Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman wasn't in the lineup for his club's 7-2 loss in Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.Hedman missed the final two periods of Game 1 after suffering an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day.Zach Bogosian and Haydn Fleury entered the fold in place of Hedman and fellow defenseman Erik Cernak, who's also sidelined with an injury.The Bolts rolled with the following defense pairings:LDRDMikhail SergachevDarren RaddyshIan ColeNick PerbixHaydn FleuryZach BogosianHedman, the 2020 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, has recorded 107 points in 156 career playoff games.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Another day, another four playoff games in the NHL. There are plenty of attractive options on the board for the slate ahead. Let's dive into a few.Lightning (+150) @ Maple Leafs (-175)The Maple Leafs put up an absolute dud in the opening game of the series. They were very slow out of the gate and took a needless five-minute major as soon as they started to crawl back into the game, which turned a potentially close contest into an embarrassing blowout loss.Not everything to come from that game was bad for the team, though. The Lightning suffered some injuries along the way.Mikey Eyssimont and Erik Cernak were ruled out for tonight's game, while Victor Hedman's status is up in the air after he left Game 1 with an injury. Even if he plays, it's safe to assume he'll be well short of 100%.Eyssimont is a solid depth winger, but his absence isn't overly consequential. However, the losses of Cernak - and perhaps Hedman - are massive.With Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta departing last offseason, this team isn't nearly as deep on defense as it used to be. The Lightning are already dressing and handing important minutes to guys like Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh.A case could be made for Cernak being the team's best in-zone defender. Even if Hedman is able to go, losing Cernak makes an already top-heavy blue line even more so.The Maple Leafs have had a couple days to chew on a disastrous Game 1 performance. They know the importance of this game and, with Tampa's injuries on defense, have a golden opportunity to even the series.I expect Toronto to come out with a much better effort and take care of business without the help of overtime.Bet: Maple Leafs in regulation (-110)William Nylander over 3.5 shots (+105)Nylander is quietly on a nice shooting run at home. He registered four shots or more in 19 of the past 30 games in Toronto - including in Game 1.He enjoyed a lot of success against the Bolts this season. Through four games, Nylander piled up 23 shots while going over his shot total in each meeting.Nylander attempted no fewer than seven shots in any game against the Lightning. With that kind of volume, it's no coincidence he gets the job done on such a consistent basis.I expect the Maple Leafs to play with purpose and pile up the shots in this contest. With Cernak, and potentially Hedman, out of the lineup, the Lightning just don't have the horses defensively.Whether the Lightning win or lose, I think they're going to spend a lot of time on their heels absorbing shots. Expect plenty of them to come off Nylander's stick.Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots (-132)MacKinnon is an unstoppable force at home. Dating back to last year, he recorded five shots or more in nine of 12 playoff games in which he logged 20-plus minutes.As we saw in Game 1, the Kraken are a solid team that won't just roll over. These games are going to be competitive, meaning MacKinnon will see a lot of ice.It doesn't much matter who the opponent is; MacKinnon is extremely efficient as a shot generator, so if the usage is there, the shots will be too.MacKinnon attempted 11 shots and hit the target seven times in 20 minutes of ice last time out. There's no reason he can't put forth a similar stat line in a crucial game for the Avalanche.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was his own harshest critic after he struggled in his side's 7-3 setback to the Dallas Stars in Game 2 on Wednesday night."Embarrassing on my part, giving up seven goals like that in the playoffs," Fleury said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.He added, "I want to come in and give a chance to my team to stay in the game and win. That's not what I did. I gave up too many goals. I think we had to open up to try to come back in the game, and we gave up more chances, but bottom line, I didn't make any good, key saves in the game."Fleury made 24 saves on 31 shots for a .774 save percentage in the contest as the Stars evened up the first-round series. The three-time Stanley Cup champion allowed 3.83 goals above expected at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.Filip Gustavsson, Fleury's 24-year-old running mate, manned the crease for Game 1 during Minnesota's 3-2 victory in double overtime. Gustavsson made 51 stops and played for just over 92 minutes.Fleury was disappointed he didn't follow in his partner's footsteps."Wish I could've stepped up, give him a break and give him a win to keep going," he said.Fleury continued, "He was tremendous, awesome that last game. I just wanted to do my part and my job tonight ... and I didn't. That pissed me off."Gustavsson and Fleury largely shared the crease during the regular season, but the elder statesman made the bulk of the starts:GoalieStartsRecordSv%GAAFleury4524-16-4.9082.85Gustavsson3722-9-7.9312.10Wild head coach Dean Evason briefly touched on his decision to switch goalies after Game 2."It's just, it's what we do, right?" he said. "We've done it all year. The game, nothing was on Flower tonight. It was all on us."Fleury started the first five games of the Wild's first-round clash against the St. Louis Blues last season, but Minnesota switched to Cam Talbot during the team's do-or-die Game 6 after the 2021 Vezina Trophy winner conceded four goals in back-to-back outings.The Wild will get a chance to retake their lead on the Stars during Game 3 on Friday as the series heads to Minnesota.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alexandar Georgiev rode the pine last spring as Igor Shesterkin backstopped the Rangers to the conference finals. The Lightning eliminated New York, then lost the championship series to the Avalanche, who dealt draft picks to land Georgiev so that he could help them defend the Stanley Cup.Filip Gustavsson pondered returning to his native Sweden when his North American pro career got off to a middling start. Shaky for much of his time with the Senators, Gustavsson was traded to the Wild last summer, and his stock has soared ever since.Stuart Skinner wears the unconventional jersey number 74 because his older brothers Stephen, Scott, and Sheldon sported similar digits, he told The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. The youngest of nine siblings, Skinner was the Oilers' second-choice netminder back in the fall, but the spotlight now beams on him alone.Unproven goaltenders control postseason destinies in the Western Conference. Puck-stoppers with scant playoff experience, like the above trio, Stars prodigy Jake Oettinger, and Kings deadline acquisition Joonas Korpisalo, could wind up deciding who competes for the Cup if they shine or stumble in pressurized moments.Fans of rival teams are still getting to know them. Half of the West's Game 1 goalies never started in the playoffs before this week. Oettinger and Korpisalo had yet to reach 10 playoff appearances. Gustavsson and Skinner, the West's postseason debutants, are 24 years old - six years younger than Panthers journeyman Alex Lyon, the East bracket's lone newcomer.Golden Knights rookie Logan Thompson would've been part of this cohort if he didn't aggravate a lower-body injury in March. Vegas is starting Laurent Brossoit in his place instead of Jonathan Quick, the aging former Conn Smythe Trophy recipient whose decline in 2022-23 hastened a broader generational turnover.Quick and Mike Smith manned the creases in 2022 when the Kings and Oilers clashed in the opening round. Marc-Andre Fleury split starts with Cam Talbot to ill effect as the Wild crashed out of the playoffs in six games. Darcy Kuemper won the Cup with Colorado the month after he turned 32, then departed in free agency when the Avalanche tapped Georgiev as a cheaper, fresh-faced replacement.The Stars leaned on grizzled thirtysomething goalies - first Kari Lehtonen, then Ben Bishop, then Anton Khudobin - when they won rounds in recent postseasons. Wasting little time, Oettinger, who's also 24, inherited the top job from Khudobin by his second NHL campaign. Sam Hodde / NHL / Getty ImagesWest contenders believe in the kids for good reason. Dallas coaches and teammates assured theScore's John Matisz that Oettinger's confidence never wavers. Heroic in defeat against the Flames last year, Oettinger's 64 saves in Game 7 forced double overtime in an epic contest and increased his save percentage in the series to .954.Oettinger and Georgiev were two of the seven workhorses across the league who made 60 starts in net this season. That duo, Gustavsson, Skinner, and Korpisalo all ranked in the top 15 in goals saved above expected, per Evolving-Hockey. Jack Campbell's .888 save percentage alarmed Edmontonians, but Skinner's .914 denial rate over 48 starts helped restore faith in the Oilers and strengthened his Calder Trophy candidacy.Skinner has slumped in Edmonton's rematch with Los Angeles, though not egregiously. A one-timer trickled under his glove as Game 1 waned, permitting the Kings to tie the score and eventually prevail in overtime. His inability to seal the post multiple times in Game 2 induced jitters before the Oilers rebounded to win. Both Skinner and Korpisalo have given up six goals in the series despite Edmonton aiming 18 more shots on net.Korpisalo's playoff exploits include making 85 saves one night in the 2020 bubble - the Lightning beat his Blue Jackets in the fifth OT period - and holding Connor McDavid scoreless on 11 shots in this round. The Kings ranked 31st in team save percentage when they swapped Quick for him on March 1, then ranked fifth in the stat from Korpisalo's debut onward, according to Natural Stat Trick. Leon Draisaitl (three goals) is the only Oiler who's troubled him consistently. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesOver in the Stars-Wild matchup, Oettinger's .919 save percentage through two games is strong, while Minnesota's decision to stick steadfast to its goalie rotation backfired Wednesday.Benching Gustavsson after his 51-save masterpiece keyed a win in double overtime, Wild head coach Dean Evason watched Fleury let in seven goals, some of them stinkers, on 31 shots as Dallas knotted the series. Fleury said postgame that his performance was embarrassing.The math suggests the Wild should ride Gustavsson, the substantially better goalie this season. His .931 save percentage dwarfed Fleury's .908 mark, and he saved many more goals above expected (24.54 to 0.86) behind the same defense. Gustavsson and Oettinger are the only goalies aged 24 or younger to record 50 saves in the playoffs since 2010, per Stathead. They'll duel in Game 3 and beyond if Evason smartens up.As with Brossoit, Georgiev's exposure to the playoffs prior to this week was limited to a few periods of mop-up duty. Neither goalie's first start went as planned. Four of Brossoit's former Jets teammates fired pucks past him in the Golden Knights' Game 1 setback. Kraken veteran Philipp Grubauer outshone Georgiev in Seattle's 3-1 win, stopping 10 of the Avalanche's 11 high-danger shots on net as part of a sparkling 34-save effort.Favored heavily in that series, Colorado needs Grubauer to wilt or Georgiev to stand taller to avoid digging a deep deficit. Connor Hellebuyck, whose 16 saves against Vegas enabled Winnipeg to cruise to victory, familiarized Brossoit with the standard of netminding required to stifle a talented foe.Long, exhilarating runs remain in reach if these playoff novices uplift their teams in the clutch. The opponent will advance if they falter. Let's see what they can do.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour announced forward Teuvo Teravainen is out for the foreseeable future after sustaining a broken hand in Wednesday's overtime win over the New York Islanders.Teravainen was injured on an unpenalized slash from Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the third period and will undergo surgery Thursday."I'm a little pissed, to be honest with you," Brind'Amour said, per team reporter Walt Ruff.Carolina is already without impact forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty, who are each out long term due to injuries sustained in the regular season.Teravainen was limited to 68 contests this season and posted 37 points - his least productive season on a per-game basis since joining the Hurricanes in 2016-17.Carolina won Game 2 thanks to Jesper Fast's overtime heroics. The team will head to New York with a commanding 2-0 series lead.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said Monday night that Joe Pavelski was "OK" after Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba's hit took him out of Game 1. But Pavelski isn't ready to return to the lineup just yet.The veteran forward is going through concussion protocol and is improving every day, DeBoer said after the morning skate. Pavelski missed Game 2 on Wednesday as a result, and the bench boss added he isn't certain about the deflection specialist's status for the rest of the series, according to The Athletic's Dane Mizutani.Going through protocol doesn't mean a player has a concussion; it's testing to determine whether he has one.The 38-year-old left Monday's game and didn't return after Dumba caught him up high in the second period of Minnesota's 3-2 double-overtime win.Dumba was initially handed a major penalty for the hit, but the officials wiped it off the board and only assessed him a roughing minor upon review. The league later looked at the hit and reportedly determined supplemental discipline wasn't necessary.DeBoer mentioned Monday that Pavelski hit his head on the ice as he fell after absorbing the contact from Dumba. He also gave the officials the benefit of the doubt over the incident - unlike Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who called it a "cheap shot."Pavelski sustained a previous head injury in 2019 when DeBoer was his bench boss with the San Jose Sharks.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting was suspended three playoff games for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak, the league announced Wednesday.Bunting received a match penalty during Tuesday's series-opening contest after catching Cernak up high in the second period.

Forward Alexandre Texier is rejoining the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2023-24 season, the team announced Wednesday.Texier didn't join the Blue Jackets last season at the recommendation of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program. The 23-year-old spent the 2022-23 campaign in Switzerland, where he registered 35 points in 46 games with the ZSC Lions."Alexandre Texier is an outstanding young player who is an important part of our team, and we are excited that he will be rejoining the club as expected next season," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "His well-being has been our sole priority, and we couldn't be happier that he is ready to resume what is a very promising NHL career at this time."Texier signed a two-year contract extension in July 2021. The second year of that contract - originally intended for 2022-23 - will cover the upcoming 2023-24 season. He'll have a $1.5-million cap hit.The French international started to find his offensive touch in 2021-22. He tallied a career-high 11 goals and 20 points in 36 games with the Blue Jackets before sustaining a broken finger and being granted a leave of absence from the team. He last played in the NHL on Jan. 26, 2022.Columbus drafted Texier in the second round of the 2017 draft.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov vowed to improve after allowing six goals in Tuesday's 7-3 loss in Game 1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning."I will be better. I played like shit today," Samsonov said, per TSN's Chris Johnston.The Lightning got to Samsonov early, opening the scoring in the highly-anticipated first-round rematch just 1:18 into the first period thanks to a net-front goal from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.Tampa Bay added two more in the opening frame before blowing the game wide open with three successive power-play tallies in the final 5:31 of the second period. Toronto handed the reins to Joseph Woll for the final stanza with the contest out of reach.Samsonov had a strong bounce-back season between the pipes after signing a one-year deal with the Leafs in free agency, posting a 27-10-5 record with a .919 save percentage. However, he now owns a 1-7 career record in the playoffs with a 3.45 goals-against average and .895 clip.Woll has 12 NHL starts under his belt, none of which came in the playoffs. Toronto is without veteran goaltender Matt Murray, who sustained a concussion late in the regular season.Game 2 goes Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Wednesday.Bunting was given a match penalty for hitting Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in the head during Tuesday's Game 1. Bunting caught Cernak up high with under five minutes remaining in the second period.

We've seen one game for each of the eight first-round playoff series, and while that's just 60 (or sometimes more) minutes of action, it's a data point for each matchup. Things went well for the Kings, Kraken, and Jets' chances of turning value into victory, so we'll stick to our guns there. Let's take that first data point for the other five series, where, despite some lopsided scores, there were no big mismatches. We'll compare the metrics to pre-series betting lines in order to see what virtual tickets we should put in our virtual pocket mid-series.Islanders to win series (+325)We thought this series would feature close, low-scoring games, and that's what we got in Game 1. The Hurricanes got the first goal, so it felt like they controlled play on the way to victory, but the even-strength high-danger chance total wasn't only 12-11 in the Islanders' favor, but that total is higher than expected. If chances are going to be as abundant going forward, Ilya Sorokin has a better chance to be a difference-maker. The Canes really only held serve by winning at home. Now at +325, has that much changed from when the Isles were +170? Whether the Islanders swipe Game 2 in Raleigh or flip things back to even on Long Island, this series is far from over.Panthers/Bruins over 5.5 games (+110)Like Carolina, the Bruins got the jump on their opponent in Game 1, but the Panthers actually acquitted themselves well relative to the questions we asked of them before the series. The soft goal allowed got the headlines, but Alex Lyon made some big saves to keep Florida in it, and the Panthers outchanced the Bruins 15-9 in high-danger areas. Florida at +200 in Game 2 is interesting, but the assumption that this series is going to end quickly is creating a plus-money price on it going six games or more. That's a deal if the Panthers can keep creating goals at nearly 60% of the game flow.Stars to win series (+110)The Stars weren't the better team in the first two periods of Game 1, as the Wild won the expected goal (xG) battle 1.45-0.64. However, the Stars took over for the next two-plus periods, winning the xG split 2.65-1.2. The Stars missed numerous glorious chances to end it and allowed the Wild to eventually get the game-winner, but context matters, and I'm more willing to back the team that was better later. We didn't get Marc-Andre Fleury in goal as we hoped for in Game 1, which saved us a loss in the ledger when Filip Gustavsson stopped better than two goals above expected (2.1 GSAx), but we'll bet against him to maintain that level for six more games, especially at a plus-price for the Stars.Maple Leafs to win series (+110)If the city known as the "Big Smoke" went up in flames after a 7-3 loss to the Lightning, we'd joke about waiting for the smoldering embers to cool before looking at Game 1 objectively. However, the sad truth is that apathy has crept in given the dire expectations prevailing in Toronto. Still, with a 15-6 even-strength high-danger-chance rate, if the Maple Leafs get better than self-admitted "shit" goaltending from Ilya Samsonov (-2.23 GSAx), there's reason to believe they're still the better team.The Leafs can win a game on the road, so a series that was probably destined to be longer than necessary remains just as likely to go the distance. The Leafs were -160 in Game 1 at home and are approaching that again for Game 2. Having +110 on the Leafs in Game 7 would provide value, and I wouldn't rule out Toronto winning in six games, especially if Tampa Bay's defensive injuries are significant - particularly in the case of Victor Hedman.Devils to win series (+165)We felt like the odds were underrating the Devils before the series, and New Jersey's home loss in Game 1 now makes it a big underdog in the market to the flashier Rangers. But with both teams boasting better road records than at home and next to no travel, should a 16%-20% probability change be warranted? Maybe if the Devils had been woefully outplayed, but a 2.27-1.51 advantage in even-strength expected goals and a 12-10 edge in high-danger chances at five-on-five suggests the 5-1 final score wasn't indicative of each team's play. The Devils can get back to level in this series, and if they do, having a +165 ticket will look pretty good. After all, this is entirely the point of hopping into these series after just one game.Matt Russell is the senior betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning embarrassed the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 on Tuesday. The final score at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto: 7-3. Here are four areas the Leafs must address in Game 2 - which goes Thursday - and beyond.Collective headspaceLet's get this out of the way off the top: The on-ice officials weren't kind to the Leafs in Game 1. They botched multiple calls, most notably the cross-checking and slashing penalties on Luke Schenn and David Kampf midway through the second period. Poor officiating undoubtedly affected the final score.Still, Toronto did itself no favors in the discipline department. T.J. Brodie's holding infraction in the first and Michael Bunting's head hit in the second jump off the page as particularly unnecessary and, in the latter case, stupid. Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesTampa made Toronto pay to the tune of four goals in just 10 power-play minutes. Plain and simple, if you give power-play dynamos Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov that much time to cook, you're going to surrender goals.Of course, the mental lapses weren't limited to penalties. The Leafs were flat-out terrible in the opening 10 minutes Tuesday and then allowed goals in the dying seconds of both the first and second periods. It's drilled into hockey players from a young age to start games on time and finish periods strong, and the Leafs did neither to begin a series with so much on the line.Hesitant, tentative, nervous, afraid, and uninspired are just some words to describe the Leafs at their worst moments in Game 1. That's ultimately what the fans and media will remember from that 60-minute debacle: the "demons" of playoffs past seemingly occupying the collective headspace of many Leafs."They've got demons in their head, in their car, under their f-----g beds, everywhere they turn there's a f-----g demon. The biggest obstacle this team has now is themselves," former Leafs assistant coach Paul MacLean memorably told head coach Sheldon Keefe during an episode of the "All or Nothing" documentary chronicling Toronto's 2020-21 season.Whatever's going on mentally needs to be rectified ASAP. Richard Lautens / Getty ImagesThe forecheckRyan McDonagh is long gone. Same goes for Jan Rutta and Cal Foote.The Lightning blue line, a shell of its former self, was shaky at points during the regular season, with depth players occupying larger roles than they should. It's an area ripe for exposure over the course of a seven-game series.Then Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak left Game 1 due to injury after skating for only seven and nine minutes, respectively. Tampa's four remaining defensemen thus logged tons of ice - 26 minutes for Mikhail Sergachev, 24 each for Ian Cole and Darren Raddysh, and 18 for Nick Perbix.To put the depleted back end into perspective: In the third period, with Sergachev in the box, Cole - who's at best a third-pairing guy on any playoff squad - killed the entire two-minute penalty. It was out of necessity. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesSomehow, the four-man Tampa blue line didn't just survive Game 1, it actually thrived. That's probably more of an insult to the Leafs' forwards than a compliment to the Lightning's defensemen. How do you not capitalize?Even before Hedman and Cernak went down, it was crystal clear Toronto needed to apply constant pressure on the forecheck. Get sticks in passing lanes. Throw weight around. Force them to make mistakes - a smothering attack should expose the lack of experience and talent beyond Hedman and Sergachev. (Hedman, who hasn't been himself all year, is vulnerable too.)In Game 1, Sergachev was the target of five hits, Raddysh absorbed four, Perbix and Cole took two each, Cernak one, and Hedman zero. (The hit on Cernak may lead to a suspension for Bunting.) As long as the checks are legal, those numbers need to climb. The Lightning need to be worn down.Bottom-six defenseCorey Perry is one-third of a crusty, old Lightning forward line the Leafs can easily exploit in this series. After all, it's Toronto, not Tampa, that boasts the faster, more versatile, and overall objectively better bottom-six contingent.At least that's how it looks on paper ...Perry was arguably the best player on the ice in Game 1, bagging a goal and adding two primary assists in less than 14 minutes of action. The soon-to-be 38-year-old, who looked washed-up for stretches of his 18th NHL regular season, led Tampa with seven shots on goal and two drawn penalties. Perry's a clutch player, but nobody predicted this level of impact out of the gates. Michael Chisholm / Getty ImagesPerry, Pat Maroon, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare won the five-on-five matchup against Zach Aston-Reese, Sam Lafferty, and Kampf. The real Perry victim, however, was defenseman Justin Holl, who was on the ice each time Perry collected a point (two came on the power play). It gets worse: Holl finished the night with a minus-six goal differential - six against, zero for.For Game 2, Keefe may go with Joseph Woll over Ilya Samsonov between the pipes. He also may be forced to replace a suspended Bunting up front. And he most definitely should replace Holl with Timothy Liljegren. Holl, who fumbled pucks and made poor reads in the defensive zone all night, can't be trusted after that lowly showing.To that end, the Leafs can't afford to let Perry, a fourth-liner, dominate another game. They bulked up at forward before the trade deadline to overwhelm the opponent, not to be overwhelmed by a player ostensibly past his prime.Top-six offense Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesIn the regular season, the Leafs averaged 58 shot attempts per game - 32 shots on goal, 13 blocked shots, and 13 missed shots. In Game 1, Toronto recorded 64 attempts - 31 on goal, 20 blocked, and 13 missed.The difference: clogged shooting lanes.Auston Matthews for the most part looked dangerous Tuesday. He pitched in a pair of assists and more than held his own defensively. Yet the Leafs' best player managed to get only two of seven attempts on target. William Nylander contributed a tally, but half of his eight attempts didn't make it on goal. Mitch Marner, who racked up three assists, was otherwise ineffective on the attack while his flip-pass attempt in the first ultimately led to Tampa's second goal.As a group, Toronto's big guns - Matthews, Nylander, Marner, John Tavares, Ryan O'Reilly - were fine in the opener. It was the others, from Holl, Brodie, and fellow defenseman Mark Giordano to Bunting and Samsonov, who cost the Leafs. That said, fine isn't good enough for world-class players - not at this time of year and certainly not within the context of the club's playoff history.The Leafs were heavy favorites ahead of puck drop because the offensive pop keeps coming. They have multiple layers of game-breaking talent. Matthews and the other guns must find a way to break through the defensive shell.Toronto beat Tampa 5-0 in last year's Game 1, then lost the series in seven games. Will another Game 1 become irrelevant by series end?John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL playoffs continue to roll along at full speed as we have four Game 2s scheduled for Wednesday night.Let's dive into the best ways to attack them.Kings (+190) @ Oilers (-220)The Oilers dropped the series opener in disappointing fashion, but I was largely impressed with what I saw.They controlled the run of play at five-on-five, winning the expected goal battle 3.47-1.87 and posting the higher xG in all four periods. That did translate to results, as the Oilers outscored the Kings in that game state.Where the Oilers ran into trouble was on the penalty kill. They took way too many penalties (six, to be exact) and paid the price against the Kings' dangerous power play.Los Angeles tied the game up in the dying seconds on the man advantage, and that's also how they won in overtime.Connor McDavid stressed postgame the importance of staying out of the box. We also generally see a lot of penalties called early in the series and the number progressively drop as it goes on.If we assume the Oilers will come closer to even in power-play opportunities (they were minus-3), they have a strong chance of getting back on track in Game 2.Without Kevin Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi, the Kings don't pack the same sort of punch at evens. I don't think they have the horses to keep up with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and this high-flying team.Expect the Oilers to be on the front foot often in this game and for that to translate to a much-needed victory.Bet: Oilers in regulation (-130)David Pastrnak over 4.5 shots (-130)Pastrnak put up a prop dud in Game 1, recording just two shots against the Panthers. I expect more from him this time around.For one, he's arguably the NHL's best volume shooter right now. He averaged five shots per game in the regular season and had a 60% hit rate for his shot prop.He has also hit in nine of his past 10 games in Boston, with Game 1 against Florida being the lone exception.Getting Patrice Bergeron back (he's questionable with an illness) would be huge and allow the Bruins to reset to their regular top six.Score effects could help the cause, too. Boston led for 55 of the 60 minutes last time out, so there was no need to push the pace and generate shots.While the Bruins are heavily favored once again, it stands to reason they'll spend more than five minutes level. That would help raise the floor and ceiling for Pastrnak.Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shots (-125)Kaprizov was teeing off in the series opener against the Stars. He generated 11 shot attempts, six shots on goal, and five scoring chances in the double-overtime victory.While the extra frames obviously helped boost his totals, Kaprizov went over the number inside regulation.That's nothing new for Kaprizov, especially in the playoffs. Dating back to last season, he has recorded five shots or more in six of seven playoff games. He's getting the job done and then some.The Stars aren't as good at five-on-five without Joe Pavelski, and they took penalties at an above-average rate over the season. This is a matchup Kaprizov can excel in.While I expect the Stars to draw even in Game 2, Kaprizov should have his fingerprints all over the Wild's offense.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Star defenseman Victor Hedman exited the Tampa Bay Lightning's opening game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday with an undisclosed issue.Hedman played 6:35 in the first period but was late to join the bench to begin the second frame. He went back to the locker room without playing a shift and didn't return to the contest.Defenseman Erik Cernak and forward Mikey Eyssimont also exited the game early for the Lightning due to apparent injuries. Cernak was injured on an illegal check to the head from Michael Bunting, while Eyssimont left after a collision with Jake McCabe.Following the game, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper did not have any update on the status of Hedman, Cernak, or Eyssimont.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers is unavailable for Game 1 of the club's first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.Ehlers has been recovering from an upper-body injury sustained last week in a collision with Ryan Hartman. The Minnesota Wild forward was suspended one game for the hit, and Ehlers missed Winnipeg's regular-season finale but said he was "100%" ready for the playoff opener, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.Ehlers had a lengthy injury absence earlier in the regular season due to sports hernia surgery. He managed 38 points in 45 games when healthy.Here's how the Jets lined up without the speedy winger:

Connor Bedard is the No. 1 North American skater heading into this year's NHL draft.The Regina Pats dynamo headlined NHL Central Scouting's final rankings of draft-eligible skaters from the continent Tuesday.Here's the top 10:RankPlayerPositionTeam1Connor BedardCRegina (WHL)2Adam FantilliCMichigan (NCAA)3William SmithCUSA U18 (NTDP)4Matthew WoodRWConnecticut (NCAA)5Ryan LeonardRWUSA U18 (NTDP)6Zach BensonLWWinnipeg (WHL)7Nate DanielsonCBrandon (WHL)8Oliver MooreCUSA U18 (NTDP)9Samuel HonzekLWVancouver (WHL)10Gabriel PerreaultRWUSA U18 (NTDP)Bedard led the WHL with a whopping 71 goals and 143 points across 57 games during the 2022-23 regular season, adding 10 goals and 10 assists over seven playoff contests. The 17-year-old led Canada to a second straight gold medal at the World Junior Championship in January. He was named MVP after leading all skaters in the tournament with 23 points.Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player this season. Bedard and Fantilli are widely projected to be selected first and second in the draft, respectively. The top three on the list remain unchanged from Central Scouting's midterm rankings, while Wood moved up from eighth.Central Scouting also finalized its list of international skaters. Here's the top 10 in that category:RankPlayerPositionTeam1Leo CarlssonCOrebro (Sweden)2Matvei MichkovRWSKA Saint Petersburg (KHL)3Dalibor DvorskyCAIK (Sweden-2)4Eduard SaleLWBrno (Czechia)5David ReinbacherDKloten (Switzerland)6Otto StenbergCFrolunda (Sweden-Jr.)7Axel Sandin PellikkaDSkelleftea (Sweden-Jr.)8Lenni HameenahoRWAssat (Finland)9Daniil ButLWYaroslavl (KHL-Jr.)10Mikhail GulyayevDOmsk (KHL-Jr.)Carlsson also held the top spot on the midterm rankings in January. The 18-year-old, who's widely projected to be drafted third, collected 10 goals and 15 assists over 44 games while playing in Sweden's top league. He notched three goals and three assists in seven contests for his country at the most recent world junior tournament.Reinbacher rose five spots from the midterm edition, while Sandin Pellikka dropped four spots.The NHL will conduct the draft lottery on May 8. The draft itself is scheduled for June 28 and 29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba won't have a hearing for his hit that injured Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Monday night, reports ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.A source told Wyshynski the contact was "close to being late but within (the) allowable window."Pavelski exited the series opener and didn't return after Dumba caught him up high below the red line in the second period.

The next wave of series begins tonight with four more matchups. Let's dive into the best ways to attack what should be another exciting slate.Rangers (+110) @ Devils (-130)The Rangers are a pretty popular pick to do damage in the playoffs. They have a lot of experience, one of the league's best goaltenders in Igor Shesterkin, and a couple of flashy offensive wingers - Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko - they acquired to add more secondary scoring in advance of the deadline.Despite all of that, I don't see the them getting by the Devils in the opening round, and I think New Jersey makes its first statement in this game.New Jersey was clearly the better side during the regular season. The Devils' overall numbers were far superior and they posted a 3-0-1 record in head-to-head matchups between these teams. That was no coincidence, as New Jersey won the Grade A chance battle 54-28 at five-on-five.Jack Hughes drove the bus against the Rangers, piling up six points and 27 scoring chances in just four games.The Rangers' defense tends to have issues against elite speed, making them susceptible to being exploited off the rush. Hughes is one of the best rush players in the league - and the Devils play as fast as anybody - so I think this is a tough stylistic matchup for New York.The Tomas Tatar-Nico Hischier-Dawson Mercer line is fantastic at hemming teams in their own zone and creating off the cycle, as is Timo Meier, who will skate on a powerful third line. The Devils aren't just a rush team either; they can create against structured defenses in the half court.While it's always possible that Shesterkin stands on his head and masks a lot of Rangers mistakes, I expect the Devils to be on the front foot so much at five-on-five that it won't necessarily matter.Bet: Devils (-130)Jack Hughes over 3.5 shots (-132)Hughes was one of the more consistent shooters in the league this season, especially when playing on home ice. He registered four shots or more in 27 of 40 home dates, good for a healthy 68% success rate.Perhaps more importantly, Hughes teed off against the Rangers throughout the year. He put up 28 shots on goal over just four games, which is an average of seven per game. Outrageous production.He should get more ice on a per-game basis than he did in the regular season and, at home, Lindy Ruff will be able to get him out there in more advantageous matchups.Expect him to capitalize.Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots (-115)The Kraken are a very slow-paced and stingy defensive team. They don't give up many shots and they don't play in many high-event games. In those respects, they are not an ideal matchup for Nathan MacKinnon or any volume shooter.I'm not sure it matters. MacKinnon is an extremely efficient shot generator who will create against anybody if he gets enough ice time.In what should be a competitive playoff game, it stands to reason that MacKinnon's usage will increase and he'll play 20-plus minutes. He did so 11 times at home during the Avalanche's run to the Stanley Cup last year. In that span, he registered five shots or more eight times - a 73% clip.Getting No. 29 the puck will be priority No. 1 for the Avs and, barring a blowout, he should see a healthy dose of ice. Look for him to make the most of it.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings struck first in their playoff rematch with the Edmonton Oilers, rallying to erase multiple two-goal deficits and prevail 4-3 in overtime in Game 1. The outcomes of these three matchups powered L.A. to victory in Monday's spirited series opener.Draisaitl dazzled, McDavid didn't Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesLeon Draisaitl produced two points per postseason contest on a compromised ankle last spring. Connor McDavid one-upped him, tallying 33 points in a magisterial 16-game playoff run that gobsmacked fans everywhere. After the Oilers superstars both set personal scoring bests this season, they were positioned to pick up right where they left off in 2022.Four slipups nearly doomed the Kings on Monday. Moving freely, Draisaitl snuck unnoticed into the slot before rifling the series' first goal past Joonas Korpisalo. McDavid stripped the puck from and then sped by Drew Doughty, then dangled Mikey Anderson to induce two obstruction penalties in the span of 30 seconds, setting up Evan Bouchard to score at five-on-three. Draisaitl scored again later when all five Los Angeles defenders lost track of the puck in a scramble.Those miscues didn't wind up mattering. Game 1 tightened up when Vladislav Gavrikov's deflection of a McDavid pass sparked Adrian Kempe's backhand goal. Quinton Byfield drew back-to-back penalties and poked the puck to Kempe to tee up his second snipe of the third period, inciting Edmonton's collapse. Admirably resilient, L.A.'s defensemen stayed square to McDavid on many of his rushes, holding him pointless as they bought time to tie the score.Few teams curbed Edmonton's big guns in 2022-23. Draisaitl's 128 points equaled the previous season high in the salary-cap era. McDavid recorded 153 points, blowing out his sidekick and the rest of the league.These two stars are unstoppable, so beating Edmonton starts with limiting the damage they inflict. Burned in the first period and showered with boos whenever he touched the puck, Doughty shoved McDavid to the ice as L.A. mounted its comeback, fulfilling his promise to "smack" No. 97 if the chance presented itself. Mission accomplished in Game 1.Kings delivered on special teams Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe tale of the tape in this phase of the game favors the Oilers, whose power play scored every third time it vaulted the boards this season. But L.A.'s power play ranked fourth and is one of few league-wide that can threaten to match Edmonton's unit shot for shot.Both teams are subpar on the penalty kill, though the Oilers potted 18 shorthanded goals for an NHL high since 2006, per Stathead. Korpisalo stoned Mattias Janmark during an Edmonton penalty kill in Game 1 after backpedaling defenseman Sean Durzi astutely blanketed McDavid to deny a cross-ice pass.The Kings hung in the game long enough to punish Edmonton's indiscipline. The Oilers' commitment to blocking shots snuffed out four Kings power-play attempts, but Anze Kopitar scored on the fifth try with Bouchard in the box for high-sticking, capitalizing 16.7 seconds before regulation ended. When Vincent Desharnais lost body position and tripped Blake Lizotte in OT, Alex Iafallo sniped from the bumper spot to finish a clinical tic-tac-toe passing play.How McDavid is officiated in the series is a storyline to monitor. The NHL leader in drawn penalties over the past two seasons, McDavid infamously didn't earn a single call in 2021 when the Winnipeg Jets swept Edmonton in Round 1. The Kings took four minors trying to deal with his speed and shiftiness last year. The same issues arose Monday when Doughty hooked McDavid and Anderson hugged him to avoid being posterized.McDavid racked up 71 power-play points during the regular season, the most in the league since 1996. He would have ranked 57th among NHL scorers if he never played a shift at even strength or shorthanded. Draisaitl, meanwhile, set a record by netting a power-play goal in 31 different games. Their dominance in such situations should clinch Edmonton some playoff wins, but the Oilers' five-on-three was their only significant opportunity in the opener.Korpisalo made the extra save Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe veteran goalies who previously led these teams on deep postseason runs - Mike Smith for Edmonton, two-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick for L.A. - have been replaced by fresh faces.Stuart Skinner might win the Calder Trophy because he stabilized the Oilers when Jack Campbell slumped this season. Acquired for Quick at the trade deadline, Korpisalo established himself as the Kings' steadiest hand in net over 11 appearances. Counting his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Korpisalo ranked 13th in save percentage and ninth in quality start percentage among goalies who made 30-plus starts, according to Hockey Reference.Korpisalo settled in Monday to offset Edmonton's hot start. Beaten just once in the final 56 minutes, he stopped 11 shots in overtime to expand his save total to 37. Skinner, who posted a .951 save percentage over four April appearances, was positionally sound and stopped 31 shots. But he let in four of the last 17 he faced, faltering for the first time in weeks.Alternately brilliant and beatable - sometimes within the same period - Smith's goaltending in the playoffs was a wild ride. Quick's performance fell off a cliff in his age-37 season. His replacement was marginally better than Skinner on Monday, putting pressure on the rookie to bounce back as this duel continues.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron wasn't in the lineup for Boston's 3-1 victory in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Monday due to an illness.Bergeron also exited Boston's final game of the regular season with an upper-body injury, but it was deemed precautionary.Pavel Zacha centered the top line in Bergeron's absence.Bergeron has tallied 127 points in 167 career postseason games.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Heading into the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, theScore's Kyle Cushman, Kayla Douglas, Mike Dickson, Josh Gold-Smith, John Matisz, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman make their picks for the first round, conference finals, Stanley Cup Final, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner.Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanBruins5DicksonBruins4DouglasBruins5Gold-SmithBruins5MatiszBruins6O'LearyBruins6WegmanBruins4The Bruins had arguably the most dominant regular season of all time, and their reward for such an incredible run is to face last season's Presidents' Trophy winners in the first round. It was a close season series as Boston just eeked out a 2-1-1 edge over the Panthers. But despite how close it was, our editors expect the Bruins to advance.Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanMaple Leafs7DicksonLightning6DouglasMaple Leafs6Gold-SmithMaple Leafs7MatiszMaple Leafs6O'LearyMaple Leafs6WegmanMaple Leafs6The Lightning and Maple Leafs meet in the opening round for the second straight year, with Toronto looking for its first series win since 2004. The Leafs took the season series 2-0-1 over Tampa, and the consensus among our editors is Toronto will get its revenge and finally earn that long-awaited series victory.Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders Josh Lavallee / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanIslanders7DicksonHurricanes7DouglasHurricanes6Gold-SmithIslanders7MatiszIslanders7O'LearyHurricanes6WegmanIslanders7One thing is guaranteed from this matchup: Sebastian Aho will advance to the next round. That's because, in addition to Carolina's star forward Sebastian Aho, New York has a Sebastian Aho of its own on defense. The Hurricanes took three of the four meetings during the regular season. However, they won't have the injured Andrei Svechnikov, and the Isles will have stellar goalie Ilya Sorokin. New York has a legitimate shot at knocking off the Metropolitan Division champs, which explains why we gave them a slight edge here.New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanDevils7DicksonDevils6DouglasRangers7Gold-SmithRangers7MatiszDevils7O'LearyRangers7WegmanRangers7This will be the seventh Battle of the Hudson in the postseason, with the Rangers winning the series four times. The Devils prevailed in the most recent playoff meeting (2012 Eastern Conference Final) and took the season series with a 3-0-1 record. This will likely be one of the closest opening-round matchups, so it's no surprise that most of our editors believe it'll go the distance.Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanAvalanche5DicksonAvalanche6DouglasAvalanche4Gold-SmithAvalanche5MatiszAvalanche7O'LearyAvalanche5WegmanAvalanche5The Kraken had quite the turnaround. They went from a last-place finish in the Pacific Division during their inaugural season to making the playoffs in their second year. However, Seattle is up against the defending champions, who enter the postseason playing their best hockey of the campaign. The Avalanche erased a 14-point deficit over the season's final three months to capture the Central. Even though the Kraken won the season series, our editors think Colorado's experience and talent will prove too much for the upstarts from Seattle.Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Bruce Kluckhohn / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanWild6DicksonStars6DouglasStars7Gold-SmithStars6MatiszStars5O'LearyWild7WegmanStars6You can't blame a longtime hockey fan in Minnesota if they feel a little conflicted with this one since it's a meeting of the old team that used to play in the state - the North Stars, now Stars - against the current group, the Wild. Most fans from the Land of 10,000 Lakes are likely rooting for the Wild, but our editors lean toward the Stars winning this matchup after Dallas took the season series with a 2-0-2 record.Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanGolden Knights5DicksonJets6DouglasGolden Knights6Gold-SmithJets7MatiszGolden Knights5O'LearyGolden Knights5WegmanJets7After missing the postseason for the first time in their short existence last campaign, the Golden Knights are back in the playoffs following a Pacific Division title. The Jets are in a similar situation, missing the postseason in 2021-22 after making four straight playoff appearances. But Winnipeg earned its spot this year by claiming the final wild-card berth in the West. Vegas swept the three meetings during the regular season, but some of our editors see the Jets pulling off an upset.Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanOilers6DicksonOilers6DouglasOilers5Gold-SmithOilers6MatiszOilers6O'LearyOilers6WegmanOilers7Here's another rematch from last year's first round in which the Oilers emerged from a hard-fought seven-game series and made a run to the Western Conference Final. Connor McDavid took his game to another level this season, becoming just the sixth player in NHL history to top 150 points in a campaign. That factor, plus an improved Oilers team that enters the playoffs red-hot, has each of our editors expecting another Edmonton victory in this matchup. The two teams split the season series with two wins each.Eastern Conference FinalEditorWinnerGamesCushmanBruins over Devils6DicksonBruins over Devils6DouglasBruins over Rangers6Gold-SmithBruins over Rangers6MatiszBruins over Devils5O'LearyBruins over Rangers6WegmanMaple Leafs over Rangers5After their incredible regular season, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that most of our editors expect the Bruins to keep up their stellar play and emerge as the East representatives in the Stanley Cup Final. Who they'll face is split between the Rangers and Devils despite neither winning the Metropolitan Division.Western Conference Final Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyEditorWinnerGamesCushmanOilers over Avalanche7DicksonAvalanche over Oilers6DouglasAvalanche over Oilers7Gold-SmithAvalanche over Oilers6MatiszOilers over Stars7O'LearyOilers over Avalanche6WegmanOilers over Stars7Unlike the East, the West is a little more up for grabs, though it still likely comes down to two teams - Oilers and Avalanche. Both enter the playoffs playing incredibly high-level hockey, and our editors expect that to continue through the postseason, giving a slight edge to Edmonton here.Stanley Cup FinalEditorWinnerGamesCushmanBruins over Oilers6DicksonBruins over Avalanche6DouglasBruins over Avalanche7Gold-SmithBruins over Avalanche6MatiszBruins over Oilers6O'LearyBruins over Oilers7WegmanMaple Leafs over Oilers7A season like the Bruins put together in 2022-23 is hard to bet against, and most of our editors see them as the favorite to lift Lord Stanley's mug. Between allowing significantly fewer goals than anyone else in the league and scoring more than anyone other than Edmonton, Boston really was in a league of its own. But they play the games for a reason, and maybe, just maybe, this is Toronto's year.Conn Smythe Trophy winner Boston Globe / Boston Globe / GettyEditorWinnerCushmanConnor McDavid (EDM)DicksonDavid Pastrnak (BOS)DouglasPastrnakGold-SmithPastrnakMatiszCharlie McAvoy (BOS)O'LearyPastrnakWegmanAuston Matthews (TOR)With most of our editors selecting the Bruins to win it all, Pastrnak becomes the pretty clear choice to take the Conn Smythe. There's no shortage of talent on the Bruins, and Linus Ullmark had a remarkable season in goal, but Pastrnak scored 46 more points than anyone else on the team. If Boston is going to succeed in the playoffs, it'll require a lot of scoring from Pasta.Interestingly, despite the Oilers not being selected to win the title, McDavid got a Conn Smythe vote here. That would make him only the sixth player ever and the second forward to take the trophy while losing the Cup Final. If any player is capable of such a feat in today's game, it's McDavid.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Drew Doughty made it clear the Los Angeles Kings haven't forgotten Connor McDavid's controversial hit on Mikey Anderson.McDavid was penalized for boarding Anderson back in March but avoided supplemental discipline. Doughty is adamant his squad will use the saga as motivation to make life difficult on the MVP favorite throughout their upcoming playoff rematch.

The Calgary Flames and general manager Brad Treliving have agreed to end his tenure, the club announced Monday.Don Maloney will take over as president of hockey operations and interim GM. The 64-year-old had been the team's senior vice president of hockey operations.Treliving's contract expires June 30. The Flames hired the 53-year-old in April 2014. He was the assistant GM of the Arizona Coyotes under Maloney, who Treliving later hired to the Flames' front office as a pro scout."Today is not a good day for me," Maloney said, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "Stanley Cup Playoffs start tonight and we're not playing. Brad Treliving is a good friend and a very good hockey man. He left us, for his reasons.""Really, I thought for sure Brad would re-sign," Maloney added, per Postmedia's Wes Gilbertson. "And I'm as close to him as anybody."Calgary fell two points shy of a playoff berth following an offseason in which the team lost Johnny Gaudreau in free agency and was forced to trade Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. Treliving was lauded at the time for acquiring prolific winger Jonathan Huberdeau, dependable defenseman Mackenzie Weegar, and prospect Cole Schwindt in that deal.He also signed high-profile free agent Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, $49-million deal last August. Kadri had just played a key role in helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup. Treliving inked goaltender Jacob Markstrom to a six-year, $36-million pact in 2020, the same year he acquired grinder Milan Lucic in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers.Treliving also signed free-agent forward Blake Coleman to a six-year contract in 2021. But the GM made his most impactful and perhaps most regrettable move at the 2018 draft when he traded blue-liner Dougie Hamilton and the rights to eventual Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox to the Carolina Hurricanes in a package that netted Calgary forward Elias Lindholm and rearguard Noah Hanifin.However, the executive did draft well on occasion, picking current top-liner Dillon Dube 56th overall in 2016 after nabbing future key contributors Rasmus Andersson and Andrew Mangiapane one year earlier.But the Flames failed to reach the postseason last week for the second time in three seasons. They didn't advance beyond the second round during Treliving's tenure.Despite Calgary's roller-coaster summer of 2022, expectations rose heading into 2022-23 after the club won the Pacific Division title by seven points over the second-place Oilers in 2021-22. The Flames beat the Dallas Stars in seven games in the first round last spring, but Edmonton then eliminated Calgary in five contests at the next stage.Maloney has a wealth of management experience in the NHL. This past campaign was his fifth as senior vice president in the hockey operations department. He was the Coyotes' GM for nine seasons and also spent 10 with the New York Rangers, serving as their assistant GM and vice president of player personnel.The New York Islanders hired the former forward as assistant GM after he retired as a player with them in 1991. One year later, they promoted him to GM, a position he occupied for three years.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Cale Makar is ready to return to the lineup.The Colorado Avalanche superstar said Monday he's ready to play in Game 1 of his team's first-round playoff series against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh.Makar missed the final seven games of the regular season with what the club called a lower-body injury.The 24-year-old defenseman also missed portions of the campaign due to a head injury followed by a recurrence of related symptoms.He produced 17 goals and 49 assists while leading the NHL with a whopping 26:23 of average ice time over 60 games in 2022-23.Makar won the Norris and Conn Smythe trophies last season while helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was activated from long-term injured reserve and will be in the lineup for Game 1 on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets, the team announced Monday.Stone's last game was Jan. 12. He was shut down indefinitely in February after undergoing back surgery - his second procedure in less than a year."I don’t want to miss this. I want to play with these guys," Stone said.Before his regular season ended prematurely, Stone registered 38 points in 43 games while averaging over 19 minutes per night. The Golden Knights hardly missed a beat without their star winger, finishing the year atop the Western Conference with 111 points. Vegas is back in the playoffs after missing the cut for the first time in franchise history in 2021-22.Stone's collected 50 points in 73 career playoff games. Vegas has reached the third round twice since acquiring Stone from the Ottawa Senators in in 2018-19.Game 1 goes Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A slight smile formed on Pete DeBoer's face Saturday as he nodded along to a reporter's question about Jake Oettinger, the Dallas Stars' starting goalie.The veteran head coach was being asked if the 24-year-old Oettinger - a native of Lakeville, Minnesota, set to face off against the Minnesota Wild in an opening-round NHL playoff series - needed any help managing his emotions."I'm just trying to manage his bank account, make sure he's not buying a couple hundred tickets every game there," DeBoer replied with a chuckle. "I talked to him about that this morning: 'At some point, you can't buy everyone in Minnesota a ticket to come watch you play.'" Minas Panagiotakis / Getty ImagesDeBoer didn't inject humor into his press conference to avoid answering the question directly. The bench boss simply knows Oettinger will be locked in for Game 1 on Monday night. The netminder's ascension, underlined by an epic 64-save performance against the Calgary Flames in Game 7 of last year's opening round, has been quick and convincing. He's left no doubt in Dallas."When you're drawing up what you want in your starting goalie, honestly, he checks all of those boxes," DeBoer told theScore in a recent interview."He's the backbone of our team," Stars forward Jason Robertson said.In a toss-up of a Western Conference playoff bracket, there might not be a bigger X-factor than the gregarious goalie who's made a habit of rising to the occasion. Oettinger is fresh off a regular season worthy of down-ballot Vezina Trophy votes and holds a .956 save percentage in nine career playoff games."He absolutely loved every minute he played," Stars goalie coach Jeff Reese said of the Flames series, which ended in heartbreak for Dallas despite Oettinger's Herculean efforts. "He loved the hostile environment. He loved the pressure of the playoffs. And, guess what, he was smiling the whole time." Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesDallas, the Central Division's No. 2 seed with a 47-21-14 record, is in this position today thanks to four slick moves at the draft table in Chicago six years ago.The first move: selecting Miro Heiskanen with the third pick. The second: sending the 29th (acquired via trade a year earlier) and 70th picks to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for No. 26. Third: using that 26th pick to select Oettinger. Fourth: selecting Robertson at No. 39.Those wide-eyed teenagers - one defenseman, one goalie, one forward - have since blossomed into foundational pieces of the Stars' present and future."You're just trying to get the best player at the time," general manager Jim Nill recalled of the 2017 draft. "We knew we had a cornerstone in Miro, and we were hoping the goalie would be something. After that, it's all about how they develop, and they've developed better than we ever thought they would."Hitting home runs off three picks in the same draft is like strapping a jetpack onto a team's trajectory. Now in their early 20s, Oettinger, Heiskanen, and Robertson are surrounded by an over-30 cohort led by Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski, and Tyler Seguin and an under-30 group headlined by Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Nils Lundkvist. Meanwhile, blue-chip prospects Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque could be on the roster as early as this fall. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesOettinger turned pro in 2019 after three years at Boston University. He then split three seasons between the AHL and NHL, sharing the big-club load with Anton Khudobin, Braden Holtby, and Scott Wedgewood after Ben Bishop's career-ending knee injury hastened a new era. But the No. 1 spot on the Stars' goaltending depth chart wasn't his out of training camp until this year.He recorded a .919 save percentage (tied for sixth in the league) and five shutouts (tied for second) over 62 games this season. He also posted impressive underlying numbers despite playing behind a strong defensive group. For one, his 0.16 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes ranked seventh out of 66 goalies with 1,000 minutes played, per Sportlogiq."Where has he improved? I'd say just his consistency," Nill said. "He's got a level of play he can get to, and now he's learning to do that every game.""We think we're set in net for the next eight, nine, 10 years," the GM added.At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Oettinger is a presence between the pipes. He's also athletic, smart, and technically sound. His current scouting report lacks a glaring weakness, especially after he made a concerted effort over the past 12 months to narrow his stance and sharpen his puck-handling skills."It's helped with my reads, and I'm a lot more patient than when I first got to the NHL," Oettinger said of his narrowed stance. "I was always like, 'Oh, I've got to be way out because these guys are so good.' Now I know I can make saves from everywhere. I'm confident that I can stop anyone. If that means I have to be back in my net a bit more so I can get over to a pass, no problem." Sam Hodde / Getty ImagesOettinger's mental makeup is, to circle back on DeBoer's comment, another box checked on the "what you want in your starting goalie" list. It begins with his daily interactions with Stars personnel."I'm pretty laid back, in general," Oettinger said. "I like to hang out with the guys and be amongst the group. I don't isolate myself on the road or on game days with superstitions. I have a couple of things I do, but it's nothing out of the ordinary that you wouldn't see from a forward or a defenseman."Dante Fabbro, the Nashville Predators defenseman and Oettinger's teammate in college, found Oettinger to be a magnetic force in the BU dressing room. "Almost immediately, you gravitated towards him, with how likable a guy he is," said Fabbro, who remains close friends with Oettinger."Most normal goalie you'll ever find. Almost the opposite of what you would think of with a goalie," said Stars forward Ty Dellandrea.Reese has been an NHL goalie or goalie coach nearly every season since 1988. He's worked with plenty of oddballs, including the legendarily eccentric Ilya Bryzgalov. "Jake's as normal as they get," Reese said. Sam Hodde / Getty ImagesOettinger, who's in the first season of a three-year deal carrying a $4-million annual cap hit, tries not to take himself too seriously. "When I'm not at the rink," he said, "I try to not think about goaltending." Whether it's spent on the golf course, at a restaurant, or whatever, time with family and friends is sacred."It's in the goalie's job description to ride the highs and the lows," Oettinger noted. He later added, "It's a long season. Unplugging is how I stay sane."Danton Cole, Oettinger's coach at the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2014-16, used a golf analogy to describe Oettinger's mindset."An elite goalie kind of has to be like a golfer. Hit one in the woods? You have to forget about it. You have to focus on the next shot or you'll lose your mind," Cole said. "Jake, in that sense, was outstanding when he was with us at the program. He was rarely fazed, and that carried over to the rest of the team."Virtually every person interviewed for this story brought up Oettinger's demeanor around the team. It's some blend of composure and confidence."What is the difference between a backup and a No. 1?" Reese asked rhetorically. "Some of it is physical, of course, but so, so much of it is mental. And Jake's a special individual mentally. Very mentally tough. Very special in that department. And the bottom line is, he has a great perspective on life." Christopher Mast / Getty ImagesBeing mentally tough doesn't mean Oettinger isn't hard on himself. Case in point: In late March, he pointed the finger inward following a disappointing 5-4 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken."Let in 10 goals in the last two games. Something's got to change," a frustrated Oettinger told reporters. "The guys have scored like crazy, so it's on me to keep the puck out of our net, and I haven't done that."How Oettinger bounced back after the Kraken game didn't go unnoticed internally or around the league. He saved 180 of 191 shots for a .942 save percentage over his final eight regular-season contests, seven of them victories."If there's anything I know about him," Fabbro said, "he's never satisfied."It can be easy to forget Oettinger's relative youth. He wears No. 29 because as a kid he idolized Marc-Andre Fleury, who at 38 may start for Minnesota on Monday. A Fleury Fathead cutout hung on Oettinger's bedroom wall until his mid-teens and last year he met the affable veteran before a head-to-head matchup, receiving a souvenir goalie stick from Fleury in the process. Michael Martin / Getty ImagesFleury, with 544 regular-season wins and three Stanley Cup rings, has earned a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nothing's guaranteed in hockey, let alone goaltending, but Oettinger's ceiling is just as high."There's still parts of his game we want to improve. He wants to get better. (Tampa Bay Lightning superstar) Andrei Vasilevskiy is the ceiling," Reese said. "Winning championships is what's next. That's when you're at the pinnacle. He looks at a guy like Vasi and wants to get to where Vasi's at. We've got a long way to go. But, as far as upside, if he continues with this attitude and wants to get better every day, he will get better every day."Stars assistant coach Steve Spott has joked about how easy Reese's job is these days. By all accounts, Oettinger is a goalie coach's dream."Spotter thinks it's a crime to get paid to do this," Reese said with a hearty laugh. "He's probably right. I probably shouldn't get paid to coach this kid."John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Cam Talbot's tenure with the Ottawa Senators is all but over.Senators general manager Pierre Dorion confirmed as much Monday, saying the goaltender won't be back with the club, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.The GM said he offered Talbot a one-year deal, but the netminder was seeking a two-year pact. Talbot is a pending unrestricted free agent who just concluded the final season of the three-year deal he signed with the Minnesota Wild in October 2020.The 35-year-old went 17-14-2 with a .898 save percentage over 36 games with Ottawa this season. He missed several stretches of the campaign due to injuries, forcing Anton Forsberg and later youngsters Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese into the Sens' crease on a more regular basis.The Wild traded Talbot to the Senators last July for 24-year-old puck-stopper Filip Gustavsson, who subsequently excelled as Minnesota's starter with a .931 save percentage and a record of 22-9-7 in 2022-23.Dorion acquired Talbot five days after landing high-scoring forward Alex DeBrincat in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. Shortly thereafter, the Senators convinced aging but skilled center Claude Giroux to sign a three-year agreement as a free agent.Ottawa's offseason was playfully dubbed "The Summer of Pierre" for the GM's efforts, but the Sens ultimately missed the playoffs by six points.Talbot has played 10 NHL seasons with six different teams. He finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2016-17 while playing with the Edmonton Oilers.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL playoffs have finally arrived! We have four games on the first slate of the postseason, with plenty of attractive options to choose from on the betting board.Let's dive into a few of my favorites as we look to hit the ground running.Wild (+120) @ Stars (-140)I think the Wild are in for a rude awakening in this series. That's not to say I expect them to be blown out of the rink every night; I think it'll be pretty clear they're not the better team.They limped to the finish line in the regular season, posting a 48% expected goal share over the final 25 games of the year. They were a below-average team at generating and preventing scoring chances.While Kirill Kaprizov getting healthy will certainly help, the Wild are going to have a tough time keeping up in this series.They met the Stars four times during the regular season. Including all gamestates, the Stars posted a 56.7% xG share or higher in every single game.More than anything, the Wild had a difficult time slowing down Dallas' lethal top line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Joe Pavelski.I see no reason to expect that to change in this series. As mentioned, the Wild were a subpar team at limiting chances down the stretch. Without Joel Eriksson Ek, one of the better two-way pivots in the league, I don't see a solution for Minnesota to keep Dallas' top players in check.With a bounce-back year from captain Jamie Benn, and the continued emergence of Wyatt Johnston, the Stars should also have the more reliable secondary scoring options.Simply put, the Stars are the better team top to bottom. They have more paths to victory than the Wild do and, as a bonus, control the matchups at home.Look for them to take care of business in Game 1.Bet: Stars (-140)Matthew Tkachuk over 3.5 shots (-140)Tkachuk is sizzling hot heading into the playoffs. He has registered four shots or more in 20 of the past 30 games, good for a healthy 66% success rate.Although the Boston Bruins are a powerhouse team nobody wants to see in the playoffs, I don't think Tkachuk will have much problem generating shots in bulk against them.Tkachuk recorded 20 shots over the span of four regular season meetings, going over the total three times.Coaches tend to lean even more heavily on their stars come playoff time, and Tkachuk has consistently made the most of extreme usage. Paul Maurice played Tkachuk 20 minutes or more 16 times since February 20th. Of those 16 games, he amassed at least four shots on goal 13 times.I expect Tkachuk to get all the ice he can handle in this game. Given his success when logging heavy minutes - and the fact Boston ranks bottom five in shots allowed against left wingers over the past 10 games - we should expect a strong showing from Florida's top winger.Connor McDavid over 3.5 shots (-132)The bad news is the Los Angeles Kings are a fantastic shot-suppression team that, over the course of the entire season, ranked top five in terms of limiting shots to opposing centers.The good news is it probably won't matter. McDavid was a shot-generating machine all year long, especially on home ice. He recorded four shots or more in 30 of 41 games in Edmonton, which is a whopping 73% hit rate.Los Angeles had very similar personnel - and played the same brand of hockey - when the two sides met in the playoffs last year. McDavid still had multiple points in six of seven and went over the number on his total in three straight to end the series.It's also worth noting - despite a couple games being blowouts where ice time was cut - McDavid piled up 31 attempts over four games at home. That's nearly eight attempts per game, which is more than enough for a player of McDavid's caliber to get the job done.Win or lose, McDavid should be able to generate a handful of shots in the opener.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The quest to hoist the Stanley Cup begins Monday. These storylines will affect the championship hopes of the eight teams in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket. (Click to read our breakdown of the Western qualifiers.) Boston Bruins

This is the 13th edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2022-23 season and the first for the playoffs. Check back after Round 1 for updated rankings.In this edition, we rank the 16 teams that advanced to the postseason.1. Boston Bruins (62-12-5)Previous rank: 1stCan the most successful regular-season team in NHL history overcome the burden of the Presidents' Trophy? Only eight teams have ever won the Stanley Cup after claiming the league's best record, but it would be lunacy to have the mighty Bruins anywhere other than the top spot.2. Edmonton Oilers (50-23-9)Previous rank: 8thThe Oilers enter the playoffs on a nine-game win streak, Connor McDavid has raised his game to yet another stratospheric level, and Stuart Skinner has given Edmonton some much-needed stability in goal. Plus, Leon Draisaitl is healthy this time around. He was incredible in last season's playoffs while basically playing on one leg. This could be the Oilers' year.3. Carolina Hurricanes (52-21-9)Previous rank: 2ndThe Hurricanes had the NHL's second-best regular-season record in 2022-23. But the two-time defending Metropolitan Division champions ranked fifth in regulation or overtime wins and eighth in goal differential. The club also won't have the injured Andrei Svechnikov all spring. Still, Carolina was the league's best possession team in five-on-five expected goals for percentage.4. Colorado Avalanche (51-24-7) Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 7thThe defending champion Avalanche have endured a slew of injuries this season and won't have captain Gabriel Landeskog for a single game in 2022-23. But Colorado won eight of its final 10 contests to claim the Central Division title by a point. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Co. appear primed for another deep run.5. Toronto Maple Leafs (50-21-11)Previous rank: 9thThe Maple Leafs' inability to get past the first round is well documented, and they're up against the same Tampa Bay Lightning team that vanquished them last season. Aside from durability concerns in goal, the Leafs seem capable of winning a series for the first time in nearly two decades thanks to some added versatility and depth.6. Dallas Stars (47-21-14)Previous rank: 12thDallas enters the playoffs as a dark horse for some. However, the Stars ended their regular season on a six-game win streak while owning the league's second-best goal differential and missing the Central Division title by a single point. Don't be shocked if Dallas makes some noise in the Western Conference bracket.7. Vegas Golden Knights (51-22-9)Previous rank: 3rdThe Golden Knights won the Pacific Division for the third time since 2018, and they're on the verge of getting two-way stalwart Mark Stone back from injury. Vegas tied Toronto for fourth in the league with 111 points in the standings but ranked ninth in goal differential. Despite being the best in the West in the regular season, the Knights' concerns with their forward depth and goaltending could make them vulnerable to a first-round upset.8. New Jersey Devils (52-22-8) Rich Graessle / National Hockey League / GettyThe high-octane Devils are back in the playoffs and locked into one of the most intriguing first-round matchups against their biggest rivals, the New York Rangers. New Jersey has been near the top of the standings all campaign and has the stats to prove it's legit. But it remains to be seen if New Jersey's inexperienced core can get it done in the postseason.Previous rank: 5th9. New York Rangers (47-22-13)Previous rank: 6thThe Rangers didn't have a dominant regular season. However, they're built for the playoffs with an elite goalie in Igor Shesterkin and plenty of depth up front and on defense. New York has postseason experience after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last campaign, but the Blueshirts will be in tough against the upstart Devils.10. Tampa Bay Lightning (46-30-6)Previous rank: 11thThe Lightning have lost some of their shine. They tied for 10th in the NHL in regulation or overtime wins and ranked 11th in goal differential while finishing third in the Atlantic Division. Still, Tampa Bay boasts Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and the rest of its playoff-tested core, along with some skilled role players. Count the Bolts out at your own peril.11. Los Angeles Kings (47-25-10)Previous rank: 4thThe Kings are faced with the unenviable task of shutting down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the second straight year. It didn't go great in 2022, but Los Angeles has four deep lines that can match up well against Edmonton. L.A. also appears to have found an answer in goal with Joonas Korpisalo, who posted a .921 save percentage after Columbus traded him to the Kings.12. Minnesota Wild (46-25-11) Harrison Barden / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 10thThe Wild racked up 103 points in a tight Central Division on the back of excellent defense and goaltending. But Minnesota's lack of firepower and questions regarding top-line center Joel Eriksson Ek's health are major concerns against the well-rounded Stars.13. Winnipeg Jets (46-33-3)Previous rank: 14thThe Jets have to face the Golden Knights in the first round and are clear underdogs. However, don't count Winnipeg out, as it has perennial Vezina Trophy contender Connor Hellebuyck. He can steal a game or two and swing a series the Jets' way.14. New York Islanders (42-31-9)Previous rank: 15thNew York's recipe for an upset lies in the hands of star goalie Ilya Sorokin, who led all NHL netminders in goals saved above expected this season. He's more than capable of stealing a series, especially for a battle-tested Islanders team that knows how to muck it up and win ugly. New York utilized that formula to make back-to-back conference final appearances in 2020 and 2021, using primarily the same group as now.15. Seattle Kraken (46-28-8)Previous rank: 13thThe Kraken have been a great story this season, but the tale may be nearing its end with Seattle matched up against the Avalanche in Round 1. Of course, anything can happen in a best-of-seven series, but there are major question marks in goal between Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones. Seattle ranked 30th in the NHL with a team save percentage of .886.16. Florida Panthers (42-32-8) Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 17thThe Panthers had the fewest points among all playoff teams and are up against the league's top dog. Florida got hot down the stretch to make the cut, which could give it some carried-over momentum. Still, the likelihood of a Round 1 upset looks bleak for the Cats.(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The quest to hoist the Stanley Cup begins Monday. These storylines will affect the championship hopes of the eight teams in the Western Conference playoff bracket. (Click to read our breakdown of the Eastern qualifiers.) Vegas Golden Knights

The Canadian federal government announced Sunday it'll reinstate Hockey Canada's funding, effective immediately.Canadian sport minister Pascale St-Onge made the announcement ahead of the gold-medal game between Canada and the United States at the IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ontario.St-Onge said Hockey Canada met three conditions to have its funding fully restored: become a full signatory to Abuse-Free Sport and the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, continue to review and implement the recommendations from the independent governance review led by The Honorable Thomas Cromwell, and commit to more frequent reporting to the Government of Canada.The Canadian government froze Hockey Canada's funding in June 2022, two months after a woman alleged in a lawsuit that eight CHL players sexually assaulted her. The alleged incident included several members of Canada's 2018 world junior team and took place in June 2018 at a London, Ontario, hotel after a Hockey Canada event. The $3.55-million lawsuit was settled out of court.Hockey Canada then announced in July that the 2003 world junior team was being investigated for an alleged group sexual assault.Executives within the organization said in July that Hockey Canada paid out $8.9 million in sexual abuse settlements since 1989, excluding the 2018 incident.Hockey Canada received $7.7 million in federal backing from Sport Canada in the 2022 fiscal year before the funding was frozen."Today marks an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our journey to earn and maintain the trust of Canadians," Hugh L. Fraser, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors, said. "While I would like to thank Minister St-Onge and the government for their vote of confidence and for their ongoing efforts to prioritize safe sport in Canada, I also wish to stress that we still have work to do to change the culture of our sport."This is a significant moment for the future of Hockey Canada, and hockey in Canada, as it will enable us to further our commitment to supporting all levels of the sport. We thank the minister and the government for placing their trust in us, and we look forward to working with them to make hockey safer from coast to coast to coast."Hockey Canada elected a new nine-member board in December after the previous regime was ousted as a result of the controversies. The organization has yet to name a new CEO.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With Sidney Crosby and the Penguins' playoff streak snapped, the team that no one has any fun playing - the Islanders - laid claim to the final Stanley Cup Playoffs spot. Their reward? A best-of-seven series with the top-rated team in terms of expected goals at even strength. Of course, the Hurricanes won't be thrilled about needing to overcome Ilya Sorokin to convert those to actual goals, especially with how they finished the season offensively.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPIslanders+150+170+1.5 (-125)Hurricanes-175-200-1.5 (+100)This is the second-biggest favorite that this iteration of the Hurricanes has been, as they were well into the -200s before a first-round series with the Predators two years ago. They shouldn't have as easy of a time against the Islanders, who routinely find themselves as the underdog this time of year.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied, and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season, and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBIslanders+1%+3%Hurricanes+30%+20%Yes, you read that correctly. The Hurricanes came out of this season as the top-ranked team in my rating system, even though their comparative statistics slowed down from their unsustainable levels early in the season.Advanced metrics at even strengthXG%= Expected goal share

The days of the mispriced big underdog are long gone. Years ago, if a defending Stanley Cup champion who won a third straight division as part of their title defense took on a second-year expansion team in the first round, the champ would be a massive favorite.Unfortunately, we know too much now. Thanks to the widespread availability of advanced metrics, we know the Avalanche didn't have the season they'd hoped for, while the Kraken weren't necessarily a fluke in securing the first wild card.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPKraken+160+225+1.5 (+100)Avalanche-190-275-1.5 (-130)Let's use a hypothetical when trying to frame the odds for this series.You bet the Kraken to win, and they do. Shortly after the series, you mention that winning bet to a non-bettor friend, and, amazed at your foresight, they ask you what the payout was. If you said, "just better than 2-to-1," doesn't it feel like the odds aren't long enough for what seems like a somewhat monumental upset?In turn, as we'll discover below, the odds might be too long relative to how each team performed this year. By comparing the numbers to the narrative, it feels like these prices are located somewhere in between, depending on your purview.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBKraken+1%-3%Avalanche+5%+4%The Kraken profile as the consistently inconsistent average NHL team that we often find in the category of borderline playoff participant. What makes this series so uncertain is that the Avalanche didn't profile that much better than average this season.Advanced metrics at even strengthXG%= Expected goal share

For years, the Jets vexed handicappers. They'd fit the profile of a team getting regularly outplayed at even strength but survived by converting an unusual amount of the chances they got and relying on their goaltender to outperform the opponent in the other crease.This season - their first under Rick Bowness - they didn't have the win total they managed in recent years but played much better overall. In fact, the wild-card Jets rate awfully similar to their first-round opponent - the Golden Knights.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPJets+125+140+1.5 (-145)Golden Knights-145-175-1.5 (+115)From a win-loss perspective, the Golden Knights used a hot start and a big finish to take the Pacific Division, while the Jets held off the Flames and Predators for the final wild card. Despite a 1-8 conference seeding matchup, top-seeded Vegas is expected to win this series less than 60% of the time.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied, and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season, and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBJets+4%+2%Golden Knights+11%+2%The Golden Knights' second strong stretch of the season wasn't nearly as impressive from a play-driving perspective, as both Vegas and Winnipeg were merely slightly above average after the All-Star break.Advanced metrics at even-strengthXG%= Expected goal share

Depending on your age, certain Stanley Cup Playoffs matchups can take you back to more carefree times. From 1992-97, the Rangers and Devils portaged the Hudson River in meeting three times in six postseasons. New York took them all and picked up its lone Stanley Cup since 1940 along the way. The Rangers vexed the Devils thanks to their snipers up front, a Vezina-caliber defenseman, and one of the best goaltenders in the world. New York will try that same recipe in its first postseason clash with New Jersey in over a decade.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPRangers+115+100+1.5 (-200)Devils-135-120-1.5 (+150)You won't find a series lined closer to a coin flip than this one. Of course, we should be somewhat skeptical anytime anything is suggested to be 50-50 in probability - especially with these two teams, who do things decidedly differently.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied, and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season, and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBRangers+3%-2%Devils+25%+16%Not to combine church and state here, but the best bettors believe in something. No matter the sport, they have a personal view of which elements are predictable and reliable to consistently win games. The Devils do what I believe in. The Rangers don't.Advanced metrics at even-strengthXG%= Expected goal share

We've been evaluating several of the NHL's award races all season long, so with the 82-game schedule in the rearview mirror, it's time to pick the winners and finalists. Our team of hockey editors - Kyle Cushman, Mike Dickson, Kayla Douglas, Josh Gold-Smith, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman - has assembled to do exactly that.In the interest of transparency, we've included the voting point totals and a glimpse at each editor's hypothetical ballot - remember, these aren't official and we won't be voting in the real thing - for the six most significant individual regular season honors.Our voting points system matches the standard one, but with an exception. As in years past, since we only have six participants, we've given additional voting power to the individual editors who covered each of the four awards we've been examining with monthly rankings.The normal first-place picks were worth three points, the conventional second-place votes were worth two, and the standard third-place votes were worth one. The expert votes were worth double compared to everyone else's selections, so six points, four, and two for first, second, and third, respectively. The expert editors are denoted by asterisks in the charts.Here's who we think deserves to take home the hardware:Jack Adams Award Boston Globe / Boston Globe / GettyPlaceHead CoachVoting Points1Jim Montgomery162Lindy Ruff123Jared Bednar3T4Rod Brind'Amour2T4Dean Evason26Bruce Cassidy1EditorWinner2nd3rdCushmanMontgomeryRuffBednarDicksonMontgomeryRuffBrind'AmourDouglasMontgomeryRuffBrind'AmourGold-SmithRuffBednarMontgomeryO'LearyMontgomeryRuffCassidyWegmanMontgomeryEvasonRuffMontgomery nearly wins the NHL's coach of the year award unanimously by our estimation, and for good reason. His juggernaut Boston Bruins steamrolled the rest of the league during the regular season, setting numerous records in the process. He also deserves credit for effectively guiding a club that was without Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy at the start of the campaign.The 53-year-old should be lauded for accomplishing all that, especially in his first season with Boston. But the Bruins are absolutely loaded with talent. They boast a Hart Trophy candidate, the Vezina and Selke favorites, other stars both up front and on defense, and an extremely deep squad as a whole. So it could be argued - as Gold-Smith essentially does here - that other coaches are more deserving because they had less to work with.Enter Ruff, whose New Jersey Devils exceeded expectations this season. They have a solid stable of skilled players led by budding superstar Jack Hughes, but few predicted this team would be among the cream of the Eastern Conference crop before the campaign began. Bednar should also get some recognition for helping the perpetually injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche remain competitive.Selke Trophy Brian Fluharty / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlayerVoting Points1Patrice Bergeron182Mitch Marner7T3Aleksander Barkov3T3Nico Hischier3T3Jordan Staal3T6Mikael Backlund1T6Joel Eriksson Ek1EditorWinner2nd3rdCushmanBergeronHischierBarkovDicksonBergeronMarnerHischierDouglasBergeronMarnerBacklundGold-SmithBergeronMarnerJ. StaalO'LearyBergeronJ. StaalEriksson EkWegmanBergeronBarkovMarnerThis one is unanimous, as we all believe Bergeron deserves to pad his NHL record for Selke wins by being voted the best defensive forward for the sixth time. The 37-year-old Bruins center has long been a paragon of consistency on both sides of the puck. He kept that going in 2022-23, ranking near the top of the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes among qualified forwards while posting favorable numbers in many other categories.Marner led all NHL forwards in takeaways per 60 among those who played at least six games and also placed among the league's best in terms of both wins above replacement and goals above replacement.We didn't cover this award on a monthly basis, so we don't have an editor's expert points that could've broken the tie for third. But Barkov, Hischier, and Staal all warrant some real votes for their consistently elite two-way play.Calder Trophy Steph Chambers / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlayerVoting Points1Matty Beniers212Owen Power123Matias Maccelli44Stuart Skinner35Logan Thompson2EditorWinner2nd3rdCushmanBeniersPowerSkinnerDicksonBeniersMaccelliPowerDouglas*BeniersPowerL. ThompsonGold-SmithBeniersPowerMaccelliO'LearyBeniersPowerMaccelliWegmanBeniersSkinnerPowerBeniers is the clear choice to be voted top rookie. The 20-year-old led the class in goal-scoring and points while centering the top line for the playoff-bound Seattle Kraken. Beniers' development is a major reason Seattle has taken a much larger step forward this season than most expected.Power is meeting the lofty expectations he's shouldered as the 2021 first overall pick. The Buffalo Sabres defenseman - who's also 20 years old - paced all rookies in average ice time at nearly 24 minutes and registered nearly half a point per game in 2022-23.Maccelli flew under the radar this season because he plays for the Arizona Coyotes, but he had a sneakily impressive campaign. The 22-year-old led all rookies in total assists and finished second in the class to Beniers in points by eight despite playing 16 fewer games.Norris Trophy Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlacePlayerVoting Points1Erik Karlsson212Adam Fox83Rasmus Dahlin64Dougie Hamilton35Cale Makar2T6Quinn Hughes1T6Josh Morrissey1EditorWinner2nd3rdCushmanKarlssonFoxMakarDicksonKarlssonHamiltonMorrisseyDouglasKarlssonDahlinQ. HughesGold-SmithKarlssonDahlinMakarO'LearyKarlssonFoxHamiltonWegman*KarlssonFoxDahlinIf Karlsson doesn't win the Norris, it would frankly be a travesty. This award should never be purely about points, but the veteran blue-liner became the first defenseman to collect 100 in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.Karlsson was the oldest rearguard to ever accomplish the feat and only the sixth to ever do it. The vast majority of the 32-year-old's production came at even strength, too. He was fourth in the NHL in points in those situations behind only Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, and Connor McDavid. Plus, Karlsson did all this for the lowly San Jose Sharks.Vezina Trophy China Wong / National Hockey League / GettyPlacePlayerVoting Points1Linus Ullmark182llya Sorokin173Juuse Saros44Connor Hellebuyck25Jake Oettinger1EditorWinner2nd3rdCushmanSorokinUllmarkSarosDicksonUllmarkSorokinOettingerDouglasUllmarkSorokinSarosGold-SmithSorokinUllmarkSarosO'Leary*UllmarkSorokinHellebuyckWegmanSorokinUllmarkSarosThis was by far the closest vote we conducted. In the normal points system, Sorokin and Ullmark would be tied with 15 points apiece. But this is where our expert system pays off, as O'Leary's more informed opinion gives the Bruins goaltender the narrowest possible victory.Ullmark was spectacular for the NHL's best team this season. But Sorokin was right there with him in terms of the underlying numbers, and the Islanders netminder bested him by a wide margin in goals saved above expected at five-on-five while leading the league. Sorokin excelled with a less inspiring supporting cast, which explains why he nearly wins here.Hart Trophy Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPlacePlayerVoting Points1Connor McDavid212David Pastrnak103Matthew Tkachuk104Mikko Rantanen1EditorWinner2nd3rdCushmanMcDavidPastrnakM. TkachukDicksonMcDavidPastrnakRantanenDouglasMcDavidM. TkachukPastrnakGold-Smith*McDavidM. TkachukPastrnakO'LearyMcDavidM. TkachukPastrnakWegmanMcDavidPastrnakM. TkachukThere was rightfully no drama when it came to our MVP pick. Much like the Norris Trophy, the Hart shouldn't just be about offensive production. But McDavid crushed the rest of the NHL in that regard, so giving this award to anyone else would just seem wrong.In our adjusted points system, Pastrnak and Tkachuk find themselves in a dead heat for second place. However, the Bruins winger earns the higher spot in a tiebreaker because he'd have one more voting point than Tkachuk in the real system, and Pastrnak appeared on all six ballots.Pastrnak was the Bruins' catalyst, and he provided immense value relative to his skilled teammates. Tkachuk was also outstanding in many facets of the game. He was by far the best Panthers skater and only McDavid amassed more wins above replacement and goals above replacement than Tkachuk in the NHL this season.(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Bruins set an NHL record for regular-season victories. They took an insurmountable division lead almost instantly, virtually refusing to lose games before Christmas. Their march to the Presidents' Trophy was uncontested, but when it comes to the real trophy in question - does all this regular-season work get them a bye? More home games than usual to take advantage of a 34-4-3 TD Garden record? Maybe Boston gets to play with an extra skater for the first period of Game 1?No, nope, and of course not.Instead, the Bruins get a matchup with the worst playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, which wouldn't be a bad prize, except that team just happens to be the Panthers - last year's Presidents' Trophy winners.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPPanthers+190+265+1.5 (+125)Bruins-220-330-1.5 (-165)At higher than -300, the Bruins are the biggest favorite in the first round, which considering the regular season they just had, shouldn't come as a surprise. For historical context, though, the Lightning had a historic season of their own in 2019 (and would later win two Stanley Cups) and came into a first-round series against the Blue Jackets as -400 favorites. They got swept.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBPanthers+17%+16%Bruins+21%+9%Predictably, the Bruins rated well this season at 21% better than an average NHL team - even after they spent much of the last two months with their foot off the gas. They would have been well within their rights to expect a matchup with an average NHL team - the Penguins or Islanders, for example.The Panthers spent the early part of the season finding ways to lose, but right before all hope was lost - without a meaningful change in their metrics - they started to get the two points they rightly deserved more often than not.Advanced metrics at even strengthXG%= Expected goal share

The NHL hands out plenty of major hardware at its annual awards night, but some of the campaign's most impressive feats still manage to fall by the wayside without proper recognition.Below, we look at three individual awards the league should add and determine who would win them this season.Best Defensive Defenseman Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyWhile the Norris Trophy is given to the best all-around defenseman, ranking among the league leaders in points at the position is typically a prerequisite to draw serious consideration. However, this trophy would focus solely on the defensive contributions of blue-liners and how well they're able to keep the puck away from their net. Logging heavy minutes against top competition is a must for this winner.Finalists: MacKenzie Weegar (Calgary Flames), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Jared Spurgeon (Minnesota Wild)This is the toughest award of the three to decipher. Even with all the data available in this day and age, it's still difficult to evaluate defensive defensemen. What's fascinating, though, is how all three defend in completely different ways.Weegar is extremely physical, ranking in the top 20 among defensemen in hits with 186. The 5-foot-9, 166-pound Spurgeon is one of the smallest defenders in the league, but he makes up for it with strong skating and elite positioning. Slavin isn't very physical despite his 6-foot-3, 207-pound frame, but he possesses a great stick that he's always using to break up plays.And all three players are neck and neck in every statistic at our disposal.Weegar leads the way in defensive goals above replacement (12.1), Evolving-Hockey's catch-all metric for defensive play. Spurgeon ranks seventh among defensemen (8.9), while Slavin ranks 11th (8.1).But Spurgeon and Slavin are both more disciplined, as they produced 2 and 2.6 GAR, respectively, in penalty differential, compared to Weegar's 0.6 mark. All three players own nearly identical marks in on-ice expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five, ranking fifth (Spurgeon), seventh (Slavin), and eighth (Weegar) league-wide.Winner: Slavin. All three players are extremely close in several metrics, but the biggest advantage for Slavin is in the form of takeaways. His 88 are tied for the most among NHL defensemen and blow Weegar's 38 and Spurgeon's 15 out of the water.Most Improved Player Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyThe NBA hands out this award annually, and there's no reason the NHL shouldn't follow suit with a trophy that recognizes growth. And no, this won't be a pity prize for the league's worst player like it is in youth hockey. We're looking for someone who made a serious leap.Finalists: Tim Stutzle (Ottawa Senators), Vince Dunn (Seattle Kraken), Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado Avalanche)Stutzle made huge strides this season, racking up 90 points - a 32-point improvement from 2021-22. The German phenom was dangerous every time he took the ice, and the scary part is the 21-year-old still has plenty of room to grow.Dunn was superb for the Kraken, ranking second on the team in points (64) and first average ice time (23:40). Seattle lacks a true star player, so having a dynamic threat from the back end in Dunn was a huge reason the club made the playoffs in its second season ever.If there ever a case study to show how unpredictable goalies are, look at Georgiev. He was one of the worst netminders in the league last season, posting an .898 save percentage as the New York Rangers' backup, but in his first campaign with the Avalanche he was simply excellent, producing a .918 save percentage in 62 starts while tying for the league lead with 40 wins.Winner: Georgiev. The Avs' workhorse starter gets the edge here considering just how important he was to his team. With all the injuries Colorado suffered this year, Georgiev remained one of the few constants the team could rely on night in and night out.Comeback Player of the Year Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe NFL hands out this award annually - typically to a player who had their previous season cut short due to injury and overcame adversity to have a sensational comeback campaign. Coming off an injury helps present a better case, but it's not required in this exercise. The Comeback Player of the Year could very well be rewarded to someone had a great season after being written off due to a poor one previously.Finalists: Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks), Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), Joonas Korpisalo (Columbus Blue Jackets/Los Angeles Kings)Karlsson and Benn are two players who many fans likely thought were over the hill, but both have proven they have plenty of gas left in the tank. Karlsson, 32, is the Norris Trophy favorite even though injuries caused him to miss 69 out of a possible 372 games over the past five seasons since joining the Sharks. Yet he managed to rack up a historic 101 points this season while playing for a basement-dwelling team.Benn, 33, also bounced back in a huge way this season, racking up 78 points - his most in a season since 2017-18. He tallied just 46 a year ago.Korpisalo battled injuries en route to a disastrous 2021-22 campaign that saw him post an .877 save percentage - the worst among qualified goalies. But he was sensational this year, posting a .914 save percentage between the Blue Jackets and Kings.Winner: Karlsson. How could it be anyone else? He's only the sixth defenseman in NHL history to record 100 points in a season, and the first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Every NHL season has its own unique storylines we never saw coming.The unexpected breakout performances, trades, and storylines are what make for the most interesting aspects of any given year. Whether it's a team setting records, a player we had written off finding his past form, or plenty of other scenarios, the unforeseen elements of a season are why we love sports.Here are five of the biggest surprises from the 2022-23 NHL campaign.Bruins' historic dominance Boston Globe / Boston Globe / GettyRemember when there were concerns over the Boston Bruins entering the season thanks to various injuries? That was adorable.An NHL-record 65 wins. An NHL-record 135 points. The fastest team ever to 50 wins and 100 points. The Bruins were as close to unbeatable as we've ever seen from a regular season squad.Coming in, the Bruins were on a path of regression. They exited in the first round last season for the first time since 2017 and subsequently fired Bruce Cassidy. Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk were all slated to miss significant time. Boston was supposed to be closer to a bubble team than a President Trophy winner.How did the Bruins exceed expectations by such a massive margin? David Pastrnak's spectacular 61-goal, 113-point campaign is a good place to start. Leading the team in scoring by 47 points, Pastrnak's offensive prowess was vital to Boston's success.Jim Montgomery took over behind the bench and made the Bruins the league's best defensive team, led by Mr. Selke Trophy, Patrice Bergeron. Couple it with Linus Ullmark's Vezina-caliber campaign, and that's a recipe for lots of wins.Hampus Lindholm shouldn't be overlooked, either. The 29-year-old was a massive part of the Bruins' early season success while McAvoy was out of the lineup. He doesn't have the eye-catching power-play production of other Norris Trophy candidates, but Lindholm's dominant five-on-five play is worthy of votes for the award.Nobody saw a historic season of this magnitude coming from the Bruins.Karlsson turns back the clock Kavin Mistry / National Hockey League / GettyNot long ago, Erik Karlsson's massive $11.5-million cap hit was viewed as one of the biggest anchor contracts in the league. Now, he's the favorite to capture the Norris Trophy.There simply isn't enough you can say about Karlsson's remarkable season. If tallying over 100 points as a defenseman isn't crazy enough, how about finishing second in the entire league in five-on-five scoring?Many had resigned themselves to appreciating Karlsson's heyday with Ottawa as he played out his monster contract in San Jose. Nobody imagined he could turn back the clock the way he did this season considering his significant injury history.It's important to remember the context of Karlsson's tenure with the Sharks coming into 2022-23. He'd never played more than 56 games in a season with San Jose over his four years there. In 211 games with the Sharks, he'd tallied 27 goals and 142 points - a 10-goal, 55-point pace over 82 games.Karlsson scored 25 goals this season alone and totaled 101 points. His totals in 2022-23 exceed both his goal output and point production from the previous three seasons combined.As unexpected as the Bruins' historical season was, Karlsson's resurgence is the biggest shock of the year.Devils go bottom-five to top-five Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe New Jersey Devils were an intriguing team coming into the campaign. Sunk by abysmal goaltending in 2021-22, the Devils had a new starting goaltender and an exciting blend of talent ready to take the next step.In a competitive Metropolitan Division, some anticipated New Jersey to be in the hunt for a wild-card spot. Instead, the team went bottom five to top five league-wide and made a significant push for the division title.Everything came together for the Devils. Jack Hughes stayed healthy for the vast majority of the season and emerged as one of the premier dual threats in the league. Nico Hischier found another level offensively to put himself in the conversation for the Selke Trophy. Vitek Vanecek proved he could be a quality starting goaltender.Dougie Hamilton didn't just return to form, he set career highs. Jesper Bratt proved his breakout in 2021-22 wasn't a fluke, while Dawson Mercer continued on his exciting upward trajectory.We knew the Devils' future was incredibly bright with their young talent and prospects on the way. Realizing that potential this quickly - going from 63 points a year ago to 112 - makes for an easy pick as one of the biggest surprises of the season.Flames miss playoffs after blockbuster summer Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyNo team featured in as many major headlines last summer as the Calgary Flames.Whether it was Johnny Gaudreau leaving town, the Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster, the free-agent signing of Nazem Kadri, or the massive extension handed out to Jonathan Huberdeau, the Flames were constantly in the news heading into the 2022-23 campaign.Even with two-thirds of the dominant top-line departing, expectations were high for Calgary. Many considered the team to be better thanks to its improved depth, elite defense group, and potential Vezina goaltending.It simply never materialized. Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar struggled mightily. Huberdeau's production cratered and the rest of the team was unable to make up for the high-end scoring lost in the offseason.Despite being among the league's best possession teams, the Flames frustratingly couldn't break through when it mattered most. Calgary led the league in one-goal losses and set the all-time mark for losses when outshooting the opponent by 10 or more shots.Of the 16 teams to miss the postseason, none are as big of a surprise as the Flames.Chychrun yields only one 1st-round pick Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyAfter a seemingly never-ending saga of rumors and reports, the hype for an eventual Jakob Chychrun trade was significant. Whether it was the destination or the acquisition cost, every aspect of the inevitable deal was tantalizing.The Ottawa Senators were always a dark horse in the Chychrun sweepstakes, so Pierre Dorion being the general manager to land the perceived top defenseman on the market wasn't a massive surprise. What was, however, is the price he had to pay.The Arizona Coyotes received a package of three draft selections for Chychrun: a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.Considering the massive haul the Coyotes were anticipated to receive for Chychrun's services, it was a stunning outcome to see Arizona land just one first-round pick for the 25-year-old.In the end, Bill Armstrong coveted a quality first-round pick over multiple first-round selections in choosing the Senators' package. No contending team that was in the market for Chychrun could match Ottawa's ability to offer a top-15 pick in the anticipated 2023 NHL draft.Even so, the shock of the Senators needing to give up only one first-round pick for the most talked-about trade chip over a year's span makes for among the most surprising transactions of the campaign.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Canada and the U.S. took care of business Saturday at the IIHF Women's World Championship to set up another gold-medal clash between the rivals.The Americans dismantled Czechia 9-1 in the first semifinal. Tessa Janecke, Amanda Kessel, and Hilary Knight each tallied two goals in the contest. Defender Caroline Harvey registered four points to match Finland's Petra Nieminen atop the tournament's scoring leaderboard. Aerin Frankel made 14 saves in the win.Canada had a closer outing, defeating Switzerland 5-1 in the other semifinal. Despite dominating the shot tally, the Canadians didn't find the back of the net until Sarah Fillier finally solved netminder Andrea Braendli at the game's midway point.Fillier added another two goals to complete her first hat trick at the world championship and put the game out of reach. Natalie Spooner tallied three assists in the victory, while Ann-Renee Desbiens made eight saves en route to the win.Canada defeated the U.S. 4-3 in the shootout during the tournament's preliminary round. Knight and Kessel scored for the Americans in the final minute of regulation to send the game into overtime.Canada edged the United States 2-1 in the 2022 gold-medal game in September. Brianne Jenner scored both goals for the Canadians.The gold-medal matchup commences Sunday at 7 pm ET.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Some look at bets in a futures market in a galactic way. As in, if I think the Oilers win one of the next five Stanley Cups, then betting them at +800 is a valuable proposition. While I think that's somewhat of an arbitrary way to think about futures, when it comes to Connor McDavid and the career he's projected to have, it's actually not all that frivolous. In fact, McDavid's genius is actually the reason there shouldn't be one red cent bet on the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup from now until the Cup is handed out in June. That's because of a secondary futures market that, unlike the Stanley Cup, hasn't been available to bet on day in, day out all season long.Conn Smythe oddsPLAYERODDSDavid Pastrnak+900Connor McDavid+1000Linus Ullmark+1200Nathan MacKinnon+1600Brad Marchand+2500Mikko Rantanen+2500Patrice Bergeron+2500Cale Makar+2500Auston Matthews+2500Mitch Marner+2800Jack Eichel+2800Jack Hughes+2800Sebastian Aho+3300Igor Shesterkin+3300Mika Zibanejad+3300Frederik Andersen+3300William Nylander+4000Leon Draisaitl+4000Mark Stone+4000Kirill Kaprizov+4000Jason Robertson+4000Nikita Kucherov+4000Jake Oettinger+4000Players not listed at +5000 odds or longerThe Oilers are at or around +700 to win the Stanley Cup, which carries an implied win probability of 12.5%. But this isn't about whether or not Edmonton will win the Stanley Cup. It's about why sportsbooks should be wondering if their Oilers button is broken for the next few days.Translating odds into probability is chapter one of becoming an intelligent bettor, and as we know from middle school math class, probability is reflected in a pie chart, with the pie adding up to 100%.When betting a Conn Smythe trophy winner, you should start at the end and work backward. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the last time a losing Stanley Cup finalist won the Conn Smythe (more on this in a moment), so you should probably pick players from the team(s) who you think can win the Stanley Cup. More intelligently, you should be looking at the players on that team who have a better chance than the odds suggest.The Bruins are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup at +350 - an implied probability of 22.2%. They have four players within the top nine choices to win playoff MVP. Here's what it looks like if we translate their odds into probability form:PLAYERIMPLIED WIN PROB.David Pastnak10%Linus UIlmark7.7%Brad Marchand3.8%Patrice Bergeron3.8%That adds up to 25.3% worth of probability before we even add in the chances of Charlie McAvoy or another Bruin having a big postseason. In this case, it's better to back Boston than try to guess who the Bruins' standout will be.Beyond the obvious, the premise for McDavid's case as a valuable bet to win the Conn Smythe starts with the idea that if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, McDavid's roughly 100% to win the playoff MVP award, and therefore those odds should be identical.With apologies to Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers can't win the championship without a healthy McDavid, and a healthy McDavid is going to get the primary credit for a championship. In fact, Draisaitl's existence forces oddsmakers to cut a 2.4% slice of the probability pie in his direction. Any slice going to anyone on the Oilers other than McDavid provides more value on McDavid.Since McDavid's Conn Smythe odds are +1000, and that's longer than the Oilers' +700 to win the Stanley Cup, he's the better bet.That's before we even get to the second, more provocative element behind a McDavid bet. I believe that McDavid is the only player in the NHL capable of joining Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 and Ron Hextall in 1987 as players in my lifetime to win the Conn Smythe in a losing cause.To be the MVP in a losing cause, you need to be that much better over the two-month playoff run than everyone else, regardless of position. McDavid's career year, where he scored 36% more points than any other non-Oiler, comes after last year's playoffs when he scored 33 points in 16 games. If the Oilers can get to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final and play around 24 postseason games in total, not only will he end up with a significant lead over anyone else in this playoffs, but he could break Wayne Gretzky's record of 47 points in a single postseason.Finally, the East is loaded with contenders, and whoever gets out of that conference to then hypothetically beat the Oilers will have needed multiple contributors, with no clear standout in victory. Only David Pastrnak has stood out beyond his teammates, but probable Vezina winner Linus Ullmark could accrue enough credit to take away from the Bruins' top scorer.Fundamentally, even if you think there's only a 1% chance of that happening, that means McDavid's theoretically 101% to win the award relative to the Oilers' odds to win the Stanley Cup. This means that the probability for him to win the Conn Smythe could actually be interpreted to be shorter than his team's odds to win the Cup, making McDavid at +1000 somewhat of a bargain on the best player in the NHL to put at least one more new trophy on his mantle.Matt Russell is the senior betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Maybe if the former Minnesota-based NHL franchise faced the current Minnesota-based franchise more than just once since the league re-expanded to the Twin Cities, this series might have a little more juice to it. Arguably the eighth-most interesting first-round matchup, the Wild and Stars are lined far closer to a coin-flip than the teams' resumes seem to suggest.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPWild+120+120+1.5 (-175)Stars-140-140-1.5 (+140)The odds for both teams' Game 1 moneylines and series odds are shorter than you might expect given the Stars' roster is packed with familiar names with playoff success, while the Wild haven't won a series since 2015 and their star 40-goal scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, is just anonymous enough to go down the water slide in the Mall of America unrecognized.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBWild+3%+2%Stars+12%+4%The Wild have been steadily little more than an above-average NHL team this season. The Stars, meanwhile, started out with a rating that would have placed them among the league's best, but their collective play dipped over the course of the campaign. They turned up the heat late in the season, though, with six straight wins. And while that stretch came against five non-playoff teams, allowing an average of just six high-danger chances per game at five-on-five is still impressive.Advanced metrics at even strengthXG%= Expected goal share

In one way, Friday was a typical day for Luc Robitaille.To start off, the Los Angeles Kings president embedded with the hockey operations staff, running through the playoff roster ahead of the 47-25-10 Kings' first-round date with the Edmonton Oilers. (The series starts Monday in Edmonton.) Robitaille had media responsibilities to close out the morning. Then, in the afternoon, his schedule featured "a lot of meetings" about the club's local TV future in the wake of Diamond Sports Group's bankruptcy. NHL Images / Getty ImagesIn another way, Friday was atypical because Robitaille was hoping to cut it short. Usually booked seemingly all hours of the day, he instead wanted to be at home with family one last time. The grind of playoff travel was approaching."I won't be home for the next two months," said the affable Robitaille, letting out a short laugh. "That's the hope, anyway!"Robitaille, 57, has overseen the hockey and business departments for the Kings since 2017. Undoubtedly, he and general manager Rob Blake - both iconic Kings players of previous eras - are the organization's most influential figures in trying to reconstruct a Stanley Cup-caliber roster.The Kings, Cup winners in 2012 and 2014, are attempting to win a third championship with longtime cornerstones Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. So far, so good in terms of making the postseason cut in consecutive years.Robitaille - or "Lucky Luc," as he was nicknamed during a Hockey Hall of Fame career - spoke with theScore on Friday about retooling the roster, Kopitar's brilliance at center, shutting down Connor McDavid, and more.(This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.) Christopher Mast / Getty ImagestheScore: Even at 35 years old, Anze Kopitar's in the conversation for best two-way center in the NHL. Why and how? What do you see day-to-day that's keeping him at such an elite level in his 17th season, all with the Kings?Robitaille: It's incredible how he's still the same player he was 10 years ago. He seems to have not changed his pace, the way he plays. From his first day playing in the NHL, he's always been a 200-foot player.You know how Patrice Bergeron is revered and viewed on the east coast? If you were to flip-flop those two, if they were to change places, I think Kopitar would get the same love as Bergeron.If you talk to every player in the NHL, they'll tell you, 'He's a really hard player to play against. He's heavy. He plays both ends. He plays PK, PP.' He still plays 22 minutes a game most nights. His discipline to stay in shape - he's so committed to the game, with his offseason workouts seemingly getting better every year. It's pretty amazing those two guys are still doing it at their age.You're right. Whether it's counting stats or advanced stats, Kopitar's right up there. One thing that jumped off the page for me: Kopitar's taken only two minor penalties in 2022-23. That's impressive, considering the strength of opponent he faces and, as you noted, his heavier style of play.He leans on guys. He's heavy. It is amazing that he's basically had no penalties. It's kind of crazy … (laughs)The other thing no one is talking about: The day we put Adrian Kempe with Kopi, Adrian Kempe became a 35- and 40-goal scorer. Then we put Quinton Byfield with Kopi and suddenly everybody's going, 'Ah, I can see Byfield's coming into his own now!' Kopi's our safety net to help the trend of our team.A young player can gain confidence simply by lining up beside somebody like Kopitar, right? You attach the young player to the responsible veteran and life's easier. Pucks start going in and it all builds from there.Yeah. You're right about that. But, also, I was talking to someone the other day about how lucky we feel. Let me explain: When you have Kopitar on your team, it's so easy to teach the young guys how to play responsibly. If they see one of the team's best players doing all of the little things day in and day out, no matter what, they can't come in and say, 'Well, that's just not the way I play.' No, they know Kopi's won, and they know he's won playing a certain way. Next thing you know, they're a little bit more responsible.It's funny, there's some irony in it for us. Kevin Fiala's an incredible player. He's had a huge impact on our team. But early in the year, he'd make some risky passes we weren't used to seeing. We would be like, 'Whoa, what's up with that pass right up the middle?' And then, over time, Fiala has remained the same impactful player, but it sure seems like he got rid of 50% of those risky passes.He's still producing, right, but I think the rest of it has a lot to do with guys like Kopitar playing the right way all the time. If you're a player and you're smart, you go, 'Oh, that's what makes him so special! If I can play like him a little bit, it'll help the team even more.' Sean M. Haffey / Getty ImagesThe Drew Doughty-Mikey Anderson pairing - why is it so effective? And what was so appealing about Anderson to warrant an eight-year extension?The biggest thing for us is trust. When you watch Mikey play, you never think about him. You just trust him. He gets the puck and makes the right play. He closes plays down low. And he's a great partner for Drew as somebody who gives Drew a little bit more freedom. Mikey will always, always back Drew up.It's been such a great pairing for us, and that's why it was also so important for us to get another left-handed defenseman before the trade deadline. We wanted four guys who we can really trust. But it starts with Mikey and Drew playing the way they do together.A few years ago, the Kings shifted toward a retool around Kopitar, Doughty, and goalie Jonathan Quick. There had been an emphasis on getting faster and younger. ... As far as a timeline on the retool, are you where you thought you'd be in 2023?Internally, we always wanted to be pushing for the playoffs last year and this year, knowing that once you get in, you can beat anyone. We certainly feel like, because of the way we play, we can beat anyone. The playoffs are a hard road. You have to be locked and loaded and healthy to start. We feel that way.That being said, we know if everything goes our way this year and we win, we really feel we're going to be better in two years. We have some young guys coming up, and we still have room for them, and it's only going to make our team better in the future.I suppose that's the beauty of hitting on many of your draft picks. You don't have a bunch of prospects blossoming at once. It's a steady flow.They trickle in over time. And, if there's anything we've learned, it's to be patient. With Adrian Kempe, it took him six years to start scoring goals. (laughs) Ronald Martinez / Getty ImagesWhat do you attribute to Kempe's ascension? He isn't a flash in the pan.He was always a really good player, but he wasn't shooting much. He wasn't creating much offensively. But the whole time he had the defensive skills, which can be very hard to get. We never worried about him defensively. And we knew he could skate. So, in our zone, the guy never hurt us.He was playing center and some games we'd put him on the wing. Somehow, he found a way to get open more often and shoot more often. And his creativity with the puck got better.We have a kid now who's similar to Kempe. He's not a shooter like Kempe, but with Rasmus Kupari, when we look at him, we remember Kempe in his first three or four years. They're great skaters, they never hurt you defensively, and you have to just wait for them to come into their own offensively.You faced the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 last year. Ditto this year, starting Monday. What needs to happen for L.A. to win this time around?We know we can match up against anybody. We have to play our game. It's going to be really hard to do that when you have two of the best players in the world on the other team. They're hungry, too. So, it's about minimizing their scoring chances, and then when we get our chances, putting them in.I really feel like the Oilers got better this year. But so did we, you know? So, I think it's going to be a really good series. There won't be a lot of room out there. You'll have to create room. We all know how good their power play is, so it almost goes without saying that you don't want to give them too many opportunities there. But we're certainly creating a big rivalry with them, and it's going to be a great series.We've beaten them twice this year, and they've beaten us twice. We thought we outplayed them in one of those losses. So, it's going to be a show, I think. (laughs)You played with and against Wayne Gretzky. With that in mind, how do you gameplan against a generational talent like Connor McDavid? Do you sink your teeth into the video, or is it more so about shadowing him or, at least, doing your best to keep up with him as far as skating speed?If you're going to have a guy shadow Connor McDavid, he better skate faster than him, and I don't think anyone in the league can do that. (laughs)So, I think it's more about playing the right way as a team. You're trying to minimize McDavid's scoring chances. He's going to create one or two chances a period on his own, but you certainly don't want to give him a free one. We went to Edmonton earlier this year, played a really good game, and then put it right on his stick for a breakaway. You can't do that. He has to earn every chance, and he will get some chances because of who he is.You just have to keep playing, and it's the old cliche: Keep the puck in their zone as much as possible. But I do really believe they got better. So, we know it's going to be a lot of work for us to keep it in their zone. Mattias Ekholm was a great move for them. Even Nick Bjugstad, he's brought in a little size. Trust me, it's not going to be easy. Juan Ocampo / Getty ImagesHow have you felt about the Kings' two trade deadline additions - defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo - and how they've mixed into the group since March? Thoughts on the on-ice fit?They both have fit in perfectly on our team. Korpisalo has come in and given us stability in the net. We've had Pheonix Copley play really well since December, and now Korpisalo's here, and he has this real calming attitude about him. He's been really, really good.And then for Gavrikov, we always talked about getting that second-layer, left-shot D-man who can really stabilize our team. He's done that, and more. Him and Matt Roy give us an opportunity to cut down a couple of minutes with Doughty so that Drew is a little bit more rested. But that Gavrikov-Roy pairing has been a really hard pair to play against. Gavrikov has a long stick, long reach, and we couldn't be happier about what he's done for us so far.One last one. Back to Gretzky. Beyond the obvious - all-time speed - what are the similarities and differences between Connor and Wayne?Wayne was smaller and skinnier, so every team before every game would say, 'You have to run him. You have to hit him. You have to check him.' They did everything.When you play against McDavid, you pay attention to him. It's incredible the speed he brings. And his vision is a lot like Wayne's. Still, I can't believe Wayne got 200 points! That's basically 50 more than McDavid! (laughs)When you put that in perspective, you start thinking, man, how great was Gretzky? And Mario Lemieux, too. It's crazy. But here's another thing: I remember people saying Wayne's shot wasn't great, this and that. Then he scored 92 goals. And last year we've got people saying, 'Yeah, McDavid's good but he doesn't score as many goals as he should.' And then you see this year he gets 64.It just shows how these guys want to get better every game, every year. McDavid's got a lot of the same drive as Wayne. Every shift, every shift. And you saw it last year in the playoffs, where McDavid really took his game to another level. You can tell the kid has a lot of personal drive.You have to give him credit for what he's done so far in his career. He's a superstar, and he's fun to watch every night.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets fired head coach Brad Larsen after two years at the helm, the team announced Saturday.Larsen was promoted to bench boss in 2021 following a seven-year spell as an assistant with the organization. Goaltending coach Manny Legace was also let go."This season has been extremely disappointing, and the responsibility for that lies with all of us," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "These decisions were difficult and not made lightly, given our respect for both Brad and Manny as coaches and people. Brad has been part of our organization for more than a decade, and we are extremely thankful for his hard work and many contributions - both on and off the ice - during that time. We wish nothing but the best for Brad and his family in the future."Larsen took over the Blue Jackets' bench after the club split ways with John Tortorella. It was his first head coaching gig in the NHL. Columbus finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division in Larsen's debut year, then finished 31st in the league standings this year after a slew of injuries dashed the offseason optimism of landing star Johnny Gaudreau on a seven-year contract in free agency.Under Larsen, the Blue Jackets owned a 62-86-16 record.Columbus has the second-highest odds (13.5%) of winning May's draft lottery and the right to draft generational talent Connor Bedard, which could sway potential coaching suitors should it come to fruition.There are now three head coaching vacancies across the NHL. The Anaheim Ducks let go of Dallas Eakins on Friday, while the Washington Capitals parted ways with Peter Laviolette.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are all set. The NHL revealed schedules for all eight Round 1 matchups following the conclusion of the regular season Friday night.All times ET.

The NHL regular season has come to a close, so it's time to take a look at the statistical leaders from this year's campaign.Art Ross TrophyAwarded to the player with the most pointsWinner: Connor McDavidRankPlayerP1Connor McDavid (EDM)1532Leon Draisaitl (EDM)128T3David Pastrnak (BOS)113T3Nikita Kucherov (TBL)1135Nathan MacKinnon (COL)111Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyAwarded to the player with the most goalsWinner: Connor McDavidRankPlayerG1Connor McDavid (EDM)642David Pastrnak (BOS)613Mikko Rantanen (COL)554Leon Draisaitl (EDM)525Brayden Point (TBL)51Assists leaderWinner: Connor McDavidRankPlayerA1Connor McDavid (EDM)892Nikita Kucherov (TBL)83T3Leon Draisaitl (EDM)76T3Erik Karlsson (SJS)76T5Quinn Hughes (VAN)69T5Matthew Tkachuk (FLA)69T5Mitch Marner (TOR)69T5Nathan MacKinnon (COL)69Defenseman points leader Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyWinner: Erik KarlssonRankPlayerP1Erik Karlsson (SJS)101T2Quinn Hughes (VAN)76T2Josh Morrissey (WPG)764Dougie Hamilton (NJD)74T5Rasmus Dahlin (BUF)73T5Miro Heiskanen (DAL)73T5Brandon Montour (FLA)73Average ice time leader Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyWinner: Cale MakarRankPlayerATOI1Cale Makar (COL)26:232Drew Doughty (LAK)26:143Rasmus Dahlin (BUF)25:474Quinn Hughes (VAN)25:405Erik Karlsson (SJS)25:37William M. Jennings Trophy Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / GettyAwarded to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals againstWinner: Linus Ullmark and Jeremy SwaymanRankPlayerGA1Linus Ullmark/Jeremy Swayman (BOS)1772Frederik Andersen/Antti Raanta (CAR)2133Jake Oettinger (DAL)2184Igor Shesterkin/Jaroslav Halak (NYR)219T5Ilya Samsonov/Matt Murray (TOR)222T5Ilya Sorokin (NYI)222Save percentage leader China Wong / National Hockey League / GettyMinimum of 25 games played, per NHL.comWinner: Linus UllmarkRankPlayerSV%1Linus Ullmark (BOS).9382Filip Gustavsson (MIN).9313Ilya Sorokin (NYI).9244Jeremy Swayman (BOS).9205Connor Hellebuyck (WPG).920Goalie wins leader Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyWinners: Linus Ullmark and Alexandar GeorgievRankPlayerWT1Linus Ullmark (BOS)40T1Alexandar Georgiev (COL)40T3Jake Oettinger (DAL)37T3Igor Shesterkin (NYR)37T3Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)37Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks will have the top odds to land the 2023 first-overall pick.Anaheim finishes the 2022-23 campaign with a league-worst 58 points following the team's 5-3 loss against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, giving them the best chance to win the draft lottery.Here are the final odds for each team:TeamLottery OddsAnaheim Ducks18.5%*Columbus Blue Jackets13.5%Chicago Blackhawks11.5%San Jose Sharks9.5%Montreal Canadiens8.5%Arizona Coyotes7.5%Philadelphia Flyers6.5%Washington Capitals6.0%Detroit Red Wings5.0%St. Louis Blues3.5%Vancouver Canucks3.0%Arizona Coyotes via OTT2.5%Buffalo Sabres2.0%Pittsburgh Penguins1.5%Nashville Predators0.5%Calgary Flames0.5%The Ducks have an 18.5% chance of winning the draft lottery but a 25.5% chance of drafting first overall, as teams can only move up 10 spots with a lottery win. Ottawa, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Calgary can't pick first overall.Columbus will have the second-best lottery odds after losing in regulation against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.Connor Bedard is the highly anticipated prize of the 2023 draft. The Regina Pats phenom scored 71 goals and 143 points this season in the WHL, adding another 20 points in seven postseason contests.In January, Bedard broke Canada's single-tournament scoring record at the world juniors with 23 points en route to winning the gold medal.The draft lottery will be held Monday, May 8.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's another first-round rematch for a Canadian franchise as the Oilers find themselves facing the Kings - a team that took Connor McDavid and company to seven games last year. Since then, both teams revamped a questionable goaltending situation, improved their advanced metrics, and played better down the stretch of the regular season than they did at the start. For all that optimism, their reward is facing each other, and one way or another, a Western Conference contender will be sent home far too early.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPKings+150+180+1.5 (+100)Oilers-175-220-1.5 (-140)The game and series odds are comparable to last season's meeting, and the Kings can be found for as high as +210 in far away places. The Game 1 total opened the highest of any of the eight first-round series at 6.5, suggesting that the market is less certain either team has enough answers in net. Though the teams combined to go over 6.5 goals in only three of the seven games last year.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied, and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season, and when isolating play after the All-Star break.TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBKings+9%+16%Oilers+14%+9%For the season, the Kings played to a level 9% above league average but finished strong with even-strength play-rate that would make them comparable to the best teams in the NHL had they done so all season long. Part of that boost in metrics comes from keeping the puck out of the net, as their opponents scored on just 8.5% of their high-danger chances. The Oilers tantalized bettors with 18-3 moneyline record after March 1, but a look deeper at their play shows that might have been more than a little lucky.Advanced metrics at even-strengthXG%= Expected goal share

The Washington Capitals and head coach Peter Laviolette mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Friday.Laviolette's contract is set to expire June 30. He coached Washington for the last three seasons, missing the playoffs in 2022-23."We are grateful for Peter's leadership and dedication to our organization for the last three seasons," General manager Brian MacLellan. "Peter is a first-class individual who has represented our club with integrity and guided our team through many difficult circumstances in his tenure as our head coach. We wish him all the best moving forward."Laviolette's tenure in D.C. ends with zero playoffs series wins. He guided the Capitals to the postseason in his first two seasons at the helm, but lost in Round 1 each time. Things fell apart in 2022-23 as the club suffered a multitude of key injuries, leading to a 13th-place finish in the Eastern Conference.The 58-year-old ranks eighth on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list with 752 victories. He has 21 years of head coaching experience between the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, and Capitals. He won a Stanley Cup with the Canes in 2006 and led the Flyers and Preds to Cup Final appearances.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.