. Center Steven Stamkos (eight points) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh have been there in big moments. Can Georgia pull off a repeat? 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. MacKinnon's contributions will be massive for the Avs. Hextall: Flames in six Biggest flaw(s): Power plays don't always come easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Stanley Cup playoffs are back on ESPN and ABC! Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. And that was against the two best offensive teams in the regular season. Colorado has to frustrate the Oilers' top skaters, make it difficult for them to find space or get in a rhythm early. This Western Conference finals present a hockey feast for the eyes: Colorado's top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin vs. Kane, McDavid and Draisaitl. College Basketball Week 17 Top 25 Predictions Note: Projected winners are listed in bold. Shilton: Flames in six The Flames' plus-85 trailed only the Presidents' Trophy-winning Panthers for the. While he has cooled off a little, Tyler Toffoli remains a dangerous offensive player in the postseason. Callahan: Hurricanes in six We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide the best free NHL expert picks each and every day. But breaks are only breaks if one capitalizes on them, and the Rangers have shown an impressive resiliency. Coach Jon Cooper says his standout center -- the team's leading goal-scorer (30) over the past two postseasons -- is progressing from a lower-body injury he suffered in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs. La Greca: Avalanche in five That mindset is critical when every team out there is looking to unseat the champions. by Fantasy Hockey Staff @NHLFantasy. How to watch 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). Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. They'll need continued offense from Fox, who had 18 points in 14 games. 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. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Bold prediction: The Oilers win their first playoff series since 2017 before bowing out to Calgary. NFL Survivor Pool 2023 Canada Fantasy Hockey Predictions Rob Ellis - September 9, 2022 0 No one will let the Leafs forget what happened against Boston (twice) or Montreal. UPDATED Jun. Read on for predictions for every game involving a Top 25 team on the schedule over the next seven days. 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. We just keep on trying to find our game and playing for each other," said forward Chris Kreider. And Kane already had a pair of hat tricks in the playoffs. Colorado has shown it can win all types of games, whether big-time blowouts or tightly contested grinders. This postseason has been different because of how strong that duo's defensive habits are. Note: Kristen Shilton previewed the Western Conference teams, while Greg Wyshynski previewed the two clubs from the East. With a healthy Ovechkin, they can be in any series. Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. ET ESPN, SN; . Colorado's penalty kill (only 73.1%) and goaltending (see above) have underwhelmed, and would be the most likely potential issues against Edmonton. Things aren't trending well for Pittsburgh at the buzzer. There is a winning pedigree in Boston that starts with its leadership, and spreads to David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, Charlie McAvoy, and on down the list. These simulcasts typically involve ESPN's linear television channels and internet streaming platforms, and may . 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. Long playoff runs result in short offseasons to follow. The first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs was a doozy, including five series going to Game 7 -- and two of those Game 7's going to overtime. Daily Fantasy Picks; Projected Lineups; Player Rankings; . The Avalanche will require all hands on deck to keep pace with Edmonton. Player to watch: Under different circumstances, 22-year-old defenseman Evan Bouchard might have been a Calder Trophy finalist with his 43 points in 81 games. Boucher: Avalanche in six Another matchup against the Dallas Stars, who are a mess right now and Domi just recently torched, could be another interesting game for him. Playoff position: M2 Games left: 3 Next game: vs. Game 3: Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals 1 p.m. The goaltending from Ville Husso has been exceptional, and Jordan Binnington is finally rebounding to become a more reliable backup. If Cale Makar is the flashy rising star leading Colorado's blue line, Duncan Keith is the veteran grandmaster stabilizing Edmonton's back end. Los Angeles was 32-19-7 when Doughty went out on March 7. 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. Central: COL | MIN Bold prediction: Binnington ends up back in the starter's net, and carries St. Louis deep into the postseason. It's part of what has made Husso so invaluable; he covers for all manner of ills in the Blues' own end. 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. Shilton: Hurricanes in six 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. Colorado's big winger has one goal in these playoffs, which he scored on an empty net in the Avs' 6-3 victory over St. Louis in Game 4. 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. Let's key on Mikko Rantanen. Sixteen teams entered the postseason tournament, but only four are left in the bracket, as the New York Rangers will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, and the Colorado Avalanche will square off against the Edmonton Oilers in the West. Kucherov has 15 points in 11 games, including seven on the power play. 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. 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. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have underperformed much of the season, and the Stars don't get much scoring help from their defensemen (John Klingberg leads Dallas blueliners with six goals). Oh, baby. Blake Bolden: Panthers in seven Kevin Weekes: Lightning in seven As Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said: Their problem offensively was not having elite goal-scorers. 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. If he makes it back, Jarry still has to demonstrate his postseason prowess after flopping against the Islanders in their 2021 series. Tim Kavanagh: Lightning in six One problem Biggest flaw(s): Ovechkin missed the Capitals' final three games after appearing to injure a shoulder in an April 24 game. But I have a lot of faith in Shesty," he said. That's the question. A healthy Brayden Point obviously bolsters their advantage. After Pavelski, Hintz and Robertson (who all tallied 70 or more points), Dallas' offense has been streaky. 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. You could put Nurse here, and say he hasn't been an obvious difference-maker for the Oilers (to the degree a top-pairing defender usually is). The Oilers played a wide-open, goal-scoring bonanza of a five-game spread against Calgary versus the Avalanche's more bruising, defensive-conscious, six-game affair against St. Louis. 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