2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide - Favorites, sleepers and busts Presented By > ESPN Search Fantasy Men's Basketball Hockey Baseball Sign up and play for free! Boucher: Flames in six Could the Florida Panthers, who raced to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, win their first Cup? They were 27th in goals-against per 60 at 5-on-5 under Tippett; under Woodcroft, they were ninth. ESPN will air the entirety of the Metropolitan and Pacific divisions on alternating days, beginning Wednesday, May 18. There's power in being an underdog, a freedom to simply play your game without expectation. We've graded all 32 teams -- including one A+ and two F's -- and announced the winners of our own batch of awards. Are we focusing heavily on the best players in this series? His playoff struggles are a bit overblown -- his numbers aren't that bad overall -- but the doubts linger. And coach Gerard Gallant is pushing the right buttons when it comes to line combinations. 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. Mike Smith has been great for Edmonton in the playoffs, without question, but we haven't seen the best of Kuemper yet. He's the kind of player to watch with your head on a swivel. Bold prediction: The Oilers win their first playoff series since 2017 before bowing out to Calgary. Artemi Panarin averaged 1.28 points per game. But that doesn't mean the playoffs haven't enlightened us about some aspects of this Lightning team. Forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, GM Rob Blake's key offseason pickups, were in the top four in scoring. The Panthers repeatedly fell into multiple-goal deficits they were able to erase because, well, see above. Did he skid at the end of this season? A limited if intense calendar, combined with the reality of losing players every round, and a simpler scoring system set . That presents a perfect backdrop for Minnesota's run. In net, Jack Campbell appears back on his game following a midseason downturn and rib injury. La Greca: Avalanche in five How they got here: Defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3, defeated Florida Panthers 4-0. Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. Until he does, it's Casey DeSmith's crease. ET Venue: Moda Center -- Portland, Oregon Coverage: ESPN, ROOT Sports NW, and BSNO The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Wednesday with nine more games, including a battle between the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers. The Igor Shesterkin that we saw during Round 1 is not the Igor Shesterkin that the Lightning are going to see. In general, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been leaning on the same eight forwards up front and limiting the use of his fourth-liners. He does all the little things, is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute just about anywhere. The Wild have had offensive stars emerging throughout the season, from Kirill Kaprizov to Kevin Fiala to Mats Zuccarello. But I have a lot of faith in Shesty," he said. They rallied to beat the Penguins after being down 3-1 in their first-round series. Biggest flaw(s): Fatigue. The 13th overall pick in 2020, Jarvis had 11 points in a nine-game stretch near the end of the season, running shotgun with Aho for a lot of it. Levy: Rangers in seven He was fourth on the team in goals scored above average. Lawrence-Riddell: Avalanche in six This postseason, he's 8-3 with a .932 save percentage and has 6.76 goals saved above average to lead all goalies still playing in the postseason. 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). The Lightning had some bumpier stretches in the season's second half. One problem Biggest flaw(s): Ovechkin missed the Capitals' final three games after appearing to injure a shoulder in an April 24 game. Back-to-back tilts against bottom feeders in the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes should produce value. How do the Avs slow down the McDavid-Draisaitl-Kane line? All things being equal, Colorado boasts the deeper team. They are firing on all cylinders. Do the Lightning have what it takes to three-peat? Bold prediction: Binnington ends up back in the starter's net, and carries St. Louis deep into the postseason. 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. Colorado has to frustrate the Oilers' top skaters, make it difficult for them to find space or get in a rhythm early. 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? Player to watch: 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. The final day of the NHL regular season is April 13, 2023 and the playoffs will begin a few days later. The Flames' plus-85 trailed only the Presidents' Trophy-winning Panthers for the. Also note that wild-card teams are listed according to which playoff bracket they're playing in (the Capitals, for example, are in the Atlantic). Special teams will play a pivotal role. Find North Carolina vs. Virginia predictions, betting odds, moneyline, spread, over/under and more for the February 25 college basketball matchup. Shilton: Flames in six Maintaining that intensity each night in the playoffs will be a task in itself. What sort of postseason magic can Kadri create to cap this career season? He's both their last line of defense and their catalyst, as the Rangers feed off his performances when opponents tip the ice. McDonough: Avalanche 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. It will all happen on the new NHL TV Networks of ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports. More: Full playoff schedule He hasn't been that guy for a while, and at 36, he might never be that guy again. Let's key on Mikko Rantanen. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven Player to watch: Marner. Granted, that included 12 overtime losses, a middling even-strength offense and goaltending issues galore. Some nights, the Bruins look impenetrable; the next, they're floundering in their own end. 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. Carolina Hurricanes 3. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are one of the NHL's most dynamic offensive duos. If Edmonton can do that again in the conference finals, Colorado's march to the Cup finals will be severely impeded -- and perhaps derailed. They aren't going to wilt if the Rangers control the tempo. 87d ESPN staff. 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, What the remaining Stanley Cup contenders learned in Round 1, Why the Avalanche are the NHL's postseason juggernaut, 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs: Highlights and analysis from the entire postseason, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. They were third in expected goals against and fourth in expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season. NHL Rush to the Playoffs: Three National Hockey League Games Monday, Tuesday Night, Exclusively on ESPN, ESPN+ and Hulu ESPN+ NHL Kevin Ota April 25, 2022 Twitter Monday, April 25 on ESPN+/Hulu: Flyers at Blackhawks Tuesday, April 26 on ESPN: Oilers at Penguins, Blues at Avalanche 38 out-of-market games on ESPN+ this week ET, ESPN), followed by Lightning-Leafs (7:30 ET, ESPN2), Blues-Wild (9:30 ET, ESPN) and Kings-Oilers (10 ET, ESPN2). Game 3: Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals 1 p.m. Before I reveal every series winner in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs and the exact number of games in which the series will be won, I'd like to just offer a small reminder to establish a baseline . The matchups and storylines are set as the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs get underway this week, with the last team standing hoisting the cherished chalice sometime in late June. And, as Nashville's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg also has the potential to create some must-see drama. 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. Portland Trail Blazers. 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. While there is a lot of "new" happening in the NHL this season, as far as league predictions go for the upcoming 2021-22 season, there is a lot that will feel familiar. I apologize in advance for spoiling the next two months for you, as obviously all of . Back in 2019, St. Louis went from flailing to thriving at the end of the regular season and carried a hot streak all the way past Boston for the franchise's first Cup title. Los Angeles was 32-19-7 when Doughty went out on March 7. 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. DiPietro: Flames in six Messier: Avalanche in seven Some teams have improved, while others went into re-build mode. Editor's Picks. Callahan: Avalanche in seven In over 500 minutes of game action this postseason, Kuemper has faced only 218 pucks. Their superstars kept improving throughout the last round and were the difference-makers at critical times. Following a midseason downturn and rib injury were 27th in goals-against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season stars throughout... Were in the season 's second half Favorites, sleepers and busts flip the switch it... As Nashville 's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg also has the potential create... Above average the Bruins look impenetrable ; the next two months for you, obviously... 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