The best plays of the NHL regular season can be found here. (1:21) The Stanley Cup playoffs will start this week and the last team to win the trophy will be crowned in late June. The New York Islanders won four straight from 1980 to 1983 to become the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive seasons. The Florida panthers were the top seed in the Eastern Conference and could win their first Cup. The top seed in the West and an underachiever the past two postseasons, the Colorado Avs, might break through. Will the Toronto Maple Leafs claim their first Cup since 1966-67? We have all the angles covered to get you ready for the playoffs, as Greg Wyshynski and Kristen Shilton take a look at each of the 16 teams, offering the reasons each team could win it all. Profiles for the Atlantic and Central teams were written by Shilton, while Wyshynski analyzed the Metro and Pacific teams. The wild-card teams have been moved into their divisions. Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey are some of the sites that have statistics collected from. Go to a team.
Atlantic: FLA | TOR
TB | WSH
Metro: CAR | NYR
PIT | BOS
Central: COL | MIN
STL | NSH
Pacific: CGY | EDM
LA | DAL
The record was 122 points.
The results this season make it hard to argue against a Stanley Cup run. They are the top- scoring team in the NHL and have been since Game 1. 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. Florida has produced excellent special-teams numbers. The depth of electric scoring ability, coupled with solid goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, has the potential to carry this team a long way into the spring.
Defense and goaltending are the biggest flaw. We all know what happened to Bobrovsky when he was replaced midway through the first round by Spencer Knight, and the veteran has struggled down the stretch this season, with a save percentage below.900 in three of four recent appearances. Those are not encouraging totals.
The NHL playoffs begin Monday with all four games on the networks. The Bruins-Canes game starts at 7 pm. The Kings-Oilers and Blues-Wild are followed by the Lightning-Leafs.
• Complete playoff coverage
• NHL on ESPN
The Cardiac Cats got a little too comfortable late in the season. They were able to erase multiple-goal deficits because they fell into them. The formula doesn't work in the playoffs. There is no space out there anymore, so the clichés exist for a reason. If the overall team defense can't hold up, it could make for a shorter run than the team is aiming for.
Claude Giroux is a player to watch. Why? He chose this opportunity. He wanted to land in Florida at the trade deadline. The former captain of theFlyers wants to win it all after years of falling short. What will he bring to the table?
The seemingly unstoppable Panthers fall short with a baffling first-round exit.
The record has 115 points.
Toronto has the talent in all three phases of the game. Auston Matthews andMitch Marner are two of the NHL's most dynamic offensive duos. The blue line has been solidified by Mark Giordano, and the Leafs have good depth there for the first time. Jack Campbell is back in the net after a rib injury. Toronto isn't the one-note wonder of its past, capable of putting pucks in the net but not keeping them out. Team defense has become a part of the equation because of the mentality exhibited by the top players. The NHL's best power play and a dynamic penalty kill are almost as likely to score short-handed as to get scored on.
Confidence is the biggest flaw. Toronto has an ugly past in the playoffs. No one will forget what happened against Boston or Montreal. If the Leafs show up as their best selves, this version of Toronto can contend with any team it will face in the playoffs. The demons will not be overcome until Toronto has success.
Marner is a player to watch. The winger is having an unbelievable regular season but hasn't scored a playoff goal in two years and has only eight assists in 12 playoff games the past two years. There is a huge monkey on Marner's back, and seeing how he responds to that in the playoffs this year will go a long way in determining how good the Leafs can be.
Toronto will shock the world and win multiple playoff rounds.
The record was 51-23-8.
There is a case for a Stanley Cup run. Under less-than-ideal circumstances, the Lightning have done it the past two seasons. There is a constant belief in the ability of the Lightning to weather any storm. That mindset is important when a team is trying to topple a champion. Then of course there are the personnel. Vasilevskiy has been the most Valuable Player of the team. He skidded at the end of the season. He can flip the switch when it is time. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman are two of the best players in the world, and the Lightning have great depth in the middle of the ice with Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli. The lineup of Tampa is as intimidating as any in the league.
The biggest flaw is fatigue. Long playoff runs and short offseasons are the same thing. Two years ago, the NHL's bubble tournament took place. Winning is great at the time, but it cuts into recovery. The losses piled up in the second half of the season for the Lightning. Is that a sign that the city is losing its legs?
Vasilevskiy is a player to watch. The first round might be the most difficult for the Bolts because they know how hungry the Leafs are to get back to the playoffs. The goalie needs to be better than his best to get the Lightning over the hump and back into the playoffs.
Brandon Hagel will come alive at last. Since being acquired at the trade deadline, he hasn't produced. Look for that to change in the second season of the Lightning.
John Buccigross looked at the history of the Lightning over the past two seasons.
The record was 100 points.
The Eastern Conference has seen a lot of parity in the past, but the Caps had a 100 point season for the sixth straight year. That included 12 overtime losses, a mediocre offense and goaltending issues. Alex Ovechkin scored 50 goals and carried the team for stretches this season. He got help from some familiar names such as John Carlson and Anthony Mantha. Injuries and illness affected forwards Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie's offensive output. That is the regular season. The playoffs are here. The veteran group of the Caps can play physical hockey and defend well. They can be in any series with a healthy Oviechkin. One problem.
The biggest flaw is that Ovechkin missed the final three games after appearing to hurt his shoulder. He is a machine. It would not be a surprise if he played in the first round, as coach Peter Laviolette said that he wouldn't have been able to play had the playoffs started last week. Washington thrives on the performance of its franchise star on the power play. The Caps have a good chance of winning the Cup if he is diminished. The Caps goaltending is also ominous. In this season, Vitek Vanecek has been wildly inconsistent, while Ilya Samsonov has played to a sub-replacement level.
Tom Wilson did not get suspended during the regular season. He had 23 goals and 28 assists and was the leader in goals scored above average. Wilson has shown the ability in the past to turn a series with one big injurious hit. He is the kind of player that you can watch with your head up.
The prediction is that the Caps will only stay in the playoffs for one round.
The record was 54-20-8.
If a team had its best regular season in franchise history, no one would notice. The Hurricanes set a new standard for points in a season, won the Metropolitan Division for the first time, and led the league in goals-against average. Carolina is not mentioned in the same way as other Stanley Cup contender. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov lead the Canes with their offensive prowess, which could change in a hurry in the playoffs. Jordan Staal, Martin Necas, and Tony DeAngelo are some of the players who contribute to the team. The players would skate through a wall under the direction of coach Rod BrindAmour.
Let's go with the biggest flaw. The goalie finished third in goals saved above average. He is expected to miss a few games due to an injury. He has not won a playoff series since 2015. His playoff struggles are overblown, but the doubts linger. If Andersen is unable to go, backup Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov will take over.
The player to watch is a freshman forward for the Hurricanes. In the last nine games of the season, the 13th overall pick in 2020 had 11 points, running shotgun with Aho for a lot of it. He was fourth on the team in goals scored. You will know his name after the playoffs, even though he doesn't have the point total to make a difference.
The Hurricanes will beat the Bruins in the first round, but it will be a seven-game series.
There was a record of 52-24-6.
The best goalie in the world is a good starting point for a Stanley Cup run. The Rangers were near the bottom of the league in even-strength metrics when Shesterkin led the NHL in save percentage and goals saved above average. The play of the Rangers started to pick up around the trade deadline under first-year coach Gallant. There is more to the team than just a dominant goalie. Chris was the fourth player in Rangers history to top 50 goals. Panarin scored 1.28 points per game. Adam Fox was the winner of last year's Norris. Along the way, the role players GM Chris Drury added have strengthened the team.
Power plays don't always come easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Rangers power-play prowess is fourth in the NHL and far outpaced its even-strength offense. The Rangers had a lower expected goals-for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 than the four other teams. Not the best offensive company to keep.
Mika Zibanejad was back to being a point-per-game center this season, playing the majority of his time with Kreider and assisting on 24 of his goals. He has 11 points in his past 15 playoff games.
Shesterkin will pitch two shutouts in the opening round as the Rangers advance.
There was a record of 46-25-11.
The Pens crossed the finish line as a playoff team. Before the season began, that wasn't a given, and certainly not while Pittsburgh played through its seemingly annual rash of injuries. Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust, and Jake Guentzel are some of the familiar names in the lineup. The core has been augmented by strong seasons from a supporting cast of forwards Evan Rodrigues and Danton Heinen, and especially Mike Matheson, who had a career-redefining campaign. They will help power what could be a last attempt at a Cup for this aging core, with Rust, Letang and Malkin among the pending free agents. 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."
Pick winners throughout the playoffs for a chance at thousands of dollars. Pick your favorites.
The playoffs could not arrive at a worse time for Pittsburgh. Jarry, who had an outstanding regular season, has been out with a broken foot and is in the process of rehabilitation. Jarry has to show his prowess in the playoffs if he makes it back after flopping against the Islanders. Until he does, it is the crease of Casey DeSmith. The offense is struggling, with players such as Rust mired in slumps. Zucker can't stay in the lineup due to injuries. Pittsburgh is not doing well at the buzzer.
Crosby had 84 points this season, which was his best points-per-60 minutes average for a season with at least 68 games played. Crosby's incredible season is a bit underappreciated, because Alex Ovechkin cornered the market at his age. Sid has six points in 14 games in the past three playoffs. The Pens lost to the Islanders in the last playoffs, and he only had two points. Sidney Crosby is the player to watch for Pittsburgh because he knows this could be the last ride for members of this group.
The prediction is that the Pens go out in the first round. Unless it is because of their opponents.
There was a record of 51-26-5.
Boston is a tough team to play against. The Bruins are one of the league's stingiest teams and excel at limiting shots against and high-danger chances. The Bruins should be feared by any opponent if defense wins a championship. The addition of Hampus Lindholm on the back end has strengthened the blue line and given them more options to mix and match. The Bruins goalie tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have provided consistently good performances that have reassured the team about how they would move on from Tuukka Rask.
Boston's core. The man is still called Patrice Bergeron. Ditto Brad Marchand. David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, Charlie McAvoy, and on down the list are all part of Boston's winning reputation.
Consistency and resilience are the biggest flaw. Can the Bruins push back when things aren't going their way? That killer instinct has been a hallmark of Boston's play in the past, but hasn't always been at the forefront of recent play. Same with its consistency. The Bruins look impenetrable at certain times, but then they are in trouble in their own end. Boston is a hard hitting, back breaking group to go up against. It will be a challenge to maintain that intensity in the playoffs.
The player to watch is McAvoy. The Bruins top blueliner has been excellent in his own right, but he hasn't received the same attention as some of the league's flashiest defenders. If Boston is going to turn its defensive advantages into a long playoff run, it will be McAvoy leading the way. He is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute anywhere. Expect more great performances from him.
Boston will bounce a high-octane offensive opponent in the first round.
It has been 21 years since the Colorado Avs reached the Stanley Cup Final, but they are one of the top teams in the NHL and want to end that.
There was a record of 56-19-7.
Colorado is a good case for a Stanley Cup run. Period. The Avs are top three in league scoring, top six in goals against, have a top-five power play, and have depth at forward and on the back end.
Colorado has shown it can win in a variety of ways. The marquee names of the Avs are not the only ones who are having an impact. Colorado is fortunate to have dynamic middle-six scorers such as Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen who can sneak up and burn opponents unexpectedly. The unheralded players who pick up the slack in the playoffs are often the top-end talent of Colorado. That could make a huge difference for the team.
The penalty kill and defensive chemistry are the biggest flaw. The Avs are average on the kill this season, which could be an issue in the playoffs, when it is harder to score and every advantage that goes the other way has the potential to be a backbreaker. Coach Bednar will have to sort out the optimal defensive combinations. Where do the rest of Colorado's defense fit? How much trust should he place in Jack Johnson? The Vegas team cut through the Colorado team like butter in the playoffs last year. That cannot happen again.
Kadri is a player to watch. What kind of magic can Kadri create in the playoffs? All eyes will be on Kadri as he chases that elusive title.
The Avalanche will flip the season script, struggling to score in the early going of the playoffs and relying on team defense to step up and move them along.
The record was 53-22-7.
There is a case for a Stanley Cup run. Excellent defense. The Wild have that. Since arriving at the trade deadline from Chicago, the man has been lights out. Cam Talbot has improved even further with the newcomer. That is a perfect location for Minnesota's run. Kirill Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala, and Mats Zuccarello are just a few of the offensive stars the Wild have had this season. Minnesota entered the playoffs with a hard-earned swagger after going 19-2-3 since March 16.
Minnesota's special teams are not awe-inspiring. The power play is in the middle of the league, and the penalty kill is in the bottom 10. Teams that fail to take advantage of man-advantage chances are more likely to bite in the playoffs. In the playoffs, those 5-on-5 opportunities can be limited. Special teams are not where the Wild have excelled.
There is a player to watch. Brodin has been helping facilitate all that with locked-in defensive play, and he has a career high in points this season. Brodin is a leader on the ice and is crucial to the success of the Wild. Brodin can do a lot to put Minnesota over the top.
Dean Evason will buck tradition by not naming a playoff starter in net, opting to alternate between Fleury and Talbot.
The record was 49-22-11.
There is a case for a Stanley Cup run. The Blues are currently riding a high and it is a good one.
At the end of the regular season, St. Louis went on a hot streak and won the Cup for the first time. The season is shaping up in the same way. The Blues have been unstoppable of late after a bumpy road through February and March. Ville Husso has been great, and Jordan Binnington is finally starting to get some playing time. The power play has been top three in the NHL since late March. The Blues are playing with a lot of confidence, and we know where that can lead them.
Host 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. Listen here.
St. Louis has had defensive issues all season. It is part of what has made Husso so valuable; he covers all sorts of problems in the Blues own end. It puts a lot more pressure on Husso at the toughest time of the year, because the St. Louis team is one of the NHL's worst in 5-on-5 possession totals. With more limited chances in tight-checking playoff games, the Blues will have to focus on the defensive details to avoid a letdown.
Tarasenko is a player to watch. A player who requested a trade out of St. Louis has thrived there this season. He is the leading scorer and eats important minutes. Tarasenko had 11 goals and 17 points. Tarasenko should take every chance to shine in the coming weeks, regardless of whether or not he will be looking for a trade out of town.
Binnington ends up back in the starter's net and carries St. Louis deep into the playoffs.
The record was 45-30-7.
Nashville is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, and they should be back in a corner waiting to see their best hockey. It works in Nashville's favor to not just go into the playoffs as a wild-card team, but to know there is an uphill battle ahead to make it to the playoffs last. In the first five games of the season, Nashville only won one game, but it would go on to win 23 of its final 27 games. The top of the table was not as good for the Predators; they did not perform as well as they could have.
The chip on its shoulder is what makes Nashville dangerous, it is hungry to prove its critics wrong. It is impossible to quantify those types of intangibles.
The biggest flaw is that the Predators can't keep it together in their own end. That is the question. The rest of Nashville's blue line doesn't exhibit nearly the same consistency as the one that has Josi. Saros missed the last two games of the season with a lower-body injury, and his status is uncertain heading into the playoffs. The key to the game will be how well the team defends and keeps the puck out of their own net.
The player to watch is Forsberg. A game-changing talent who is playing for his next contract. That is a killer combination. In the coming weeks, Forsberg will challenge any defense the Preds see. As Nashville's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg has the potential to create some must-see drama.
Nashville shocks the hockey world by going from a wild-card entrant to a Western Conference finalist.
The record was 50-21-11.
The case for a Stanley Cup run is made by the Flames. They were third in expected goals against and fourth in expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. They had three 40-goal forwards in Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Andrew Mangiapane, and they were not far off the pace. Their lineup features two-way forwards. Tyler Toffoli is still a dangerous player in the playoffs. Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Oliver Kylington have been outstanding. Jacob Markstrom is a Vezina contender. This team is poised to bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time in 20 years.
Being a top-heavy offensive team is a problem to have when the top of the lineup is filled with players who have more than 35 goals. The Flames don't get as much contribution from their bottom six teams. This season's criticism of the city is like using an eyepiece to look for a flaw in a diamond. There has been some falloff for the Flames with teams winning with depth in the playoffs.
It was no surprise that Tkachuk's best offensive season arrived, as he is headed into restricted free agency this summer. The forward had 103 points and was a plus-58 on the season, but still had time to commit 68 penalty minutes. The rare NHL talent who can make you angry with their words and actions. If the Flames win the Cup, it would be hard to see him not taking home the trophy.
The Flames will advance to the Western Conference finals with a win over the Oilers.
The record was 49-27-6.
There is a case for a Stanley Cup run. 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, they jumped to fourth. They were 27th in goals-against per 60 at 5-on-5. The most important area for the Oilers was the second place finish in the Pacific. It was once again the case, as both Draisaitl and McDavid had over 100 points. The next highest scorer wasZach Hyman. As long as the stars are shining, they will have a chance to win.
The biggest flaw of the team is that they don't have the depth that other teams in the Western Conference have. If there is a flaw with the Oilers, it is once again found in the crease. Mike Smith has a.948 save percentage in nine games this month. The alternative remains Mikko Koskinen.
Evan Bouchard, a 22-year-old defenseman, had 43 points in 81 games and could have been a finalist for the Calder Trophy. He played more than six games in his first two NHL seasons. It was not something that fans of the team would have predicted, but the team will have to settle for Bouchard logging 19:46 in average ice time and being part of a successful pair with Duncan Keith.
The prediction is that the Oilers will win their first playoff series in a long time.
The record was 99 points.
The Kings, who have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, had been waiting a few years for their next generation of stars to mature. The kids were not the reason for their first playoff spot since the year of. Anze led the team in scoring.
Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault were in the top four in scoring. The team had strong seasons from veterans, including Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe, and Alex Edler, as well as Jonathan Quick, who had an outstanding season before he went out with a wrist injury. The kids were all right too, as well as forwards Arthur Kaliyev and Sean Durzi, as well as defensemens Mikey Anderson and Quinton Byfield.
The NHL playoffs begin Monday with all four games on the networks. The Bruins-Canes game starts at 7 pm. The Kings-Oilers and Blues-Wild are followed by the Lightning-Leafs.
• Complete playoff coverage
• NHL on ESPN
Under coach Todd McLellan, the Kings have placed fifth in expected goals per 60 minutes and fifth in percentage of shot attempts. Los Angeles won four straight games in regulation down the stretch, while their divisional rivals failed to qualify for the playoffs.
The fact that the Kings made the playoffs without him is a testament to how well they played before his injury. Los Angeles was 32-19-7 when he went out. They went 12-8-3 after that. It is hard to imagine the Kings doing anything of consequence in the playoffs without Doughty, who had 31 points in 39 games this season and averaged 25:44 per night. They are very ordinary on the back end without him.
There was a time when Jonathan Quick was considered one of the best big-game goaltenders in the NHL. He backstopped the Kings to the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014. At 36, he might never be that guy again. This was his best season since the year before, and there were enough moments of Jonathan Quick to make one wonder if there is still a little more playoff magic left in him.
The Kings will fall to the Eskimos in six games because of the loss of Doughty, but they will do what they can against McDavid and Draisaitl.
The record was 96 points.
The Stars made the playoffs because of their top line. Despite being panned by the critics, the trio of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson carried Dallas up the table. The unit shows no signs of slowing and that should give Dallas confidence going into the first round.
Everyone is aware that anything can happen during the playoffs. It is not uncommon for unlikely contender to emerge year after year. Why not Dallas? What do the Stars have to lose? Being an underdog gives you a freedom to play your game without expectation. The lineup of the Stars can offer more than the first line. Jake Oettinger has played well in net, and Dallas defense has looked more cohesive lately. Seeing its dedication pay off with a playoff opportunity should be all the motivation Dallas needs to give its best.
The Stars have an issue with depth scoring. The Dallas offense has been streaky after the 70 or more points scored by Robertson. The Stars don't get much scoring help from their defense, and Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have been disappointing. In a tight playoff series, the secondary scoring can put teams over the top. The Stars need to be more than that.
The player to watch is Miro Heiskanen. The Stars' goals project to be at a premium, so look for the team&s top defender to step up in keeping pucks out of their net. Heiskanen missed time this season due to illness but is still an asset to Dallas. Heiskanen can set a tone for how the team approaches its defense. He should shine at this time.
The Stars will take a powerhouse first-round opponent to seven games.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
