The NHL announced Wednesday afternoon that multiple players on both the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights received false positive COVID-19 tests.The players who tested positive were isolated earlier Wednesday while further testing was conducted. Those results all came back negative.The league says it investigated the initial tests because the "reported results emanated from the same laboratory," in addition to "other peculiarities and similarities among the test results themselves."Since the follow-up tests were negative, the NHL says every affected player "will be eligible to play in their team's next game."St. Louis is scheduled to play Game 2 of its first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night at 10:30 p.m. EST. The Golden Knights will face the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of their series Thursday.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian and defenseman Slater Koekkoek will be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, head coach Dave Tippett confirmed.These were the team's lines during Tuesday's practice:

Anticipation is ramping up north of the border ahead of the first all-Canadian playoff matchups since 2015. The Leafs and Canadiens will meet in the postseason for the first time since 1979, while the last series between the Oilers and Jets happened in 1990.1. Maple Leafs (-320) vs. 4. Canadiens (+240)OverallMAPLE LEAFSSTATCANADIENS35-14-7Record24-21-117-2-1H2H3-6-155.63 (2nd)xGF%*53.00 (10th)52.35 (10th)CF%*54.31 (6th)56.78 (2nd)HDCF%*51.88 (12th)9.41 (4th)SH%*7.52 (25th).922 (8th)SV%*.914 (22nd)20.0 (16th)PP%19.2 (18th)78.5 (23rd)PK%78.5 (22nd)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDATEHOME-AWAYxG*CF%*HDCF*GOALIES1/13TOR 5 - MTL 4 OT3.26 - 3.7850.09 - 49.9112 - 13Andersen - Price2/10MTL 2 - TOR 42.36 - 3.6656.73 - 43.2710 - 11Price - Andersen2/13TOR 1 - MTL 22.12 - 1.942.05 - 57.958 - 8Andersen - Price2/20MTL 3 - TOR 52.05 - 2.6250.31 - 49.6912 - 9Price - Andersen4/7TOR 3 - MTL 22.81 - 2.2147.9 - 52.115 - 7Campbell - Allen4/12MTL 4 - TOR 24.23 - 2.5453.3 - 46.716 - 13Allen - Campbell4/28MTL 1 - TOR 41.82 - 2.2448.41 - 51.596 - 9Allen - Campbell5/3MTL 3 - TOR 2 OT2.65 - 2.5940.04 - 59.965 - 9Allen - Campbell5/6TOR 5 - MTL 24.16 - 2.4262.06 - 37.9416 - 7Campbell - Primeau5/8TOR 3 MTL 22.09 - 1.3348.1 - 51.99 - 7Campbell - Allen*all strengthsThe two Original Six franchises, which claim to hail from the mecca of hockey, will meet for the first time in the postseason in over 40 years, with a lot more than bragging rights up for grabs. The Leafs, aiming to win their first playoff series since 2004, are desperate to avoid another postseason failure, while the Canadiens are out to prove they're the force they resembled early in the season, as opposed to the toothless team that fell backwards into the playoffs.The Leafs, universally regarded as the best team in the division, dominated the North from start to finish. They had a winning record against every team, sat atop the division in xGF%, and were far and away the most efficient at generating offense at five-on-five. Alex Kerfoot is the only roster player to finish below a 50 xGF% at five-on-five, and he came awfully close (49.93). Each of Toronto's top-six forwards finished above 55%, with Auston Matthews and the returning Zach Hyman surpassing the 60% mark.Few teams are as good at driving play as the Leafs, who are also among the best at capitalizing on their opportunities, finishing fourth in five-on-five shooting percentage. That tally jumped a full point from last season, which could be in line for regression but is likelier just a product of the team's quality up front.The only real concerns surrounding Toronto heading into the playoffs are special teams - both units finished in the bottom half of the league - and goaltending. Now goaltending shouldn't necessarily be a concern considering the season Jack Campbell put together - he finished top 16 in both GSAA and GSAx - but the body of work was small, and he's still a relatively unproven commodity who hasn't appeared in an NHL playoff game.Montreal's season-long numbers pale in comparison to Toronto's, prompting questions as to what sort of chance it stands in this series. To answer that properly, the Canadiens' season has to be broken down in parts: They looked like a juggernaut early, stumbled into a slump prompting a coaching change, and then fell off a cliff trying to navigate a daunting second-half schedule brought on by a COVID-induced pause. As a result, it was very much a tale of two seasons for Montreal.The team didn't have back-to-back nights off following the late-March pause, playing 25 games in 44 nights over the final six weeks of the season, including five back-to-backs. The Habs were at a rest disadvantage in 19 of those contests, including 13 of their last 15, and each of their last five games against the Leafs - two being their fourth matchup in six nights, two their third in four, and one their fifth in seven.The overloaded schedule cost Montreal dearly, as it was near the league lead in man-games lost since the start of April, with Brendan Gallagher, Shea Weber, Carey Price, Tomas Tatar, Joel Armia, and Paul Byron among those missing significant time. The Canadiens will have a fully healthy lineup for Game 1 for the first time since early in the season, which is essential given how this team needs to play to succeed.Montreal's strength is its depth, and it needs to play relentless, in-your-face hockey to be successful. The only way to maintain that sort of intensity is to continuously roll four lines. When healthy, that's not a problem for them. The Canadiens like to use their speed in transition and play heavy on the forecheck. When all four lines are rolling, they're capable of getting pucks deep, grinding down low, and wearing teams down. It's exactly the sort of style the Leafs have struggled with in years past, and while this season's team seems to have adapted, we've still yet to see the results in a playoff-type environment.Montreal played this style in the first half of the season with a bit more of a normal schedule, and the returns were significantly better. Over the first 31 games - up until the COVID-19 pause - the Canadiens were second in the NHL in goal share (59.58%), expected goal share (56.39%), and CF% (56.29%) at five-on-five. Post-pause, they were 30th in goal share (40.79%), 18th in expected goal share (48.89%), and 13th in CF% (51.75%). If they're going to be competitive in this series, they'll have to return to their early-season form and hope the second-half results were indeed an anomaly created by a rash of injuries and monstrous schedule.If we treat the regular season as two separate entities for Montreal, then we'd have to look to the first four head-to-head meetings between these teams for a more appropriate picture of what we might expect in this series.Toronto still came out ahead in those meetings with a 3-1-0 record but relied heavily on what was at the time a scorching-hot power play. It has since run dry. The Canadiens outscored the Leafs and controlled 54% of the expected goal share at five-on-five in those games. Now special teams can be streaky, and if Toronto can find a way to replicate that success on the power play - it certainly has the personnel - then this series could be over in a hurry. For Montreal to succeed, it needs to keep Toronto's power play at bay and get back to the strong five-on-five play that's typically carried this team in years past.Whether that's enough for Montreal to actually win the series remains to be seen, but it's the blueprint for at least keeping it competitive.For the Leafs, winning Game 1 feels massive. A loss would breathe hope into a Canadiens team in desperate need of some and send panic signals flying across Toronto. The Leafs have dealt with very little adversity this season, and there would be no worse time to start for a team with a massive mental hurdle to clear in this postseason.Toronto should win this series, but -320 is a steep price to pay. A lot has to go right for Montreal to pull off the upset, so I'm not rushing to bet +240 either. But a healthy and rested Canadiens team will make the Leafs earn it, so I'd rather scoop up a generous price on this series to go the distance.Pick: Over 6.5 games (+220)2. Oilers (-215) vs. 3. Jets (+175)OverallOILERSSTATJETS35-18-2Record30-23-37-2-0H2H2-7-049.82 (15th)xGF%*46.79 (23rd)49.82 (16th)CF%*48.3 (18th)49.50 (16th)HDCF%*44.63 (29th)8.85 (7th)SH%*8.60 (9th).915 (21st)SV%*.923 (6th)28.1 (1st)PP%23.0 (7th)82.2 (10th)PK%80.5 (14th)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDATEHOME-AWAYxG*CF%*HDCF*GOALIES1/24WPG 3 - EDM 42.63 - 4.3145.9 - 54.113 - 21Brossoit - Koskinen1/26WPG 6 - EDM 43.89 - 2.0253.3 - 46.715 - 9Hellebuyck - Koskinen2/15EDM 6 - WPG 53.09 - 2.0257.28 - 42.7214 - 6Koskinen - Hellebuyck2/17EDM 2 - WPG 33.21 - 2.8145.99 - 54.018 - 8Smith - Hellebuyck3/18EDM 2 - WPG 11.41 - 2.0546.3 - 53.73 - 7Koskinen - Brossoit3/20EDM 4 - WPG 23.92 - 2.754.64 - 45.3615 - 8Smith - Hellebuyck4/17WPG 0 - EDM 31.87 - 3.1745.5 - 54.53 - 18Hellebuyck - Smith4/26WPG 1 - EDM 62.22 - 2.3249.21 - 50.7912 - 5Hellebuyck - Smith4/28WPG 1 - EDM 32.25 - 4.4344.29 - 55.719 - 12Hellebuyck - Koskinen*all strengthsConnor McDavid produced arguably the greatest individual season in NHL history, and the surging Oilers will hope it translates to postseason success as they head into a first-round series against a Jets team that lost its way over the season's final month.Winnipeg doesn't deserve a free pass for losing nine games in regulation over its final 12, but its struggles down the stretch can largely be attributed to Nikolaj Ehlers' absence. Ehlers is overlooked in a division with McDavid and Matthews, but he was having a Hart-caliber season before a shoulder injury kept him out of the team's final nine games.Ehlers was one of just three Jets players to control over 55% of the expected goal share. He was also the team leader in CF% at five-on-five, and Winnipeg scored an astounding 67.99% of its goals this season when he was on the ice. To put that into perspective, the Oilers scored 68.53% of their goals with McDavid on the ice. Winnipeg needs him back and healthy - he's been a full participant in practice, so it appears to be all systems go - for this to be a competitive series.The Jets also need Connor Hellebuyck to be at his best. The netminder is a close second on the list of players in this series who can single-handily win their team a game, behind McDavid. The reigning Vezina winner pieced together another excellent campaign, finishing second in the NHL with 13.72 goals saved above expected, but he struggled a great deal against Edmonton.He posted a miserable 3.96 goals-against average, .877 save percentage, and minus-6.3 GSAx in seven games versus the Oilers. He saved six goals below expected against Edmonton, compared to 20 above expected against the rest of the North Division. He saved at least 1.5 goals above expected in 12 starts this year - not a single one of those was against the Oilers. There's no reason to believe this is anything other than an outlier - he saved nearly four goals above expected in three starts versus Edmonton last season, allowing just three goals at five-on-five.Improved play from Hellebuyck will go a long way in helping the Jets not get absolutely roasted by McDavid like they did during the regular season because, at the end of the day, these are the two guys who will likely decide this series. McDavid had 22 points on 34 goals scored by the Oilers against the Jets this year, including at least two in all nine games.Winnipeg simply didn't have an answer for McDavid this season. The Oilers controlled two-thirds of the expected goal share at even strength with McDavid on the ice and scored over 80% of the goals. McDavid is the best player in the world by a comfortable margin, capable of winning any game - or series, for that matter - on his own, and Leon Draisaitl is an elite running mate. Still, what this Edmonton roster has in star power, it lacks in depth.Not letting McDavid score 2.45 points per game in this series is a must for the Jets, and it puts added pressure on them winning the remainder of the matchups. One of Winnipeg's biggest assets is its depth up front - there's not a weak spot on that top six - and Edmonton is vulnerable when McDavid isn't on the ice. The Oilers probably have the worst bottom-six forward group in the playoffs.Guys like Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton have also had really productive seasons for Winnipeg. They'll have ample opportunity to provide secondary scoring that the Oilers struggle to get - the kind that typically proves vital in the postseason. A strong contribution from the bottom six, coupled with the elevated playoff performances we've come to expect from Winnipeg's stars up front, would make things very interesting in this series.Edmonton's head-to-head dominance over the Jets this year resulted in an inflated series price, but there's more than meets the eye when you dig into the scheduling. The Oilers had the rest advantage in seven of the nine meetings - the other two were neutral. The Oilers played the Jets with at least four days off in between games on three separate occasions, with Winnipeg having at most one day off. In five of the nine meetings, the Jets came in facing either a back-to-back or three-in-four situation. They also were without Ehlers and Lowry for the last two, both losses.The teams will be on a level playing field in the playoffs. While the Oilers have the two best skaters in the series, the Jets' significant edge in depth up front, coupled with improved play from Hellebuyck - he can't possibly play any worse than he did in the season series against Edmonton - creates some real value on the underdog at this price.Pick: Jets (+175)Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Erik Kallgren to a two-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $750,000 at the NHL level, the team announced Wednesday.Kallgren spent this past season with Vaxjo HC of the Swedish Hockey League. He posted a 12-9-0 record while achieving a 2.37 goals-against average and .911 save percentage during the regular season.The 24-year-old also helped guide his club to the Swedish Hockey League Championship, going 7-3-0 in the postseason with a 1.74 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.Kallgren was previously selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He appeared in two games in the AHL and three games in the ECHL during the 2019-20 season before going overseas to play.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov is between the pipes for Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, the team announced.Varlamov missed Game 1 due to a lower-body injury. Rookie backup Ilya Sorokin made his first career playoff start, stopping 39 of 42 shots in the 4-3 overtime win.The 33-year-old Varlamov was New York's best goalie during the regular season, though. He went 19-11-4 with a .929 save percentage, a 2.04 goals-against average, and a league-best seven shutouts. Additionally, Varlamov has played 46 career postseason games.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens are the first NHL team north of the border to announce plans to let fans back into their building.The team will permit 2,500 spectators to attend games at the Bell Centre beginning May 28.The Canadiens begin their opening-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. A potential Game 6 in Montreal is scheduled for May 29.Though most American teams allowed at least some fans back into their arenas this season, Canadian clubs have played in front of empty stadiums throughout the pandemic.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Rick Tocchet is looking to line up his next head coaching gig.The former Arizona Coyotes bench boss will interview with the New York Rangers and the expansion Seattle Kraken for each club's vacancy at head coach, sources told TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Tocchet and the Coyotes mutually parted ways earlier in May. The team went 125-131-34 over four seasons under his leadership. Though the club missed the playoffs in three of those four campaigns, Tocchet led the franchise to its first postseason series win since 2012 in the bubble last summer.Before joining the Coyotes, Tocchet captured back-to-back Stanley Cups as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.The Rangers also reportedly interviewed longtime NHL bench boss Gerard Gallant, who was recently selected to coach Canada at the upcoming world hockey championship.New York dismissed former team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton on May 5 after the Rangers failed to make the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

How much influence can one skater have on the outcome of a hockey game?That question has become especially relevant at the sport's highest level thanks to Connor McDavid's transcendent play in the NHL's pandemic-shortened season.In 56 regular-season games, McDavid accumulated 33 goals and 72 assists for 105 points - a points-per-game average of 1.88, the highest such rate since Mario Lemieux's 2.30 in 1995-96. Over a full season, McDavid was on pace for an eye-popping 154 points. After adjusting for era, he racked up the equivalent of 159 points in 82 games, tying him with 1982-83 Wayne Gretzky for eighth on Hockey Reference's list of the greatest offensive seasons ever. Rich Lam / Getty ImagesMcDavid was far and away the most outstanding and valuable player in the NHL this season, recording 83 primary points while shoring up his oft-criticized defensive game. There'd be no gripes if his name happened to be engraved on the Hart and Ted Lindsay Trophies before award winners were announced. His brilliance led the Edmonton Oilers to a sparkling 35-19-2 record, a plus-29 goal differential, and the North Division's No. 2 seed.Hockey is often billed as the "ultimate team sport" - Oilers starting goalie Mike Smith even dropped that phrase last week - and here's Edmonton, a solid but flawed team latching onto a generational talent playing out of his mind. With the Oilers opening their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night, how much influence can one skater have on a playoff series? And, if the Oilers manage to defeat the Jets: How much influence can one skater have on a potentially deep playoff run? Andy Devlin / Getty ImagesThe NBA is a star-driven league where the outsized contributions of two or three players can lead a team deep into the postseason and often to a championship. The NHL will never be exactly like the NBA for a multitude of reasons, but McDavid's utter dominance, mixed with contributions from super sidekick Leon Draisaitl, No. 1 defenseman Darnell Nurse, and Smith, bridges the gap.The main problem is: The Oilers simply aren't a good hockey team when McDavid is catching his breath on the bench. That characterization may seem harsh for a squad fresh off a regular-season points percentage of .643, but the numbers are too extreme to ignore.According to the advanced stats website Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers finished plus-607 in shot attempts when McDavid was on the ice and minus-714 when McDavid was off the ice. They were plus-384 in scoring chances with McDavid and minus-431 without him. They were plus-50 in expected goals with him and minus-37 without him. And, most crucially for wins and losses, they were plus-68 in goals scored with him and minus-39 without him. There's an absolutely stunning contrast between McDavid's minutes and the rest.The Oilers ranked No. 1 in the NHL in power-play percentage, with McDavid running the show, so the all-situations numbers may be a tad skewed.Let's then look exclusively at the five-on-five data: Again, the difference over a 56-game sample is impossible to dismiss.Based on the HockeyViz.com heat maps below, the 2020-21 Oilers overwhelm opposing defenders and goalies when McDavid is on the ice and barely produce anything dangerous in the offensive zone when he is off the ice. (Note: Red is above-average shot volume, and blue is below average.)Oilers with McDavid (five-on-five) Oilers without McDavid (five-on-five) Luckily for Oilers fans, McDavid is on the ice an awful lot. He averaged 22 minutes and 9 seconds and hit a season high of 28:38 in early April during an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. In the 50 Edmonton games that didn't require overtime, McDavid eclipsed 25 minutes on 10 occasions, topping out at 28:16 during a February loss to the Calgary Flames.Oilers head coach Dave Tippett is clearly unafraid to squeeze every ounce of value from his best player, and McDavid is no doubt capable of handling the heavy workload. McDavid's regular-season splits were 17:52 at even strength (third among NHL forwards), 4:11 on the power play (fifth among forwards), and 0:06 on the penalty kill. Andy Devlin / Getty ImagesSo, really, if McDavid is terrorizing the opponent for 25-28 minutes a night (it may climb closer to 30 in the playoffs), the bar can be relatively low for the rest of the game. Assuming the opposition is unable to contain McDavid, the Oilers can conceivably win playoff games - and series - by breaking even in the other 32-35 minutes, though in this scenario, Smith must continue to exceed all expectations for a 39-year-old goalie.It's a perilous situation for the Oilers. This is a sport that tends to reward deep teams, not top-heavy outfits. Take last year's Stanley Cup winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa's roster was littered with impact players, from Nikita Kucherov to Brayden Point to Victor Hedman to Andrei Vasilevskiy; boasted a high-end supporting cast, including Anthony Cirelli, Blake Coleman, and Ryan McDonagh, to name a few; and employed effective bit guys such as Pat Maroon and Zach Bogosian.The Oilers' potential second-round opponents this year, the Toronto Maple Leafs, are significantly deeper than them. In theory, Toronto could allow McDavid to do his thing for 25-28 minutes, otherwise manhandle the Oilers, and still win the series in five or six games. Beyond the two top forward lines and two top defense pairs, Edmonton's lineup is fairly thin. Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesAdding to the intrigue is the fact this could be the best version of McDavid we'll ever see. (Yes, he probably has more to unlock, but at 24, he also may be at his absolute peak.) Yet not until this coming offseason will Oilers general manager Ken Holland - who was hired in March 2019 to clean up the mess left by Peter Chiarelli - be able to truly put his stamp on the team.Holland has been conservative so far, waiting for certain contracts to expire before making a big splash via free agency or the trade market. At the trade deadline in April, he was hesitant to part with the club's 2021 first-round pick and ultimately acquired only one asset, depth defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.The Oilers' overall timeline isn't an issue. McDavid and Draisaitl are signed through 2025-26 and 2024-25, respectively. There will be more playoff runs beyond this year.But there is no denying the uniqueness of what's right in front of them: The Oilers look unstoppable with McDavid on the ice and stoppable when he's not.John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com)Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman announced the club has agreed to a contract extension with head coach Jeff Blashill.Yzerman also announced that assistant coach Dan Bylsma will pursue other opportunities in the NHL for the upcoming season.Blashill just completed his sixth season with the club as head coach, with the Red Wings finishing in seventh place in the Central Division with a 19-27-10 record.Since taking over as head coach in 2015, Blashill has largely overseen the franchise's rebuild in Detroit. He has a career record of 172-221-62 and has missed the playoffs the last five seasons.Detroit made significant strides this campaign under Blashill after having one of the worst seasons in league history last year. The club surpassed its win total (17) from last season despite playing 15 fewer games.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed youngsters Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield won't be in the team's lineup for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.Ducharme also revealed rookie defenseman Alexander Romanov will miss the first contest, according to Engels.The pair of forwards have been practicing as extras this week. Ducharme expects to use the duo at some point and will prepare them to play when they get in the lineup, the bench boss added.These were the lines employed at Tuesday's practice:

The NHL announced the 31 nominees for this year's King Clancy Memorial Trophy.The award is handed out annually to the player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."Each team chooses its nominee, and the winner is then chosen by a committee of NHL executives led by commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly.The winner will receive a $25,000 donation to a charity or charities of their choice, while the two runners-up will receive $5,000 each.Here's the full list:TeamPlayerAnaheim DucksCam FowlerArizona CoyotesOliver Ekman-LarssonBoston BruinsCharlie CoyleBuffalo SabresJack EichelCalgary FlamesMikael BacklundCarolina HurricanesJordan StaalChicago BlackhawksConnor MurphyColorado AvalanchePierre-Edouard BellemareColumbus Blue JacketsCam AtkinsonDallas StarsEsa LindellDetroit Red WingsDylan LarkinEdmonton OilersKyle TurrisFlorida PanthersSergei BobrovskyLos Angeles KingsTrevor MooreMinnesota WildMats ZuccarelloMontreal CanadiensJonathan DrouinNashville PredatorsPekka RinneNew Jersey DevilsP.K. SubbanNew York IslandersAnders LeeNew York RangersChris KreiderOttawa SenatorsThomas ChabotPhiladelphia FlyersScott LaughtonPittsburgh PenguinsSidney CrosbySan Jose SharksKurtis GabrielSt. Louis BluesRyan O’ReillyTampa Bay LightningAlex KillornToronto Maple LeafsJohn TavaresVancouver CanucksTyler MotteVegas Golden KnightsMarc-Andre FleuryWashington CapitalsGarnet HathawayWinnipeg JetsBlake WheelerCopyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger will be in net for Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, head coach Joel Quenneville confirmed.Sergei Bobrovsky started the first game of the series, stopping 35 of the 40 shots he faced in a 5-4 loss.The goaltending duo split games almost evenly during the season, with Bobrovsky starting 30 contests to Driedger's 23. Bobrovsky finished the campaign with a .906 save percentage and 2.91 goals-against average, while Driedger achieved a .919 save percentage and 2.32 goals-against average.Driedger, whose 27th birthday is Tuesday, played the Lightning three times during the regular season. The netminder went 2-0-1 with a .913 save percentage and one shutout, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. This contest will mark the first postseason start of his pro career.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of ESPN's first hires for its future NHL broadcasts is a historic one.The network is bringing on Leah Hextall to do play-by-play in addition to other roles, reports the New York Post's Andrew Marchand.She will be the first female play-by-play voice to be regularly involved in a national NHL TV broadcast package, according to Marchand. It's unknown how many games she'll call when ESPN's new TV and multimedia rights deal with the league begins next season.Hextall has been a broadcaster for nearly two decades. She became the first woman in Canada to do play-by-play for a nationally televised NHL game last season, working a game between the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights. She was also the first woman to call the NCAA men's hockey tournament when she did so for ESPN.The network reportedly hired Ray Ferraro and Brian Boucher as lead analysts from TSN and NBC, respectively, last week.Hextall's trailblazing accomplishment follows similar strides by female broadcasters in other sports. Beth Mowins has called the NFL for CBS, as well as Chicago Cubs games. Lisa Byington became the first woman to call the NCAA men's basketball tournament when she did that this past March.The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, signed a seven-year deal with the NHL to be its primary broadcast partner beginning in 2021-22. TNT followed suit with a seven-year contract of its own with the league. The NHL's current rightsholder, NBC, will not be part of the new agreement when its pact expires at the end of this season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' blue line will return to full strength in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as Zach Bogosian has been medically cleared from his shoulder injury, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Bogosian wore a full-contact jersey during Monday's practice after sporting a non-contact red kit on Sunday, according to The Hockey News' David Alter.The defenseman suffered the injury in April against the Vancouver Canucks after falling awkwardly into the corner boards. Bogosian missed nearly four weeks of action as a result.The 30-year-old had four assists in 45 games during the regular season while averaging 14:40 of ice time per game.Toronto will take on the rival Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 1979. Game 1 is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in 2017.The civil lawsuit was filed in Kelowna, B.C., last week, according to The Canadian Press. It says Virtanen took the woman to a Vancouver hotel and assaulted her despite her repeated pleas for him to stop.Nothing has yet been filed on the defense's behalf. Additionally, the allegations haven't yet been heard in court.The lawsuit says the woman endured both physical and emotional damages.The Canucks placed the winger on leave May 1, calling the allegations "concerning" and stating the club had sought external assistance to conduct an independent investigation.Virtanen has spent his entire six-year career with Vancouver.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett will sit out Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning for boarding forward Blake Coleman in Game 1 on Sunday.Bennett checked Coleman into the boards from behind in the third period of Sunday's 5-4 Lightning win.

Two days after earning her medical degree, Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser took yet another step in her multi-faceted career.The Toronto Maple Leafs elevated her to senior director of player development Monday and named fellow Canadian hockey legend Danielle Goyette the department's director.Wickenheiser joined the Maple Leafs as assistant director of player development in 2018. She fulfilled her duties with the team while studying at the University of Calgary.The 42-year-old shared her academic achievement Saturday.

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett will have a hearing Monday to answer for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Blake Coleman during Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday night.Bennett received a minor penalty for charging in the third period of Florida's 5-4 loss after he checked Coleman into the boards from behind, presumably in response to Coleman's hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper called out Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett for his check on Blake Coleman in Game 1 on Sunday night.Cooper said it was a "predatory hit," according to NHL.com's Brian Burns.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and former head coach John Tortorella mutually agreed to part ways on Monday, but the bench boss didn't want to coach the team this past season at all.Tortorella tried to step down last offseason after the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the Blue Jackets from the playoffs, reports The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.The two-time Jack Adams Award winner was reading the room, and he thought the club wasn't close to being on the path Tortorella believed the team was progressing toward two years earlier, according to Portzline.However, the Blue Jackets reportedly wouldn't fire Tortorella. And if he quit, the 62-year-old wouldn't have received his $2.5-million salary for the final year of his contract. He still wouldn't have been paid his full compensation in 2020-21 if Tortorella agreed to accept a different role in the organization.While the money was a factor in his decision to return, former captain Nick Foligno also convinced Tortorella to stay. Foligno, who was later dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the trade deadline, told him he wanted to "finish what we started," according to Portzline.The Blue Jackets hired Tortorella during the 2015-16 campaign. He led them through the most successful run in franchise history, with Columbus making the playoffs four straight years. The team pulled off arguably the greatest postseason upset ever, sweeping the heavily favored Lightning in Round 1 in 2019.The Blue Jackets finished last in the Central Division with 48 points this campaign. Tortorella reportedly informed the organization in late April he was ready to leave. His departure was made official on May 9.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Marc-Andre Fleury accomplished an impressive feat just by suiting up as the Vegas Golden Knights' starting goaltender in Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.The veteran became the first netminder in NHL history to play in 15 consecutive postseasons. He broke a tie with Hall of Famer Tony Esposito, who did so from 1970-83.Fleury is competing in his 15th career postseason overall. He's the fifth puck-stopper in league history to achieve that and ranks behind Martin Brodeur (17), Patrick Roy (17), Andy Moog (16), and Jacques Plante (16).The Golden Knights goalie has reached the playoffs in all four of his campaigns with Vegas. The team reached the conference finals in 2019-20, two seasons after going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in the team's inaugural campaign.Before joining the Golden Knights, the 36-year-old won the Cup three times in 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He qualified for the playoffs in his last 11 years with the club. Matt Murray played a larger role for the Penguins en route to their titles in 2016 and 2017, but Fleury played 24 postseason games in 2009 en route to the championship.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jack Campbell will start Game 1 of the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said Sunday, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.It'll be Campbell's debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs."He's deserving of the opportunity," Keefe said, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.Keefe said Campbell's regular-season performance and the club's faith in him factored into the decision."Just his results in wins, saves, the confidence he's built for himself and, in (turn), the confidence he's given the team," the Maple Leafs bench boss explained.Campbell went 17-3-2 with a .921 save percentage in 22 games, all of which were starts. The 29-year-old set Toronto's franchise record with his 10th straight victory April 7, and he won his 11th consecutive contest three days later.The former backup goalie for both the Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings took over as Toronto's de facto starter after Frederik Andersen suffered an injury. Campbell held on to the job when Andersen struggled upon returning.Andersen went 13-8-3 with a .895 save percentage and a minus-8.6 goals saved above average while being limited to 24 contests.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals netminder Vitek Vanecek is day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered early in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins, head coach Peter Laviolette said Sunday, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell.Laviolette didn't elaborate on the nature or severity of the injury.Vanecek was ruled out for the remainder of the contest Saturday after departing in the first period. Veteran puck-stopper Craig Anderson took over in net for the Capitals.The injury occurred on a goal by Jake DeBrusk. The Bruins winger beat Vanecek with a quick shot off the faceoff, and the Czech goalie appeared to tweak something while attempting to make the stop.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders are both without a key player for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is out after being absent from the pregame warmup, Pittsburgh confirmed Sunday. Meanwhile, the Islanders are starting rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin over Semyon Varlamov. The veteran netminder is dealing with a lower-body injury, New York head coach Barry Trotz said Saturday, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple.Malkin played in the Penguins' final four regular-season games after missing 23 contests with a lower-body injury. The 34-year-old was limited to 33 games in 2021. He collected eight goals and 20 assists while logging a career-low average ice time of 17:44.Varlamov went 19-11-4 with a .929 save percentage over 36 appearances during the 2021 regular season. Sorokin, 25, went 13-6-3 with a .918 save percentage in 22 contests.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Recently, as the NHL's North Division playoffs neared, theScore recounted the twists and turns of one especially memorable all-Canadian series: the ascendant Edmonton Oilers' defeat of the dynastic Montreal Canadiens in 1981.The staggering upset confirmed young Wayne Gretzky was a megastar, and it wasn't much of a struggle. The Oilers outscored the Canadiens 15-6 over a three-game sweep. But Canada's NHL playoff history doesn't lack for drama. Canadian teams have faced off 68 times in past postseasons; dozens of these series were rivalry showdowns, plenty more reached Game 7, and eight decided who won the Stanley Cup.Ahead of puck drop up north, here's a rundown of seven all-Canadian series that enthralled fans, fomented ill will, clinched, boosted, or crushed championship dreams, and combined to feature 17 overtime goals, some of them unforgettable.Bill Barilko's Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1951. Bruce Bennett Collection / Getty Images1951 Cup final:

It appears the Montreal Canadiens will have their captain back for the start of the playoffs.Head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters Saturday he's "very confident" Shea Weber will return to action for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.The defenseman missed the team's final eight games of the season with an upper-body injury.Weber was expected to participate in Montreal's first practice ahead of the postseason Saturday. Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault, who were also sidelined with ailments to close out the season, took part.

Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, head coach Jon Cooper said, per The Athletic's Joe Smith.Kucherov and Stamkos haven't started and completed a full game together since Feb. 22, 2020, against the Arizona Coyotes.Kucherov missed the entire 2020-21 season after undergoing hip surgery. The 2018-19 Hart Trophy winner led the playoffs in scoring last year with 34 points during Tampa Bay's Stanley Cup run.Stamkos has been out since April 8 due to a lower-body injury. The Lightning were initially optimistic he'd return when he was eligible to come off long-term injured reserve May 1.The captain played just 2:47 during the 2020 playoffs due to a lower-body ailment.Stamkos recorded 17 goals and 34 points in 38 games this season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin Saturday, we rank the top 30 players who will compete for the ultimate prize (2020-21 stats in tables):30-21 | 20-11 | 10-130. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAPATOI515253024:00McAvoy probably won't win the Norris Trophy this season, but he's been in the conversation all year long on the strength of his excellent play. The Bruins depend heavily upon the 23-year-old with Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara now playing elsewhere, and McAvoy has proven worthy of the increased responsibility.29. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyRecordGAASV%GSAA23-17-32.60.9159.4Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, was rock-solid again this season, and he's a major reason why the Jets find themselves in the postseason at all. Winnipeg allowed the fifth-most scoring chances (1,565) and second-most high-danger scoring chances (678) in 2020-21, but Hellebuyck held the fort. He has the skills to backstop the Jets to a lengthy playoff run.28. Mark Scheifele, Jets Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5521406121:00Scheifele is vital to the Jets' offense and enters the playoffs after averaging 1.11 points per game in his most productive regular season yet. He suffered an injury early in last year's qualifying round, and Winnipeg wasn't able to survive without its top pivot.27. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild Norm Hall / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5527245118:18Kaprizov is already one of the league's must-watch talents just 55 games into his NHL career. The Wild's 24-year-old star is scoring at an elite rate and will likely win the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie this season. Kaprizov embraces the spotlight and seems like the type of player who will take his game to another level in the postseason.26. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAPATOI338202817:44It's been a difficult year for Malkin, both in terms of his health and goal-scoring. The Penguins star said he feels fine after leaving Saturday's game as a precaution. He may not be capable of replicating his playoff performances of old, but the once-dominant center is still a threat to impact postseason games.25. Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI538344222:33Theodore continues to be one of the most under-the-radar elite defensemen in the NHL. He ranks third among Golden Knights skaters with 42 points and has averaged 22:38 of ice time per game. He's one of the league's biggest offensive threats from the blue line and a vital cog in Vegas' potent lineup.24. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5510324222:43Hamilton turned in yet another brilliant campaign for the Hurricanes this season, finishing top 10 in scoring among defensemen and first in shots on goal - all while controlling 57.17% of expected goals at five-on-five. He plays a key role in Carolina's up-tempo style, and a strong playoff run could soon have the pending unrestricted free agent in line for an eight-figure salary.23. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI5520416118:25Huberdeau is one of the game's top playmakers and will look to lead the Panthers to their first playoff series win since 1996. The dynamic winger ranks seventh among all NHL skaters in assists and produced at a 90-point pace over 82 games for the third consecutive campaign. With just 10 career playoff games under his belt, the 27-year-old will be hungry to seize the opportunity.22. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI00000Kucherov is perhaps the biggest question mark entering these playoffs. Will he be fully healthy after missing the entire regular season? If so, will there be any rust to kick off? If there is, how quickly can he return to his usual dynamic form? The Lightning superstar would obviously be far higher up this list in a normal year, but it's unclear how much he'll be able to contribute.21. Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues Scott Rovak / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5524295320:51The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner turned in another incredible season with the Blues this year. O'Reilly's two-way game is impeccable, and he's proven over the past two seasons that he doesn't slow down come playoff time; he ranks fifth among all players with 34 points in 35 playoff games since 2019. If the Blues can catch fire with O'Reilly leading the way, they'll be as tough an out as any team.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin Saturday, we rank the top 30 players who will compete for the ultimate prize (2020-21 stats in tables):30-21 | 20-11 | 10-120. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5517284518:44Barzal isn't quite elite, but the young Islanders star is capable of breaking a game open at any time with his speed and puckhandling abilities. New York's emphasis on defense doesn't always qualify as must-see TV, but Barzal can singlehandedly make the team worth watching.19. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAPATOI488253324:21Josi isn't in the Norris Trophy conversation this season after winning the award last year, but he's still one of the most dangerous defensemen in the league. He led the Predators in scoring with 33 points this campaign while averaging a whopping 24:21 of ice time per game.18. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5624335719:28Aho's presence as a premier two-way center flies under the radar on a league-wide scale. Carolina's top pivot does it all and was dominant last postseason with 12 points in nine games. This year, he enters the dance with 19 points in his final 15 regular-season contests. Expect him to play a huge role in the Canes' Cup aspirations.17. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI5623254818:26Point's production was down just slightly this season, but he's been known to take his game up a level come playoff time. The 5-foot-10 pivot led all players in goals (14) last postseason en route to the Stanley Cup and has amassed 50 points across 44 playoff outings.16. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI4820284818:37Pastrnak is far too high on this list based on his 2020-21 output alone, especially considering he skates alongside a pair of the game's best two-way players. However, the 24-year-old can fill the net in bunches and has a strong postseason track record (53 points in 52 games).15. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5230366619:55Rantanen is done proving he's far more than just Nathan MacKinnon's sidekick. The 24-year-old potted at least 29 goals for the third time in his six-year career in 2021, and what he's done this season is even more remarkable considering it's a shortened campaign.14. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI5423254818:13Bergeron continues to be one of the most effective two-way centers in the league, even at 35 years old. He controls play at a ridiculous pace and helps generate a ton of offense on Boston's top line. He's one of the most experienced playoff players in the league and will look to guide the surging Bruins to yet another lengthy playoff run this postseason.13. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Patrick McDermott / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI4424184219:31We all know what Ovechkin brings to the table by now - he scores goals at will and is the heartbeat of the Capitals attack. However, he enters the playoffs on the heels of an injury, and his goals per game this season (0.53) was his lowest since 2017 and the fourth lowest of his illustrious career.12. Brad Marchand, Bruins Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5329406918:55One of the league's most versatile talents, Marchand contributes at an elite level all over the ice and in all situations. The Bruins pest sits third in scoring this season, and whether you love him or hate him, there's no denying that rostering a talent like Marchand is every team's dream come playoff time.11. Cale Makar, Avalanche Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI448364424:19Makar likely would've been the front-runner for the Norris Trophy if he hadn't missed 12 games earlier in the season. The 22-year-old is easily the game's most dynamic offensive defenseman, but his defensive metrics this year were also off the charts. Thanks to his elite skating ability, Makar seems like a player who can log nearly 30 minutes per night in the playoffs if necessary.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL made it.After a truncated regular season littered with COVID outbreaks, the playoffs are here. Competition for the Stanley Cup begins Saturday night as the Boston Bruins visit the Washington Capitals.Here's one key matchup for each of the eight opening-round playoff series:McDavid vs. HellebuyckNo need to overthink it: the only way the Winnipeg Jets defeat the Edmonton Oilers is if they can contain runaway Hart Trophy favorite Connor McDavid."Contain" is being used liberally here. McDavid absolutely torched Winnipeg in the regular season, recording 22 points in nine games. Limiting the Oilers captain to "just" a point per game would be a decent starting point for a Jets squad that also has to game plan against Leon Draisaitl and Mike Smith. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesBased on the Jets' makeup - strong forward group, mediocre defense corps, strong goaltending duo - the task of minimizing McDavid mostly falls on who's in net. Fortunately for Winnipeg, Connor Hellebuyck is on the very short list of NHL goalies who could conceivably steal a series against McDavid.Over the past two years, Hellebuyck leads all goalies in Evolving Hockey's goals saved above expected stat. This information suggests he's more than capable of turning aside the kind of high-quality scoring chances McDavid and his linemates so often generate. Hellebuyck can flat-out steal games.Now, whether Hellebuyck manages to play to his absolute potential versus Edmonton is another story altogether. It's a lot to ask - especially since McDavid (104 points in 55 games) has looked virtually unstoppable all season.Pelech-Pulock vs. Crosby lineBoth the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are a little misunderstood. Yes, the Islanders can generate enough offense. And yes, the Penguins can lock it down defensively.That said, since the Pens boast better finishing talent, the outcome of this series will come down to how effective the Isles' defense can be. At a more granular level, the burning question turns into, can New York's top pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock hang with the top line of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust? Mike Stobe / Getty ImagesPelech and Pulock made out OK in the head-to-head matchup during the regular season. The Isles got outplayed and outscored, yet there wasn't a huge gap in performance. Over 44 even-strength minutes, Pittsburgh won 37-31 in shot attempts, 23-20 in shots on goal, 21-15 in scoring chances, and 2-0 in goals, according to data compiled by Natural Stat Trick.If Pelech and Pulock can replicate those results, and the Crosby line is limited to a mere two even-strength goals over the course of the opening round, that's a victory for the Isles, no?Of course, the Isles also lost 10 of their final 16 regular-season games, and it's no secret the postseason isn't kind to teams who need time to get back on track. Pelech and Pulock have an opportunity to set the tone early and often against the Crosby line, and the Isles can go from there.Tom Wilson vs. Trent FredericThe Capitals are old, banged up, and don't have a bonafide No. 1 goaltender to bail them out of trouble. The Bruins have a deeper roster with more high-end talent and are also entering the postseason on a nice roll.Suddenly, the polarizing Tom Wilson is a super important player for the Caps. Washington sorely needs Wilson to contribute on the scoresheet, which he is fully capable of. When he's on, he scores while (legally) annoying the hell out of the opposition. For many reasons, Wilson will be in the spotlight. Boston Globe / Getty ImagesEnter Trent Frederic, of all people. The 23-year-old Bruins forward fought Wilson back in March. And on Tuesday, in the last regular-season meeting between the two clubs, he was seen jawing with him throughout the game. Clearly, when Frederic's engaged, he can distract the Caps enforcer from scoring.At Friday's practice, Frederic was reportedly skating outside of Boston's top four lines, which means he could be scratched for Game 1. But don't be surprised when the Bruins' own agitator gets reinserted into the lineup and shifts the narrative of this series. Frederic knows his job and does it well.'Canes special teams vs. Preds special teamsCarolina, a dominant five-on-five team, was a buzzsaw on special teams during the regular season, finishing with the second-ranked power play and third-ranked penalty kill. Nashville, a decent five-on-five team, was at the other end of the spectrum with the 24th-ranked PP and 29th-ranked PK.In eight head-to-head meetings, the 'Canes scored nine goals on 26 PP opportunities (34.6%) whereas the Preds scored three on 27 (11.1%).Put another way, this could be the most lopsided first-round series. John Russell / Getty ImagesJuuse Saros' work on the penalty kill was at the heart of Nashville's problems. The Preds had the league's 10th-lowest expected goals against per 60 minutes rate on the PK, per Evolving Hockey, hinting they made life relatively easy on whoever was in the crease. Yet Saros ranked 45th out of 47 NHL goalies in shorthanded save percentage (minimum 100 PK minutes).Otherwise, Saros has been brilliant in 2020-21 and should get some love from Vezina Trophy voters. Perhaps the 26-year-old Finn can find his groove on the PK over a short duration against Carolina. Nashville needs any help it can get.Panthers exuberance vs. Lightning rustThe inaugural Battle of Florida pits the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning against an upstart Florida Panthers team that hasn't won a playoff series since 1996.The intrigue is amplified by the expected Game 1 return of star forwards Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Kucherov missed the entire regular season to recover from hip surgery, while Stamkos was limited to 38 games after being shelved for the final 16 games due to an upper-body injury. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesThere are two ways to view the returns: first, Tampa is adding a former MVP and a prolific goalscorer at just the right time, sky's the limit. Second, Tampa is adding two rusty players at an awkward time, opening the door for Florida - who won the season series 5-2-1 - to pounce.The smart money is on Kucherov and Stamkos contributing right away. Then again, discounting the Joel Quenneville-coached Panthers and their exuberance as a team finally on the rise would be unwise.Factor in the uncertainty surrounding Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman's health and there's potential for not only an entertaining and long series but also an upset. This series won't disappoint.Leafs' identity vs. Habs' identityThe regular season proved the supremely skilled Toronto Maple Leafs are the toast of the North Division. The Montreal Canadiens had their moments, particularly in the first few weeks of the regular season, but they couldn't find enough consistency to solidify themselves as a particularly dangerous playoff opponent. A five-game losing skid to end the schedule didn't change any minds. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWhat Montreal does have going for it is a different playing style than Toronto. That may seem too simplistic but, let's face it, to avoid getting swept the Habs need to get inside the Leafs' heads. It can't be one guy pushing around Auston Matthews, it must be a commitment from all four forward lines and all three defense pairings. They won't win the skill battle.Josh Anderson, Shea Weber, and Brendan Gallagher (assuming he's cleared to play) can lean on Toronto's best players, but it takes two to tango. Corey Perry can start a scrum between whistles but it's only an effective tactic if the Leafs allow themselves to get sucked in. The Habs are bigger and more physical, but are they savvier?For Toronto, it's simple: focus on nothing except your own identity and style.Avs' mobile D vs. Blues' physical DIt's hard to pick just one matchup, seeing as the Colorado Avalanche are such an electric team. The St. Louis Blues have a lot to deal with.The mobility of Colorado's defense corps jumps to the front of mind, though. From Cale Makar and Devon Toews, to Samuel Girard and Ryan Graves, to Conor Timmins and Bowen Byram (when healthy), the Avs are giants in the transition game. This is why Colorado bagged a league-high 3.52 goals per game in the regular season. They're completely overwhelming. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThis puck movement can't all be stopped by Ryan O'Reilly and his Selke Trophy-caliber defensive play. No, it's the entirety of St. Louis' defense corps, plus goalie Jordan Binnington, that'll be tasked with pushing back the Avs' offensive stars in this series.Given the personnel on the Blues' blue line - Torey Krug, Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, et al - an abundance of physicality likely will be the chosen plan of attack for head coach Craig Berube. Truthfully, it might be his only option considering how dizzying Colorado plays in all three zones.DeBoer vs. EvasonLook, the Vegas Golden Knights are arguably the best, most complete team in the entire league. Their presumed second-round meeting with the Avalanche is much anticipated for a reason.However, their first-round opponent, the Minnesota Wild, are no pushovers. The Wild went 5-1-2 against the Golden Knights during the regular season. Super rookie Kirill Kaprizov is an X-factor, and Minnesota plays an uptempo but responsible brand of hockey that should translate well in the playoffs. Ethan Miller / Getty ImagesThis is where coaching comes in. Vegas coach Pete DeBoer has last change for four out of seven games and can choose to deploy his wonderful top forward line of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Chandler Stephenson in whichever manner feels right in the moment. DeBoer also has a pair of stud goalies at his disposal and his use of Robin Lehner is a storyline on its own.Meanwhile, when Minnesota has last change, Dean Evason can match up his two-way second line powered by Joel Eriksson Ek with either Stone's line or the other half of the Golden Knights' enviable top six. Keep an eye on the men patrolling the benches.John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com)Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin Saturday, we rank the top 30 players who will compete for the ultimate prize (2020-21 stats in tables):30-21 | 20-11 | 10-110. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning Scott Audette / National Hockey League / GettyRecordGAASV%GSAA31-10-12.21.92520.70Vasilevskiy is the clear Vezina Trophy front-runner. He even deserves to be on the periphery of the Hart Trophy race thanks to his stellar play this season. The Lightning goaltender's dominance has been critical to the success of a club that's missed stars all season (Nikita Kucherov) and down the stretch (Steven Stamkos).9. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5520476722:26Marner has put together the most dominant season of his career, carving up the North Division night in and night out. His playmaking abilities are second to none, and he's even scored goals at a higher-than-normal clip. Marner and Auston Matthews have established themselves as one of the league's most dominant duos, and they'll look to make their mark this postseason.8. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI5521406119:04Stone is entering the playoffs on the heels of the most productive campaign (1.11 points per game) of his 10-year career. The two-way force plays with unmatched intensity, and his hockey IQ in both ends of the rink makes him one of the NHL's most consistent players. If Vegas lives up to expectations and goes on a deep run, Stone will surely be in the running for the Conn Smythe.7. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers Harry How / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOI5026325820:56Barkov, one of the game's top defensive forwards, has developed into a premier sniper. The Panthers captain eclipsed his 2019-20 goal total by six in 16 fewer outings this season and was on pace for a career-best 42 tallies over 82 games. With Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau leading the charge, the Cats are serious contenders this spring.6. Victor Hedman, Lightning Scott Audette / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI549364525:03Hedman may have piled up points this season, but he had a down year - by his standards. He's reportedly played through a lower-body injury, which will require offseason surgery, since the beginning of April. This clearly limited his effectiveness down the stretch and could do the same in the playoffs.Nonetheless, as the reigning Conn Smythe winner, Hedman deserves a high spot on this list. He can carry a team on his back - when he's right.5. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5531528322:17Draisaitl has taken a back seat this season to the No. 1 player on this list, but don't forget how potent the reigning Hart Trophy winner is. He's still among the league leaders in terms of offensive production, and he's nearly as dangerous as his otherworldly teammate.4. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5524386220:24Crosby put together yet another fantastic season, helping drag the injury-riddled Penguins to the East Division's top seed. Since 2008, nobody in the league has played more postseason games or put up more playoff points than the 33-year-old. With his career starting to dwindle down, it's possible this is one of the final times we'll see a truly dominant Crosby gunning for another title.3. Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI5241256621:33Matthews should be a shoo-in to earn a Hart Trophy nomination after solidifying his place among the game's elite with a whopping 0.79 goals per game this season. With him leading the way for the Maple Leafs, it feels like this is the year the club finally makes some postseason noise.2. Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI4820456520:22MacKinnon plays with a unique ferocity that makes him stand out among his peers. He's the ultimate competitor and his tireless engine, combined with a skill level unmatched by most, makes him one of the most enjoyable players to watch on a nightly basis. This could be the year where MacKinnon and the Avalanche break through.1. Connor McDavid, Oilers Francois Lacasse / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOI55337110422:16Were you expecting anyone else? McDavid had arguably the most dominant individual season since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96, and he should be the unanimous Hart Trophy winner. That's enough for the top spot on this list.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ryan O'Reilly didn't say, "I guarantee," but the St. Louis Blues captain clearly believes his team will upset the NHL's top squad in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs."It's exciting for us," O'Reilly said Thursday night. "We know we can beat this team and do some damage here.""We know that they have a lot of talent over there and they work hard, but for us, it's an exciting challenge," the Blues star added. "We're going have some fun and we're going to beat them."The Avalanche clinched the Presidents' Trophy to claim the NHL's best record with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.Colorado scored the most goals per game and surrendered the third-fewest per contest in 2021 while authoring the NHL's second-best goal differential. The Avalanche also led the league in goals for percentage at five-on-five and expected goals for percentage in the same situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.O'Reilly, who played his first six seasons with Colorado, led the Blues with 24 goals and ranked second with 30 assists while playing all 56 games this season. St. Louis named him captain in December following Alex Pietrangelo's departure in October.The Avalanche finished atop the West Division with a 39-13-4 record, while the Blues finished fourth at 27-20-9.Colorado won five of the eight meetings between the clubs during the regular season, though St. Louis won the last two, both on home ice.Game 1 of their first-round series is scheduled for Monday night in Denver.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Lightning face a daunting road while defending their crown after finishing behind two of the league's most analytically sound teams, and ahead of a club that was among the hottest during the second half.But goaltending could reign supreme, even with all the offensive firepower in the Central Division. The division features playoff teams that finished first, second, and fourth in five-on-five SV%. And Andrei Vasilevskiy is in the crease for the Central's other postseason-bound club.Let's break it down.1. Hurricanes (-240) vs. 4. Predators (+190)OverallHurricanesStatPredators36-12-8Record31-23-26-2-0H2H2-5-153.89 (6th)xGF%*49.76 (17th)54.95 (3rd)CF%*49.46 (16th)55.41 (6th)HDCF%*50.62 (15th)7.21 (28th)SH%*7.76 (24th).935 (2nd)SV%*.936 (1st)25.6 (2nd)PP%17.6 (24th)85.2 (3rd)PK%75.4 (29th)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDateHome-AwayxG*CF%*HDCF*Goalies1/18NSH 2 - CAR 41.76 - 2.6149.76 - 50.246 - 11Rinne - Reimer3/2NSH 2 - CAR 41.98 - 3.2344.25 - 55.759 - 11Saros/Rinne - Reimer3/9CAR 3 - NSH 2 OT2.93 - 3.5847.91 - 52.0914 - 12Nedeljkovic - Rinne3/11CAR 5 - NSH 12.67 - 2.8949.33 - 50.678 - 10Reimer - Rinne4/15CAR 4 - NSH 12.65 - 2.2351.4 - 48.68 - 8Mrazek - Saros4/17CAR 3 - NSH 16.72 - 2.5161.5 - 38.529 - 10Nedeljkovic - Saros5/8NSH 3 - CAR 13.66 - 1.6657.49 - 42.5116 - 7Saros - Nedeljkovic5/10NSH 5 - CAR 02.54 - 1.3549.94 - 50.068 - 8Rinne - Mrazek*all strengthsGo look at this Hurricanes team and find me the weak spot. Seriously, are you looking?Jordan Staal is the third-line center behind Sebastian Aho and Vincent Trocheck. Six Hurricanes wingers are posting at least a 15-goal pace in a standard 82-game season. They're so loaded on the blue line that two NHL-caliber defensemen will be watching Game 1 from the press box. The team boasts goaltenders who rank second and third in the NHL in GSAA/60 (minimum 10 starts). Rod Brind'Amour is a front-runner for the Jack Adams Award, and his assistants oversee the league's No. 2 power play and No. 3 penalty kill. This club is an absolute juggernaut.Over the past two seasons, depth up front prevented the Hurricanes from taking the next step, particularly down the middle. Enter Trocheck.He's been the club's missing link while filling a gaping hole as the second-line center and doing so with aplomb. Carolina is controlling 56.73% of the expected goal share at five-on-five when Trocheck is on the ice, as he's been the catalyst for one of the NHL's most productive second lines alongside Nino Niederreiter and Martin Necas. The Hurricanes have been nearly impossible to contain with that trio playing behind a typically dominant top line, and ahead of an impressively efficient checking line.The Predators learned that the hard way this season, but they're coming in hot after posting a 20-7-1 second-half record. They did well just to make the playoffs after many were expecting GM David Poile to strip the team for parts at the deadline following such a miserable start.But It's been all smiles in Nashville over the last two months, though a dose of reality is coming against a Hurricanes team that easily handled the Predators during the season. In fact, Nashville was an ugly 7-17-0 against the Central Division's three playoff teams, with two of those wins coming over the last two games of the Predators' season when Carolina had already clinched the division title.All signs point to the Predators being mostly overmatched in this series, but it's impossible to count them out with the red-hot Juuse Saros in net. The 26-year old has been the league's undisputed best goalie since returning from an injury on March 18, ranking first in GSAA (22.9) and GSAx (14.32). If he can maintain that play in the series, the Predators will have a fighting chance.Saros can be trusted to steal a game or two, but the Hurricanes led the league in xGF/60 (2.74) at five-on-five, and they paced the NHL in special-teams goals (49). That firepower will win out over a series, barring a Jaroslav Halak-like effort from the Nashville netminder.With a much tougher opponent waiting, Carolina will be eager to end this series quickly.Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 (-120)2. Panthers (+115) vs. 3. Lightning (-145)OverallPanthersStatLightning37-14-5Record36-17-35-2-1H2H3-5-054.89 (3rd)xGF%*53.23 (9th)54.32 (4th)CF%*53.14 (7th)53.79 (7th)HDCF%*51.86 (12th)7.82 (23rd)SH%*8.34 (12th).926 (4th)SV%*.921 (11th)20.5 (15th)PP%22.4 (8th)79.8 (17th)PK%84.2 (4th)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDateHome-AwayxG*CF%*HDCF*Goalies2/11FLA 5 - TB 23.38 - 1.1557.68 - 42.329 - 2Bobrovsky - Vasilevskiy2/13FLA 1 - TB 62.46 - 2.8652.38 - 47.629 - 9Bobrovsky - Vasilevskiy2/15TB 4 - FLA 62.45 - 1.9956.74 - 43.2610 - 6McElhinney - Driedger3/21TB 5 - FLA 33.85 - 2.8647.89 - 52.1117 - 12McElhinney - Bobrovsky4/15TB 3 - FLA 2 OT1.17 - 2.7941.35 - 58.654 - 13Vasilevskiy - Driedger4/17TB 3 - FLA 51.66 - 3.2645.42 - 54.589 - 7Vasilevskiy - Bobrovsky5/8FLA 5 - TB 12.06 - 2.7150.87 - 49.136 - 3Bobrovsky - Vasilevskiy5/10FLA 4 - TB 02.98 - 2.158.59 - 41.416 - 6Driedger - Vasilevskiy*all strengthsCalling this in-state matchup a rivalry is a stretch, but it's been trending in that direction this season. Animosity has been building between the two Sunshine State teams that are meeting for the first time in the postseason.This might be the toughest first-round matchup to predict, with so many variables that could drastically swing the probability.Nikita Kucherov is slated to play for the first time this season in Game 1, but is he truly healthy? And will there be an adjustment period for him?How healthy is Steven Stamkos? He hasn't played since April 8.Will Victor Hedman be ready for Game 1? And will he be effective playing through an injury that's going to require offseason surgery?And will it be Sergei Bobrovsky or Chris Driedger starting in goal for the Panthers?That's a lot to unpack. To start, the Lightning are limping into the playoffs and looking vulnerable prior to squaring off with a Panthers team the betting market is dangerously underrating. Only five clubs face longer odds to win the Stanley Cup than Florida (17-1), despite its top-five record and equally impressive underlying metrics.Florida more than held its own against the defending champions this season. While Kucherov returning means those meetings are less significant, the Panthers' current lineup also wasn't together for most of those clashes. Adding Sam Bennett - who has formed a nearly unstoppable line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett - has really solidified the Panthers' top six, making them stronger down the middle in an attempt to match Tampa's center depth. Bennett recorded four points over two games against the Lightning, with both of those contests resulting in Florida wins.Even if we assume Tampa benefits from a fully healthy lineup, there's every reason to believe Florida can keep up. So the big question in this series centers around goaltending.Vasilevskiy's workload was efficiently managed, and he should be fresh. But who will start opposite him? The difference between Driedger and Bobrovsky is hardly negligible.GoalieGSAAGSAxDriedger12.48 (7th)7.03 (8th)Bobrovsky-2.65 (59th)-10.65 (79th)Still, Joel Quenneville hasn't given the reigns to Driedger, opting to instead alternate between the two while hoping Bobrovsky can rediscover the form that earned him his hefty contract.If Driedger gets the nod, the goaltending gap in this series shrinks significantly. Many view Vasilevskiy as the world's best goalie, and he's capable of stealing a game any night. But Driedger posted a higher GSAA/60 and five-on-five SV% (.942) this season. If it's Bobrovsky in Game 1, he'll likely be on a short leash.Quenneville confirming Driedger as the starter before the series would create plenty of value on the Panthers with this series line. But that's unlikely, and there's plenty of injury uncertainty, so I'll be looking to get involved here on more of a game-to-game basis as opposed to betting the series price.However, the last two Stanley Cup champions were eliminated in the first round the following season. This feels a lot like the 2019 series between the Capitals and Hurricanes, when a young, hungry Carolina team bounced the reigning champs in seven.Lean: Panthers (+115)Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Housing two of the league's consensus top teams, the West Division is a gauntlet. The Avalanche and Golden Knights have eyes on the Stanley Cup, but the rejuvenated Wild and 2019 Cup champion Blues are hopeful of playing spoiler.Should we be expecting chaos in the West when the playoffs get underway?1. Avalanche (-400) vs. 4. Blues (+300)OverallAVALANCHESTATBLUES39-13-4Record27-20-95-3-0H2H3-5-060.71 (1st)xGF%*45.89 (24th)60.33 (1st)CF%*48.00 (20th)58.75 (1st)HDCF%*43.89 (30th)8.72 (8th)SH%*8.19 (15th).916 (18th)SV%*.916 (19th)22.7 (8th)PP%23.2 (6th)83.1 (8th)PK%77.8 (25th)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDATEHOME-AWAYxG*CF%*HDCF*GOALIES1/13COL 1 - STL 41.53 - 3.4844.71 - 55.298 - 10Grubauer - Binnington1/15COL 8 - STL 03.11 - 1.2359.36 - 40.6411 - 7Grubauer - Binnington4/2COL 3 - STL 23.81 - 1.9456.93 - 43.0714 - 8Johansson - Binnington4/3COL 2 - STL 14.36 - 2.0856.7 - 43.314 - 8Grubauer - Husso4/14STL 3 - COL 42.56 - 2.9647.13 - 52.8711 - 11Binnington - Dubnyk4/22STL 2 - COL 41.74 - 4.0253.36 - 46.647 - 10Binnington - Dubnyk4/24STL 5 - COL 33.1 - 4.0839.67 - 60.335 - 14Binnington - Dubnyk4/26STL 4 - COL 11.67 - 3.2332.89 - 67.117 - 15Binnington - Johansson*all strengthsThere are a handful of elite teams in the NHL, but Colorado is in a tier of its own at the top.Juggernaut is just the tip of the iceberg when describing how dominant the Avalanche were at five-on-five this season. They led the NHL in GF%, SF%, FF%, CF%, xGF%, SCF%, HDCF%, SF/60, SA/60, FF/60, FA/60, CF/60, CA/60, xGA/60, SCF/60, and SCA/60. The list grows if we dive deeper into the advanced stats pool, too. And it's not just that the Avalanche led the league - they embarrassed the rest of it. Just look at the gap they built on the next best teams:RANK TEAM xGF1Avalanche60.71%2Maple Leafs55.67%3Panthers54.89%RANK TEAM CF%1Avalanche60.33%2Hurricanes54.95%3Bruins54.88%To no one's surprise, Colorado took home the Presidents' Trophy, securing home ice throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there are no signs of slowing down. The Avalanche's PDO was right around the league average; in fact, their shooting percentage was nearly two points lower than it was last year, suggesting they could be even better - good luck to the rest of the league.This first-round matchup shouldn't scare Colorado fans despite the somewhat familiar territory the Blues find themselves in. St. Louis could relish once again in this underdog role they find themselves in, similar to when they won the Cup in 2019. But it's a lazy narrative. While a chunk of the core remains together, the circumstances surrounding the team this season are much different, and the truth is the Blues are but a shadow of their former selves.They were miserable at five-on-five throughout the year, finishing 24th in xGF% and 20th in CF%. They aren’t exactly coming in hot, despite what a late-season push to secure a playoff spot might suggest. Over the second half of the season - dating back to March 17 - the Blues rank 30th in expected goal share. Even after finishing the season 8-1-3, they posted a miserable 42.31 xGF%. There are few redeeming qualities to uncover about this team to suggest an upset could be in the cards.But my biggest concern surrounding the Blues is their non-existent offense at five-on-five. They ranked 29th in xGF/60 (1.97) and dead last in HDCF/60 (8.1). What saved them was the league's fourth-best high-danger shooting percentage at 20.7%, way up from last season's mark of 16%. It's hardly sustainable. As a whole, Colorado's five-on-five SV% was a hair below the league average, but that would also seem in line for a positive correction with a healthy Philipp Grubauer. The 29-year-old finished sixth in GSAA this season and saved four goals above expected (13th).To have success in this series, the Blues need to be much better at five-on-five. They actually did well in this regard during the regular season, outscoring the Avs 15-13 at even strength, but a deeper look shows that's misleading. The Avalanche controlled 57.48% of the expected goal share at five-on-five in the season series, but were undone by goaltending - Devan Dubnyk and Jonas Johansson started five of the eight head-to-head meetings. Grubauer allowed just five goals in his three starts against St. Louis, with four of them coming on the season’s opening night.What this boils down to is the Blues not having any forwards driving play to any degree of success this season. While every Colorado forward is above 55% in expected goals percentage, none on St. Louis are above 50%. Even if the Blues play their absolute best, can they generate enough offense to push the Avs to the brink?Can anyone?Pick: Avalanche -2.5 games (+145)2. Golden Knights (-240) vs. 3. Wild (+190)OverallGOLDEN KNIGHTSSTATWILD40-14-2Record35-16-53-4-1H2H5-1-254.01 (5th)xGF%*52.52 (11th)54.53 (4th)CF%*46.81 (26th)53.47 (8th)HDCF%*55.41 (5th)9.45 (4th)SH%*10.21 (1st).920 (12th)SV%*.919 (14th)17.8 (22nd)PP%17.6 (24th)86.8 (1st)PK%80.8 (12th)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDATEHOME-AWAYxG*CF%*HDCF*GOALIES3/1VGK 5 - MIN 4 OT3.36 - 1.8757.83 - 42.1714 - 7Fleury - Talbot3/3VGK 5 - MIN 13.52 - 4.4151.61 - 48.3910 - 16Fleury - Talbot3/8MIN 2 - VGK 03.02 - 1.0246.75 - 53.2510 - 4Kahkonen - Fleury3/10MIN 4 - VGK 34.14 - 2.0344.75 - 55.2512 - 4Kahkonen - Fleury4/1VGK 2 - MIN 3 SO3.99 - 3.8648.52 - 51.4816 - 14Lehner - Talbot4/3VGK 1 - MIN 23.09 - 2.6660.33 - 39.679 - 7Fleury - Talbot5/3MIN 6 - VGK 52.95 - 2.4541.66 - 58.3416 - 7Talbot - Lehner5/5MIN 2 - VGK 3 OT1.5 - 2.7939.31 - 60.696 - 8Talbot - Fleury*all strengthsIt's fairly safe to say the Golden Knights are a consensus top-three team in the NHL, yet the Wild will be relieved to be preparing for a first-round series against them as opposed to Colorado. Minnesota had a tough time against the Avalanche this season but seemed to have the Knights' number, winning five of eight head-to-head meetings while losing just once in regulation.It's actually because of their poor record against the Wild - the only team they had a losing record against this season - that the Knights didn't comfortably win the West Division and Presidents' Trophy. Securing home-ice advantage in the first round was important - Vegas hasn't won a game in regulation in Minnesota in franchise history.The Knights are a better overall team than the Wild according to just about every metric, but a switch seems to flip when these two meet, with the stats backing up Minnesota's head-to-head edge. The Wild owned a larger share of the expected goals at even strength in five of eight meetings, including a 54.5% cumulative tally in those games. The Knights' mark of 45.5% was nearly nine points lower than their season total. You know that person in high school you had a crush on and couldn't seem to formulate proper sentences when you were around them? That's who the Wild are to the Knights.When it isn't playing Minnesota, Vegas is a force. The team is deep, diligently structured, and plays a brand of hockey conducive to playoff success. They play fast and strong with the ability to wear teams down over the course of a series. Everyone on the roster buys in. They have an uncanny ability to drive play regardless of who’s on the ice, with every skater - with the exception of Ryan Reaves (49.39%) - controlling over 50% of the expected goal share at five-on-five.And Vegas only grew stronger as the season wore on, much closer resembling the Cup contender we all knew them to be, while the Wild tailed off after such an impressive start. But form always seemed to go out the window when these teams met.So what is it about Minnesota that makes Vegas look ... human?Well, the Wild - despite the dynamism of rookie Kirill Kaprizov - do their best work down low, cycling and grinding teams down on the forecheck. They take the Knights' workmanlike, in-your-face approach and throw it right back at them. The Wild ranked fifth in rebound shots this season, and that ability to generate second-chance opportunities proved problematic for Vegas, who allowed the second-most rebound attempts in the league. Minnesota creating offense in tight resulted in a significant discrepancy in high-danger chances in the head-to-head meetings and, ultimately, its winning record.This series is going to be an excellent barometer for what matters more between season-long and head-to-head stats. The start of the playoffs represents something of a blank slate, and Vegas has experience in spades in its short existence, but Minnesota will come into this series full of belief. Six of the eight meetings between these teams were decided by just one goal, and while the Knights are the better of the two, they're going to have to earn every inch.Pick: Wild +1.5 games (-110)Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Four of the last five Stanley Cup Finals have featured a team competing in these East Division playoffs. Ahead of the 2021 postseason, each of these four squads has a case to be made as a possible finalist.The East is also where the fun will get underway, with Game 1 of Capitals versus Bruins kicking off the playoffs Saturday night, followed by Game 1 of Penguins versus Islanders on Sunday afternoon.1. Penguins (-145) vs. 4. Islanders (+120)OverallPENGUINSSTATISLANDERS37-16-3Record32-17-76-2-0H2H2-4-249.45 (18th)xGF%*54.07 (4th)51.21 (12th)CF%*49.31 (17th)48.07 (21st)HDCF%*56.21 (3rd)9.25 (6th)SH%*8.37 (12th).925 (4th)SV%*.931 (3rd)23.7 (4th)PP%18.8 (21st)77.4 (26th)PK%83.7 (6th)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDATEHOME-AWAYxG*CF%*HDCF*GOALIES2/6NYI 4 - PIT 33.54 - 3.0146.36 - 53.6415 - 18Varlamov - Jarry2/11NYI 3 - PIT 4 SO3.6 - 2.7147.33 - 52.6717 - 10Varlamov - DeSmith2/18PIT 4 - NYI 14.62 - 2.6455.95 - 44.0513 - 11Jarry - Varlamov2/20PIT 3 - NYI 21.52 - 2.5338.86 - 61.146 - 13Jarry - Varlamov2/27NYI 3 - PIT 4 OT2.83 - 3.3947 - 5317 - 11Varlamov - Jarry2/28NYI 2 - PIT 04.29 - 1.8657.18 - 42.8217 - 9Sorokin - DeSmith3/27PIT 6 - NYI 33.35 - 2.4351.92 - 48.0811 - 9Jarry - Sorokin3/29PIT 2 - NYI 11.56 - 1.6451.19 - 48.817 - 13Jarry - Varlamov*all strengthsThe Penguins last reached the playoffs in 2019 when the Islanders swept them out of the first round. Postseason success has eluded the franchise since it won back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017, with Pittsburgh most recently losing to the Canadiens in last year's play-in round. But the Penguins enter these playoffs with renewed optimism after securing their first division title since 2014.They did so in impressive fashion, navigating the league's deepest division during a treacherous season - one in which they were forced to used 12 defensemen because of injuries, were without Evgeni Malkin for 23 games, and had their GM resign two weeks into the campaign. Pittsburgh had just six players suit up in 48 games or more, the fewest of any playoff squad.That makes it hard to know exactly what to make of this Penguins team. Pittsburgh's underlying metrics weren't the prettiest, and the team benefited from a high PDO. That typically shouts regression, but is a finally healthy lineup enough to erase those concerns?Only time will tell, but Pittsburgh should be confident entering this series after finding renewed success against the Islanders. The Penguins have lost to New York just twice in regulation since that sweep in 2019, with their speed giving the Islanders fits and their finishing ability up front emerging as a deciding factor. But the biggest difference has been Mike Sullivan beating Barry Trotz at his own game. Pittsburgh has shown a willingness to adopt a more patient game plan, ditching the eagerness New York punished in 2019.An upset will require a near-flawless effort from Islanders who - for the second year in a row - saw their season go pear-shaped in the second half of the campaign. They still managed an impressive run to the conference finals last year, but only after a four-month pause that allowed them to hit the reset button. Trotz recently called the postseason itself a reset, but this is a tight timeline for New York to rediscover its form. The Islanders simply haven't looked the same without Anders Lee, and Kyle Palmieri hasn't been able to fill the void.The Islanders pride themselves on being a strong five-on-five team, but they've posted an underwhelming 48.29 expected goals for percentage since acquiring Palmieri, with Michael Dal Colle and Mathew Barzal the only players sitting above 50%. Trotz continues to throw his lines in the blender in hopes of finding a winning recipe, but nothing seems to be working. The power play remains ineffective - that's been the case for three years now - but it's the impressive five-on-five play that's carried this team in past seasons. If the Islanders can't find success in that area, this series will be over in a hurry.New York's offense is too reliant on Barzal, and its defensemen don't create enough from the blue line. It leaves the Islanders with a razor-thin margin for success, while the Penguins have an embarrassment of riches up front. We already know the top six will feast - Sidney Crosby and Malkin both averaged at least a point per game against the Islanders this season - but Jeff Carter's arrival has given Pittsburgh a dynamic third line. Carter and Jared McCann each had 11 points in 14 games after the Penguins acquired Carter from the Kings, and linemate Frederick Gaudreau ended the year with six points in as many contests after returning to the lineup. Many hands make light work, and that appears to be Pittsburgh's path to success in these playoffs.The Islanders' strong suit is goaltending, which can be a great equalizer in the playoffs. New York will lean heavily on Semyon Varlamov - the league leader in goals saved above average - while Tristan Jarry's inconsistencies could open the door for an upset. The Penguins are one bad spell of goaltending away from another first-round exit, but the same can be said of any team. They're also one hot Jarry away from another Stanley Cup, which isn't true of every club.The Islanders last beat a playoff team on April 6. They're 0-4-2 since then, with just six goals scored. They were a pedestrian 11-13-4 on the road this season - the Penguins were 22-4-2 at home - and lost all four games at PPG Paints Arena. They're limping into the playoffs and - barring a lights-out effort from Varlamov - lack the firepower to give Pittsburgh a real scare in this series.Pick: Penguins (-145)2. Capitals (+115) vs. 3. Bruins (-140)OverallCAPITALSSTATBRUINS36-15-5Record33-16-74-4-0H2H4-2-251.78 (13th)xGF%*53.33 (8th)51.36 (11th)CF%*54.88 (3rd)53.11 (8th)HDCF%*50.44 (15th)10.09 (2nd)SH%*7.1 (30th).916 (17th)SV%*.920 (13th)24.8 (3rd)PP%21.9 (9th)84.0 (5th)PK%86.0 (2nd)*five-on-fiveHead-to-headDATEHOME-AWAYxG*CF%*HDCF*GOALIES1/30WSH 4 - BOS 3 OT1.74 - 4.2634.5 - 65.59 - 18Vanecek - Rask2/1WSH 3 - BOS 51.93 - 2.8445.51 - 54.494 - 4Vanecek - Halak3/3BOS 1 - WSH 2 SO1.02 - 2.6442.47 - 57.534 - 9Rask - Vanecek3/5BOS 5 - WSH 11.96 - 2.3549.93 - 50.0711 - 11Halak - Vanecek4/8WSH 2 - BOS 42.58 - 3.0444.27 - 55.739 - 9Samsonov - Swayman4/11BOS 1 - WSH 81.95 - 3.6444.55 - 44.55 - 55.457 - 11Vladar - Vanecek4/18BOS 6 - WSH 33.18 - 3.0746.52 - 46.52 - 53.489 - 11Rask - Vanecek5/11WSH 2 - BOS 12.39 - 1.4361.68 - 38.3210 - 4Vanecek - Swayman*all strengthsThe Capitals and Bruins have combined for 25 postseason appearances and 25 series wins in the past 14 seasons. Yet this will be just their second playoff meeting in that span - and the first since Joel Ward scored the overtime winner for Washington in Game 7 of their 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.This is the first season since 2014-15 in which the Capitals failed to win their division, and their punishment is a Bruins team that enters the playoffs as hot as any. Boston struggled to find consistency through much of the season's first three months, but a trio of deadline acquisitions has seen this team rediscover its Cup potential and re-establish itself as a top-five club.Boston added Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, and Curtis Lazar on April 11, hours after the Bruins suffered an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Capitals. All three have made a significant difference, but none more so than Hall. Boston leads the league with a 63.09 expected goals for percentage at five-on-five with Hall in the lineup - the only team to crack the 60% mark over that span. The Bruins are 12-3-1 in those games, and the second line of Hall, David Krejci, and Craig Smith has been an absolute force. Hall has an expected goals for percentage of 70.1 at five-on-five, with Smith (68.63%) and Krejci (67.45%) not far behind. The trio has also combined for 19 goals and 45 points in 16 games.That's a nightmare for the rest of the East. The old way to beat the Bruins was to focus defensive efforts on the top line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron - two 100-point players and the league's best two-way center. It's no longer so straightforward. The emergence of Boston's second line has made the top six a matchup nightmare.Lazar, meanwhile, has reinvigorated a fourth line that was once a liability. After being significantly out-chanced at five-on-five without him, Boston's bottom forward line has earned nearly 60% of the expected goal share since Lazar's arrival. This is a completely different team than it was before the deadline, so much so that it's arguably wise to ignore everything that happened previously.What does this mean for the Capitals? Well, it's certainly concerning. Washington is a team that seems to defy logic, always outperforming its otherwise mediocre metrics. But there's clear cause for concern ahead of the postseason. Some of the Capitals' best five-on-five producers are also their worst drivers of play - these issues have just been masked by what feels like an unsustainable finishing rate.Alex Ovechkin (12%), Nicklas Backstrom (12.4%), and Evgeny Kuznetsov (12.6%) all posted career-best on-ice shooting percentages this season, with all of them finishing well above career averages that hover around 9-10%. As a result, the Capitals finished second in five-on-five shooting percentage on the season, with the Bruins finishing second-last. But Boston and Washington posted nearly identical tallies in that regard over the final 20 games, so regression for both teams - positive, in the Bruins' case - is already underway.It's just one of a few concerns surrounding the Capitals ahead of this first round. Health and goaltending also remain legitimate question marks. Ovechkin, Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and John Carlson are all battling through injuries, and it feels like we're not privy to the full picture regarding Kuznetsov.In goal, which of Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov can Washington rely upon? The former allowed more than eight goals above expected this season, and the latter close to seven; they ranked 72nd and 66th, respectively, in that regard among all goaltenders. That's a massive drop-off from what Tuukka Rask managed - in a down year, no less - and a legitimate worry against Boston's firepower.To have success in this series, Washington will likely need to run hot on the power play. That's been this special-teams juggernaut's recipe for success for years now, but it's tough to count on given the standard of officiating in the playoffs. The Capitals also scored nine power-play goals against Boston this year compared to just 4.79 expected, which again speaks to looming regression.Boston boasts one of the league's best penalty kills, allowing the fewest expected goals against and the fewest high-danger scoring chances against per 60 minutes while shorthanded this season; overall, the team's penalty kill ranked second in efficiency at 86%. As long as they keep Washington's power play from truly catching fire, the Bruins will find their way to the second round for a fourth successive season.Pick: Bruins (-140)Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens' most recent dynasty was crumbling when Glen Sather, head coach of the NHL's next big thing, pressed play on the video hype montage in 1981. Sather's Edmonton Oilers had seized control of their first-round, best-of-five playoff matchup with Montreal, the era's dominant team and a Stanley Cup favorite now facing elimination on the road. That April 11, 17,499 fans packed Northlands Coliseum. They stomped and screamed as Game 3's 6 p.m. start time ticked by unheeded.The Oilers were still in their dressing room, grouped for a rare pregame meeting that Sather called to praise his green but historically gifted young core. On the screen, Wayne Gretzky kept setting up teammates by the Montreal netfront for easy goals: Glenn Anderson first, Jari Kurri twice, Brett Callighen later for two more. Twenty-year-old Mark Messier got nose to nose in a scrum with big Larry Robinson, projecting fearlessness by jawing at the mustachioed future Hall of Famer.The highlights played in slow motion, recapping Edmonton's Game 1 and 2 triumphs a few days earlier at the Montreal Forum. Tom Jones crooned the soundtracking song, "The Impossible Dream.""We felt invincible at that point," Andy Moog, the Oilers' rookie starting goaltender in the series, told theScore recently. "They just had to drop the puck in Game 3, and we were destined to win."Mark Messier (left) and Larry Robinson. Denis Brodeur / NHL / Getty ImagesEdmonton's destiny doubled as a stupefying upset, a sweep that snuffed hope that Montreal, the Cup's sole owner from 1976 to 1979, would raise a fifth banner with the same core. The monumental result turned 40 this spring, and by its broadest parameters - Canadian club versus Canadian club - the series mirrored the setup we're about to see in the North Division.Few hockey people, Canadian or otherwise, figured the Oilers would even threaten Montreal in 1981. Those Canadiens finished third in the NHL standings to Edmonton's 14th, pairing them in the first round under the 1-through-16 playoff format that lasted for two years after the NHL-WHA merger. Gretzky wasn't capital-G Great yet, though he was fresh off establishing his first single-season points record. Outside of Callighen, Gretzky's 27-year-old left winger, most key Oilers were barely clear of legal drinking age.That cohort included Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and Anderson, plus defensemen Paul Coffey and Kevin Lowe. All were rookie or sophomore NHLers with no experience to rival that of the Habs' stars, be they Robinson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner; Bob Gainey, the Selke Trophy winner four years running; Steve Shutt, one of 20 NHLers who's recorded 60 goals in a season; or Guy Lafleur, the NHL's last helmetless legend, twice its MVP, and another member of the 60-goal club.Guy Lafleur. Focus on Sport / Getty Images This mismatch produced a lopsided scoreline that only makes sense in retrospect: a 15-6 aggregate over three games to the dynasty-in-waiting."That series put Edmonton on the map," Callighen said in a recent interview. "It set a bar for the Oilers moving forward." That happened sooner than expected. Once a strong World Hockey Association franchise, the Oilers' roster was broken up in 1979 in the WHA-NHL dispersal draft. What mattered was that they retained Gretzky, who in 1980 won the first of eight straight Hart Trophies, and walked away with consecutive entry-draft heists. In 1979, the Oilers nabbed Lowe 21st overall, Messier 48th, and Anderson 69th. They drafted Coffey sixth in 1980 and Kurri 69th, exposing the rest of the league's mistaken belief that he had Finnish military service to complete.The Canadiens spent this time navigating a comedown from their latest heyday. Between 1975-76 and 1978-79, Montreal was 229-46-45 in the regular season, capping each campaign with a Cup parade. The retirements of Ken Dryden, Yvan Cournoyer, and Jacques Lemaire, combined with coach Scotty Bowman's departure for the Buffalo Sabres, left the Habs uncommonly vulnerable in the 1980 postseason. The Minnesota North Stars capitalized, bouncing them from the second round in seven games.Lafleur missed that series with a bum knee, and injuries dogged him into 1981, when he fell short of scoring 50 goals and 100 points for the first time in seven years. On March 24, he nodded off while driving his Cadillac Seville and crashed into a signpost, which severed part of his right ear. Lafleur was hospitalized but healed in a week, in time for the Canadiens to cap a season-ending run of 26 wins in 27 home games. Several provinces westward, Gretzky's preposterous production that season set new assists (109) and points records (164). Kurri and Anderson potted 30 goals apiece; Messier scored 26 of his 63 points in the final month of the schedule. The Oilers were 8-3-6 in that span, a hot finish that offset a brutal start - they sat second last in the NHL on New Year's Day 1981 - and elevated them into the playoff field.That wasn't a high bar in those days, when 16 of 21 teams were postseason qualifiers. Still, one columnist, the Toronto Sun's Paul Rimstead, bucked consensus ahead of the Montreal series by predicting an Edmonton sweep.Other pundits, and the facts at hand, aligned behind the Canadiens. Heading into April 1981, Edmonton hadn't won an NHL game in Montreal. The Canadiens' roster boasted a massive edge (1,111 to 160) in career playoff games. Four Habs - Gainey, Lafleur, Robinson, and Serge Savard - had been Conn Smythe Trophy winners. Montreal goalies Richard Sevigny, Michel Larocque, and Denis Herron shared the 1981 Vezina Trophy, benefiting from the old rule that awarded it to the team with the fewest goals against.Rimstead's leap of faith rated as laughable in Montreal, where people balked at comparing Gretzky to Lafleur, Jean Beliveau, or Maurice Richard. The same went for everywhere in Canada where Gretzky skeptics persisted. According to the author Peter Gzowski, Toronto sportswriter Dick Beddoes appeared on TV on the eve of the postseason and said that No. 99 would have played third-line center "on one of the good Leaf teams of the past."––––––––––There's a scene in "The Game of Our Lives," Gzowski's book that gazes behind the curtain of the 1981 Oilers, where Gretzky feeds an onrushing Kurri midway through the first period of Game 1 against the Habs. Shutt had just tied the contest 1-1 when Kurri kicked Gretzky's pass to his stick, waited a beat in the slot as Sevigny sprawled to the ice, and saucered the puck off the far post and in. Jeers pierced the silence at the Montreal Forum."I'm not sure (Kurri) knows enough to be nervous about this game," Billy Harris, one of Sather's assistant coaches, said on the Oilers bench, according to Gzowski.Mulling the memory four decades later, Moog and Callighen said this innocence starts to explain how the Oilers pulled an all-time upset. ("The Great Reign Robbery," the Edmonton Journal branded the series win at the time.) Naive enough to be uncowed by pressure, Edmonton's young guns still took the Canadiens as seriously as their rich past warranted. And Montreal wasn't fully prepared to defend the slick and patient Oilers, whose offense prioritized puck possession and empowered the talent to take chances up ice.Also: 164 points in a season somehow wasn't Gretzky's ceiling at age 20."He probably upped his game," Callighen said. "As we all did."Though Beddoes' Gretzky take was more egregious, Sevigny, too, fanned flames ahead of the series by swearing Lafleur would put Edmonton's star "in his back pocket." The metaphor failed the Habs in Game 1, a 6-3 Oilers rout that Gretzky powered with five primary assists.Gretzky celebrates the Edmonton sweep. Tony Triolo / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images The win, an NHL playoff first for Edmonton, dented the Canadiens' stellar home record and the reputation of Claude Ruel, Montreal's Cup-winning head coach in 1969. Ruel returned to the Habs' bench the year after Bowman left but suddenly seemed in over his head, refusing to line-match Gretzky while Lafleur was shackled - pocketed, even - by Oilers checker Dave Hunter, a greybeard in Sather's lineup at the age of 23.Edmonton's veteran goaltenders, Ron Low and Eddie Mio, were on the shelf with broken hands, but the club got 28 saves from Moog, who’d been the minor-league Wichita Wind's rookie backup until late March. Moog had drawn into seven NHL games when Sather informed him at morning skate that he'd start Game 1. The 132nd pick in the previous year's draft, this was his improbable shot to keep a cool head and prove he belonged.Coffey and Kurri scored the next night, April 9, and Gretzky added two assists in Edmonton's 3-1 win at the Forum. Moog's heroics, meantime, squashed Montreal's spirit. Desperate to knot the series, the Habs pelted Moog with 41 shots in Game 2 yet only beat him on a power-play deflection. His best save came with an early 1-0 lead when Doug Jarvis, the shutdown center whom Ruel was slow to unleash, snapped a rebound off a point shot toward the gaping right half of Moog's net. The goalie stretched across the crease to steal the tying goal."The memory of that one was not so much (of) Doug Jarvis' face," Moog said. "Paul Coffey was standing there with his arms in the air, cheering the save."The Montreal Forum crowd clapped for Moog at the final buzzer, effectively conceding the series was over, Sports Illustrated observed in its recap of the sweep. Two nights later, Northlands Coliseum was to host Game 3, for which Ruel dressed in a funereal black suit and before which Sather surprised his players by airing the highlights of their road wins.That provided all the juice that Hunter's line needed to hound Lafleur another night. It moved Oilers captain Lee Fogolin to crunch and elbow Doug Risebrough in open ice and helped Moog stand tall on the ensuing penalty kill. The Canadiens took 13 shots in the first period but trailed 2-0 at the break and only managed 11 more from there. The Oilers disconcerted them, color analyst Mickey Redmond said on Hockey Night in Canada. During one intermission, Lafleur and Ruel bickered outside the visitors' dressing room.Lowe, the 21-year-old blue-liner who idolized Robinson growing up in Quebec, later said that the second period, when Gretzky scored on a deke in close and again on a breakaway, is when he began to feel sorry for Les Glorieux. Sympathy didn't stop the Edmonton crowd from cheering the insurance goals that finalized a blowout. After Dave Lumley scored on an empty net to make it 5-2, Coffey's breakout pass helped spring Gretzky on the rush, and he beat Sevigny low to seal the hat trick with seven seconds on the clock.It was his 11th point in three games. Not bad for a third-line center."I have covered nearly every major event this business has to offer, but no team has played better against greater odds than this team of wild, hungry, and marvelous Oilers," Hall of Fame sportswriter Red Fisher opined in the Montreal Gazette after Game 3, according to D'Arcy Jenish's book, "The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory.""The Canadiens obviously took the Oilers lightly and then panicked," the Edmonton Journal's Terry Jones wrote in his own series postmortem. "They put themselves into a hole and it became their grave." Dynasty buried, the teams split off late on April 11, 1981, the Oilers to face the reigning champion New York Islanders in Round 2 - Edmonton wound up losing in six - and Montreal to catch a red-eye home, where Ruel resigned as coach the next week. When the Canadiens checked out of their Edmonton hotel, a reporter overheard one hostess' inadvertently ruthless adieu: "Are you leaving us so soon?"In the meantime, Sather tipped back a beer with his squad in the bowels of the Coliseum and then joined Peter Pocklington, the Oilers owner, for a private restaurant reservation. A few older, playoff-tested Habs had ducked into the home dressing room to shake hands and say good luck the rest of the way. Montreal was "a class organization," Sather said, according to Gzowski."Well, they're a beaten one," Pocklington replied. The owner, Gzowski reported, proceeded to lift his champagne glass.––––––––––Edmonton's victory wasn't so neat a bookend as to prompt an instant Habs rebuild. Lafleur's injury luck improved, Montreal's lineup remained deep and defensively stout, and the club placed third in the league again in 1982, though a shock first-round loss to the Quebec Nordiques tanked the resurgent goodwill. The '82 Oilers fell in Round 1, too, a step back from making the champion Islanders sweat. New York's intervening dynasty won four Stanley Cups before Edmonton finally slayed the Islanders in the 1984 final.Gretzky hoists the Cup in 1984. Bettmann / Getty Images That said, the '81 series did demarcate eras, ending one and assuring hockey that Gretzky's rise wouldn't be repressed. Sweeping Montreal laid the groundwork for five Edmonton Cups in seven seasons and six players' Hall of Fame resumes. It also ensured Moog would stick in the NHL. Platooning in net with Grant Fuhr, Moog was an Oiler until 1987 and started in Boston and Dallas for another decade. As it happens, he retired as a Canadien.All of that makes sense today. A while after that Game 3 triumph, Moog sat in his pads in Edmonton's mostly vacant dressing room, taking in the moment. He remarked to a few stragglers, including a New York Times reporter, that a year earlier he'd donned the pads in the junior Western Hockey League playoffs. Now he'd helped blank Lafleur.The next morning, song lyrics led off a recap story in the Edmonton Journal:

Drew Doughty won't be satisfied with the Los Angeles Kings front office if it doesn't bolster the rebuilding club in the near future.The defenseman expressed a sense of urgency and cited the Kings' aging core when asked if it's time for the team to add more experience."Yeah, for sure. I mean, shit, we gotta," Doughty said Friday. "Me and (Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, and Dustin Brown), we're all getting older. We all had, I thought, phenomenal seasons, but we're running out of time. You've got two of the best players at their position ... both ways ... and with all this cap room, yeah, we've got to bring guys in, that's it."There's no point in just waiting for these prospects to develop when you've got guys in their prime, hungry to win, and sick of losing."Doughty was asked if he'd be happy if big moves aren't made in the offseason. His reply was brief but to the point."No," he said.The Kings went 21-28-7 this season, finishing near the bottom of the league standings. Los Angeles has been rebuilding for the last three campaigns, missing the playoffs each time. The Kings have made only two postseason appearances - losing both first-round series - since claiming their second Stanley Cup championship over a three-year span in 2014.However, as Doughty noted, the 2021 squad showed some promise. The 31-year-old produced 34 points in 56 games, while Kopitar, who's 33, racked up 50 points while also playing every contest. Brown, the eldest player on the Kings' roster at 36, led the team with 17 goals in 49 games. However, Quick posted a subpar .898 save percentage over 22 contests and was outplayed by 26-year-old Cal Petersen.Los Angeles has begun to give more opportunities to younger players like Petersen, Adrian Kempe, and 2017 first-round pick Gabriel Vilardi, all of whom have shown flashes of their abilities. The Kings also boast a deep prospect pool led by 2020 second overall pick Quinton Byfield - who debuted with the club this season - and 2019 second-rounder Arthur Kaliyev, who scored in his lone appearance in the league in February.The Kings finished the season with about $9 million in cap space and could have even more than that this summer if they opt not to re-sign any of their six pending restricted free agents.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL won't be giving out the conference championship trophies this postseason, the league's chief content officer Steve Mayer told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski on Friday.The winner of the Eastern Conference is typically awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy, while the Western Conference winner is usually handed the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.The NHL needed to drastically alter its regular-season format this campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Divisions were temporarily realigned - including all the Canadian teams participating in the North Division - and clubs only played intradivisional games.Teams will continue to play within those same divisions for the first two rounds of the playoffs. When one team is remaining from each of the four divisions, those squads will be re-seeded before facing off for spots in the Stanley Cup Final, making it possible for two clubs from the same conference to battle for the championship.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alain Vigneault isn't going anywhere.The Philadelphia Flyers head coach will back for the 2021-22 campaign, general manager Chuck Fletcher told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun this week."Absolutely. AV's our coach and we're excited to have he and his staff back next season," Fletcher said without hesitation, according to LeBrun. "We have a lot of work ahead of us to redefine our defensive game and our defensive structure. I can't think of a better group to do it than the group of experienced coaches that we have behind our bench right now."Fletcher added that the Flyers didn't meet expectations in 2021. The club missed the playoffs this season with a 25-23-8 record after posting the NHL's fourth-best record in the previous campaign.The Flyers allowed the most goals against per game in the league and finished last in save percentage while producing a minus-38 goal differential. Franchise netminder Carter Hart owned the NHL's worst goals saved above expected and goals saved above average totals in all situations."You have no chance to be successful giving up the number of chances and the number of goals that we did this year," Fletcher said.Philadelphia was expected to continue to make strides after finishing strong and winning a postseason series on the strength of a solid defensive effort in 2019-20. However, steady blue-liner Matt Niskanen surprisingly retired in October, and Fletcher said he should have done more to replace him."I did a poor job of filling that void," the GM said. "It wasn't for a lack of trying, but we didn't do what we needed to do. And that falls on me."Vigneault reportedly signed a five-year, $25-million contract when the Flyers hired him in April 2019. The longtime bench boss, who turned 60 on Friday, previously guided the New York Rangers for five seasons, the Vancouver Canucks for seven, and the Montreal Canadiens for parts of four to begin his NHL coaching career.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Thursday night to claim the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top regular-season team with 82 points.As a result, Colorado supplanted the Vegas Golden Knights atop the West Division and will take on the fourth-seeded St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Both Colorado and Vegas finished the 56-game schedule equal in points, but the Avalanche earned the tiebreaker with five more regulation wins.2021 NHL standingsTeamGPRecordReg. winsP%Avalanche5639-13-435.732Golden Knights5640-14-230.727Hurricanes5636-12-827.714Panthers5637-14-526.705Maple Leafs5535-13-729.700The Avalanche have now won the Presidents' Trophy three times in franchise history. They previously earned the honor in 1996-97 and then again in 2000-01, which they paired with a Stanley Cup.The Presidents' Trophy winner hasn't won it all since the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks and hasn't advanced past the second round in each of the last five postseasons.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL unveiled schedules for all eight Round 1 series for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday.All times ET.

The New York Rangers have been granted permission by the Vegas Golden Knights to interview Gerard Gallant for their head coaching vacancy, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on the latest edition of "Insider Trading.""Clearly he is one of the top candidates in the process that has been started by new general manager Chris Drury," Dreger said.New York fired head coach David Quinn after three seasons earlier this week as the club continues to clean house. John Davidson and Jeff Gorton were recently relieved as president and general manager, respectively, with ownership saying it was unimpressed with the progress made by the team in the 2020-21 campaign.Gallant had been with Vegas since their inaugural season in 2017 but was fired last January. The 57-year-old is set to coach Canada at the upcoming world championship in Lativa, and previously served as bench boss for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers before his stint with the Golden Knights.Under Gallant's tutelage, the Golden Knights complied a 118-75-20 record as well as three playoff series wins.The Rangers finished fifth in the East Division this season with 60 points.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL missed out on nearly $3.6 billion in revenue during the 2020-21 regular season due to limited attendance, according to The Athletic's Sean Shapiro.The Athletic's estimation, confirmed by league and team executives as in "the right ballpark," was based on reductions in ticket sales and in-arena revenue streams such as concessions, parking, and merchandise.The league welcomed just over 1 million total fans across the United States this season due to the pandemic. That's a major drop-off from the 18 million (2019-20) and 22 million (2018-19) fans who watched NHL games in person in the previous two seasons.The seven Canadian teams haven't brought fans back yet, but all American franchises are now operating with limited capacities. The Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Arizona Coyotes allowed supporters to attend games for the entire season.The Vegas Golden Knights lead the league in average attendance at 4,362 people across 17 home games since permitting fans to return to T-Mobile Arena.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Even at 41 years old, Patrick Marleau believes he has more left in the tank."I feel like I still have a lot to give," Marleau told reporters Thursday, according to the Teal Town USA podcast. "I'm eager to have a really good season next season."Marleau said he hasn't discussed a possible return to the San Jose Sharks with general manager Doug Wilson, but will talk to him soon.The veteran forward recorded four goals and five assists in 56 games this past season. He admitted he wasn't happy with his play at times."There were some pretty sleepless nights with that, but I'm looking forward to a rebound season next year," he said, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group.Marleau played in his 1,768th game on April 19, passing Gordie Howe for the most in NHL history.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Victor Mete seems to have regained his form with the Ottawa Senators since being claimed off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens late in the season."It's a new lease on life, getting claimed by Ottawa. It's been great here," Mete said Thursday, according to TSN 1200. "I was able to go out and play my game knowing if I made a mistake, I wasn't going to (get) pulled."Ottawa claimed Mete on April 12. The 22-year-old appeared in 14 games with the Canadiens this season and skated in 14 with the Senators to close out the year.The 2016 NHL Draft's 100th overall pick scored one goal and added one assist while averaging 17:27 minutes of ice time per game with Ottawa. In Montreal, he had three assists and averaged 14:09 minutes of ice time while moving in and out of the lineup as a scratch all season long.Mete's stint with the Senators this season was short, but the pending restricted free agent expressed his desire to stay with the club."The team and my agent are working on a deal. I hope it works out," Mete said. "I want to come back here and be a part of this."Mete has amassed five goals and 31 assists in 199 career games.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild blue-chip prospect Marco Rossi has been given the green light to resume skating and off-ice training following a harrowing bout with COVID-19, according to The Athletic's Scott Wheeler.Rossi contracted COVID-19 in November, then was cleared to suit up for Austria at the world juniors. He participated in four games, and doctors told him afterward he could have faced more severe complications from the virus if he'd played another.The 19-year-old was ruled out for the entire NHL season in January and was sent back to his home country to rest and recover. Rossi recently opened up about his experience with COVID-19 and said he was scared he wouldn't wake up each time he went to bed.Minnesota drafted Rossi ninth overall in 2020 after he tallied 120 points in 56 games with the OHL's Ottawa 67's.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The league has not yet announced an official start date for the postseason, but all signs point to the NHL playoffs commencing on Saturday, with the North Division getting underway a few days later.NHL playoff time is one of the greatest times of the year, and with the first round just around the corner, these next few days are for watching "History Will Be Made" commercials and past playoff montages while revisiting the Stanley Cup oddsboard.TEAM ODDSColorado Avalanche+350Vegas Golden Knights+350Tampa Bay Lightning+550Toronto Maple Leafs+600Carolina Hurricanes+700Boston Bruins+1000New York Islanders+1000Washington Capitals+1400Pittsburgh Penguins+1500Florida Panthers+1700Minnesota Wild+1700Montreal Canadiens+1800St. Louis Blues+2200Winnipeg Jets+2200Edmonton Oilers+2500Nashville Predators+3200Carolina Hurricanes (+700)I've been beating this drum since before the season, and you best believe I'm not stopping now. All the Hurricanes did this year was win a gauntlet of a division, despite Teuvo Teravainen and Petr Mrazek playing for just 31 games combined. The club went 10-3-3 against the Panthers and Lightning and absolutely dominated the Predators, their first-round opponent.It's not just that Carolina won, it's also about how the team won, finishing top five in xGF%, CF%, and HDCF%. The Hurricanes also allowed the fewest goals in the league by a wide margin (both overall and five-on-five) while ranking second on the power play and third on the penalty kill. The only reason Carolina isn't priced among the favorites is because of the reputations of the clubs above them - we're getting a squad every bit as good as Colorado and Vegas at double the price.The Hurricanes winning the Central Division also works in their favor, presenting a much more appealing first-round date with the Predators while Florida and Tampa beat up on one another. It also ensures Carolina will have home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds, and likely three - a massive boost for a team that went 20-3-5 at PNC Arena this season.Boston Bruins (+1000)The Bruins lost 8-1 to the Capitals on April 11 to drop to 21-12-6, fourth in the East Division, and just four points into a playoff spot. Boston had a goal differential of plus-five. Later that night, the franchise acquired Mike Reilly and, a little over an hour later, Taylor Hall. The Bruins have gone 11-3-1 since then with a plus-28 goal differential, and they come into the playoffs as the NHL's hottest team.Boston leads the league over that span with an outrageous 61.71 xGF% at five-on-five, while ranking second in CF% and fourth in xGF/60. It's been an impressive turnaround for the Bruins, which were among the league's worst offensive teams through the first half of the campaign. Injuries also played a big part in Boston's earlier struggles, with the club ranking top five in man-games lost among playoff teams. The Bruins were hit especially hard on the back end and in goal, with Tuukka Rask limited to just 24 games.Hall has since filled a massive void in the squad's top six, joining what has become a dynamic second line with David Krejci and Craig Smith behind a first line that's been among the NHL's best for the past five years. The bottom six is among the league's stronger groups, while Reilly's emergence has solidified a now healthy blue line. There are few holes in this roster as Boston gears up for yet another run at the Stanley Cup.Edmonton Oilers (+2500)If you're strictly looking for value, the Oilers being offered at 25-1 at theScore Bet fits the bill. You won't find better odds anywhere on Edmonton, which ranges between 16-1 and 20-1 elsewhere.Now I'm not particularly high on the Oilers - and those reservations will keep me off them at anything 20-1 or shorter - but it's hard to look away with such a generous price here. Edmonton will only go as far as Connor McDavid takes them, but there's no one better to hitch your wagon to than the best player on the planet who's coming off one of the most dominant seasons in sports history.The path out of the North isn't particularly daunting, and while the Oilers are a class below the Leafs, Toronto's goaltending situation is a red flag. If Mike Smith can pick up where he left off in the regular season, finishing sixth among all goalies in GSAA and seventh in GSAx, this club can be a real problem. Edmonton is not without its flaws, but the star power up front, the NHL's top-ranked power play, and a born-again Smith between the pipes are enough reasons to buy in at this price.Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Seattle Kraken completed their first-ever player transaction.Luke Henman inked a three-year, entry-level contract with the expansion franchise, the Kraken announced Wednesday. It's a standard two-way deal.The 21-year-old center is in the midst of the QMJHL playoffs with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. He's scored six goals in seven postseason games this spring after collecting 16 markers and 27 helpers in 32 contests during the regular season."Luke has put up the numbers in the 'Q' and he is team captain," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "He has solid character. We do think he needs to get stronger. We are excited to sign him as our first player."He's still a little bit light," Francis added. "But he thinks the game well and has the skating and hockey skills we like when scouting players."Henman, who's listed at 6-foot and 168 pounds, is in his fifth campaign with the Armada. The Carolina Hurricanes drafted him 96th overall in 2018, but he ultimately didn't sign with them.The Kraken will fill out their roster during the expansion draft on July 21. The NHL's 32nd team is scheduled to begin play in the 2021-22 season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan won't play in his team's four remaining regular-season games as he's scheduled to undergo hip surgery next week, the team announced. He's expected to be ready for full participation at training camp.The Flames were officially eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. The team's final four games of the season are all against the Vancouver Canucks.It's unclear how long Monahan has been playing through the ailment. He recorded 10 goals and 18 assists in 50 games this season. This would equal a 46-point pace in an 82-game campaign, which would be the lowest total of his career since his rookie season.The 26-year-old has already undergone a number of procedures throughout his career, including wrist, groin, and two hernia surgeries in 2018. He also had wrist surgery in 2017.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nick Foligno appears to be good to go for Wednesday night's game against the Ottawa Senators.Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said he has the forward in the lineup for the contest, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.Foligno took part in the team's optional skate Wednesday. The veteran missed the club's last two games - both against the Montreal Canadiens - after getting hurt during a loss to the same opponents on May 3.