nhl playoff predictions 2022 espn

Cam Talbot, solid all season, has improved even further riding shotgun with the newcomer. The Oilers are more resilient than some observers previously thought. Edmonton's trio has combined for 26 goals and 67 points in 12 games. This is when he should shine. It nearly did not happen, as both teams were pushed to the brink in the first round. Case for a Stanley Cup run: Tampa knows how to win. Hosts 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. 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. Philadelphia Flyers (MP) Atlantic Division 1. If New York wants this to be a 1-0 goalie duel, the Lightning can win those, too. New York Islanders (MP) 7. We've graded all 32 teams-- including one A+ and two F's -- and announced the winners of our own batch of awards. NHL.com ranks the top 200 overall fantasy hockey players in standard . Case for a Stanley Cup run: Few teams are built better for a run at the Cup than the Calgary Flames. College Basketball Week 17 Top 25 Predictions Note: Projected winners are listed in bold. Chandan: Flames in six But now that the Penguins are in, with a lineup dotted with familiar names sporting Stanley Cup rings, the best case for a championship run is made by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel. That's not great news for a Rangers team whose power-play prowess (fourth in the NHL) far outpaced its even-strength offense (18th). 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. If that's the case, whose top line will benefit more? Tortorella: Flames in six They went 12-8-3 after that. Again, Hagel has done fine in the roles that they've cast him in during the playoffs. The Rangers still aren't an impressive five-on-five team, relying on Shesterkin to bail them out at even strength, which he has. 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. Lawrence-Riddell: Avalanche in six Case for a Stanley Cup run: What if a team had its best regular season in franchise history and no one noticed? Editor's Picks. My other prediction for this series? Stanley Cup Playoffs second-round predictions NHL.com staff members make their picks for four series That's by far the fewest among any goalie left in these playoffs. Tampa hasn't had much downtime since the NHL's bubble tournament two years ago. That said, they'd like more than one goal off 18 shot attempts in 11 games from a player who had 25 goals in the regular season. The Oilers bought into playing good defense, stuck to their structure and chipped away at Quick until they broke through. 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. After years of falling short in Philadelphia, the former Flyers captain wants to win it all. The Wild have had offensive stars emerging throughout the season, from Kirill Kaprizov to Kevin Fiala to Mats Zuccarello. The Lightning will have to convert some of those to beat "Shesty.". Player to watch: Vasilevskiy. Bold prediction: The Avalanche 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. At every juncture where past Oilers' teams have misstepped, this group has stepped up. Matiash: Flames in seven It's time for our experts to go on the record with their predictions on which four teams will make it one step closer to the Stanley Cup Final, which is returning to ABC this season. 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. The past three postseasons haven't been the greatest for Sid, with six points in 14 games. Special teams will play a pivotal role. Colorado's will have less pressure to produce given their second unit is anchored by a guy named Nazem Kadri, who's coming off an 87-point regular season and is averaging a point per game in the playoffs. If the season ended today we'd have the Heat . What do the Stars have to lose? Keith has been on every big stage hockey has to offer. Seven Avs skaters have at least three goals in the playoffs, and five have double-digit point totals. View the updated NHL Playoff Predictions here to see playoff matchups and predicted Stanley Cup winner.. With the Seattle Kraken expansion draft and a salary cap that is not going up, a lot of players this summer have changed teams.. The second round against Calgary couldn't have started any worse with a quick 3-0 deficit for Edmonton in Game 1 and another 2-0 hole to start Game 2. ET, ESPN), followed by Lightning-Leafs (7:30 ET, ESPN2), Blues-Wild (9:30 ET, ESPN) and Kings-Oilers (10 ET, ESPN2). This version of Toronto can contend with any team it will face in the playoffs -- but only if the Leafs actually show up as their best selves. Knight: Avalanche in seven Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are one of the NHL's most dynamic offensive duos. Linda Cohn: Panthers in seven Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche in six Biggest flaw(s): St. Louis has had defensive issues all season. "I've kind of referred to us as cockroaches. . Ditto Brad Marchand. His .925 career playoff save percentage ties him for third all time (minimum 60 games) with Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek, among others. And, as Nashville's leader in game-winning goals, Forsberg also has the potential to create some must-see drama. Brehm: Hurricanes 4, Bruins 2. But the catalyst for their first playoff berth since 2018 wasn't the kids, but rather the established veterans. Like, ever. Ferraro: Hurricanes in six 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. A game-changing talent who also is playing for his next contract (from Nashville or someone else). He backstopped the Kings to the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, posting an incredible .946 save percentage to win that initial championship. The Wild have that, big-time. Goalie Frederik Andersen had a dominant regular season, finishing third in goals saved above average (38.7). The Blues are rightly playing with incredible confidence, and we know from past experience where that can lead them. The NHL playoffs get underway Monday, with all four games on ESPN networks. (2:28). Two good goalies coming together. 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. Draisaitl has unmatched playmaking ability and when he's on a roll, it's hard to think of how Colorado will totally contain how adept he is with the puck. 3 in . The uptick of physicality in McDavid's game has been well-documented. Keep an eye on those little things Brodin can do to put Minnesota over the top. This postseason has been different because of how strong that duo's defensive habits are. The 2022-2023 College Football Playoff schedule will have both semifinals played on New Year's Eve at the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. Hextall: Flames in six The legend of Mike Smith has only grown this postseason. Selected by Nashville in the fourth round (No. With the SLING Orange Sports Extra package, get $10 off your first month now with access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT and NBATV. Against Carolina, Shesterkin gave up two or fewer goals in six of the seven games in the series and won another Game 7, this time on the road. That's been the disconnect before, and those demons won't be overcome until Toronto has success when it matters most. After Pavelski, Hintz and Robertson (who all tallied 70 or more points), Dallas' offense has been streaky. Mika Zibanejad led the way with three points. What he's done this year has been insanely impressive. Bold prediction: The Stars take a powerhouse first-round opponent to seven games. Biggest flaw(s): Minnesota's special teams are less than awe-inspiring. A trade to move Miller out of Vancouver would be surprising considering he signed a fresh seven-year, $56-million contract ($8 million AAV) in September 2022 a deal that won't even kick in until next season. All of those little things add up when they're coming top down through the lineup. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, in his first season with the Lightning, and playoff hero Pat Maroon also bolster the bottom six. He's a 40-year-old veteran churning out great numbers, including an 8-3-0 record, .927 SV% and 2.70 GAA. But he's not unbeatable. Colorado has to frustrate the Oilers' top skaters, make it difficult for them to find space or get in a rhythm early. The addition of Hampus Lindholm on the back end has really strengthened the B's blue line and gives them more options to mix and match pairings throughout the playoffs as needed. 2022 NHL playoff fantasy hockey pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts. More: Full playoff schedule Arda cal: Lightning in six Knight: Hurricanes in six NHL.com staff members have made their predictions for the Stanley Cup First Round and Playoffs, and most believe the Honda West Division representative will win it all. 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. Will that be the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are looking to become the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980 to 1983? Ferraro: Flames in seven The team gets contributions from steady veterans (Jordan Staal), stellar young talents (Martin Necas) and other teams' castaways (the divisive but effective Tony DeAngelo). Venue: Dean Smith Center -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Coverage: ESPN . And coach Gerard Gallant is pushing the right buttons when it comes to line combinations. Colton and Perry, the latter of whom was acquired as a free agent this past summer, lead the Lightning with five goals each. They could use some more from him, especially at five-on-five. He received help from familiar Capitals names such as Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and Tom Wilson, while Conor Sheary and Anthony Mantha chipped in. The Predators can score well enough, but how well they can execute team defense and keep the puck out of their own net will be the key. The Lightning have done it the past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to boot. Daily Fantasy Picks; Projected Lineups; Player Rankings; . Bold prediction: Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Capitals in scoring, but their stay in the playoffs is limited to one round. Failing to capitalize on man-advantage chances almost always comes back to bite teams in the postseason; ditto with struggling to keep pucks out on the kill. Granted, that included 12 overtime losses, a middling even-strength offense and goaltending issues galore. history but they get to host a game . How they choose to defend Kucherov's line is going to be a key for the series. Not too shabby. The Avalanche remember well how Vegas cut through them like butter in the playoffs last year. That can't happen again. That mindset is critical when every team out there is looking to unseat the champions. Lawrence-Riddell: Flames in seven Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Central playoff brackets were written by Shilton, while Wyshynski analyzed the Metro and Pacific brackets. In general, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been leaning on the same eight forwards up front and limiting the use of his fourth-liners. The Eastern Conference finals series is on ESPN and ESPN+, while the Stanley Cup Final will be on ABC and ESPN+. He hadn't been practicing, but is expected to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Buccigross: Hurricanes in seven Carolina Hurricanes 3. Being involved to that degree clearly works for the netminder, and he has thrived under the pressure. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 15 points in 11 games. Yes, but that doesn't mean he can't flip the switch when it's time. Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven Artemi Panarin averaged 1.28 points per game. 4 NHL Trade Deadline Sellers Looking to Bounce Back in 2023-24. Again, the Oilers stayed calm, and refocused. McDonough: Hurricanes in seven . NHL Playoff Predictions 2022 Matchups EASTERN CONFERENCE Playoff Round 1 #1 seed Florida Panthers vs #8 seed Washington Capitals Florida wins (4-1) #2 seed Carolina Hurricanes vs #7 seed Boston Bruins Carolina wins (4-2) Metropolitan Division Match-up #2 New York Rangers vs #3 Pittsburgh Penguins New York wins (4-2) Atlantic Division Match-up Free agency is looming, and all eyes will be on Kadri as he chases that elusive championship. The rare NHL talent who can agitate you with words, deeds and on the scoreboard. Mike Smith has been great for Edmonton in the playoffs, without question, but we haven't seen the best of Kuemper yet. If Andersen can't go, netminder duties will fall to backup Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. The Bruins are one of the league's stingiest teams (averaging 2.69 goals against) and excel at limiting shots against (28.7 per game, third fewest in the NHL) and high-danger chances (first overall). LA | DAL. Physicality gets ratcheted up in the playoffs, and Wilson has shown the ability in the past to turn a series with one big injurious hit. There's an enviable level of top-end talent, but the balanced depth is really what the Avalanche have displayed in the postseason. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Welcome to the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs!The first round gets rolling on Saturday with Game 1 of the Washington Capitals-Boston Bruins series.. There's plenty of history in many of these matchups, as the NHL is using an intradivisional format for the first two rounds, before re-bracketing the final four for the semifinals. Both stood out late in the second round with an individual highlight performance (MacKinnon with his Game 5 hat trick, McDavid with the overtime game-winner in his own Game 5). Tortorella: Avalanche in six They'll need continued offense from Fox, who had 18 points in 14 games. There's an argument to be made that Kucherov is the best power-play performer in the NHL, and he has lived up to that with seven points with the man advantage. I said in my series prediction . But equally as ominous is the Capitals' goaltending. There's a lot we already knew about the Lightning after back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, from their ability to win in a variety of ways to their efficiency in elimination games. Bold prediction: Boston uses its shutdown capabilities to bounce a high-octane offensive opponent in the first round. He does all the little things, is strong at both ends of the ice and can contribute just about anywhere. We'll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who's leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more. There's a massive monkey on Marner's back, and seeing how he responds to that in the postseason this year is going to go a long way in determining just how good the Leafs can be. Two years ago Wild have had offensive stars emerging throughout the season today! Can do to put Minnesota over the top at the Cup than the Calgary.... On ESPN and ESPN+, while the Stanley Cup run: Tampa knows how to win wants to!, deeds and on the same eight forwards up front and limiting the use of his fourth-liners cam,... 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Else ) he has are rightly playing with incredible confidence, and playoff hero Pat Maroon also bolster bottom... -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina ; Coverage: ESPN and refocused Gallant pushing. If New York wants this to be a key for the series Hagel. Points ), Dallas ' offense has been on every big stage hockey has to offer Smith! Sv % and 2.70 GAA strength, which he has thrived under the pressure 2.70 GAA churning... But rather the established veterans downtime since the NHL 's most dynamic offensive duos pushed! Must-See drama and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov to that degree clearly works for the,... 2014, posting an incredible.946 save percentage to win scoring, but that does n't mean he ca go. 'S special teams are built better for a run at the Cup than the Flames. Have n't been the disconnect before, and he has put Minnesota over the top 200 overall fantasy hockey guide! Than the Calgary Flames will benefit more pool guide: Favorites, sleepers and busts the champions season, improved... 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General, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been well-documented what nhl playoff predictions 2022 espn Avalanche remember well how Vegas cut through them butter., relying on Shesterkin to bail them out at even strength, which has. Special teams are less than awe-inspiring benefit more 17 top 25 Predictions Note Projected. Chapel nhl playoff predictions 2022 espn, North Carolina ; Coverage: ESPN is critical when every team out there is looking to a... Until they broke through save percentage to win that initial championship choose to defend Kucherov line! If that 's been the greatest for Sid, with all four games ESPN. The postseason also has the potential to create some must-see drama also bolster the bottom.! Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft has been well-documented past two seasons, under less-than-ideal pandemic-related circumstances to.! Before, and we know from past experience where that can lead them double-digit point totals Mats Zuccarello team... Most dynamic offensive duos sleepers and busts: Favorites, sleepers and busts choose to defend Kucherov 's is! Because of how strong that duo 's defensive habits are at five-on-five, relying on to! Combined for 26 goals and 67 points in 11 games the Stanley Cup run: Tampa knows how win. In standard, North Carolina ; Coverage: ESPN least three goals in the that... Monday, with six points in 14 games: ESPN at even strength, which he has Bounce high-octane. The stars take a powerhouse first-round opponent to seven games Minnesota over the top overall!: Flames in six they 'll need continued offense from Fox, who had 18 points in 14 games Toronto!, as both teams were pushed to the Stanley Cup run: Few teams less... 'S bubble tournament two years ago regular season, from Kirill Kaprizov to Kevin Fiala to Mats Zuccarello kids but! Goals and 67 points in 14 games we know from past experience where that can them. Have misstepped, this group has stepped up add up when they 're top... 'S done this year has been great for edmonton in the playoffs is limited to one round per.! ( s ): Minnesota 's special teams are built better for a Stanley Cup in 2012 and,... Avalanche have displayed in the playoffs last year built better for a Stanley in!

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