St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube said the racist threats made to Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri are "in no way" acceptable after initially offering no comment on the matter.

Although we have just one game to look forward to Wednesday night, there's plenty of value on the board. Let's take a closer look at three plays that stand out.Blues (+200) @ Avalanche (-250)It's no secret that I believe the Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the NHL. One slip up aside, they've certainly looked the part against the St. Louis Blues.The Avs have been on the front foot the vast majority of the time, generating quality looks at a high rate while giving up few, particularly at five-on-five. In that situation, Colorado has controlled a whopping 57.5% of the expected goals. That's the highest output from any team in the second round.A 3-1 series is the reward for such strong play, with the Avs' first opportunity to close things out coming on home ice. That should terrify the Blues.Colorado was as potent as anybody at home this season. Despite all the injuries it faced throughout the year, the team finished tied for the league lead in points percentage. The Avs also ranked first in goal share.They've had no problem carrying that home dominance into the playoffs. Colorado has won three of four home games this postseason while averaging more than 45 shots per contest.I don't think that's good news for Ville Husso and the Blues. Husso has struggled in the playoffs, conceding 4.8 goals more than expected through just five appearances. On a per 60-minute basis, he's allowed more than a goal over expectation.With Colorado generating such volume, Husso needs to be at the top of his game for St. Louis to have any chance. He isn't, which bodes well for the Avalanche to close the series.Bet: Avalanche in regulation (-150)Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots (-139)MacKinnon is a shooting machine in Colorado. He's piled up at least five shots on goal in 20 of his last 30 home games. MacKinnon has averaged 5.6 shots and 9.2 attempts per game in that span. And his numbers are still trending upward.He's generated 34 shots and 57 attempts through his last five home contests. That equates to 6.8 shots and 11.4 attempts per game. Absolute insanity.MacKinnon has logged at least 20 minutes of ice time in six of eight playoff matchups. With the opportunity to end the series at home, you can bet Jared Bednar will continue to lean heavily on his top dogs.Cale Makar over 2.5 shots (-200)Makar is quietly shooting the puck a ton right now. Believe it or not, he leads all Avalanche players in attempts this series. You wouldn't know it because few are actually hitting the net. Only 11 of his 30 attempts have made their way to the goalie - that's 36%.So long as the attempts continue to be there, I'm confident in backing Makar. He hit the net nearly 49% of the time during the regular season. If that were the case in this series, we'd be talking about a guy with 14 shots, good for 3.6 per contest.Makar dominates the puck every night, and he should get some extra run with Sam Girard out. The Blues are also one of the league's worst teams at suppressing shots against defenders. There's every reason to believe Makar will continue to get looks in bulk.That certainly hasn't been an issue at home. Makar's averaging 5.6 shots on 10.2 attempts over his last five games in Colorado. Expect him to continue his success Wednesday.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames got key defenseman Chris Tanev back for Game 4 against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.Tanev hadn't played since sustaining an injury in Game 6 of the Flames' first-round matchup against the Dallas Stars. He played just under 19 and a half minutes and was a plus-one while recording one assist in Calgary's 5-3 loss.The Flames struggled to limit Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl through the first three games of the second-round matchup, with the fearsome pair owning a combined 19 points.Tanev, 32, was third amongst all Calgary defensemen in average ice time (20:28) during the regular season while logging six goals and 22 assists.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association is seemingly one step closer to forming a new league for women's players.The organization reportedly entered a formal relationship with Billie Jean King Enterprises and the Mark Walter Group to explore the formation of a financially stable, elite league, according to The Athletic's Hailey Salvian.The PWHPA formed in 2019 following the cessation of the Canadian Women's Hockey League, which collapsed due to an "economically unsustainable" business model. Without the CWHL, the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly the National Women's Hockey League) was the only professional women's league left in North America.Rather than join the NWHL, many top players opted to form the PWHPA to help further the mission of "a single, viable professional women's ice hockey league in North America that showcases the greatest product of women's professional ice hockey in the world."The PWHPA reportedly broke off any further discussions about collaborating with the PHF in April, per Salvian.Though details of a new league have yet to be ironed out, it reportedly aims to include six teams, 23-player rosters with three coaches each, a minimum salary of $35,000, and a league-average salary of $55,000, according to Sportsnet's Jeff Marek.Tennis legend Billie Jean King is famous for her work and advocation for women's equal rights in sports, while Mark Walter has been an owner of the MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

John Tortorella is among the candidates who have interviewed for the Philadelphia Flyers' head coaching job, the outspoken veteran bench boss confirmed Tuesday."Very fortunate to have the opportunity," Tortorella told ESPN, according to NHL.com. "But I will leave it at that."Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons when his contract expired last May. ESPN then hired him as a studio analyst.The Flyers are in the process of selecting their seventh head coach in the last 10 years. The club fired Alain Vigneault in December and opted not to retain interim coach Mike Yeo after finishing the season last in the Metropolitan Division with a 25-46-11 record.Philadelphia is reportedly meeting with Barry Trotz this week as well. Trotz, who was surprisingly let go by the New York Islanders this offseason, is third on the all-time coaching wins list and is widely considered the top candidate available for the league's five head coaching vacancies.Tortorella, 63, is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner as the NHL's coach of the year. Before his tenure with the Blue Jackets, he coached the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a Stanley Cup with the latter in 2004.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning gushed about Andrei Vasilevskiy after the superstar goaltender posted a 49-save shutout against the Florida Panthers on Monday night to sweep their in-state rivals."There is never a doubt in our locker room. And a goalie’s job, that if you want to be elite, is to give your team a chance to win," head coach Jon Cooper said.He added: "It can probably be a little bit demoralizing on the other side, when you look at him and you just don't feel like you can score."Vasilevskiy put forth a brilliant performance in Round 2, allowing only three goals and stopping 10.06 goals above expected across four contests against the league's most potent regular-season offense.The reigning Conn Smythe winner has drastically turned around his game after posting uncharacteristically poor numbers in the first round versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. After recording a .880 save percentage in Game 1-6 against the Leafs, Vasilevskiy owns a .971 clip in five appearances since.Vasilevskiy's shutout on Monday was his sixth in an elimination game, establishing a new NHL record."It's pretty impressive," Lightning forward Alex Killorn said, per NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I think when we look back and we're older, that's going to be something that stays there for a long time. It's pretty cool to play with a player that I think will go down as one of the best goalies that's ever played the game. That's how you gauge players, is how they perform in big-time games, and he's been nothing but tremendous in these games."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nazem Kadri sent messages both on and off the ice to those who targeted him with racist threats over the last few days.The Colorado Avalanche forward notched his first career playoff hat trick in a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of their second-round series Monday night. After the game, he said he was motivated by the vitriol."Unfortunately, I've been dealing with that for a long time. That's sad to say, but that's just the fact of the matter," he told TNT postgame. "I'm getting good at just putting it in the rearview mirror. It's a big deal (but) I try to act like it's not, and just keep moving forward."That's what I do, and I know some of those messages I got (don't) reflect every single fan in St. Louis, but for those that hate, that was for them."Kadri also singled out Blues head coach Craig Berube."Starting with their head coach, he made some comments I wasn't a fan of," he said, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "I guess he's never heard of bulletin board material."Kadri collided with St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington early in Game 3 on Saturday. The netminder left that contest and was later ruled out for the rest of the series. Hockey Diversity Alliance chair Akim Aliu tweeted Sunday that Kadri was "subject to so many racist attacks and threats since (Saturday night) that police had to be brought in."After Game 3, Berube said, "Look at Kadri's reputation, that's all I've got to say." On Monday before Game 4, the bench boss declined to condemn the racist threats Kadri received, saying, "I've got no comment on that stuff."The Avalanche center, who is Muslim and of Lebanese descent, responded with two goals in the second period and another in the third on Monday. He raised his hand to his ear in a clear message to the St. Louis crowd after notching his first marker of the night.

We picked up a pair of sweat-free victories Monday night. The Lightning and Panthers combined for just two goals while the Avalanche picked up a three-goal road win against the Blues.We'll look to build on a strong start to the week with two more plays for Tuesday's games.Hurricanes (-110) @ Rangers (-110)There really hasn't been much separating these teams on the scoreboard. Neither club has scored more than three goals in a game, and the Hurricanes are up 5-4 in total goals through three meetings. It's tight.But while the Rangers are very much in the series, Carolina looks ready to put New York on the brink.The Hurricanes are playing good hockey, ranking second in expected goal generation and expected goal suppression among teams in this round. Put another way, Carolina is one of the best at creating and limiting chances at five-on-five. That's a good recipe for success.The Hurricanes' attack has also been very balanced so far in this series. No single player is causing the Rangers a world of problems, but many are generating their fair share of chances. Carolina has 10 players with at least 10 shot attempts in Round 2 and 14 with four scoring chances or more. The Rangers have seven such skaters.Those are somewhat arbitrary cutoffs, but they help illustrate the Hurricanes' offensive depth. That matters against a phenom like Igor Shesterkin.Carolina's depth is a difference-maker, and its top six looks ready to break out. Andrei Svechnikov's line generated 21 attempts and 11 chances in Game 2, while the Sebastian Aho line created eight chances in just eight minutes of five-on-five play as a trio. The revamped forward combinations sure seem to be causing New York problems.Look for the Hurricanes to put the Rangers on the brink.Bet: Hurricanes (-110)Flames (+100) @ Oilers (-120)The Flames are down in their series against the Oilers and, on the surface, it looks like they're falling apart at the seams. But they're playing better than the results indicate.Calgary is controlling over 58% of the expected goals at five-on-five against Edmonton. The Flames lead all second-round teams in that category, and their mark is only about 1.5 percentage points lower than it was in Round 1 against the Stars. They aren't playing all that badly.Yes, Connor McDavid has been out-of-this-world good. Yes, top support wingers like Evander Kane and Zach Hyman have been opportunistic and made Calgary pay for nearly all of its mistakes. But horrendous goaltending from Jacob Markstrom has made things look much, much, worse than they are.Markstrom has posted an .815 save percentage at five-on-five in this series. Among the 69 netminders to log at least 500 minutes at five-on-five during the regular season, only six finished below .900, and the low mark was .886.Markstrom has struggled against the Oilers this season. Many players have. But as good as McDavid and Co. are, it's hard to believe he's now the worst goaltender in the league by a country mile.The Flames netminder is a Vezina Trophy finalist and posted a .928 save percentage at five-on-five this season, good for sixth in the NHL. Perhaps bettors shouldn't expect that level of play moving forward. But it seems likely that 63 solid regular-season games are more indicative of Markstrom's ability than his three showings in this series.Even if we assume Markstrom is the worst goaltender in the NHL, we should expect his save percentage to hover around .900 at five-on-five; he's going to start making saves at some point. With the Flames generating more chances than their opponents, the pendulum could swing when that happens.There's no question Calgary is having a heck of a time slowing the Oilers' top line. Loading up that trio has thinned out Edmonton's lineup, though, and that's causing problems beneath the surface. The Oilers have controlled 33% of the shot attempts and 37% of the expected goals with the Hyman line on the ice in this series. That will be problematic when Edmonton stops shooting 20% with that line on the ice.Expect the Flames to even the series Tuesday night.Bet: Flames (+100)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a pair of pivotal games to look forward to Tuesday night. Let's examine the best ways to attack them through player props.Andrei Svechnikov over 2.5 shots (-143)The Hurricanes made an adjustment after a somewhat lifeless offensive showing to start their series against the Rangers, dropping Max Domi from the top six and shuffling things around. That's proven very beneficial for the team - and Svechnikov.Sebastian Aho's line drew the tougher assignments on the road in Game 3, freeing up Svechnikov to capitalize against mid-tier competition. He did just that, firing a game-high nine shot attempts while hitting the net five times.Svechnikov averages better than 20 attempts per 60 minutes with Vincent Trocheck as his center; he averages about 14 per 60 minutes with Aho, who centered his line in Game 1.With Trocheck to set him up and the benefit of spending little time against top competition, Svechnikov should be able to generate his share of shots again in Game 4.Zach Hyman over 2.5 shots (-167)Hyman is on quite the run. The grind-it-out winger has piled up the shots of late, generating three or more in seven of his last nine games. He's often cleared the number with ease, finishing with at least four shots six times in that span.He's reaching new heights in the Oilers' second-round series against the Flames, hitting in all three games so far while registering 13 total shots over the last two. In fact, no Oilers player has attempted more shots in the series.A big part of Hyman's recent success is a change in linemates. With Leon Draisaitl now skating mostly on the top line, Hyman has more offensive responsibility on the second unit. Playing with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi, he's had to become a more shoot-first player. That's clearly working well for him.Hyman also plays netfront on a dangerous power play, which offers plenty of opportunities to pounce on rebounds and get his totals up.Johnny Gaudreau over 3.5 shots (-112)Gaudreau has been a constant target for us, especially against the Oilers. He's feasted on them all season long, piling up shots and chances on a nightly basis.The dynamic winger has faced Edmonton seven times this campaign between the regular season and playoffs. He's averaged 4.4 shots on goal and 7.1 shot attempts per game. Those numbers are drastically better than his total season averages of 3.3 shots and 5.8 attempts.This series is starting to get away from Calgary, so Flames head coach Darryl Sutter may ride his stars a little more to stop the bleeding. Look for Gaudreau to have another productive night and hit against Edmonton for the fourth consecutive time.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Lightning didn't strike twice - or even once - in the second period Monday night, as Tampa Bay had a pair of goals disallowed upon review in Game 4 against the Florida Panthers.Bolts forward Alex Killorn thought he opened the scoring, but his marker was called back after the officials and the situation room in Toronto examined the play for over 10 minutes."After a thorough examination of all available replays, video review determined the puck hit the protective netting in the Florida zone and went out of bounds at 11:22 (8:38 elapsed time) prior to Alex Killorn's goal," the NHL said in its official explanation."The decision was made in accordance to Rule 85, which states in part, 'When a puck goes outside the playing area at either end or either side of the rink, strikes any obstacles above the playing surface other than the boards or glass, causes the glass, lighting, timing device, or the supports to break, it shall be faced off at the nearest faceoff spot in the zone from where it was shot or deflected out of play.'"Shortly thereafter, the Lightning again thought they'd tallied. However, forward Anthony Cirelli won the faceoff with his hand before Nikita Kucherov scored, wiping that one out as well."The situation room determined that Anthony Cirelli directed the puck to Nikita Kucherov with a hand pass at 9:29 of the second period (10:31 elapsed time) - one second prior to Kucherov's goal," the league said. "The decision was made in accordance with Rule 79."The Lightning swept the Panthers out of the second round of the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final with a 2-0 victory.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nazem Kadri notched his first career playoff hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in their second-round series.Kadri produced a pair of goals in the second period and another in the third for the Avalanche, who moved within one win of reaching the Western Conference Final.Mikko Rantanen, Devon Toews, and Erik Johnson netted the other goals for Colorado. David Perron scored twice for the Blues, and Pavel Buchnevich added the other for St. Louis.Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Denver.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning completed their second-round sweep of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Florida Panthers with a 2-0 Game 4 victory Monday night.Veteran forward Pat Maroon scored the game-winner in the third period while Andrei Vasilevskiy pitched a stunning 49-save shutout. Ondrej Palat sealed the deal with an empty-netter."We didn't want to waste that game that (Vasilevskiy) played," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos told reporters postgame, according to team beat writer Chris Krenn.The Bolts thought they opened the scoring twice in the second period, but both goals were called back after review.The victory marked the Lightning's first sweep under head coach Jon Cooper and 10th straight series win. Only the Montreal Canadiens (13 from 1976 to 1980) and New York Islanders (19 from 1980 to 1984) won more consecutive series.Tampa Bay pulled off the sweep despite missing star forward Brayden Point, who was injured in Game 7 of its first-round clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs."I think we're closer than ever, but we got swept. There's another level we’ve got to climb. We're still climbing," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said, per team reporter Jameson Olive. "I believed that we were ready for that next step, but unfortunately we fell short."The Panthers controlled 51.8% of the expected goals and 57.9% at five-on-five throughout the series, according to Natural Stat Trick. However, the outstanding Vasilevskiy allowed only three goals on 154 shots, while the Lightning scored 13.Vasilevskiy secured his sixth career series-clinching shutout, surpassing Clint Benedict and Chris Osgood (both 5) for the most in league history."I think it was our best game this series, but it wasn't enough," Florida captain Aleksander Barkov said.Cooper made sure to give the Panthers some props."People are going to sit here and say, 'What happened to Florida?' No - a bounce here, a bounce there and it's 2-2 and we're going back to Florida at some point," he said, according to Krenn. "Guys are exhausted - and it was only a four-game series."Since the 2004-05 lockout, only five Presidents' Trophy-winning teams advanced past the second round, while only two won the Stanley Cup, per Sportsnet. The past four Presidents' Trophy winners all lost four straight games leading up to their elimination."It's a tough pill to swallow. Getting swept is tough," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said, according to Olive. "It hurts. It stings. There's no doubt about it."The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions will face either the New York Rangers or Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues are moving past the hoopla caused by Nazem Kadri's collision with goaltender Jordan Binnington in Game 3 as they gear up to resume the second-round series Monday."We're here to win the series. That's what it boils down to," forward Brayden Schenn said, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "You don't focus on just him. Going out there and winning a hockey game, that's all you can really control."The Avalanche forward knocked Binnington out of the series with an unpenalized collision in the first period of Colorado's Game 3 win. In the dramatic aftermath, Kadri claimed Binnington threw a water bottle at him while he was in a postgame interview, and Blues head coach Craig Berube hinted Kadri hurt the goalie on purpose based on his track record of playoff suspensions.NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the league is working with St. Louis police ahead of Game 4 to enhance security protocols after threats were allegedly made toward Kadri, per TSN's Darren Dreger.Binnington put together a brilliant start to the playoffs before the injury, posting a 4-1 record with a .949 save percentage."It's a tough loss. We're not going to sugarcoat," said blue-liner Robert Bortuzzo. "But we're not going to misplace our energy here. We're trying to win the series."The Blues will rely on Ville Husso between the pipes from here on out. The 27-year-old posted better numbers than Binnington in the regular season but has allowed at least four goals in three of four appearances in these playoffs.Puck drop for Game 4 is at 9:30 p.m. ET in St. Louis as the Blues look to even the series.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have two crucial Game 4's to look forward to on Monday night. Let's take a look at the best way to attack them through shot totals.Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (+100)Barkov didn't have much success against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the regular season but has flipped the switch in this playoff series.The captain of the Florida Panthers has piled up 25 shot attempts and 14 shots on goal through three meetings thus far. That equates to 8.3 attempts and 4.6 shots per contest - impressive numbers.Barkov was a very efficient shot generator against the Washington Capitals. Meanwhile, only two of the remaining eight teams have conceded more shots to centers than Tampa Bay during the playoffs. From those angles, Barkov's success should be anything but surprising.He's logged at least 21 minutes in each game of the series, offering ample time to generate shots. With Florida's season on the line, you can bet he'll be playing all the minutes he can handle on Monday night.Ryan O'Reilly over 2.5 shots (-112)O'Reilly has been a model of consistency in more ways than one. He has generated at least three shots in seven of nine playoff games thus far, falling just one puck shy in both exceptions. He averaged nearly 3.6 shots per game in that span.His shooting success - at least against the Colorado Avalanche - has become the norm. O'Reilly has amassed 21 shots over six meetings vs the Avalanche dating back to the regular season and he's hit in four straight meetings.His attempt numbers are steady, he's seeing a ton of ice time across all game situations, and he should also benefit from Colorado's defense being thinned out with the injury to Sam Girard.Cale Makar over 2.5 shots (-195)Makar has not been a frequent target for us this season but there's a lot to like about him in this spot. The St. Louis Blues gave up a lot of shots to defenders all year long. Only six teams - none of which made the playoffs - allowed shots at a higher rate to blue-liners during the regular campaign.Not much has changed in the playoffs, clearly, as Makar has piled up 24 shot attempts through just three games thus far. That puts him just one back of Nathan MacKinnon for the team lead.With Girard out of the lineup, even more responsibility could fall on Makar's shoulders; he played nearly 29 minutes last time out. Given how dynamic he's looked, and how efficient he's generated shots, Makar should be able to make the most of any extra ice.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was a good weekend for our best bets. The Hurricanes came through in regulation Friday and the Avalanche followed it up with a win of their own on Saturday. The Panthers did not come through in Game 3, but we'll happily take two of three and look to keep things moving in the right direction with two plays for Monday's slate.Panthers (+105) @ Lightning (-125)This series has been really weird. The Panthers have gotten the better of the chances at five-on-five, but Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning's abundance of willing shot-blockers have prevented Panthers players from cashing any of them in.At the other end of the ice, the Lightning have been opportunistic, especially on the power play. They have scored more goals on the man advantage than the Panthers have across all game states. That's a good recipe for success.Jumping on the sinking Panthers isn't very appealing, nor is laying the juice on the Lightning to complete a sweep in a series they've been outchanced in at five-on-five. So, we'll look to the total for value.In the series' three games, the teams have combined for six goals, five goals, and three goals. That's three unders.Florida is having a tough time capitalizing on its chances at even strength. Tampa Bay is blocking so many shots, and Vasilevskiy has cleaned up the ones that have gotten through. Win or lose, I don't see them putting up a big number in this game.At the other end, I don't think the Panthers are giving up enough volume to allow a huge number. The Lightning generally play very tight, low-event games when elimination is a possibility - for them or their opponents - and I expect them to stick to that recipe.Bet: Under 6.5 (-115)Avalanche (-165) @ Blues (+140)I believe the Avalanche are the best team in hockey, so it should be no surprise I'm going back to the well in Game 4.Yes, they're on the road against a pesky Blues team. Yes, they just lost one of their better defenders, Sam Girard, to a broken sternum. But they are a well-oiled machine and proved during the regular season that important players can come in and out of the lineup and it won't have much impact on the end results - they'll just keep winning.As good as Girard can be, Jordan Binnington might well be the bigger loss right now. He did not play well down the stretch of the Blues' regular season, but he flipped the switch in a big way over the last few weeks.Through six playoff games, Binnington stopped 4.9 goals more than expected for an average of +0.93 per 60 minutes. Put another way, if the Blues gave up three goals worth of chances, Binnington has essentially shaved it down to just two against.Ville Husso has had the opposite impact. He has saved -0.57 goals above expected per 60. Using the same reference point, if the Blues allowed three goals worth of chances with Husso in net, they'd give up 3.57 goals.The samples are small, sure, but that's the nature of the playoffs. In their current forms, Binnington has been trimming off goals, while Husso has been tacking on more than deserved.That is not what you want from your goaltender, especially against a team like the Avalanche. They have so much speed and firepower that even if you defend well, you're still going to give up plenty of chances. Right now, Husso isn't reliably stopping them.If he can't find the form we saw for the first three-quarters of the regular season, the Blues will be put on the brink Monday.Bet: Avalanche (-165)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's safe to say Connor McDavid is on the minds of the Calgary Flames three games into the Battle of Alberta.The Edmonton Oilers superstar went off for three more points in Sunday's 4-1 Game 3 victory to bring his total to nine in the series. The Flames, now trailing 2-1 in the Round 2 matchup, are aware their season depends on finding a way to slow down the world's best player."We've let one guy beat us a few nights now," Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "Back to the drawing board and figure out a way to stop him next game."Tkachuk added: "They've got one player that plays half the game and is playing some great hockey right now."McDavid is up to a league-leading 23 points in 10 playoff contests this spring. During the regular season against Calgary, he notched three goals and four assists in four appearances.Several other Oilers are having strong postseasons as well. Leon Draisaitl ranks second in playoff scoring with 19 points, while Evander Kane paces all skaters with 10 goals. Goaltender Mike Smith has a .933 save percentage this spring, but the Flames are fixated on McDavid."We have to stop him as a unit. One individual can’t stop him. We just have to stop him together," said Calgary blue-liner Rasmus Andersson."We just have to play. I don’t know if we’re worried too much about it, maybe. We have to do a better job on him. The first three games here, we’ve been letting him dominate and that’s why they’re up 2-1."Game 4 between the provincial rivals is scheduled for Tuesday in Edmonton.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nazem Kadri is at the center of another, yet less serious, playoff controversy.The pesky Colorado Avalanche forward said St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington threw a water bottle at him during a postgame interview following Saturday's Game 3 victory.The Athletic's Peter Baugh spoke to two people who confirmed it was Binnington who threw the bottle.The NHL isn't expected to discipline Binnington for throwing it, a league spokesperson told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.A collision between Kadri and Binnington in the first period knocked the Blues netminder out of the contest. Binnington will miss the remainder of the series after sustaining a lower-body injury on the play.Hockey Diversity Alliance chairman Akim Aliu said Sunday that Kadri had been targeted by racist attacks since the incident, and law enforcement intervened.

Mark Giordano is staying in Toronto on a hometown discount.The Maple Leafs signed the veteran defenseman to a two-year extension with an average annual value of $800,000, the team announced Sunday."Everything (Giordano) does is done to help the team win, and that includes a tremendous sacrifice in this contract negotiation," general manager Kyle Dubas said.Giordano, a Toronto native, recorded 35 points in 75 games last season, split between the Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken. The Leafs acquired him, along with forward Colin Blackwell, at the trade deadline for two second-round picks and a third-rounder.The 38-year-old posted strong underlying numbers last season, specifically on the defensive end: Evolving-Hockey.comGiordano's previous cap hit carried an AAV of $6.75 million. His market value is $6.3 million per year, according to The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn.The extension will take Giordano through his age 39 and 40 seasons.Giordano spent the first 15 years of his career with the Calgary Flames, serving as team captain for eight of those campaigns. He won the Norris Trophy in 2018-19 at age 35 after posting a career-high 74 points. The Kraken selected him in the 2021 expansion draft.The Maple Leafs now have five defensemen signed for next season: Giordano, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, T.J. Brodie, and Justin Holl. Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren are restricted free agents, while Ilya Lyubushkin is an unrestricted free agent.Rielly, Muzzin, Giordano, and Sandin have all played primarily on the left side in their careers. Barring any further moves, one of them may need to slide over to the right.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Steven Stamkos scored twice as the Tampa Bay Lightning took a 3-0 lead over the Florida Panthers in their second-round playoff series following a 5-1 win Sunday.The Lightning captain tallied a crucial marker to make it 3-1 midway through the second period, then added an empty-netter for the two-time defending champions late in the third.Florida, which won the Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22 as the NHL's top regular-season club, has produced only three goals in as many games. The Panthers had gone the entire postseason without scoring on the power play until Sam Reinhart did so in the first period Sunday.Nikita Kucherov notched four points in the victory, collecting three assists before burying an empty-netter of his own less than two minutes before Stamkos. Corey Perry and Erik Cernak provided the other goals for the Lightning.Tampa Bay will have home ice for its first chance to eliminate its intrastate rival in Game 4 on Monday night.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington will miss the remainder of the club's second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche after a collision with Nazem Kadri forced him out of Game 3 and resulted in a lower-body injury, the team announced Sunday.Kadri was driving to the net in pursuit of a rebound and got tied up with Blues defenseman Calle Rosen. The pair then collided into Binnington, who was rattled and slow to get up.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard will miss the remainder of the postseason after suffering a broken sternum in Saturday's Game 3 against the St. Louis Blues, the team announced.Girard was taken to the hospital after he got crunched into the boards by Blues forward Ivan Barbashev during the first period.

Veteran bench boss Barry Trotz will meet with the Philadelphia Flyers next week regarding their head coaching vacancy, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported during Saturday's "32 Thoughts" segment."Couple of things here: One, they want to meet him, obviously, because he's an outstanding coach, but two, he has a lot of divisional knowledge about the Metropolitan having coached recently the Islanders and before that, the Washington Capitals," Marek said."I don't get the sense that the Philadelphia Flyers are in any hurry here to name a coach," he continued. "They want to take their time. They want to be thorough even if that means they may miss a candidate along the way."The New York Islanders recently fired Trotz after they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in his four-year tenure. He won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals prior to his arrival in New York.The Flyers struggled tremendously in 2021-22. They fired head coach Alain Vigneault in December after stumbling to an 8-10-4 start. Mike Yeo took over on an interim basis and led the Flyers to a 17-36-7 mark to close out the season.Philadelphia announced earlier this month that Yeo would not return as head coach next season.Trotz will reportedly also interview with the Winnipeg Jets, while Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman added Saturday that the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights may also be in the mix for his services.The 59-year-old has won the third-most regular-season games of all time (914), placing behind only Scotty Bowman and Joel Quenneville.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the top pending unrestricted free-agent forwards won't be hitting the open market.The Pittsburgh Penguins and winger Bryan Rust agreed to a six-year contract extension that carries an average annual value of $5.125 million."Bryan exemplifies what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin," general manager Ron Hextall said. "Since being drafted by Pittsburgh, he has developed into a versatile player and leader on our team, capable of contributing in any situation. His leadership qualities and experience as a two-time Stanley Cup champion is an important piece of our team."Rust recorded a career-high 58 points last season. He's averaged 35 goals and 40 assists per 82 games over the last three campaigns while primarily riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby.Pittsburgh drafted Rust in the third round in 2010.The 30-year-old was one of three big pending UFAs for the Penguins this offseason along with franchise cornerstones Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.The Penguins now project to have approximately $24 million in cap space this summer with a roster of only 15 players.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid is playing at an incredible level through nine games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers know it.McDavid was instrumental in Edmonton tying its second-round series against the Calgary Flames at 1-1 on Friday night, recording a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win to give him a league-leading 20 points in the postseason."The way this guy is playing right now, it's special. He's driving our team forward," interim head coach Jay Woodcroft said, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. "We got a lot of really good efforts from a lot of people tonight. But the way Connor is playing is very inspiring."Woodcroft added: "Connor is the best hockey player in the world. He's willing to pay a price to win. He's driven to win. He has an effect on everybody in our organization with that desire to take his game to the next level."McDavid has produced at a historic pace so far this postseason; Wayne Gretzky (on four occasions) and Mike Bossy (1981) are the only players in league history to record 20 points in fewer than nine games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to NHL Public Relations."He's taking his game to another level and that's hard to do already. He's pushing his own limits. That's what special players do," said Oilers forward Zach Hyman. "He's leading our team in every aspect. Last game, he had the most hits on our team. He's doing it all. He's a huge reason why we're here."McDavid now has 42 points in 30 career playoff games. The Oilers reached Game 7 of the second round in 2017 but failed to win a series in their next two postseason appearances.The Oilers and Flames will meet in Game 3 on Sunday in Edmonton.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on the road Friday to even up their second-round playoff series. Here are three storylines to monitor as the Battle of Alberta shifts north to Rogers Place.Offense is rampant Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesCalgary and Edmonton fans waited 31 years between playoff editions of the Battle of Alberta. They're still waiting for either side to defend effectively. Across Friday's contest and the Flames' 9-6 Game 1 win, the rivals combined to score 23 goals - within striking distance of the 29 that Calgary and the Dallas Stars managed in seven contests.The Flames' readiness to exploit defensive breakdowns explains why the Oilers crumbled in Game 1. Most of their goals came courtesy of Edmonton's combination of ill-timed pinches, risky passes, sloppy clearances, halfhearted battling, and neglectful coverage of shooters in the slot. Calgary scored twice in Game 2 after Edmonton sticks broke and again when Duncan Keith and Evan Bouchard blew a defensive-zone assignment.Connor McDavid inflicted the bulk of Calgary's problems himself. He undressed Jacob Markstrom with a pair of slick dekes. Teammates have scored when McDavid's drawn three defenders in the Flames' end, forced a turnover in transition, driven the crease to leave behind a juicy rebound, and swiveled behind the net to feed a pinching defenseman. The Oilers captain is up to six points in two games and leads the playoffs with 20.Neither netminder has played to his potential yet. Mike Smith made 37 saves in Game 2 but let in multiple goals within six minutes of puck drop again. Markstrom's save percentage - .810 at five-on-five, .838 overall - is dismal. Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl exposed his glove hand in Game 1, as Keith did off McDavid's setup Friday.Questions abound ahead of Game 3. Which goalie will rediscover his sparkling Round 1 form first? Can the Oilers maintain the composure they showed in Friday's third period - the Flames' first scoreless frame of the series? Or will the shootouts continue at both ends, opening space for McDavid to continue tormenting Calgary blue-liners?Scoring is dispersed Gerry Thomas / NHL / Getty ImagesThat last question could be asked about Hyman, too. He created three goals for himself by firing off the rush, whirling with the puck along the boards until that opened room to shoot, and breaking loose shorthanded to convert a breakaway. When Draisaitl joins McDavid on the top line, Hyman can ease their offensive burden with his resourcefulness and speed.That's key because Edmonton's offense is prone to imbalance. Five Oilers scored in Game 1, but only six recorded points. Moreover, those five scorers - Hyman, McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, and Kailer Yamamoto - accounted for 11 of the team's 14 scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. While few Oilers moved the needle, 12 of Calgary's skaters got a point, and 15 managed a five-on-five scoring chance.The Flames were at their balanced best in Game 1. They outscored the Oilers 4-1 and outchanced them 16-5 when the Johnny Gaudreau or Mikael Backlund lines skated at five-on-five. The top trios handled the heavy lifting, but fourth-line winger Brett Ritchie and numerous defensemen - Rasmus Andersson, Michael Stone, Noah Hanifin, and Erik Gudbranson - combined to add four goals and three primary assists in the series.Edmonton's defense is activating offensively, too. Bouchard has glided into the slot to unleash his great shot, while Keith worked a give-and-go in Game 2 that allowed McDavid to dangle Markstrom. It's not solely the McDavid show, though it's astounding he's now notched multiple points in eight of nine playoff games.Both teams were robbed of a goal during netfront scrambles Friday when the officials lost sight of loose pucks and blew the whistle. Adding to the chaos, scrums resulted in five sets of coincidental minors being called. Close-matched rivalry series heat up fast, then ebb and flow as squads take turns dictating the action. We're seeing that it's a boon to have various guys who can drive play.Power-play edge is there for the taking Derek Leung / Getty ImagesEdmonton's power play slumped late in the first round and the series opener against the Flames. The group that menaced the Los Angeles Kings early in that matchup went 0-for-2 between Games 6 and 7. Calgary killed the Oilers' four opportunities in Game 1, negating an edge they want - and maybe expect - to assert.The Oilers got on the board once on six tries in Game 2, meaning this remains the one phase in which Markstrom has shone - his save percentage against their power play is .929. Still, Calgary's giving them too many spins - Stone and Blake Coleman took four penalty minutes apiece Friday - and Markstrom's really had to exert himself. He faced nine high-danger chances while down a man in Game 2 and benefited from McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman whiffing on prime looks.On the flip side, Calgary's power play is 4-for-32 (12.5%) in the playoffs but 2-for-8 in this matchup, which shows how much of a wall Jake Oettinger was for Dallas in Round 1.Matthew Tkachuk struck against the Oilers in Game 1 by batting the puck at chest height. Tyler Toffoli's goal Friday came off nice passes from Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm. So long as control of the series is up for grabs, someone could tilt the scales on the man advantage, and the Flames' top unit has shown signs of life.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche were the better team in Game 1, winning 3-2 in overtime. The St. Louis Blues flipped the script in a 4-1 Game 2. How might Game 3 unfold? Three matchups to watch as the series shifts to St. Louis:Ryan O'Reilly vs. Nathan MacKinnon Matthew Stockman / Getty ImagesA 30-second sequence toward the end of the first period in Game 1 represented how the O'Reilly-MacKinnon battle has played out thus far.The sequence started with O'Reilly tracking MacKinnon as the Avalanche center circled the Blues' zone with the puck. O'Reilly closed off MacKinnon near the blue line, and St. Louis moved play the other way. However, the Avs quickly regained possession and tried to break out of their zone. O'Reilly was there to intercept the exit pass. A few beats later, icing was called on the Avs.O'Reilly, the Blues' heart-and-soul captain, single-handedly stifled Colorado's push. He's arguably the series' most important skater heading into Game 3.In Game 1, the MacKinnon line throttled O'Reilly and his linemates in shot attempts and expected goals, yet O'Reilly had several moments of defensive brilliance and bagged the opening goal. In Game 2, the lines stacked up evenly overall, while O'Reilly recorded a primary assist at five-on-five and MacKinnon earned just a secondary assist on the power play. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesConsidering MacKinnon has traditionally thrived in the playoff spotlight (77 points in 56 games), Game 2 will probably stand as an anomaly among strong performances. With his all-world offensive tools and relentless motor, MacKinnon has the juice to rebound and even win this head-to-head against O'Reilly.That said, MacKinnon definitely won't be able to avoid O'Reilly anytime soon with St. Louis holding last change in Games 3 and 4. It's also unlikely MacKinnon outsmarts or lures him into penalty trouble. Part of O'Reilly's genius is his controlled style - smart stick, cool head - so the more isolated the matchup, especially along the boards, the more it favors the Blues.The explosive MacKinnon can (and must) tap into his advantages in skating ability and lower-body strength to disrupt O'Reilly's defensive groove.MacKinnon can't allow O'Reilly to dictate the terms of the matchup by, for instance, dumping the puck into the Blues' zone simply because his counterpart's applying pressure. With help from superstar winger Mikko Rantanen, MacKinnon must disorient O'Reilly with quick feet and hands. Challenge him one-on-one. Tire him out. Or regroup in the neutral zone and feed off Rantanen's matchup instead. Adjust. The key is to be proactive.MacKinnon's at his best when he's assertive with and without the puck. If he doesn't bring that attack mentality for Game 3, he'll play right into O'Reilly's hands and the Blues' game plan in front of a hostile St. Louis crowd.Darcy Kuemper vs. Blues' rush offenseThe Avs have allowed six goals in this series, including one empty-netter. Of the five scored on goalie Darcy Kuemper, three have come off a Blues counterstrike.St. Louis' power play turned a Colorado dump-out into the 2-2 goal in Game 1 thanks to an ill-timed line change by the penalty killers. Jordan Kyrou bagged that one, and the speedster struck again on the fast break in Game 2 to make it 1-0. The 2-1 goal in Game 2 - veteran David Perron's second of the night - was the direct result of an Avs turnover inside the Blues' zone. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesKuemper, rocking a .923 save percentage through five playoff games, should have turned aside two of those counterstrikes. (The other, Kyrou's second goal, wasn't entirely his fault as an Avs defenseman tipped it.)The Blues are so deep and versatile up front that these counterstrikes aren't suddenly going to disappear as the series chugs along. They finished third in goals in the regular season because they can generate scoring chances off the cycle on one shift and then do the same off an odd-man rush on the next.Blues bench boss Craig Berube tossed his top-nine into a blender for Game 2, most notably putting Pavel Buchnevich on O'Reilly's wing and Kyrou on Robert Thomas' wing. But the overall product went unchanged - the same style.All of this is to say Colorado's fate could rest on timely saves from Kuemper. Perhaps that's unfair to the 32-year-old, but championship teams need stops.The flip side is that the Avalanche can also be incredibly effective off the rush. Just look at that high-flying, skill-infused lineup. Their blue line, in particular, has no peer with respect to mobility and willingness to either lead or join the rush.Jordan Binnington vs. Avs' power play Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesSpeaking of the Avs' vaunted attack, it was on full display in Game 1. Colorado finished with 54 shots on goal, three posts, and two crossbars.The Jared Bednar-coached club generated 31 shots in Game 2, but there was a serious lack of grade-A scoring chances. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Avs generated 1.5 expected goals in Game 2 compared to 4.4 in the opener.At any rate, with Colorado scoring only four goals on 92 shots in the series, Blues netminder Jordan Binnington has undoubtedly been a difference-maker. After taking over for Ville Husso midway through the first round, Binnington has been especially stellar at even strength, stopping 139 of 145 shots.That's exactly where the Avs' power play enters the conversation after finishing seventh in the NHL in the regular season and going 7-for-15 in Round 1.A Game 2 shovel-in by captain Gabriel Landeskog is the lone tally through five opportunities against the Blues. It's possible Binnington rides this heater for months - like he did en route to a Cup in 2019 - and thus makes the even-strength goals even harder to come by for the Avs. Colorado could find itself relying on power-play production to advance to Round 3.If that turns out to be the case, you couldn't ask for better personnel. MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog, Cale Makar, and Nazem Kadri are arguably the most dangerous unit in hockey. Can they produce when it counts?John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness is stepping down from his position, the team announced Friday.Bowness' contract expired at the end of the season. Assistant coaches John Stevens, Derek Laxdal, and Todd Nelson also won't be returning."After careful consideration with my wife Judy, we feel it's best to step away and allow the organization the opportunity to pursue a different direction at the head coaching position," Bowness said in a statement. "I'd like to thank all the passionate fans and the dedicated staff for their support and hard work in my time here. It has been an honor for me, and my family, to represent the Stars and the city of Dallas."Bowness took over behind Dallas' bench in December 2019. He led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final during the COVID-interrupted season and earned a two-year extension as a result.Dallas missed the playoffs the following campaign and was eliminated in the first round by the Calgary Flames in seven games this spring.Bowness has coached 639 games in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and then-Phoenix Coyotes. The 67-year-old has also served as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning.The Stars are now the fifth NHL team with a head coaching vacancy, joining the Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, and Vegas Golden Knights. Four other clubs - the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, and Edmonton Oilers - have an interim coach in place.Barry Trotz, who was recently let go by the New York Islanders, is considered to be the most attractive coaching candidate on the market.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.The deal is worth $1.3 million, The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reports.Korpisalo was set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. His previous deal carried a $2.8-million cap hit across two seasons.The 28-year-old battled injuries this season and dropped behind Elvis Merzlikins on Columbus' depth chart. Korpisalo played in only 22 games, posting a 7-11-0 record with an .877 save percentage and 4.15 goals against average.The Blue Jackets drafted Korpisalo in the third round of the 2012 draft. He has a .902 save percentage in 182 career appearances.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Thursday was a successful night for our player props as we once again won two of three, with the lone defeat coming on the hook.We'll look to keep things moving in the right direction with three plays for what should be an exciting weekend of playoff hockey.Teuvo Teravainen over 2.5 shots (+110)Teravainen laid an egg for us in Game 1, but there's reason to be optimistic the Carolina Hurricanes winger can provide a better result Friday night. He's generally been very productive on home ice, recording three-plus shots in 28 of 44 games in Carolina this season. That's a 64% hit rate. Outside of one four-game stretch in the middle of the campaign, Teravainen didn't fail to record three shots in consecutive games all season.He should also be in a more beneficial lineup spot Friday. After spending most of the opener on his heels with Max Domi and Vincent Trocheck, Teravainen was moved onto a line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis late in the game. They dominated, scoring a goal while helping the Hurricanes outchance the New York Rangers 7-0.Look for a rebound effort in Game 2.Johnny Gaudreau over 3.5 shots (-112)Johnny Hockey has enjoyed a lot of success against the Edmonton Oilers this season. Including a dominant effort in Game 1 of the series, Gaudreau has combined to record 4.6 shots on target and 7.6 attempts per game through five meetings versus Edmonton.Gaudreau was the sport's most prolific point producer at five-on-five during the regular season, and he touches the puck a ton on the man advantage. No matter the game situation, the puck always finds its way to Gaudreau's stick.Win or lose, the Calgary Flames should be able to generate shots in bulk in this game. They've recorded at least 38 in four of five meetings versus the Oilers, averaging a hair under 42. That's more than enough volume for Gaudreau to get his share.Nazem Kadri over 3.5 shots (-110 or better)Kadri has produced an insane amount of volume against the St. Louis Blues. He's registered eight shots on target, 11 scoring chances, and 19 shot attempts through just two games.With the Blues having last change in Game 3, you can bet they'll be looking to get their top two-way players on the ice against Nathan MacKinnon every chance they get. There won't be nearly as much attention on Kadri, opening things up for him at five-on-five. He's also a focal point of the Colorado Avalanche's power play, so he should have plenty of opportunities to keep firing.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, Edmonton Oilers blue-liner Darnell Nurse, and New Jersey Devils veteran P.K. Subban were named the finalists for the 2022 King Clancy Memorial Trophy on Friday.All 32 teams had a representative up for the award before the top three were announced. The trophy is given annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.The finalists are chosen by a committee of NHL executives led by commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.Getzlaf, who announced his retirement prior to the end of the regular season, runs numerous initiatives in the Anaheim area including a Learn to Play program and a charity golf event to benefit children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.Nurse has aided in a variety of initiatives focused on providing marginalized youth a chance to play sports in a safe environment. He's also an ambassador for Right to Play and created a scholarship program for his alma mater in Hamilton, Ontario.Subban has been a finalist for the award three years in a row and four times in his career. His notable charitable actions date back to his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, but more recently Subban has provided donations for Ukrainian cancer patients, expanded his Blueline Buddies program, and served as co-chair of the NHL's Player Inclusion Committee.Last year's award was won by retired Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There are a lot of questions heading into a weekend full of playoff action. Will the New York Rangers pay for squandering an impressive Game 1 showing? Which contrasting style will prevail in St. Louis? Will the favored Florida Panthers be on the brink of elimination by Sunday?Let's answer some of those questions as we look at the best way to attack the betting board over the next few days.Rangers (+145) @ Hurricanes (-175)

Nathan MacKinnon was the first to admit his Colorado Avalanche put forth a lackluster effort in their defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.The Avalanche superstar acknowledged how poorly his club played in a 4-1 loss that tied the best-of-seven second-round series 1-1."We were really bad tonight," he said postgame, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "(In) years past, we might dwell on it and get down on ourselves and each other. But we've just got to pick each other up and move on."MacKinnon also lamented the opportunity the Avalanche had after captain Gabriel Landeskog scored on the power play to cut the Blues' lead to 2-1 early in the third period."Everyone was off tonight," MacKinnon said. "Really off. We still had a chance to tie it up."Blues forward David Perron notched his second goal of the game midway through the final frame to make it 3-1, and Brandon Saad added an empty-netter to seal St. Louis' victory.Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin was whistled for a questionable goaltender interference penalty late in the second period, but MacKinnon declined to blame the officiating afterward."It was on us for sure. Definitely not on the refs," he said.The Avalanche lost home-ice advantage with the defeat. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in St. Louis.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins president Cam Neely respects head coach Bruce Cassidy but didn't give a definite answer when asked if he wanted the veteran back behind the bench in Beantown next season."I think we have to look at making some changes as far as how we play and the way we do some of the things," Neely told reporters Thursday. "I think Bruce is a fantastic coach. I mean, he's brought a lot of success to this organization. I like him as a coach. We'll see where it goes."Neely said he intends to extend the contract of general manager Don Sweeney, who'll make the decision on Cassidy's job. Cassidy has one year remaining on his deal, according to CapFriendly. He has a 245-108-46 regular-season record and a 36-37 playoff mark since taking over in 2017.The Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Bruins in Game 7 of the opening round last Saturday. It's the third straight season Boston failed to make it past the second round since falling to the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.Neely identified the team's power play as a particular sore spot this season."I think there's times when players need to be more reactive out there instead of thinking about, 'This is how we have to play,'" he said. "Sometimes on the power play, I found it frustrating where we were continuing to try to gain the zone the same way with the same results that weren't as good as they could have been."Boston doesn't have a first-round pick in 2022 or a particularly deep prospect pool. The Bruins are also trying to navigate an aging core and uncertainty surrounding captain Patrice Bergeron's next steps."As your core players and your better players are starting to age out, you do have to look at that," Neely said when asked about a potential rebuild. "There's no question."He continued, "I don’t think anybody really wants to watch losing hockey. That’s not the plan. … I think we've done a pretty good job the last 10, 11 years of trying to stay in that window to win."But eventually it does catch up to you. We do have some good young players in this lineup that, hopefully, we can build around in the next couple years so we don't have to do a complete rebuild."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames, Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers, and Gerard Gallant of the New York Rangers are the finalists for the 2022 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top head coach.Sutter erased a disappointing 2020-21 season and turned the Flames into a Stanley Cup contender in his second year back behind the bench. Calgary cruised to the Pacific Division title with 111 points and had the best goal differential in the Western Conference at plus-85.Brunette took over the Panthers' bench on an interim basis after Joel Quenneville resigned seven games into the campaign. The change could've derailed Florida's campaign, but under Brunette's tutelage, the Cats claimed their first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history with 122 points and set several franchise records along the way.Gallant, who won the award in 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights, made an instant impact in his first year with New York. The Rangers had only reached the postseason once since 2017 before Gallant's influence led to a 52-win campaign in 2021-22.All three finalists are currently in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.The NHL Broadcasters' Association has conducted a poll to determine the honor at the end of each regular season since 1973-74. The award recognizes the coach who "contributed the most to his team's success."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith will start Game 2 against the Calgary Flames on Friday, head coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed."Mike Smith is quite clear in the team’s faith in him," Woodcroft said, per The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.Smith was yanked from Game 1 after allowing three goals on 10 shots in just over six minutes.Mikko Koskinen entered the contest and gave up five goals on 37 shots in a chaotic series opener that ended in a 9-6 Calgary victory.Smith and Koskinen split starting duties throughout the regular season but he ultimately won the job down the stretch and into the playoffs. The 40-year-old was sensational in Round 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, posting a .938 save percentage in seven games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL playoffs offer plenty of compelling storylines, a couple of which will be at the forefront tonight.The No. 3 team in total power-play goals has yet to convert once through eight games, while one of the league's highest-paid goaltenders has been borderline dominant since regaining his starting spot following an up-and-down campaign.Let's break down these storylines as we examine a couple of theScore bet specials.Special: Panthers 1+ PP goal, Panthers to win in regulation (+125)The Florida Panthers are in the midst of a power outage. They've yet to score a goal on the man advantage this postseason despite more than 40 minutes of work. To put that into perspective, the Dallas Stars (two) are the only other team to net fewer than three power-play markers. Not ideal.Florida's opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been as good as anyone on the power play. The Lightning have already scored 10 goals through just eight games - impressive to say the least.With how tight the five-on-five contests are during the playoffs - everyone digs in and gets away with extra slashes, holds, and pins - special teams are often the difference. Tampa's are clicking and Florida's aren't.The good news for Florida is there's plenty of time to come alive on the man advantage. The team certainly has the firepower to turn things around sooner than later and, against Tampa, should have no shortage of opportunities.Only the Boston Bruins spent more time shorthanded during the playoffs. Even if we adjust the stats to a per-game basis, the Lightning are near the top (fourth) in terms of most penalty kill time per game.While the Panthers didn't capitalize in Game 1, they're knocking on the door, having generated 14 shot attempts and six scoring chances in six minutes.Converting on one or two in this game will go a long way toward leveling the series.Special: Jordan Binnington 35-plus saves, Blues to win (+225)The Colorado Avalanche shoot the puck. A lot. In fact, they do it more than any other team in the NHL.Colorado leads all playoff teams in shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances, and high-danger scoring chances on a per-minute basis. It accomplished that while consistently leading - and ultimately winning - every game it played, even though teams generally shoot less often when up. For the Avalanche to still be piling up the shots at a more efficient clip than anyone says a lot.The St. Louis Blues have some defensive shortcomings, which showed in Game 1. Even throwing out overtime, the Blues conceded 41 shots and 40 scoring chances. Insanity.Jordan Binnington was worked into the ground, and it's fair to expect that to continue moving forward. The Avalanche have an unmatched level of firepower and have taken at least 38 shots in each playoff game. Again, they did that while often playing from ahead.Colorado is only going to push harder when the game is leveled or tied. In the regular season, it ranked third in shots per minute while trailing - and that was despite missing key players for large chunks. The Avalanche are fully healthy now, which means they should be even more potent if forced to play catch-up.Binnington will see a ton of rubber in this game - with a higher save ceiling if the Blues prevail.Please Play Responsibly. 19+. ON Only. Gambling Problem? Call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone underwent successful back surgery and is expected to be fully recovered for the 2022-23 regular season, the team announced Thursday.Stone's back injury, which has nagged him since last year's playoffs, forced him to miss 45 games across three different periods on the shelf this season. He had a 26-game stint on long-term injured reserve but returned for nine contests amid Vegas' failed playoff push.The 30-year-old managed nine goals and 21 assists in 37 appearances during his third full campaign with the Golden Knights this season.Vegas missed the playoffs for the first time in its existence this campaign. Changes in Sin City have already begun as head coach Peter DeBoer was recently fired.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's obvious in hockey: The best you can do is make good bets, find value, and then let the puck bounce where it may. We had mixed results in our in-series betting after Game 1 of the first round, taking a decent plus-money price into Game 7 with the Bruins and getting a win with the Oilers (-115) after each trailed twice in their respective series.With four Game 1s in the books for Round 2, is there anything worth betting on now that we have a modicum of information?Game 1: Lightning @ PanthersEven-strength playTEAMxGFHDCHDGLightning2.0481Panthers2.2571If everything went according to plan, we wouldn't have anything to bet on in-series, and what fun would that be? It took roughly 30 seconds for the Panthers to do the one thing we asked them not to: put the Lightning on the power play. While Florida's penalty kill held up for a while, Tampa eventually broke through, converting three of six chances overall.Since the Panthers couldn't generate many power plays or high-danger chances, the Lightning succeeded in playing a low-event road game at even strength.The numbers above suggest that Game 1 was evenly played, but when laying around -150, you're hoping for something closer to a 60/40 split rather than 50/50. Staying out of the box is a start, and not getting danced by Nikita Kucherov on the rush would help, so there's a path to the Panthers equalizing the series.Pick: Panthers to win series (+130)Game 1: Blues @ AvalancheEven-strength playTEAMxGFHDCHDGBlues1.3751Avalanche3.73161It wasn't without stress, but those buying into Colorado's ceiling were vindicated in Game 1, as it was truly an Avalanche during five-on-five play. The Avs outshot the Blues 40-10 at full strength in regulation.St. Louis' backers got everything they could want out of Jordan Binnington, but it seems like he'll need to be heroic, while the skaters in front of him will have to buck up for the Blues to get a win on more than a fluke.My postgame 74.6% win probability is probably flattering to the Blues, but the odds for Game 2 have been adjusted to the Avalanche being -245 favorites - an implied win probability of 71%.As for in-series odds, the Blues are now anywhere from +500 - a bet that would be made on blind faith after Game 1. However, if St. Louis can play better in front of him, at least we know Binnington is at the peak of his powers, and it was just one (admittedly rough) game. A home win in Game 1 means little to change the trajectory of the series, and we're getting an extensive price for it to get tighter.If the Blues can force a sixth game at home, there'll be value to bet in the series handicap market.Pick: Blues +1.5 games (+240)Game 1: Rangers @ HurricanesEven-strength playTEAMxGHDCHDGRangers3.11121Hurricanes2.95142This game was pretty loose for two teams atop the NHL in goals against average this season, with 26 combined five-on-five high-danger chances and a sequence that featured a Nino Niederreiter breakaway attempt off the crossbar and Kaapo Kakko missing a wide-open net.Be wary of betting the under in Game 2 if all you saw was a 1-0 game for 57 minutes. The overall game numbers suggest we should be wary of betting the Hurricanes, too, but if you excuse a lazy first period and a mediocre second, you could make the case the real Carolina came out in the third period and beyond. The Canes had 75% of the five-on-five high-danger chances and won in terms of expected goals at even strength (1.85-0.73) after the second intermission.With a win already in pocket, the Hurricanes now know what it takes to be the better team, while their win probability hasn't changed drastically in the series handicap market.Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 games (-180)Game 1: Oilers @ FlamesEven-strength playTEAMxGFHDCHDGOilers1.5862Flames3.16131In the words of Ron Burgundy, "That escalated quickly. I mean, things really got out of hand." Game 1 was beyond anything anyone could have asked for to start the Battle of Alberta.After the Flames blitzed Mike Smith and the Oilers early, the game was more evenly played. However, that might have been a function of Edmonton chasing 5-1 and 6-2 deficits.With both teams capable of scoring, and defenders' confidence shaken, you're getting an improved price to bet on this series to go at least seven games after Calgary's opening-game victory.Pick: Oilers +1.5 games (+140)Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators have signed head coach John Hynes to a two-year extension, general manager David Poile announced Thursday.Hynes' current contract, which included a one-year team option, was set to expire.The Preds hired the 47-year-old bench boss midway through the 2019-20 campaign, taking over for Peter Laviolette. Nashville has qualified for the postseason in each campaign under Hynes, although the club has been unable to get out of the opening round.Overall, the Predators are 92-64-10 in parts of three seasons under Hynes. He coached the New Jersey Devils for parts of five years before arriving in The Music City.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday night was a pretty good one on the ice. We went 2-1 with our shot props while splitting the best bets. Since backing the Calgary Flames to win the opening frame came with juicy +135 odds, we turned a profit with both.We'll look to build on that as we attack Thursday's slate with one side and three more player props.Let's dive in.Blues (+195) @ Avalanche (-240)It took overtime for the Colorado Avalanche to prevail against the St. Louis Blues in Game 1, but don't let that fool you. The Avalanche were the far superior team from start to finish.They did whatever they wanted with the puck, effortlessly splitting the Blues' defense on a shift-to-shift basis.At five-on-five alone, the Avalanche generated 39 scoring chances and 3.73 expected goals. In comparison, they allowed 11 chances and 1.33 expected goals. It was not close.If not for the four or five posts the Avalanche hit along the way or some painfully squandered chances - like when Erik Johnson had a wide-open net and got nothing on it, slow rolling it to Jordan Bennington - this could've easily been a multi-goal victory.I think the Avalanche have edges across the board in this series and it showed. The Avs will not be happy sitting on their 1-0 lead and splitting heading into St. Louis. I expect them to come out with purpose once again and dominate the run of play.With even a small fraction of extra puck luck, they should pick up a relatively sweat free win inside 60 minutes.Bet: Avalanche in regulation (-145)Sam Bennett over 2.5 shots (-167)Death, taxes, and Sam Bennett at home. The gritty centerman has been a model of consistency in Florida this season, registering at least three shots in 31 of 40 games on home soil. That's a ridiculous 78% hit rate. While this line is a little juiced, the implied probability is still only 62% - that feels a little low.The Tampa Bay Lightning have quietly been one of the worst teams in the playoffs at suppressing shots to centers. Sure, they've been facing some very good ones but it's not like that's going to change.Bennett has averaged 6.3 shot attempts per game against the Lightning across four meetings thus far. That is more than enough volume to come through with three shots; especially considering Bennett's style of play. He's a hard-working player who fights his way to the net and generates shots from close range. He shouldn't miss too many of those.Brayden Point's continued absence in Game 2 should help as well. That makes Tampa's middle-six a lot less potent, which gives the Panthers a better chance of dictating play.Nazem Kadri over 3.5 shots (+110)Kadri was an absolute monster in Game 1 of this series. He generated 13 shot attempts at five-on-five alone. Yes, you're reading that correctly. Playing at full strength against set defenses, Kadri still generated shots at will. He had 13 attempts, eight chances, and five shots on target in 17 minutes of five-on-five play.Kadri is also a focal point on the power play, where he ranked second among Avalanche players in goals and first in scoring chances during the regular season.I don't know if I'd expect that level of volume again in Game 2 but, quite frankly, Kadri shouldn't need it to find success. The matchups will remain very similar to what we saw in the opener and, clearly, Kadri is capable of taking advantage.Look for him to pile up the shots once again.Ryan O'Reilly over 2.5 shots (+110)O'Reilly generally isn't much of a shooter. He has completely flipped the switch in the playoffs, though. The veteran pivot actually leads the Blues in goals - and high-danger chances - while slotting second on the team in shots on goal. He has 25 through seven games, which equates to 3.6 per contest.Considering he's come through in five playoff games thus far and has 14 shots through three games against the Avalanche this year, there appears to be plenty of value in backing O'Reilly on Thursday night.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Game 1 of the Battle of Alberta lived up to the hype - and more.The Calgary Flames won a 9-6 barn burner over the Edmonton Oilers in the opening contest of Round 2 between the provincial rivals Wednesday.The 15 combined goals are the most in a Stanley Cup Playoff game since 1993 and three shy of tying the all-time record of 18. It's only the ninth contest in postseason history with at least 15 goals.Game ResultYearGoalsKings def. Oilers 10-8198218Penguins def. Flyers 10-7198917Oilers def. Kings 13-3198716Kings def. Flames 12-4199016Blackhawks def. Habs 8-7197315North Stars def. Bruins 9-6198115Oilers def. Blackhawks 10-5198515Kings def. Flames 9-6199315Flames def. Oilers 9-6202215The Flames are also the first team to score nine goals in a playoff game since the Pittsburgh Penguins scored 10 against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012. The Oilers own the record with 13 in 1987.The game initially looked like it was going to be a blowout for Calgary. The Flames owned leads of 5-1 and 6-2 before the Oilers stormed back to eventually tie it at 6-6. Calgary then scored three unanswered goals to put the contest away."There were probably six different games out there," Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said postgame, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis."We were told it was a boring series last time, so I told the players yesterday we’ve got to score seven-to-10 goals today because they'd probably score five-to-eight to win, so that’s what we did," Sutter added.In fact, the Flames scored more goals on Wednesday against Edmonton than they did in their first four games combined in Round 1 against the Dallas Stars.Matthew Tkachuk led the way offensively for Calgary, completing his hat trick with an empty-netter. Blake Coleman also potted two goals, while Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, and Johnny Gaudreau recorded three points apiece.Connor McDavid's four points and Leon Draisaitl's three led the way offensively for the Oilers. Zach Hyman also chipped in with a pair of tallies.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The other two second-round series begin on Wednesday night. While the matchups are juicy in their own right, there are plenty of enticing storylines within them.Let's break down a couple of those storylines alongside some theScore Bet specials.Special: Tony DeAngelo to record 1+ points & Hurricanes to win (+130)Tony DeAngelo's tenure with the New York Rangers was a mixed bag, to say the least. He showed flashes of brilliance on the ice - especially offensively - while accumulating 97 points over 161 games, equating to 45 per 82. He was particularly effective in 2019-20, piling up 53 points in just 68 games.DeAngelo followed that up in the worst way imaginable. He found the scoresheet only once in six games to start the 2021 season before engaging in a reported altercation with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. That led to DeAngelo being pulled from the lineup entirely and eventually bought out.He landed on his feet with the Carolina Hurricanes, signing a one-year deal worth just $1 million. The full story hasn't been written, but, to date, the signing couldn't have worked out much better. DeAngelo put up 51 points over 64 games, picking up at least one point 59% of the time (playoffs included).He's the team's No. 1 offensive blue-liner and spearheads a potent power play. DeAngelo's being put in every position to succeed offensively, and he figures to have a good chance of doing so against his former team.The Rangers were often on their heels against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round. They ranked dead last in expected goal share and allowed more shots, chances, and goals at five-on-five than all other playoff teams.Now going up against a dominant five-on-five side, with a potent power play quarterbacked by DeAngelo, the Rangers should give up more than their fair share of chances.Carolina is favored to win the opening game of the series. If it does, there's a good chance DeAngelo gets involved in the scoring.Special: Matthew Tkachuk to record 2+ points & Flames to win (+270)Matthew Tkachuk lives for games against the Edmonton Oilers. He's probably best remembered for his feud with Zack Kassian, but when not mixing it up physically, the star winger is doing serious damage on the scoresheet.Tkachuk has absolutely terrorized the Oilers over the last couple of years. He has picked up at least a point in 10 of 14 meetings since the beginning of last season, including eight of the last nine. Tkachuk piled up 14 points in those nine games, good for an average of 1.55 per game.While Tkachuk was pretty quiet by his standards in the first round, he only came one point shy of one per game despite shooting on a goaltender (Jake Oettinger) who posted a .954 save percentage in the series. Not to mention, he missed plenty of time while sitting in the sin bin following fighting majors against Michael Raffl and John Klingberg.As well as Mike Smith played in the opening round, I have a hard time believing he'll muster up performances close to the level we saw from Oettinger.The Battle of Alberta is also more prone to offensive outbursts than you'd expect. Three of four meetings this season featured seven goals or more, with the two sides combining for 33. That's a whopping 8.25 per game.Sure, there was a 14-goal affair mixed in. But the point is - Darryl Sutter or not - there's plenty of potential for fireworks when these sides meet.If that continues to be the case, that sets up well for Tkachuk - fresh off a 100-point season - to have a big game for the heavily favored Flames.Please Play Responsibly. 19+. ON Only. Gambling Problem? Call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed general manager Rob Blake to a three-year contract extension, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Blake's current contract was set to expire June 30, and an official announcement on the new deal is expected in the coming weeks, LeBrun added.After a 20-year playing career - which included 14 seasons with the Kings - landed Blake in the Hockey Hall of Fame, he joined Los Angeles' front office as vice president of hockey operations and AGM in 2013 before he was promoted to GM in 2017.In his first few years on the job, Blake traded plenty of veteran players to acquire draft picks, and the Kings now boast one of the deepest prospect pipelines in the NHL. Los Angeles has picked three times in the top 10 since Blake took over.Other notable moves in Blake's tenure include signing Phillip Danault in free agency and trading for Viktor Arvidsson last summer, as well as signing franchise icon Drew Doughty to an eight-year, $88-million extension in 2018.The Kings qualified for the playoffs this season for the first time since 2018 but bowed out in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The second round of the playoffs officially begins for four teams Wednesday night - and the matchups are juicy. The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Rangers, while the first Battle of Alberta since 1991 will get underway in Calgary.Let's take a look at a few players to target with shot totals.Teuvo Teravainen over 2.5 shots (+110) Teravainen is a very consistent shooter on home soil. Whether you value a large body of work or recent form, his volume on both fronts is very encouraging. He registered at least three shots in 28 of 43 home games, good for a 65% success rate. He also hit in seven of the last 10, including three of four against a stingy Boston Bruins team in the opening round of the playoffs.With success against Boston under his belt, Teravainen should be chomping at the bit to get at the Rangers. New York was crushed at five-on-five in Round 1, allowing more shots, scoring chances, and goals than any other team. The Hurricanes should be able to heavily tilt the ice, which will lead to extra shooting opportunities for players like Teravainen.Sebastian Aho over 2.5 shots (-139) Win or lose, the Hurricanes should pile up the shots in this game and series. That makes me very comfortable about double-dipping.Aho, like Teravainen, has been very successful at home. He hit in 20 of the last 30 games in Carolina and six of the last seven, including all four against the Bruins.Absorbing shots and trying to capitalize in transition or on the power play has been the Rangers' calling card all season - and it's not about to change now. Aho should get plenty of looks, just as he did in the season series.He recorded three shots or more in three of the four head-to-head meetings, falling one short in the lone exception - which was on the road.Johnny Gaudreau over 3.5 shots (+115)Gaudreau was a shooting machine in the first round - even though it took a couple games before his shots actually started making their way to the net. Gaudreau fired 50 pucks towards the goal over seven games, good for an average of more than seven per contest. That's enough volume to hit - or come within striking distance of - four shots on a nightly basis.I don't see him slowing down one bit against the Edmonton Oilers. They aren't the stoutest defensive side, and at home, Darryl Sutter can get Gaudreau out there in the matchups he wants all night long.Gaudreau's track record against the Oilers is also promising. He generated 16 shots on goal and 29 attempts over the course of four matchups, which equates to four shots and 7.25 attempts per contest.At plus money, there's value in backing Gaudreau in Game 1.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter sees nothing but positives ahead of his club's second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.It's the first playoff clash between the Albertan rivals since 1991, and Sutter is relishing the moment."What brings our province together always? No. 1, sports. No. 2, church. No. 3, music," Sutter said, per TSN. "Think about it. So what's this doing to Alberta right now? It's bringing people together. They might cheer for the Oilers, they might cheer for the Flames ... big deal. It's a sport, it's what it's about. It's the best thing ever."He continued: "The NHL, what more could you ask for? You go from 32, to 16, now we're to eight. What more could you ask for? You got the two teams in Florida, you got the two teams in Alberta. You got the last two to win Stanley Cups in Tampa and St. Louis. You got the Presidents' (Trophy) Cup champion for the regular season. You got the conference champion from our side still in it. It's perfect. It's great for the league. It's great for Alberta."The Flames and Oilers advanced to Round 2 with respective Game 7 wins over the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings.Calgary and Edmonton's regular-season matchups were neck and neck. Each team won two games but Sutter's squad had a slight edge in goals at 17-16.Game 1 of the highly anticipated series goes Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET from Calgary.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tuesday night was not kind to our best bets. The Panthers scored first and led for much of the game against the Lightning, but they were unable to convert that into a win. The Avalanche followed that up by hitting four posts before blowing their lead in the dying minutes of regulation, only to outshoot the Blues 13-0 in the extra frame en route to a sweat-free overtime win.We'll look to get back on track as another two series begin on Wednesday.Rangers (+150) @ Hurricanes (-180)The Hurricanes figure to have a huge edge over the Rangers at five-on-five. Carolina was one of the league's elite all season, ranking top-five in shot share, chance share, and expected goal share. The Canes took it to their opponents like few others on a nightly basis.Now they're drawing arguably the worst five-on-five team in the playoffs - certainly the one in the worst form. The Rangers were walked all over against the Penguins, controlling a putrid 38% of the expected goals in that game state while allowing more shots on goal, scoring chances, and goals than every other team.Part of it is stylistic; the Rangers are comfortable playing on their back foot and trying to capitalize when they get opportunities. Understandably so, considering they have Igor Shesterkin in goal. But they're really pushing it, and a date with the Hurricanes won't help matters.The Hurricanes controlled at least 62% of the expected goal share in three of the four meetings this season. They won three of those matchups, only falling short in a game Alexandar Georgiev pitched a 44-save shutout.New York's path to victory in this game is great goaltending and opportunistic finishing - mostly on the power play. The problem is the Hurricanes have the league's best penalty kill. Despite spending the most time shorthanded in the regular season, the Hurricanes ranked second in shots allowed and were only one goal back of the top spot for fewest goals against on the PP. They have what it takes to neutralize New York's lethal power play.So long as Antti Raanta is competent - he showed he's more than capable in Round 1 - the Hurricanes should be able to grind out a win inside 60.Bet: Hurricanes in regulation (-110)Oilers (+135) @ Flames (-160)Starting fast has been the Flames' calling card all season long. Only the Panthers and Maple Leafs scored more goals in the opening frame, and nobody led more often after 20 minutes of play. Calgary found itself leading after the first period 39 times in 82 games - which is nearly 48% of the time. No team led more often, and no team picked up more wins (32) when front-running following the opening period.Jake Oettinger often prevented Calgary from getting out to those fast starts in the opening round. That's part of the reason the series dragged on for seven games. I have no doubt the Flames will be dialed in and ready to start when the puck drops for Game 1.While the Oilers are a solid side and obviously have the firepower to score, they trailed more often than they led after 20 minutes this season. A big reason for that is their defensive play. They struggled to keep the puck out of their net in the early going, conceding 81 first-period goals over 82 games. That was ninth-most in the NHL, and they were the lone playoff team to concede more than 80.Calgary took advantage of Edmonton in the opening period throughout the season series, leading after 20 minutes in three of four meetings while netting seven goals in that span.Look for the Flames to be on their toes, getting out to an early lead once again.Bet: Flames -0.5 in 1st period (+135)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, and Minnesota Wild blue-liner Jared Spurgeon were named finalists for the 2022 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.The award is given annually to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." It's voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.Connor had a career offensive season with 47 goals and 93 points. He finished fourth among all forwards in average ice time (21:47) and only logged four penalty minutes in 79 games.Slavin won the award last year, becoming the first defenseman since 2012 to do so. The Hurricanes' top-pair stalwart set a personal benchmark with 42 points this season and only took five minor penalties despite routinely facing top competition. Red Kelly (1952-53, 1953-54) is the only rearguard in NHL history to win consecutive Lady Byng trophies.Spurgeon was the runner-up for the award last season. Minnesota's captain had 10 or fewer penalty minutes for the seventh time in his 12-year career in 2021-22. Spurgeon also racked up 40 points in 65 games while logging 21:09 per contest.NHL award winners will be announced during the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks may turn to another one of their former players to run their hockey operations.The club will interview longtime NHLer Ray Whitney for its general manager vacancy on Thursday, a source told PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan.Doug Wilson, who served as San Jose's GM for 19 seasons, stepped down from his post in April. The Hall of Fame defenseman spent the last two years of his playing career with the Sharks.Whitney, meanwhile, spent the first six seasons of his career in San Jose after the Sharks made him the 23rd pick in the 1991 NHL draft. The playmaking winger recorded 1,064 points in 1,330 career NHL games between eight different teams, winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.However, the 50-year-old's front-office resume isn't as decorated as his on-ice resume. Whitney worked as a scout for the Canes for three campaigns beginning in 2015 before joining the league office in the department of player safety in 2017. He's also coached his son's Phoenix Jr. Coyotes Triple-A team for the last three years.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

John Klingberg is poised to test free agency this summer, but he's hoping to re-sign with the Dallas Stars."At the end of the day, I always want to stay here," Klingberg said, according to NHL.com's Taylor Baird. "This is the only team I've been talking to, obviously. With (Stars general manager Jim Nill), and on our side, we've been trying to find different ways to get it done. Year length, money-wise, just trying to get something we're both happy with."Klingberg just wrapped up the final season of a seven-year deal he inked with Dallas in 2015. He was the subject of trade rumors throughout the past season, but nothing came to fruition. The 29-year old said in January that he didn't feel "appreciated" by the team.The blue-liner collected six goals and 41 assists in 74 games this season while ranking third on the team with 22:13 minutes of ice time per game.Nill indicated that he would love for Klingberg to remain a Star."John has an opportunity to be a free agent, and I don't blame him," Nill said. "He's got to look after his family. He'll see what the market is, and we'll see what the market is and get a feel for that and see if it's a fit for both parties. It all depends on term and money. He knows where we're at, I know where he's at."Klingberg has spent all eight seasons of his career with the Stars since being drafted in the fifth round in 2010. He's amassed 71 goals and 303 assists in 552 career games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild are about to enter a salary-cap crunch after buying out Ryan Suter's and Zach Parise's contracts last summer, but general manager Bill Guerin doesn't believe it'll seriously impact his team's ability to compete in 2022-23."I don't think it's difficult. I mean, it's just where we are," Guerin told reporters Tuesday. "We have these empty cap hits, and that's it. We'll deal with it. I think we'll be every bit as good next year."Would we love to have that cap space? Of course, we would. But you know what? We knew exactly what we were doing. We knew exactly what position we were putting ourselves in. I'd do it again."The Wild bought out the remaining four years of Suter's and Parise's deals in July. They carried identical $7.54-million cap hits. The move gave Minnesota $10.3 million in cap savings in 2021-22, but the two players will count for almost $13 million against the cap in 2022-23 and $14.7 million in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns.Guerin reiterated several times that the organization would deal with the cap squeeze, but it appears pending restricted free-agent forward Kevin Fiala may be a casualty."I mean, we'd love to have Kevin back," Guerin said, according to NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. "I don't know if it's going to be possible. But we have to dig into it a little bit and to see what we could possibly do. But there is uncertainty."He added: "Hey, look, we can do anything. But at what cost?"Fiala just wrapped up a one-year deal with a $5.1-million cap hit. The 25-year-old is due for a raise after putting up 33 goals and 52 assists in 82 regular-season contests.The Wild have about $8 million to work with, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo, and need to make decisions in the crease. Pending unrestricted free-agent Marc-Andre Fleury expressed interest in re-signing with Minnesota. Cam Talbot, who dazzled toward the end of the regular season, has one year remaining on his deal."There's no controversy. There's no drama," Guerin said, according to the Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan. "We like both goalies. We like both people. We want them both back, and we think we can be successful with both of them."The St. Louis Blues eliminated the Wild from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs in six games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.