Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Sidney Crosby has dominated the league ever since he erupted onto the scene in 2005-06, and it appears the 34-year-old will continue his NHL career for at least a little while longer."Three (seasons), for sure - and then we'll see after that," Crosby said Tuesday when asked how much longer he wants to play in the NHL. "I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. Three, definitely."Crosby has three seasons remaining on a 12-year, $104.4-million contract. Two other members of the Penguins' core - Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang - are pending unrestricted free agents. The three have been teammates since 2006-07."We've been fortunate enough to play together for a long time," Crosby said. "There's a lot of belief and trust in one another. ... We understand that it's not something that can happen forever, but hopefully a little bit longer."Malkin was adamant that he wants to remain in Pittsburgh but said he understands the NHL is a fickle business."I love this city, and I love these fans so much. If this team wants new blood and young guys, and they say to me to move on, we will see. ... I believe in my agent, and I trust him," he said. "I want to stay here. I want to play in the NHL. ... I hope I retire here."Letang, meanwhile, kept his contract negotiations under wraps."As far as contracts, me and (general manager Ron Hextall) were clear that we were not mentioning anything to anyone. It stays between me and the team," the defenseman said.The Penguins are headed into a crucial offseason after falling to the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. Along with Malkin and Letang, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Evan Rodrigues, and Casey DeSmith are all pending unrestricted free agents.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan confirmed general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe will return in 2022-23 despite the team's sixth consecutive exit in the opening round of the postseason."As we look forward to next year, there's always going to be new faces. That being said, we will not be making changes just simply for the sake of saying we made changes," Shanahan told reporters Tuesday, according to Sportsnet's Sonny Sachdeva."I think that Kyle built a very good hockey team. ... I think Sheldon is an excellent coach. As we look forward to next year ... I think it's important to state that I see both of them as being extremely important in getting us to the next level."Dubas echoed Shanahan's sentiment when discussing the Maple Leafs' roster."I don't think we want to start making changes that may be lateral or make us inferior as a team just to change something," he said, per TSN.Dubas added that he believes in Keefe and hasn't considered the availability of more veteran coaches like Barry Trotz, according to The Leafs Nation's David Alter. Trotz was recently fired by the New York Islanders.Keefe coached his first 82-game campaign with the Leafs in 2021-22, guiding them to a franchise-best 54-win regular season, but the team was eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.Shanahan was named president of the organization in 2014, while Dubas just finished his fourth season as general manager."There are lots of different ways to win a cup, and we have to figure out our way," Shanahan said, according to TSN.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets are interviewing Barry Trotz for their head coaching position Tuesday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.The veteran bench boss was fired from his role with the New York Islanders last week after he authored a 152-102-34 record with the franchise. Trotz also helped lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2020 and 2021.However, the Islanders missed the playoffs this season. The team went 37-35-10, finishing fourth in the Metropolitan Division and 16 points back of the final wild-card spot.Trotz, 59, is one of the most accomplished head coaches in NHL history. He's won the third-most regular-season games of all time (914), placing behind only Scott Bowman (1,244) and Joel Quenneville (969). Trotz also helped the Washington Capitals claim the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2017-18.The bench boss began his 23-year career as the first head coach in Nashville Predators history.The Jets lost Paul Maurice this past December after he resigned from the team. Assistant coach Dave Lowry took over in an interim role and posted a 26-22-6 record down the stretch for the sixth-place club.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

When Johnny Gaudreau whipped a shot under the crossbar to end the Stars' season late Sunday night, Jake Oettinger could take solace in knowing he had edged Connor McDavid for first-round Conn Smythe winner.Of course, since that's an award we just made up, someone close to Oettinger will have to visit their local trophy store and create a plaque for him. Though Oettinger's heroics might stand as the best performance of the postseason, they will be long forgotten by the time the real Conn Smythe Trophy voting happens in June. First-round performances, even for teams that reach the Stanley Cup Final, become fleeting memories.After a one-day respite from bleary-eyed nights sweating overtime periods, bettors get a chance to take a refreshed look at the odds for playoffs MVP:Conn Smythe Trophy oddsPLAYERODDSCale Makar+400Nathan MacKinnon+400Aleksander Barkov+1200Connor McDavid+1500Andrei Vasilevskiy+1800Johnny Gaudreau+1800Jonathan Huberdeau+1800Jacob Markstrom+2000Gabriel Landeskog+2200Nikita Kucherov+2500Carter Verhaeghe+2800Darcy Kuemper+2800Mikko Rantanen+2800Chris Kreider+3000Sebastian Aho+3000Sergei Bobrovsky+3000Igor Shesterkin+3200Leon Draisaitl+3200Aaron Ekblad+3500Claude Giroux+3500Matthew Tkachuk+3500Mika Zibanejad+3500Steven Stamkos+3500Victor Hedman+3500Evander Kane+4000Antti Raanta+4500Elias Lindholm+4500Ryan O'Reilly+4500Vincent Trocheck+4500Andrei Svechnikov+5000Jordan Binnington+5000Vladimir Tarasenko+5000David Perron+5000*Players listed longer than 50-1 are not includedMost players' odds have shortened as their respective teams get one step closer to the Stanley Cup, starting with a pair of Avalanche stars who are now co-favorites for playoff MVP.We grabbed our share of McDavid before the postseason started, and his odds have been cut in half. But there's still a large gap between his 15-1 price tag and the Oilers' 10-1 Stanley Cup odds. While Mike Smith's quality play in net would be the thing to put Edmonton over the top for a championship, there's no way McDavid wouldn't win the award.We must bid adieu to Kirill Kaprizov, one of the three players in our Conn Smythe portfolio. But we'll remember his playoff performance - seven goals in six games against the Blues - for future postseason betting. We'll have to say goodbye to another when McDavid and the Oilers face Matthew Tkachuk and the Flames in Round 2. Tkachuk is one of the few players on this board to see his odds lengthen after Gaudreau and Jacob Markstrom had more impact in the opening round. Tkachuk only had two fewer points than Gaudreau, though, so he can make up ground over three hypothetical series.We've already bought good options between Edmonton and Calgary, there are too many Panthers candidates to choose from, and with such short odds on Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, there's no reason to add players from those teams before Round 2.Instead, we'll look to the winners of two coin-flip first-round matchups whose players are more appealing now that they've survived a tough series.Antti Raanta (+4500)Raanta was something of a surprise starter in Game 1 against the Bruins, but no matter how you find a hot goalie, you keep him in the crease when he shows up. The Hurricanes get a favorable second-round matchup against the Rangers; a conference finalist's goaltender at 45-1 would be a nice ticket in the pocket, as Carolina would be inside of 4-1 to win it all.There's plenty of time for the Hurricanes' top pre-playoff candidates - Andrei Svechnikov (+5000) and Sebastian Aho (+3000) - to put their stamp on a Stanley Cup run, but Carolina is deep enough to win with a wide distribution of offensive output throughout the roster. Those worried about Frederik Andersen's imminent return could put a little down on him at 100-1 to corner the Hurricanes goalie market.Vladimir Tarasenko (+5000)This one requires bettors to imagine a world in which the Blues upset the Avalanche. There's a roughly 20% chance it happens. If it does, St. Louis immediately becomes a contender, and a point-per-game star - who already has five goals - would look great at 50-1. Jordan Binnington (+5000) and David Perron (+5000) are also options, but Tarasenko has the narrative advantage that voters love after the Blues left him unprotected in last summer's expansion draft.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 second round of the playoffs begins Tuesday with a pair of fun series. We have The Battle of Florida and a postseason rematch between Central Division rivals.Let's look at where the value lies on the opening night of the second round.Lightning (+135) @ Panthers (-160) The Florida Panthers weren't overly convincing in their first-round series against the Washington Capitals. Even so, I think they're going to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning, and that starts with a win Tuesday.Each team picked up a pair of wins in the season series, but the Panthers were the more impressive side. They won by four goals on aggregate and outchanced the Lightning in three of the four games.I think they have more firepower and depth than the Lightning, especially with perennial playoff beast Brayden Point out of the lineup.The Panthers enter this game as the more rested side after pulling through in six, while the Lightning had to grind through a grueling Game 7 in Toronto. Wear and tear could play a role.Home-ice advantage should also be a big boost for the Panthers. They led the league with 34 wins in 41 tries on home ice and many of their players - like Jonathan Huberdeau - were much more dynamic when being placed in favorable positions at home.Barring an Andrei Vasilevskiy masterpiece, which is always on the table, I expect the Panthers to come out and set the tone with a relatively clean win to kick things off.Look for Florida to put its best foot forward and take advantage of the Point-less Lightning.Bet: Panthers in regulation (-105)Blues (+170) @ Avalanche (-205)The St. Louis Blues are a pesky team. Their underlying numbers have left much to be desired all season long, as far as quality playoff teams go. However, at this point, it's fair to say they have the firepower to outscore what's expected of them on a pretty frequent basis.I don't think they'll roll over and get swept by the Colorado Avalanche like a season ago. There should be more fight, but the end result will still likely be the Avs winning the series in no more than six games.Yes, this Blues team is better than the version we saw a season ago. But the same can be said of the Avalanche, and we saw firsthand against the Nashville Predators how lethal they can be.I'm not going to cite Colorado's goal numbers. Of course a high-powered team is going to fill the net against a side missing its starting goaltender. Instead, I'll look at the sparkling process that led to the Avs' sweep.The Avalanche controlled more than 67% of the expected goals across all game situations. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames were the only other first-round teams to finish above 55%.St. Louis is clearly better than the Predators. However, the Blues' blue line is nothing to write home about - especially without Torey Krug - and the Avalanche have the star power, depth, and insane team speed to take advantage of that each and every night.Colorado won two of three regular-season games while posting a five-on-five chance share above 63% in each meeting. It's also worth noting the team was rarely at full strength - or all that close - throughout the year.The Avs are now, though. Expect them to flex their muscles from the get-go with a win inside 60.Bet: Avalanche in regulation (-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.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, and Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm were announced as the 2021-22 Frank J. Selke Trophy finalists on Tuesday.The award is voted on annually by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and presented "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."This is Bergeron's 11th consecutive nomination for the coveted honor, which is the longest streak ever for a voted NHL award. He joined Bob Gainey in 2017 as the only players to win the award four times and would hold the record for most Selke wins in history with one more victory.Bergeron put up 25 goals and 40 assists while averaging over 18 minutes per contest in 73 games this regular season. As per usual, his underlying numbers were dazzling; the Bruins scored 65.5% of all goals and controlled 66.2% of the shot attempts with the 36-year-old veteran on the ice at five-on-five, according to Evolving-Hockey. Bergeron also continued to dominate the faceoff circle, winning almost 62% of his draws and leading the league by a wide margin with 991 wins.Barkov took home the Selke Trophy last season and will look to become the seventh player in league history to win it in back-to-back campaigns. The 26-year-old led all Panthers forwards in average ice time (20:18) and goals (39) while averaging 2.60 takeaways per 60 minutes. He also won a career-high 57% of his faceoffs.The Panthers had 62.3% of the goals and 59.4% of the shot attempts with Barkov on the ice at five-on-five.A first-time finalist, Lindholm was a force on both ends of the ice for Calgary this campaign. He led all Flames forwards in average ice time by more than one minute (19:57), and he tied for first on the roster with 42 goals and 55 takeaways. Additionally, the Flames controlled 69.1% of the goals and 57.3% of the shot attempts with Lindholm on the ice at five-on-five.Lindholm was also a pillar of the Flames' penalty kill, which finished the regular season as the sixth-best unit in the league. He topped all Flames forwards in average shorthanded ice time per contest (2:07).The winners of the 2022 NHL awards 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 second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway on Tuesday night. While there are only two games to pick through, there's still plenty of value on the board.Let's dive in.Sam Bennett over 2.5 shots (-134)More and more, the odds are starting to reflect Jonathan Huberdeau's home dominance. Luckily, they're still lagging well behind with Bennett.The Panthers' second-line center has generated at least three shots in 22 of his last 30 home dates (73%), averaging a whopping 4.2 per game in that span. He's not just getting by; he's doing so comfortably.While the Lightning are stout defensively, Bennett will avoid the most difficult matchups. The absence of Brayden Point also helps thin out Tampa's middle-six, which Bennett should see plenty of.Bennett is a monster on home soil, and he enjoyed plenty of success against the Bolts last postseason, combining for 16 shots over five games while going over the number (2.5) in four of them.Nikita Kucherov over 3.5 shots (+115)I really like Kucherov in this spot. The star winger looked out of sorts at times in the first round, and yet he still led the Lightning in points, primary points, shots on goal, shot attempts, and scoring chances. He's the team's go-to player in the offensive zone, and he touches the puck a ton, offering plenty of opportunities to fire away.The matchup is also better than it looks on paper. Florida tends to play very high-event games - especially against its biggest rival - and gave up a lot to right-wingers in the opening round. Only two teams allowed more shots per game to the position.Kucherov also has a pretty encouraging history against Florida. He hit the net five times on eight attempts in his only regular-season matchup this year and had at least four shots in two of three games in Florida last playoffs. At plus money, there's value here.Gabriel Landeskog over 2.5 shots (-152)The Avalanche have been using Landeskog on the second line with Nazem Kadri, which is great for the former's shot generation. Landeskog's a much more efficient shooter when away from Nathan MacKinnon at five-on-five.With MacKinnon as his center, he averaged 6.97 shots and 12.14 attempts per 60 minutes.By comparison with Kadri, Landeskog generated 10.56 shots and 19.23 attempts per 60. That's a drastic difference.Landeskog should remain on a line with Kadri in Game 1, and he toasted the Blues in last year's playoffs, generating three shots or more in three of four games while piling up eight points along the way.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.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner was the victim of a carjacking Monday night in Toronto, the team confirmed Tuesday.The 25-year-old is unharmed, and the Toronto Police Service has asked that neither the team nor Marner comments further on the incident since the investigation is ongoing.The Maple Leafs are scheduled to hold their exit interviews Tuesday following their elimination from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Marner will not be available to the media, according to The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton.Toronto police tweeted details Monday about a carjacking in Toronto's Etobicoke neighborhood involving three suspects who fled in the stolen vehicle. Two were armed with handguns, while one had a knife. Police are encouraging anyone with information to contact them.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is behind us, so it's time for our first edition of Conn Smythe Trophy Power Rankings. Below, we'll order the top candidates for this year's postseason MVP based on results from the opening round.5. Victor Hedman, Lightning Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%72525:4254.2Hedman is searching for his second Conn Smythe Trophy after winning the award in 2020. If the Tampa Bay Lightning go all the way again for a three-peat, there's a strong chance he'll be the favorite.The 6-foot-6 Swede was a beast in Round 1. Hedman produced plenty of offense, ranking first in shots on goal and fifth in points among defensemen. But he was also terrific defensively, helping slow down the Toronto Maple Leafs' potent attack. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner combined for one even-strength point in three road games when Jon Cooper had last change to ensure Hedman was on the ice against them.4. Jacob Markstrom, Flames Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyW-LGAASV%SOGSAx4-31.53.94315.5This spot would've belonged to Jake Oettinger had the Dallas Stars prevailed in Round 1; heck, he might've been ranked No. 1. While Oettinger was the better goalie in the series against the Calgary Flames, Markstrom was still spectacular, even though he wasn't tested as much.Among goalies remaining in the playoffs, Markstrom ranks first in goals-against average, tied for first with Jordan Binnington (who only played three games) in save percentage, and second in goals saved above expected behind Mike Smith. Markstrom gets the edge because he gave his team a chance to win every night, whereas Smith had two rough outings.3. Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%66616:0553.2Verhaeghe epitomized playoff hockey in Round 1. He showed guts, playing through an injury in Game 6 after suffering an undisclosed ailment in Game 5 and went on clinch the series with the OT winner. It was his second overtime goal of the series and his third game-winner. He also threw his weight around with 11 hits. The 26-year-old isn't the Florida Panthers' best player, but he certainly played like it against the Washington Capitals.2. Connor McDavid, Oilers Codie McLachlan / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%741021:4170.6McDavid willed the Edmonton Oilers to their first series victory since 2017. With the captain on the ice at even strength, the Oilers outscored the Los Angeles Kings 13-5, outshot them 107-73, and won the high-danger scoring chance battle 60-24. He ranks seventh in expected goals percentage (among skaters with at least 50 five-on-five minutes) and first in points through Round 1.More importantly, McDavid came through when it mattered most. He put forth a memorable Game 7 performance with a goal and assist in 27:23 of ice time in the 2-0 win while teammate Leon Draisaitl was playing banged up.1. Cale Makar, Avalanche Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%43725:2664.3The Colorado Avalanche had a relatively stress-free opening round. A major reason why they were able to cruise to a four-game sweep of the Nashville Predators was Makar's dominance.The Norris Trophy finalist leads all skaters with 2.5 points per game and his 10 points are the most in NHL history by a defenseman through four games in a postseason. Colorado outscored Nashville 6-2 with Makar on the ice at even strength and won the high-danger scoring-chance battle 22-13.(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We finally know why Viktor Arvidsson didn't suit up in the playoffs.The Los Angeles Kings forward will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a herniated disc and will require approximately three-to-five months to recover, general manager Rob Blake said Monday, according to The Athletic's Lisa Dillman.If Arvidsson needs all five months, he'd miss training camp and return in mid-October, around the time the 2022-23 regular season will likely begin.The 29-year-old sat out the club's final regular-season game - an overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks - and then all seven first-round contests against the Edmonton Oilers, who advanced to the second round.Arvidsson ranked third in goals (20) and assists (29) for L.A. despite averaging a mere 16:59 of ice time and playing only 66 regular-season tilts in 2021-22. This was his first season with the Kings, who landed him in an expansion draft-inspired trade with the Predators last July.The Swedish winger spent his first seven seasons with the Predators, collecting a career-high 34 goals across 58 games in 2018-19.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Two franchises that like each other less than any pair of teams in the NHL finally meet again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Battle of Alberta rivalry adds a twist to the handicap for a series that many say we should "throw the records out" for.That's not what we do here, of course, so with both the Flames and Oilers coming off a seven-game series that followed vastly different paths, we'll let the numbers guide our way.Here are the regular-season metrics for Calgary and Edmonton at full strength.TEAM XG SHAREHDC/60HDC CONV.Flames55.65%11.9512.7%Oilers53.26%12.4211.6%Despite an attention-grabbing stretch in the middle of the season, the Flames only have a slight advantage at even strength. So Calgary is correctly rated higher than Edmonton, and with home-ice advantage for this series, they should be favored.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPFlames-160-195-1.5 (-105)Oilers+135+160+1.5 (-135)The Oilers are being given the same chance to win their series with the Flames as the Rangers are to beat the Hurricanes. That seems excessive for the sole reason the Oilers have the league's biggest ace up their sleeve - Connor McDavid.Projected pricesHopefully, you used our NHL betting guide to evaluate your bets during the regular season, and what value truly means in hockey. For the playoffs, we're using even-strength-centric metrics like expected goals, high-danger chance rates, as well as high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who will play better in the postseason.True moneylinesThe true moneyline takes the implied win probability for each team and converts it to an inverted price for each side before the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet.The following is the expected price for each side when the games are played in Calgary (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7) and in Edmonton (Game 3, 4, and 6).FLAMES OILERSTrue ML at Calgary-137+137True ML at Edmonton+129-129Series Price-117+117Price to betIn the regular season, we'd need at least a 4% edge on an underdog and a 1% edge for the favorite. Using that same threshold, here are the prices to bet for each scenario:GAME 1/2/5/7GAME 3/4/6SERIESFlames-132+162-113Oilers+152-124+138The Flames get the small edge, but since both teams are extremely familiar on the road against one another, there's minimal home-ice advantage to be added into the equation. The pricing for Game 1 is fair on each side.Derivative series marketThe following is the probability for each of the eight possible series results, along with a fair price for an exact result bet.Series resultProbability/Converted oddsFlames 4-06.4% / +1462Flames 4-114.9% / +570Flames 4-214.4% / +596Flames 4-318.3% / +447Oilers 4-05.6% / +1679Oilers 4-110.2% / +882Oilers 4-216.9% / +492Oilers 4-313.3% / +651With almost all of the prices closely mirroring the market, the only thing with any value is the Oilers to win 4-1, with a modest edge of barely more than 1%.Best betsIt's easy to look at Edmonton as "Connor McDavid or bust" since he was the driving force behind the vast majority of the Oilers' goals in their series win over the Kings. However, there are worse things to hang your hat on as a bettor than the best player in the league - who makes an improved supporting cast even better.There's little concern on a night-to-night basis that the Oilers can create offense - even if it's just by the hands of No. 97 - after Edmonton created no worse than 1.88 expected goals five-on-five in the seven games with L.A.Calgary was less consistent against the Stars, and when they were as good as advertised, Jake Oettinger put on a show rarely seen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.The Flames are rightly favored, but with just a moderate advantage at even strength and a negligible matchup in special teams, their full focus will have to be in stopping McDavid. Whatever plan they've concocted recently hasn't worked, as the Oilers captain has 25 points in 14 games against the Flames over the last two seasons.While value is with Edmonton, the key to actually winning the series lies with Leon Draisaitl's health and more consistent play from goaltender Mike Smith. The Oilers' goaltending comes and goes on a game-to-game basis, but when the dust settled after Round 1, only Oettinger had a better GSAx (goals saved above expected) than Smith. More of the same in the crease, and the Oilers can cash as bigger underdogs than they should be.Pick: Oilers to win series (+195)Oilers +1.5 games (-135)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.

What Round 1 lacked in excitement early, it more than made up for in the end, culminating in an incredible weekend serving up a buffet of Game 7s.Things are about to ramp up in Round 2 as we're treated to four series that look well worth the wait, highlighted by the Battle of Alberta and the Sunshine State rivalry.Below are the odds for all four series, as well as our NHL betting writers' favorite plays.Series oddsHIGHER SEED (ODDS)LOWER SEED (ODDS)Colorado Avalanche (-400)St. Louis Blues (+300)Calgary Flames (-195)Edmonton Oilers (+160)Florida Panthers (-155)Tampa Bay Lightning (+130)Carolina Hurricanes (-200)New York Rangers (+165)Best betAlex Moretto: Hurricanes (-200)This is the perfect storm for the Hurricanes, who couldn't have asked for a better second-round matchup. There are few things the Rangers love more than playing on their heels; they have a real proclivity for getting hemmed in their own end. In contrast, the Hurricanes are as good a forechecking team as there is in the NHL, suffocating teams with their relentless attack.At five-on-five there is no bigger mismatch in this second round, with the Rangers somehow making it through Round 1 - see: Shesterkin, Igor; Domingue, Louis - despite a league-low 36.1% expected goals share at five-on-five. Even the Predators managed 40%! The Hurricanes are also one of the few remaining playoff teams that the Rangers don't hold a special-teams edge over. The gap between these two teams is large, and unless Shesterkin reaches superhuman levels, this series will be over in a hurry.Matt Russell: Panthers (-145)A pair of Stanley Cups gets you two parades and everlasting credit, but the Lightning should probably already be on vacation. Although Tampa Bay got by the Maple Leafs on grit and guile, the Florida Panthers won't be so hospitable.Since the Lightning won their first-round series last year, they've had to make sacrifices to get under the salary cap, while the Panthers were able to add to and develop their roster. As a result, Florida won the Presidents' Trophy and the Lightning narrowly avoided being a wild card.Tampa won't click at a 40% rate on the power play, nor will it convert an absurd 21% of its even-strength high-danger chances as the team did last year. Sergei Bobrovsky is playing as well as he ever has as a Panther, and Florida will finally give the Lightning their long-awaited time off.Todd Cordell: Hurricanes (-200)The Rangers are a fun story that I expect to end sooner than later. They were drastically outplayed by the Penguins at five-on-five, giving up chances in bulk while struggling to create their own. They deserve credit for fighting back from multiple deficits, although the absence of Pittsburgh starter Tristan Jarry for six games no doubt helped the Rangers' cause.Shesterkin remains the best goaltender in the series, but whether it's Frederik Andersen or Antti Raanta who counters him, the difference will not be nearly as dramatic as it was between Shesterkin and Domingue.The Hurricanes are monsters at home and their calling card is running teams into the ground at five-on-five. They are going to give the Rangers all sorts of problems.Favorite series spreadAlex Moretto: Hurricanes -1.5 (+100)I said above that I think this series will be over quickly and I'm putting my money where my mouth is. To expand on the Rangers' first-round ineptitude, no team surrendered more than the 4.52 expected goals against per 60 minutes they allowed, while they posted a five-on-five expected goals share below 40% in six of seven games.That's all they managed against a Penguins team that was missing its top two goalies for most of the series, got two full games combined from Rickard Rakell and Brian Dumoulin, and didn't have Sidney Crosby for Game 6 and the bulk of Game 5. Still, the Rangers got completely caved in throughout, only to be revived time and time again by Domingue's minus-3.61 goals saved above expected - the worst mark of all goalies from the first round.The Rangers won't get that lucky again as they face a step up in competition: a healthy Canes team that was fourth in the NHL in expected goals share at five-on-five this season and second over the final 25 games. I have Carolina winning in five, with -2.5 (anything +200 or better) also worth a bet.Matt Russell: Oilers +1.5 (-135)I'm on the Hurricanes, too. However, if I can bet on the Battle of Alberta to go seven games, I'll happily do it. While the superhero narrative around No. 97 is fun, the Oilers are more than Connor McDavid. And even if they aren't, who cares? He makes the supporting cast better.With Mike Smith second only to Jake Oettinger in the various advanced metrics in the first round, I'll hope he can be more than good enough again. If there's an upset to be had in Round 2, it's here, but the backup plan of just getting this series to a seventh game is worth the juice.Todd Cordell: Avalanche -1.5 games (-170)This is a little chalky, but I still see value. The Avalanche were in contention for the Presidents' Trophy until Game 81 despite dealing with an abundance of injuries all season long. They're the best team in hockey when healthy and they showed it in the opening round, sweeping the Predators while controlling better than 67% of the expected goals share. That led all playoff teams.While the Blues have improved since being pounded by the Avalanche a year ago, Colorado is better as well. This series will not be close.Favorite long-shot betAlex Moretto: Panthers win series 4-0 (+1000)It's a long shot for a reason, but with all the talk about the Lightning's incredible winning streak coming off a playoff loss, wouldn't it be something if they lost four straight?There's certainly a path to that outcome. The Panthers played really well in last season's first-round loss to the Lightning, but goaltending ultimately did them in. Sergei Bobrovsky looked to have exorcised his playoff demons in Round 1 against the Capitals, while the Panthers are better and deeper than they were a year ago. Tampa looked drained at times in the first round, and a grueling seven-game series did the team no favors. The Bolts will hit a wall eventually, and it could happen now; they won't have their most important forward, Brayden Point, for at least the start of this series. If Florida can grab an early stranglehold at home, everything's on the table.Matt Russell: Blues to win series 4-2 (+1000)For a real long shot, how about picking the Blues to swipe a game in Colorado, hold serve at home, and then close out the Avs in Game 6? Sure, it's unlikely, but at 10-1, the Blues have the best offense they've had in years, and with nine 20-plus goal-scorers, they can keep up with the Avalanche. Even a special-teams battle won't be a disaster: St. Louis had a 27% success rate on the power play this season and ranked fifth on the penalty kill.If you're looking for a big upset, you need good goaltending. While Jordan Binnington had the worst regular season of his brief career, his return between the pipes for Game 4 against the Wild gave the Blues a jolt, stopping 20 of 21 high-danger scoring chances from Minnesota. We've at least seen this kind of performance from Binnington before, and he can do enough in what should be a high-scoring series to make this bet interesting.Todd Cordell: Flames to win series 4-2 (+425)The Flames and Oilers split the season series at two wins each. The underlying numbers suggest it wasn't as close as the results indicate: The Flames controlled at least 58% of the expected goals share in three of the four meetings.As the Oilers showed in the opening round, a lack of depth and some defensive issues make them susceptible to being put on their heels by strong, structured five-on-five teams. The Flames fit that profile, only they're a better and more prolific version of a Kings team that just took the Oilers seven.McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are absolute superstars and Smith is playing at a high level right now, giving his team a chance every night. They will help the Oilers win some games and keep the series competitive.I don't see the Oilers winning this series, pushing it seven, or completely rolling over against their biggest rivals. Calgary in six sounds right, and so does the +425 price tag.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is the 16th edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2021-22 campaign and the second of these Stanley Cup Playoffs. In this edition, we rank the eight teams left in the postseason.1. Colorado Avalanche Mickey Bernal / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 2During the regular season, Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said a first-round series against the Avalanche would be a "waste of eight days." Technically, it was a waste of seven days for the Nashville Predators, but who's counting?Colorado breezed past Nashville in a four-game sweep while outscoring the Preds by a margin of 21-9. It truly doesn't get more dominant than that for the top team in the West.2. Florida Panthers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 1The Presidents' Trophy winners looked fairly formidable in the first round. The Panthers clawed their way back against the Washington Capitals with three straight victories after falling behind 2-1 in the series.Two of those wins came in overtime, and the other was by a two-goal margin. But Florida effectively contained Alex Ovechkin, limiting him to a single goal over six games. The Panthers also got an unlikely Ovi-like offensive explosion from Carter Verhaeghe, who racked up six goals and six assists for the second-most playoff points after Round 1.3. Carolina Hurricanes Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 3The Hurricanes pulled off a rather impressive feat in their opening-round victory over the Boston Bruins. Yes, Carolina required seven games to vanquish its foe, but the Canes did it without their No. 1 goaltender for the entire series and without their No. 2 netminder for part of it.Frederik Andersen missed all seven contests due to an injury, but Antti Raanta performed admirably in his absence. The 33-year-old produced a .927 save percentage over six contests, which included his first-ever playoff start in Game 1.Third-stringer Pyotr Kochetkov had to take over when Raanta got hurt in Game 2, and the rookie started Carolina's Game 3 loss. But the Hurricanes persevered and proved they're still a dangerous team regardless of who's in goal.4. Calgary Flames Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 6The Flames proved they could prevail in a low-scoring series by overcoming the Dallas Stars in a seven-game slog. They also had to contend with Jake Oettinger, who was the best goaltender of the opening round.Calgary probably would have appreciated a bit more firepower from some of its 40-goal scorers, but they might have a chance to open things up a bit more against the Oilers. However, it'll be harder to limit Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl than the Stars.5. St. Louis Blues Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 9Welcome back to the playoffs, Jordan Binnington.The Blues goalie had struggled in the postseason since his emergence during St. Louis' Stanley Cup win in 2019. Game 7 against the Bruins that year was the last time he'd won a playoff game. But Binnington flipped the script after taking over the starting job versus the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of this first-round series, winning three straight contests while pitching a .943 save percentage.If Binnington keeps it up, he has a chance to avenge last year's first-round sweep at the hands of the Avalanche.The Blues also deserve some credit for eliminating the Wild in six games, as Colorado and Florida were the only other teams to advance in fewer than seven.6. Tampa Bay Lightning Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 5The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions haven't always looked like their usual dominant selves this season, and that trend has carried over into the playoffs.The Lightning can't be blamed if they're a little fatigued after playing more games than any other squad over the last two-plus campaigns. But the Bolts are fortunate to be in the second round after narrowly overcoming the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games and by a single goal in the deciding tilt.Andrei Vasilevskiy posted a paltry .897 save percentage in the series, along with minus-0.15 goals saved above expected and minus-3.21 goals saved above average - the worst GSAA in the postseason entering Round 2.7. Edmonton Oilers Codie McLachlan / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 11The Oilers required seven games to defeat a worse team than the Maple Leafs. Edmonton blew out the Los Angeles Kings in Games 2 and 3, but the Kings shut out the Oilers in Game 4 and then prevailed in Edmonton in Game 5 before the Oilers took care of business in the final two contests.McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evander Kane were great, but the trio accounted for 59% of the team's goals in the series. The Oilers will likely need more from their supporting cast if they hope to upset their archrivals - the heavily favored Flames - in the second round.8. New York Rangers Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 7There's a lot to be said for the Rangers' ability to stay in the fight. They were down 3-1 in their matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins but then notched three consecutive comeback wins.However, let's be real: This series would've gone a lot differently if the Penguins were healthy. Pittsburgh controlled 62.31% of the expected goals at five-on-five in the series, and Louis Domingue started most of the games for the Pens. Though he did his best, he's still a third-string goaltender.New York will need to clean up its act to beat the Hurricanes.(Analytics sources: Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders elevated associate coach Lane Lambert to the top job Monday.Lambert succeeds his former boss, Barry Trotz, who the Islanders fired seven days ago.It won't be the first time Lambert has served as Islanders head coach. The 57-year-old held the job on an interim basis earlier this season when Trotz stepped away for personal reasons and then landed on the COVID-19 list. However, it is Lambert's first full-time NHL head coaching job.The Islanders missed the playoffs this season for the first time in Trotz's four-year tenure with the club. New York started the campaign with 13 straight road games while awaiting the opening of UBS Arena. The team was then ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak in November that forced it to play 45 games in 90 nights to end the season.Lambert was Trotz's right-hand man with the Islanders, Washington Capitals, and Nashville Predators. They guided the Capitals to a Stanley Cup championship together in 2017-18.

No matter the sport, bettors who are handicapping a series should start by establishing a rating for the teams involved. We now have information from before the campaign, during the regular season, and after the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.However, the Rangers' win over the Penguins and, to a lesser extent, the Hurricanes' victory over the Bruins will throw a wrench into any rating you could establish.New York somehow stole a series from Pittsburgh without getting complete heroics from Igor Shesterkin. Even in the Rangers' Game 7 win, they weren't the better team at even strength.TEAM5-ON-5 XG% (Series)XG% (Game 7)Rangers16.131.88Penguins25.753.86Meanwhile, the Hurricanes won all four home games despite accumulating fewer expected goals at even strength than the Bruins (8.53 to 6.88) in Raleigh.Should the Canes be graded on a curve because they beat a Boston team that was arguably the best in the league after the All-Star break? If the Rangers' predictive metrics again suggest they'll be dominated - this time at the hands of a Carolina team that's better than the Penguins - how big of an underdog should they be?Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPHurricanes-165-200-1.5 (-115)Rangers+140+165+1.5 (-115)The market has established that Carolina will win this series 66% of the time. If the Rangers play like they did last week, though, that win probability is a massive underestimation.Projected pricesHopefully, you used our NHL betting guide to evaluate your bets during the regular season and what value truly means in hockey. For the playoffs, we're using even-strength-centric metrics like expected goals and high-danger chance rates, as well as high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who'll play better in the postseason.True moneylinesThe true moneyline takes the implied win probability for each team and converts it to an inverted price for each side before the sportsbook takes its vig on a bet.The following is the expected price for each side when the games are played in Carolina (Games 1, 2, 5, and 7), and New York (Games 3, 4, and 6).HURRICANESRANGERSTrue ML at Carolina-219+219True ML at New York-119+119Series Price-317+317Price to betIn the regular season, we'd need at least a 4% edge on an underdog and a 1% edge for the favorite. Using that same threshold, here are the prices to bet for each scenario:GAME 1/2/5/7GAME 3/4/6SERIESHURRICANES-210-114-300RANGERS+266+140+400Even with a generous weighting toward the Rangers' regular-season metrics, there's natural value on any bet on the Hurricanes based on my projections for what share of the play New York will drive against Carolina.Derivative series marketThe following is my probability for each of the eight possible series results, along with a fair price for an exact result bet.Series resultProbability/Converted oddsHurricanes 4-013.9% / +619Hurricanes 4-124.8% / +303Hurricanes 4-218.9% / +430Hurricanes 4-318.4% / +443Rangers 4-02% / +4787Rangers 4-14.3% / +2208Rangers 4-29.2% / +984Rangers 4-38.4% / +1091The Hurricanes winning in six games is the fair price point in the "exact result" market. Betting on Carolina to take care of the Rangers prior to that is where some value lies.Best betsThe concern with fading the Rangers begins and ends with Shesterkin. The version that looks like the Vezina favorite is capable of stealing games. However, Shesterkin also found himself on the bench midway through a pair of contests against Pittsburgh.Unlike the Penguins, who largely unraveled during Sidney Crosby's absence, Carolina is deep enough to withstand a key injury to a deep forward crew. The Hurricanes likely won't need three goaltenders, but if they do, their defense is capable of holding up even better than they did against Boston.With the league's best penalty kill during the regular season, the Canes probably won't provide the extra chances the Rangers will need to steal games for Shesterkin. (Yes, the Penguins had an excellent kill as well.)Plus, with minimal home-ice advantage for the Rangers, there's no reason to think Carolina couldn't close out New York at MSG, if this series even gets that far.Given the Rangers pulled off the upset against Pittsburgh in a series they had no business winning, we'll have to temper our enthusiasm for Carolina. However, a second fluky result is unlikely - we have to rely on well-thought-out valuations.Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 games (+100)Game 1: Hurricanes moneyline (-165)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 Vegas Golden Knights have fired head coach Peter DeBoer, the team announced Monday.DeBoer just wrapped up his third season behind the bench in Sin City, going 98-50-12 overall. The Golden Knights failed to advance to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history after finishing the 2021-22 campaign with a 43-31-8 record, which put them three points out of the Western Conference's second wild-card spot.DeBoer had one year left on his deal at $3.25 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun."Since joining the organization, Pete and his staff have guided us through some of the most unique and challenging circumstances we've witnessed since our franchise entered the NHL," general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "After lengthy discussions over the last two weeks, we believe that a new coach will put us in the best position to succeed next season."The 53-year-old was the second head coach in Golden Knights history. He replaced Gerard Gallant, who was dismissed in January 2020 after a four-game losing streak.DeBoer piloted Vegas to the conference finals in 2020 following a first-place finish in the Pacific Division. He also led the team to the semifinals last season.The Golden Knights were ravaged by injuries in 2021-22. Several key players suffered extended absences, including captain Mark Stone, defenseman Alec Martinez, forward Max Pacioretty, goaltender Robin Lehner, and new addition Jack Eichel.Vegas also let go of assistant coaches Steve Spott and Ryan McGill, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.After missing the postseason, DeBoer looked inward."I'm surprised. I'm disappointed. I'm at the front of the line for responsibility," he said in late April. "There's a lot of expectations on this team. It's not an easy thing, and it doesn't feel good for anybody right now."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames and New York Rangers won Game 7s in overtime Sunday to finalize the second-round field. Expect these questions to shape how the eight remaining playoff teams fare in Round 2, which starts Tuesday.Calgary Flames Gerry Thomas / NHL / Getty ImagesWill escaping Jake Oettinger revitalize the offense?It took the Flames 22 periods to scrape past Oettinger.The Dallas Stars' tremendous young goalie made 64 saves Sunday to raise his save percentage for the series to an absurd .954. Johnny Gaudreau finally flicked a rebound from the bottom of the faceoff circle over Oettinger's shoulder in overtime in Game 7, ending his all-time netminding tour de force.By thwarting the Flames' shooters for two weeks, Oettinger did everything possible to steal the series. His heroics jeopardized the dream that Calgary and Edmonton would clash. Now that his season's done, the Flames should look forward to the reset they need to get their offense on track and emphasize that they're Stanley Cup-caliber.Gaudreau's winner was his second goal on a series-high 50 shot attempts (25 on target). His seven points at even strength against Dallas rank in the top 10 in the playoffs. Between his ascendance, Matthew Tkachuk's Game 7 breakout, and Jacob Markstrom's .943 play, Calgary's stars did just enough to book the first Battle of Alberta since 1991.Edmonton Oilers Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWill Connor McDavid get enough help if Leon Draisaitl's hobbled?Draisaitl's bum ankle slowed him by a couple of steps when Edmonton blanked Los Angeles in Game 7. He still played 22:38 in the clincher and helped McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto overwhelm the Kings. Draisaitl's passing chops and wicked release make him a weapon even if he can't move well.The Oilers have the firepower this season to capitalize on McDavid's transcendent playmaking. Nine forwards and three defensemen scored against the Kings. Evander Kane potted seven goals and three of Draisaitl's five tallies came on the power play, where Edmonton's 36.8% conversion rate was superb.During the regular season, Edmonton was outscored 80-58 at five-on-five when neither McDavid nor Draisaitl was on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Oilers beat L.A. 4-2 in those minutes in Round 1. That edge and the power play clicking were great signs; they're ways to support McDavid offensively if the Flames subdue Draisaitl.Florida Panthers John McCreary / Getty ImagesCan Sergei Bobrovsky flip the script on the Lightning's shooters?Last year's Battle of Florida was must-see TV in part due to the Panthers' chaotic goaltending situation. Bobrovsky took the net for Game 1; backup Chris Driedger got the call for Games 2 and 3; Bobrovsky reclaimed the net for Game 4; third-stringer Spencer Knight stepped in for Games 5 and 6.Unsurprisingly, it didn't go particularly well for Bobrovsky, who allowed five goals on 40 shots in the opener and five on 14 shots in Game 4. Fortunately for the pace-pushing Panthers, Bobrovsky was much better in this year's first round, posting a .906 save percentage in six games against the Washington Capitals. He also saved 0.9 goals above expected, according to Evolving-Hockey.Florida must be thrilled about this development heading into the Lightning series because Tampa Bay has generally owned Bobrovsky of late. Not only have Lightning shooters torched him in the playoffs, but he's also had save percentages of .850, .879, and .897 versus Tampa Bay in the past three regular seasons.Tampa Bay Lightning Mike Ehrmann / Getty ImagesHow will Brayden Point's injury impact this series?The Lightning squeaked past the Maple Leafs in the first round. But there may have been some serious damage inflicted upon coach Jon Cooper's lineup.Point, the clutch two-way forward who leads all NHLers with 38 playoff goals since 2018, suffered a lower-body injury in Game 7. His right leg pretzeled along the boards after a first-period collision with Mark Giordano. It was ugly. He left the game and returned in the middle frame for one 25-second shift.Point is doubtful to play in Game 1 against the Panthers, Cooper told reporters Monday. Based on how gingerly he was moving, it's possible he's out for a while. Does Point miss the entire Panthers series? If he returns anytime soon, he definitely won't be at 100%. How does Tampa Bay adjust?Point didn't compile huge offensive numbers in the Leafs series, recording two goals and two assists. But one of those goals was the Game 6 overtime winner, and he also teamed up with Anthony Cirelli to defend Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Point was sneakily a borderline MVP for his squad.Colorado Avalanche Michael Martin / Getty ImagesCan Cale Makar keep up his torrid scoring pace?The list of defensemen who've scored 10 points in four games to open the playoffs begins and ends with Makar, who destroyed the Nashville Predators in the first round's shortest series. Game 2 was the only night he didn't put up three points; Makar compensated by sniping the OT winner.Nashville mounted little resistance, but if Makar keeps sparking offense at this rate, even Cup-contending opponents might struggle to contain the Avalanche. Makar assisted three Nathan MacKinnon goals against the Predators and set up defense partner Devon Toews to score twice. Colorado plays at warp speed, and its top two forward lines are as potent as any team's.Round 2 - the Avs' kryptonite - is when their playoff run gets interesting. Sloppy defense and undependable goaltending stopped them from reaching recent Western Conference Finals. Now, with Makar having leveled up, Colorado has the potential to outscore any issues that may arise.St. Louis Blues Joe Puetz / Getty ImagesCan the Blues' depth overwhelm the Avalanche?Colorado is the heavy favorite against St. Louis. Rightfully so, as the Avalanche are a juggernaut who showed no signs of weakness in a first-round sweep of Nashville. Aside from the obvious - the Blues need goalie Jordan Binnington to stand on his head - St. Louis' forward depth must carry the load.The Blues finished the regular season with a league-high nine 20-goal-scorers. In the first round against Minnesota, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, and David Perron kept the party going by leading the charge with five tallies each. O'Reilly and Perron line up alongside power forward Brayden Schenn, while Tarasenko's with creatives Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. Those trios should see plenty of Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri lines, and while breaking even head-to-head will be difficult, it's possible.If we assume for a moment that the top six won't get throttled by MacKinnon and Kadri, the third line's performance may tilt the series. Brandon Saad, Ivan Barbashev, and Jordan Kyrou combined for four goals against the Wild. They're far more dangerous than either of the Avs' bottom-six lines.Carolina Hurricanes Gregg Forwerck / Getty ImagesCan the Tony DeAngelo-Jaccob Slavin pairing continue to dominate?Count on DeAngelo being public enemy No. 1 for Rangers fans over the next week or so. In fact, given his recent breakup with the team and his willingness to play the heel against Boston in Round 1, it'd be shocking if DeAngelo wasn't booed every time he touched the puck inside Madison Square Garden.DeAngelo's a lightning rod, but he's also playing excellent hockey alongside his personality and playing-style opposite, Jaccob Slavin. The attention-seeking DeAngelo is an offense-first guy, while the low-key Slavin is arguably the best pure defensive defenseman on the planet. They offset each other.In the 88 five-on-five minutes DeAngelo and Slavin shared in the Bruins series, the Hurricanes potted eight goals while allowing just two. The duo was mainly matched up against David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, and Erik Haula. Versus the Rangers, DeAngelo and Slavin will draw either the Mika Zibanejad line or the Artemi Panarin line.DeAngelo, who's averaging 20:37 a night, and Slavin, who's logging a team-high 23:02, sit tied for the lead in points among Canes at eight apiece.New York Rangers Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesWill Igor Shesterkin return to elite form?The Rangers erased a 3-1 series deficit to stun the Pittsburgh Penguins even though Shesterkin, the NHL's best goalie in 2021-22, got pulled in consecutive games. Shesterkin's save percentage dipped from .935 in the regular season to .911 in Round 1. Not bad, but not ideal.Shesterkin's slippage was mainly limited to Games 3 and 4, when he let in 10 goals over 60 total minutes. He astounded by making 79 saves when New York lost the series opener in triple OT. Shesterkin allowed seven of Jake Guentzel's playoff-high eight goals, but his 42 saves Sunday sent Game 7 to OT. Ultimately, results trumped the uneven process, and the Rangers moved on.Shesterkin led New York to a 110-point regular season while saving 37.24 goals above expected, per Evolving Hockey - the most in the NHL since 2016-17. He's a lock to win the Vezina Trophy, he's a Hart Trophy finalist, and he was New York's unquestioned MVP. Round 3's within reach, but only if Shesterkin consistently looks like himself.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning star Brayden Point is "highly doubtful" for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, head coach Jon Cooper said, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Eduardo A. Encina.Cooper added the forward will be considered day-to-day after that.Point exited Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs after getting tangled up along the boards in the first period. He struggled to get off the ice and was unable to put any pressure on his right leg.He came back in the second period for a brief shift but was laboring. He stayed on the bench for the remainder of the game while looking visibly emotional.The Lightning pulled out the 2-1 victory against the Maple Leafs without Point, who had four points in the series and scored the overtime winner in Game 6.Point had a field day against the Panthers in the regular season, torching them for four goals and one assist in four games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is in the books. While enthralling, there wasn't much in the way of upsets. The Blues prevailing was probably the most unexpected outcome.As such, there hasn't been a huge shift in the odds for most teams. Let's take a look at the alterations that were made entering the second round.TEAMODDS (May 16)ODDS (May 2)Colorado Avalanche+200+325Florida Panthers+360+550Carolina Hurricanes+575+1100Calgary Flames+600+800Tampa Bay Lightning+650+1100Edmonton Oilers+1000+1700New York Rangers+1300+1700St. Louis Blues+1600+2200The Avalanche remain clear favorites entering the second round of the playoffs - and for good reason. They legitimately swept the floor with the Predators in the opening round. They won in four games, and the run of play was as lopsided as the series score indicated. Colorado outscored Nashville 21-9 while controlling a mind-numbing 67% of the expected goals across all game states.Having taken care of business so easily, the Avalanche had the ability to get all of their players plenty of rest in advance of a date with a Blues team coming out of a hard-fought six-game series. Should the Avs prevail, as expected, they'll be heavily favored against whichever team is still standing following the much-anticipated Battle of Alberta.In more ways than one, the Panthers were slow coming out of the gate against the Capitals. They dropped two of the first three games, trailed late in Game 4, and fell behind three goals before waking up in Game 5. Whatever the reason for their poor stars, the Panthers showed the skill level and determination necessary to erase those deficits against a veteran team with Stanley Cup pedigree.The Lightning aren't an easy draw by any means, but they're coming out of a grueling series in which they potentially lost one of their best players in Brayden Point.The Hurricanes saw the biggest move of any team following the first round, with their odds cut in half after taking care of the Bruins. They got strong goaltending - the biggest question mark coming into the playoffs - and were untouchable on home ice en route to besting a Boston team with a wealth of experience and high-end talent.With respect to the Rangers, the Hurricanes also have one of the easiest paths to the conference finals. New York really struggled to hang in at five-on-five against the Penguins, and dominance at even strength has long been Carolina's calling card. The Canes have the speed, skill, depth, and tenacity to attack you in waves of relentless pressure and wear you down. They'll no doubt be looking to overwhelm a good but flawed Rangers team by doing just that. We'll see if Igor Shesterkin can once again be the difference.Don't let a seven-game opening-round series fool you. The Flames played far better than their counterparts in the Stars. No team left standing outchanced their first-round opponent more than the Flames. The ice was heavily tilted for the vast majority of the series, with Jake Oettinger's ridiculous .954 save percentage being the only thing standing in the way of the Flames and a date with the archrival Oilers.Edmonton dealt with depth issues and some blue-line blunders against the Kings, but outstanding performances from Connor McDavid, Evander Kane, and Mike Smith helped the Oilers squeeze by. The health of star forward Leon Draisaitl looms large in this series. If he's not 100%, the Oilers will have a very difficult time winning this round - let alone contending for the Stanley Cup.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.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara, and Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes were announced as the 2021-22 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalists on Monday.The award is given out annually to the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." It's voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.Price missed the majority of the 2021-22 season after undergoing knee surgery in July, and his season debut was continuously delayed by injury setbacks. The 34-year-old also entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in October and detailed his personal struggles with mental health and substance use.He made his first start in April and ended a difficult year on a high by helping the Canadiens win their final game of the season against the Florida Panthers.Chara became just the eighth player in league history to compete in his 24th season. The 45-year-old appeared in 72 games for the Islanders and averaged 18:44 of ice time per contest.The veteran also made history by surpassing Chris Chelios for most games played by a defenseman (1,652). He extended that record to 1,680 by the end of the season.Heading into the 2021-22 campaign, Hayes dedicated his performance to his brother, Jimmy, who died in August. When Kevin scored his first goal of the season in November, he pointed skyward as a tribute to Jimmy in a moment he said he'd never forget.Hayes also dealt with a litany of injuries, including a blood infection, and had to undergo a series of surgeries. He was limited to just 48 games.The winners of the 2022 NHL awards 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.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger was stellar all series long against the Calgary Flames, but he somehow saved his best performance for Game 7.For Oettinger, his 64-save gem in his team's season-ending loss is the type of standard he sets for himself."Everyone needs to step up in the playoffs. I think you can have a great regular season and then not play well in the playoffs, and it doesn't matter to anyone," Oettinger told reporters after Sunday's 3-2 overtime defeat, per Bally Sports Southwest. "I'm happy that I was able to elevate my game. ... That's the level of goaltending I expect from myself, and I think I can be a great goalie for a long time."He continued, "I've never been more motivated than I am right now. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure I get this opportunity again, and I'll make sure I'm on the other side of it the next time."Oettinger's ridiculous .954 save percentage leads all goaltenders who played at least 60 minutes in the 2022 postseason. He also paces the league in goals saved above average (9.07) and goals saved above expected (10.74) at all strengths by a long shot, according to Evolving-Hockey.The gravity of the 23-year-old's performance wasn't lost on Flames head coach Darryl Sutter."He was the best player in this series, that's for sure," he said.Jacob Markstrom, the goalie at the other end of the ice, also made sure to give Oettinger some props in the handshake line after the game."He said it was a fun battle and that I had a bright future," Oettinger said. "Obviously, he's a heck of a goalie, and it was fun for me to be able to square up against a Vezina Trophy finalist."Though the Stars' offseason has just begun, Oettinger is ready to refocus for his next NHL season."I have a lot of stuff I want to work on. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface of where I'm gonna be one day. That really excites me."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A trio of key reinforcements arrived at a critical time for the Pittsburgh Penguins.Captain Sidney Crosby is in the lineup for Game 7 against the New York Rangers. Crosby missed Game 6 after suffering an injury from a high hit by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in Game 5.Pittsburgh's No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry is back between the pipes for the first time this series. He's been out since mid-April due to a foot ailment.Penguins winger Rickard Rakell is also in the lineup for the first time since Game 1 due to an upper-body injury.

Calgary Flames star Matthew Tkachuk has never skated in a Game 7 before, but he's imagined what it'd be like.Tkachuk told reporters Sunday he's excited to get his first crack at the real thing against the Dallas Stars."It's kind of the stuff you dream about as a kid," Tkachuk said. "You just picture millions of times scoring that big goal or winning that big game, and it always revolved around Game 7. It's just very cool that I get a chance to play in one."Tkachuk played in three first-round series prior to this matchup, but they didn't go in Calgary's favor. The Flames were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2017, beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in five games in 2019, and bested by the Stars in six contests in the playoff bubble. Tkachuk missed the last four games of the 2020 Dallas series due to a concussion, though.Now, after being considered by many to be the top Canadian team heading into the playoffs, the Flames have the opportunity in Calgary to send the Stars packing and face the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2."When you get a chance to win one game to advance, I think our team would take that against pretty much anybody, especially at home," Tkachuk said.Tkachuk has lofty hopes for those in attendance at the Scotiabank Saddledome."I expect this one to be the loudest and best atmosphere I've ever played in my life," he said.Tkachuk potted 42 regular-season goals, but he's yet to find the back of the net in the low-scoring series. He's second on the Flames in assists, though, with four helpers through six contests.Puck drops on Game 7 at 9:30 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson told reporters Sunday he suffered a "pretty significant" left knee injury during his team's first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.Wilson opened the scoring with a power-play tally in Game 1 but played just under two minutes. He appeared to take the brunt of the impact along the boards while attempting to hit Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.The talented agitator said he tried to return to the series but couldn't due to the ailment.Multiple other Capitals also revealed the extent of their injuries. Captain Alex Ovechkin admitted he needed injections and "magic pills" to play through a left shoulder ailment during the series, although he said he doesn't need surgery. He missed the final three games of the regular season after suffering an upper-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 24, but he returned for Game 1.Washington forward Carl Hagelin, who missed the rest of the season after suffering an eye injury in late February, revealed he had two eye surgeries and won't get 100% of his vision back. However, Hagelin said he'll work to play next season.Additionally, T. J. Oshie, who was limited to just 44 regular-season games, told reporters he played through a broken foot he suffered early on in the campaign, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. Oshie said he also battled with some back problems.The Panthers took advantage of a couple blown leads to dispatch the Capitals in six games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL history books will read like the Panthers had the easiest of the four first-round series in the Eastern Conference. While the three other series went the distance, Florida needing three straight wins (two in overtime) to come back from 2-1 down to the Capitals was no simple feat. As a result, the market has soured on the Presidents' Trophy winner, and its rating may have dipped.Meanwhile, the Lightning are getting credit for their championship mettle, as media and fans alike excuse the Maple Leafs' loss. However, the reality is that the team that beat Toronto isn't the one that won the previous two Stanley Cups. Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and an injured Brayden Point aren't what did in the Leafs - Nick Paul's timely scoring did.Andrei Vasilevskiy's minus-2.26 goals saved above expected at even strength didn't look remotely worthy of a Conn Smythe Trophy, even though his impressive statistics off a loss and in elimination games are still the first line in his bio.So, as the series odds for the "Florida Fight" came to light Saturday night, the question being asked was: "Why are the Panthers favored?"Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPPanthersTBD-145-1.5 (+140)LightningTBD+125+1.5 (-180)Projected pricesHopefully, you used our NHL betting guide to evaluate your bets during the regular season and what value truly means in hockey. For the playoffs, we're using even-strength-centric metrics like expected goals and high-danger chance and conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who'll play better in the postseason.True moneylinesThe true moneyline takes the implied win probability for each team and converts it to an inverted price for each side before the sportsbook takes its vig on a bet.The following is the expected price for each side when the games are played in Sunrise (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7) and Tampa (Game 3, 4, and 6).PANTHERSLIGHTNINGTrue ML in Sunrise-191+191True ML in Tampa-120+120Series price-268+268The Panthers should be favored more. Though their rating dropped due to having issues with the Capitals, the Lightning had a similar dip. My numbers give the Panthers a 72.9% likelihood of winning this series, and even a generous home-ice advantage for the Lightning doesn't make up the gap between the two teams.Price to betIn the regular season, we'd need at least a 4% edge on an underdog and a 1% edge for the favorite. Using that same threshold, here are the prices to bet for each scenario:GAME 1/2/5/7GAME 3/4/6SERIESPanthers-183-115-255Lightning+229+141+332It's hard to imagine Point being able to go early in the series (if at all), and with the Panthers' outstanding regular-season metrics, the numbers are going to consistently lean their way.Derivative series marketThe following is the probability for each of the eight possible series results, along with a fair price for an exact result bet.SERIES RESULTPROBABILITY/CONVERTED ODDSPanthers 4-012.8% / +680Panthers 4-122.8% / +338Panthers 4-219% / +427Panthers 4-318.2% / +449Lightning 4-02.4% / +4000Lightning 4-15.2% / +1818Lightning 4-210% / +904Lightning 4-39.5% / +948The Panthers winning the series in five games is the best value on the board, with a whopping 22.8% probability and the market widely dealing that exact series result at +450. There's a small edge on under 5.5 games (+145), but Panthers -1.5 (+140) is even better given I have that as a small favorite (54.6%).Best betsWhile the Capitals were far friskier than I was willing to give them credit for in giving the Panthers trouble, the Lightning should have lost their series to Toronto, as they lacked an advantage in five-on-five play and special teams. You can excuse them for being tired after these past two years and credit them for grinding out a series win, but neither helps them going forward.Sergei Bobrovsky held up nicely for the Panthers (plus-2.11 even-strength GSAx), and even though the offense converted even strength high-danger chances at an unsustainable rate (21%), there's room for players not named Carter Verhaeghe to step up.The Lightning's 4-2 series win over the Panthers last season may scare some, but Tampa's 40% power play in those six games isn't replicable. Neither is its 24% HDC conversion rate while five-on-five.With an augmented roster, improved goaltending, and preparation for what Tampa does on the power play - plus the discount we're getting based on the Lightning's reputation - we'll be betting the Panthers early and often.Pick: Panthers to win series (-145)Panthers series handicap -1.5 (+140)Panthers series handicap -2.5 (+300)Panthers win series 4-1 (+450)Game 1: Panthers moneyline (-190 or better)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 Avalanche gave credence to the idea of a top team being able to "flip the switch" come playoff time by sweeping the Predators. In the process, they boosted their market rating to where it was before injuries compromised their stacked lineup.Nashville was without Vezina-nominated goaltender Juuse Saros, which cost the team at least one game. That said, the Avs drove 57.3% of the even-strength play and dominated on special teams. Can they do the same thing against the Blues?St. Louis found its way back to past playoff hero Jordan Binnington against the Wild, winning three straight games to close out Minnesota. The Blues won the series in six despite being worse than the Wild at even strength.TEAM 5-ON-5 XG 5-ON-5 HDCBlues9.0936Wild12.1846St. Louis converted seven of its 36 high-danger chances at full strength. That 19.4% conversion rate is considerably above the 13% league average, which explains why the Wild panic-switched goaltenders for Game 6 only to see Cam Talbot flop. Conversely, since Binnington got the call ahead of Game 4, the Blues allowed just one goal on the 21 high-danger chances the Wild manufactured at five-on-five.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPBlues+190+290STL +1.5 (+150)Avalanche-220-380COL -1.5 (-170)Projected pricesHopefully, you used our NHL betting guide to evaluate your bets during the regular season and what value truly means in hockey. For the playoffs, we're using even-strength-centric metrics like expected goals and high-danger chance rates, as well as high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who'll play better in the postseason.True moneylinesThe true moneyline takes the implied win probability for each team and converts it to an inverted price for each side before the sportsbook takes its vig on a bet.The following is the expected price for each side when the games are played in Colorado (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7), and St. Louis (Game 3, 4, and 6).AVALANCHEBLUESTrue ML in Colorado-224+224True ML in St. Louis-102+102Series Price-278+278Price to betIn the regular season, we'd need at least a 4% edge on an underdog and a 1% edge for the favorite. Using that same threshold, here are the prices to bet for each scenario:GAME 1/2/5/7GAME 3/4/6SERIESAvalanche-214+108-264Blues+272+113+346With a larger than average home-ice advantage swing of 9%, there should be some opportunities to back the Blues as decent-sized home underdogs in Games 3 and 4. For the series, the numbers suggest triggering a bet on St. Louis at the current price should it extend to +346. However, we'd be putting faith in a considerable upset. This is better left as a warning against laying a big price on the Avalanche.Derivative series marketThe following is the probability for each of the eight possible series results, along with a fair price for an exact result bet.Series resultProbability/Converted oddsAvalanche 4-012.2% / +722Avalanche 4-124% / +316Avalanche 4-217.8% / +462Avalanche 4-319.6% / +411Blues 4-02.3% / +4174Blues 4-14.7% / +2025Blues 4-210.6% / +839Blues 4-38.7% / +1044Colorado winning in five games is the favorite in our numbers. However, the problem is the market more than agrees with that, as exact result odds for that scenario are available around +275. The value bet is to play the Blues to win 4-2 since the consensus price is 10-1.Best betsThe key to this series lies with what version of Binnington the Blues get between the pipes. Last year, the Avalanche swept St. Louis in the first round after converting 16.6% of the high-danger chances at full strength while clicking at an outrageous 50% on the power play.After the worst season of his NHL career, Binnington saved the day for the Blues against the Wild. However, it's a different ask for him to stop the Avalanche with the same success.With nine 20-plus-goal-scorers, the Blues are deeper than they were last season, particularly when they were without David Perron in Round 1. They'll be able to score with the Avalanche, and the over will be worth a look throughout the series.I don't want to pay -170 for Colorado's series handicap of -1.5 games against a veteran Blues team that can be dangerous. Instead, I'll expect this series to at least get back to St. Louis a second time. At 10-1, a small bet on "Blues in 6" isn't crazy, either.Pick: Over 5.5 total games (-140)Game 1: Over 6.5 (-110 or better)Game 3: Blues moneyline (+105 or better)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.

Morgan Rielly, the Toronto Maple Leafs' longest-tenured player, crouched over and lowered his head. Jason Spezza, possibly on the ice for the final time as an NHLer, rested his chin on the knob of his stick and stared into the middle distance. Other players slumped similarly, each wearing a chunk of the elimination loss.For an entire year, all that mattered to the Leafs and their tortured fan base was advancing past the first round of the playoffs. Not necessarily a Stanley Cup - no, no, just four wins in 13 days to break an 18-year drought.The fourth win slipped through their fingers Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, the dynasty-chasing Tampa Bay Lightning emerging victorious in a 2-1 Game 7. The Leafs are now a miserable 0-6 in playoff series in the Auston Matthews era."We're getting sick and tired of feeling like this," Mitch Marner said postgame.OK, so now what?Making sense of the exit Claus Andersen / Getty ImagesLet's get one thing straight: Unlike against the Boston Bruins in 2019, Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020, and the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, the Leafs didn't throw away this series. There was no collapse against Tampa Bay.Sure, the first four games were decided by wide margins. But Games 5, 6, and 7 were tight, and the Leafs didn't wilt under the pressure. Previous teams lacked pushback in key moments; this one didn't.It is, of course, no consolation to devastated Leaf fans, but the series numbers were basically even - 416-397 Leafs in shot attempts, 216-215 Leafs in shots on goal, 22.9-22.2 Leafs in expected goals, and 24-23 Leafs in goals.That's largely because all four of Toronto's star forwards showed up. Matthews was a mad man, pacing all skaters in goals, points, attempts, hits, and takeaways. Marner, who averaged 22:56 a night, tied for the lead in assists. John Tavares started off poorly, as noted by fans and media, but finished the series with six points and plenty of defensive highlights. William Nylander had his moments of brilliance, too, shining in even-strength action. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe Leafs took too many penalties - many of them earned, a handful unearned, and a few borderline, including the controversial interference call on Justin Holl in Game 7. One could argue it made a difference in the 4-3 series loss, though blaming the penalty tally and nothing else would be lazy and unfair.Meanwhile, the other team had a say in the outcome. Tampa Bay battled. Some notable performances include Victor Hedman dominating in all three zones; Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point (until he got hurt in Game 7) making life difficult on Matthews and Marner; Nick Paul generating bottom-six offense; and Andrei Vasilevskiy saving his best goaltending for the final four periods.The Leafs were ahead 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. They didn't close out the series, and that's on them. It doesn't matter if the opponent is barely good enough to appear in the playoffs or the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, you must figure out a way to capture that fourth and final win.Yet, by and large, they played well. That complicates everything.Does the process still matter? Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesAt which point does a lack of playoff success trump an effective process?Last offseason, the Leafs were at a crossroads. They'd recorded the highest regular-season points percentage in franchise history but collapsed against Montreal in the playoffs. Toronto had the option of walking through one of three doors: make major changes to the roster, tinker with it, or stay the course.President Brendan Shanahan and general manager Kyle Dubas tinkered.Now, fresh off franchise highs in wins and points but another first-round exit, the organization must decide if Shanahan and Dubas deserve to keep their jobs. Nobody bats 1.000 with trades and signings, so there are a few transactions they'd like to reverse. But there's no denying the tandem has built - to borrow Lightning coach Jon Cooper's phrasing - "a hell of a team." Steve Russell / Getty ImagesIf both men return, the attention shifts to Sheldon Keefe.Factoring in the full body of work over two-and-a-half seasons, Keefe doesn't deserve to be fired. Cooper didn't outcoach him, and it's not as if Keefe's coaching style is outdated. But he'd be an easy fall guy. Perhaps ownership sees that longtime NHL bench boss Barry Trotz is a free agent and encourages Dubas to pounce. Maybe. It just seems highly unlikely.That said, pro sports is a results-driven business. The objective is to win.As the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The Leafs have fired a high-profile head coach, brought in new assistants, improved defensively, become harder to play against, and found a collective "killer instinct," so they haven't sat on their hands. However, the results have remained the same over the course of Matthews' six-year career.You never want to make drastic changes for the sake of making changes. The grass isn't always greener. Still, shaking up the organization in some way, shape, or form should be on the table for ownership and the front office.Again, when does a lack of playoff success trump an effective process?Potential player movement Richard Lautens / Getty ImagesLet's assume for a moment that Shanahan, Dubas, and Keefe aren't canned. And that Matthews, a generational goal-scorer who doubles as one of the NHL's elite two-way centers, is untouchable in trade talks.Matthews, 24, becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2023-24 season. Nylander, 26, is up then, too, while Marner, 25, and Tavares, 31, are part of the 2025 UFA class. So, there's a two-to-three-year window to win with the Big 4.Management could run it back and hope for a breakthrough. Or - and this route would require creativity - the Leafs could move Marner, Tavares, or Nylander.Dealing Marner would be risky business given his five-on-five chemistry with Matthews and his immense value on special teams. It's safe to assume the package in return would have to be enormous for Dubas to consider bidding farewell to such a top-flight winger. Steve Russell / Getty ImagesDealing Tavares would be nearly impossible. There wouldn't be a robust market for a player who's shown signs of slowing down despite making $11 million annually. Plus, the captain has trade protection, which all but rules out a salary-dump scenario.Dealing Nylander would be kind of stupid. He's a game-breaking talent who produces a point per game, and his $6.9-million cap hit has become a bargain. You could justify trading Nylander, but, like with Marner, good luck hitting a home run. His value, for his contract, would be hard to replace.The X-factor is goalie Jack Campbell. The pending UFA is due for a significant raise this offseason, and the Leafs are interested in re-signing him. But maybe they talk themselves into chasing a big-name free-agent netminder (see Marc-Andre Fleury) or making a trade, even though options would be limited.It wouldn't be a knock on Campbell, who rose to the occasion for his team against Tampa Bay and appears to be an average NHL starter. Chasing a big-name goalie would instead be a way for Dubas to ensure the most important position is a true source of strength. It's a long shot, but not an entirely crazy idea on paper.Defensemen Mark Giordano and Ilya Lybushkin, as well as forwards Ilya Mikheyev, Colin Blackwell, and Spezza, are the club's other UFAs. Due to health, play, money, or a combination of factors, Jake Muzzin, Pierre Engvall, Alexander Kerfoot, and Petr Mrazek are four other players to monitor this offseason.There'll be turnover, like there is every year for every team. But come this fall, the Leafs will still be 0-6 in playoff series in the Matthews era despite a quality roster and effective process. Keefe might have put it best in his post-Game 7 media availability."This one's tough," the Leafs coach told reporters of another early exit, "because I really feel like we're a lot closer than it appears."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.

To advance past the opening round for the first time since 2017, the Edmonton Oilers needed a monster series from their superstars.Thanks to some sheer dominance from Connor McDavid, that's exactly what they got."He's the best player in the world. I think he showed that in the last two games," Leon Draisaitl said after the Oilers' 2-0 Game 7 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. "It's not skill - there's lots of skill, obviously, with him that's a given. It's the will, right? You can see it in his eyes, you can feel it every shift that he's out there. He's determined."There was just no way that he, or us, were gonna be denied. He led the way. He was amazing."McDavid leads all skaters with 14 points in the playoffs. He logged two goals and three assists in the do-or-die Games 6 and 7.He really dazzled in Game 7, recording over 27 minutes of ice time - including 23:40 at five-on-five - and scoring the late dagger that put the game out of reach for the Kings. Edmonton also controlled a whopping 72.58% of the expected goals with McDavid on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.Draisaitl was no slouch, either. His nine playoff points are tied for second on the Oilers' roster, and he suited up for over 22 minutes in Game 7 while clearly playing through an ailment sustained in Game 6."Our best players have been our best players this series. If you want to win ... your best players got to be at the top of their game or better," said Mike Smith, who pitched a 29-save shutout. "(McDavid and Draisaitl) were horses for us, and they were leaders - and everyone else followed and did their jobs."He continued, "They sure did a heck of a job to get us pushed in the right direction. ... Tremendous effort by both guys. ... When the game was on the line, those guys were there playing their best hockey."Next up, the Oilers turn their attention to Round 2 against either the Calgary Flames or Dallas Stars."It's big, of course. It feels good, we're obviously not done. This isn't the end, we haven't reached anything, but it feels good to do it with this group," Draisaitl said. "We've been through stuff ... for a lot of years, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of negative stuff. It feels great to have this feeling right now."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Another year, another first-round exit for the Toronto Maple Leafs.Saturday's Game 7 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning marked the sixth consecutive campaign that the Maple Leafs were ousted in the opening round of the postseason.YearOpponentSeries Result2017CapitalsLost 4-22018BruinsLost 4-32019BruinsLost 4-32020Blue JacketsLost 3-22021CanadiensLost 4-32022LightningLost 4-3Core members Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly have been a part of all of them. Captain John Tavares has been around for the last four.Was this year any different? The Leafs were heavily favored in 2020 and 2021 against subpar regular-season teams, but 2022 found them pitted against the two-time defending champions."The feeling is the same, the outcome is the same," Rielly told reporters postgame, per David Alter of The Leafs Nation. "Whether it's different, that's going to take some time to figure out."The loss does sting more for head coach Sheldon Keefe, who's been at the helm for the last three first-round exits."Yeah, it does feel different," he said. "This hurts a little more. This is a good team that played really hard."The Leafs set a franchise record with 115 points during the regular season - good for fourth-best in the NHL. They laid it all out on the line against the Lightning, but is there anything they could've done differently?"It's obviously hard to explain," Tavares said. "Hard to fathom, especially with the opportunities we had these last two games."Toronto had two chances to close out the series after winning Game 5 but failed to put the dagger in Tampa Bay. The Leafs lost 4-3 in overtime in Game 6 before falling 2-1 in Game 7. Matthews knows just how close they came."We're right there, we're right there," Matthews said, per TSN's Chris Johnston.An emotional Marner explained a sentiment all Maple Leafs fans can understand."We're getting sick and tired of feeling like this," Marner said as he held back tears.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are heading to the second round after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in Game 7 on Saturday night.Nick Paul opened the scoring for Tampa Bay late in the first period. John Tavares thought he scored the equalizer during the second frame, but the goal was called back due to an interference call on Justin Holl.Morgan Rielly later tied things up before Paul scored his second of the contest, which held up as the game-winner.Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 of 31 shots, while Jack Campbell turned away 23 shots.This marks the Maple Leafs' sixth straight postseason in which they've failed to make it past the first round. The club hasn't reached the second round since 2004.Victor Hedman, who had seven points in the series, commended the Maple Leafs on a good series and sees a bright future for the club."Unbelievable team ... close series ... they're a great group," Hedman said postgame, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. "They're going to get another chance at this. They're going to go a long way in the future.”The Lightning will now take on the Florida Panthers as they look to win a third straight Stanley Cup.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron isn't making any decisions on his playing future just yet."No, it's too early right now. It's too fresh right now," Bergeron said Saturday after losing Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes, per the Boston Globe's Matt Porter. "It still stings honestly from a hard-fought series, and we came up short. So obviously, I'm gonna have to think about it, but I'm not there right now."The 36-year-old is set to become a free agent this summer. He's spent all 18 seasons of his career with the Bruins.Bergeron hugged all of his teammates before they left the ice following the playoff exit.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point exited Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering an apparent leg injury late in the first period.Point got tangled up along the boards and immediately hobbled off the ice without putting any pressure on his right leg.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-2, in Saturday's Game 7 to advance to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Carolina will await the winner of Sunday's Game 7 between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.Max Domi put together the most impressive performance of his career, registering two goals and an assist in the victory.Antti Raanta was stellar between the pipes for Carolina, stopping 26 of 28 shots.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sidney Crosby attended the Pittsburgh Penguins' optional practice on Saturday and is considered day-to-day, head coach Mike Sullivan announced, according to team reporter Michelle Crechiolo.Crosby missed the Penguins' Game 6 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday night with an upper-body injury. The veteran is reportedly dealing with a concussion.

Let's get one thing straight: The best bet of the weekend is the over on how many times a member of the media describes Game 7 as the "two best words in all of sports."With five Game 7s in the NHL over the next two days, it's easy to get excited about the do-or-die nature of these first-round series. You may have some extra reason to be on the edge of your seat if you've been following along with this space, but if not, let's take a look at what's worth betting this weekend.Bruins (+115) @ Hurricanes (-140)We've been on the Bruins since before the series started, then we wanted some more after Game 1 and again in Game 4, so I think it's fair to say our opinion has been obvious. Boston has driven the even-strength play this series by a marginal amount, edging the Hurricanes in expected goals at five-on-five (10.59-9.3).Of course, neither team has won a game on the road, which would suggest Carolina has been dominant at PNC Arena. However, the Bruins have had more expected goals at even strength (6.39-5.2) in games hosted in Raleigh.Before the series, I had the Bruins as a moderate favorite to win outright and 50-50 to win any given game at Carolina. At +115 for Game 7, Boston's still worth a bet if you're not previously invested in this series.Pick: Bruins (+115 or better)Lightning (+105) @ Maple Leafs (-125)Call it destiny or reasonably decent handicapping, but this matchup couldn't have gone more according to plan for sharp bettors. My numbers expected a dead-even series with game-by-game results accentuated by home-ice advantage - a win probability close to 60% for each home team.After six games, the even-strength play is as close to level as possible:TEAM 5-ON-5 XG 5-ON-5 HDCLightning10.8254Maple Leafs11.6951The high-danger scoring chance (HDC) tally has slightly favored the Lightning, while the Leafs have the edge in expected goals (xG). Meanwhile, the home side has won four of the six contests (66%).At -125, Toronto is implied to win this game 55.6% of the time, and I've got the team's win probability at 59.9%. Of course, there's the matter of alleged curses and history at hand, but we don't have a formula for that.Pick: Maple Leafs (-125 or better)Kings (+175) @ Oilers (-210)The Oilers lost Game 1, and we happily hopped on Edmonton mid-series at a pick'em price. So, as discussed after Game 4, there's not much left to do but let it ride since backing the Oilers now means laying a big -210 price on a team that's only outplayed the Kings at a 54% rate at five-on-five for the series.In fact, the Kings have edged the Oilers 30-28 in even-strength high-danger chances at Rogers Place, and Edmonton comes into the game with a hobbled Leon Draisaitl and the consistently inconsistent Mike Smith.It's hard to argue against the value on Los Angeles unless you're already holding the Oilers to win the series at -110.Pick: Pass or Kings (+175 or better)Penguins (+125) @ Rangers (-150)Before Sidney Crosby was knocked out of this series in Game 5, the Penguins were +115 on the moneyline in New York. After a loss in Game 6, where they were again better than the Rangers at even strength (3.25-2.48 in expected goals), the Penguins are +125. Oddsmakers have adjusted between 2% and 4% for Crosby's absence.Next to the Avalanche, Pittsburgh has been the most dominant team of the first round - driving play even without Crosby. However, assuming he can't play, it's hard to imagine they're only 4% less likely to win at Madison Square Garden. Plus, the Pens' goaltending situation has hit critical mass after Louis Domingue gave up the softest of game-winning goals on Friday.We're holding Penguins series tickets from before Game 1, and that's as far I'm willing to go.Pick: PassStars (+170) @ Flames (-205)The Stars' mission was to get this series to Game 7, and since that's been accomplished, our bets on Dallas (+1.5 games) have cashed. With no obligation to either side, it's worth mentioning that if you can find the Flames at anything short of -200, that would be the best price we've seen on them at home.The Flames have been notably better at even strength, so if you hopped on our recommendation to bet on them mid-series, you're in great shape. The total jumps out more than any other matchup since the games in Calgary have been drastically low-event compared to those in Dallas (26 total five-on-five HDC in Calgary versus 81 in Dallas).The Stars can match lines easier in Calgary and play a textbook underdog road game, so look for a historically typical close-to-the-vest deciding game.Pick: Under 5.5 (-110)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.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is about to suit up for his fourth career Game 7, and he's learned a couple lessons along the way."I think we came out a little flat in those games - like we were a little bit scared to lose," Nylander said of Toronto's previous Game 7 struggles, according to ESPN's Kristen Shilton. "We don't need to be scared to lose. We've got a great team."Toronto hasn't closed out a series in a Game 7 since 2004, against the Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs have an all-time record of 12-13 in Game 7 and were outscored 15-6 in their last three (Montreal Canadiens in 2021, Boston Bruins in 2018 and 2019).Heading into Saturday's Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, head coach Sheldon Keefe is staying calm under pressure."This is as confident as I've been coaching this team," Keefe said.He added, "It's because of how we've played in this series. ... The confidence has grown through the series. The players are going to be relaxed and play with energy. We're going to give ourselves every opportunity to win the game."Keefe is in his third season as head coach of the Maple Leafs. He boasts a regular-season record of 116-50-19 but hasn't helped his team break out of the first round.Toronto will face a tall task while trying to eliminate a talented Lightning team chasing its third consecutive Stanley Cup."We're standing here on the cusp of greatness, and why the hell wouldn't we charge through that door? Let's go get this. Let's go attack this," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said, per team beat writer Gabby Shirley. "If fear is the motivator, then so be it - but I don't want there being any excuse if it doesn't go well for us tonight."Game 7 kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Brendan Gallagher knows all about the Toronto Maple Leafs' playoff demons - he contributed to them, after all, by helping the Montreal Canadiens to a first-round upset of the North Division's top team last season.As the Maple Leafs brace for Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, Gallagher doesn't think they're the same team as last year."I can only speak from afar, I've been watching the series - they do look different," he told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Friday. "We'll see how they handle it."Toronto failed to advance in the playoffs for five straight seasons. Three of those series losses went to a Game 7: against the Canadiens in 2021 and the Boston Bruins in 2018 and 2019."There's definitely a lot of pressure on these players. But experience matters in Game 7, they're a group that's been through a lot," Gallagher said. "You take a lot from bad experiences as well."The veteran forward said the Canadiens could tell the Leafs were "deflated" after losing Game 6 in overtime last year, which didn't improve when Gallagher opened the scoring in Game 7."It's hard in those elimination games when you get down," Gallagher said. "Because you're trying not to tell yourself - but basically you're telling yourself, 'You don't win this game, you're done.' You try to force it a little bit. The emotions of the game, they do get to you."Puck drops on the Maple Leafs' series decider Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom mourned several blown chances to close out the Florida Panthers following his team's fourth consecutive first-round exit on Friday night."That's obviously part of the things that you've gotta do to be successful in the playoffs. You have to shut down teams," forward Backstrom told reporters following the Capitals' season-ending loss, according to The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir. "I don't know what else to say. It's obviously on us. It's disappointing."Not just this game, it's been every game. ... Their offense is very good. It doesn't take a lot to get them going. When they get a goal, they get fired up, they start rolling. ... We basically gave the series to them."

The Florida Panthers eliminated the Washington Capitals with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 6 on Friday and secured their first series win in 26 years.Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner at the 2:46 mark of the extra frame to end the club's lengthy postseason drought. The Panthers had lost six consecutive first-round series after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1996.

You can blame the officiating. Or you can blame the costly mistakes. Your call.The fact of the matter is the Toronto Maple Leafs woke up Friday still alive in the NHL postseason. They again failed to close out a first-round series Thursday, this time against the back-to-back champs, but an epic Game 7 on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena offers a chance at redemption."We've just got to put our balls on the line and go for it," Auston Matthews told reporters following another heartbreaking overtime loss, the Leafs' third in their last 13 first-round games.And Matthews is right. This is the Leafs' sixth playoff series since he broke into the league in 2016-17 and Toronto's now 0-for-8 in series-clinching games.The pressure is on. It's on president Brendan Shanahan, architect of the so-called "Shanaplan." It's on general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe. A Leafs loss may trigger a firing. Or two. Maybe three.The players - the only ones actually on the ice - are under the most pressure. Five in particular.John Tavares Mike Ehrmann / Getty ImagesTavares did little to endear himself to Leafs fans early in the series. With the spotlight shining bright, he looked like somebody fighting to make an impact. He had poor underlying numbers and only two assists through four games.The past two games have been a different story. Tavares, 31, has redeemed himself by recording a goal and a primary assist in Game 5, and two goals in 26 seconds to end Game 6's frantic second period.Based on this trajectory, the smart money is on an impactful Tavares showing up for Game 7. If that doesn't happen, though, the noise surrounding him - and the outright criticism - will return with a vengeance. No Leaf's shift-by-shift play is under the microscope like the captain's."There's a big window here to win and be a part of something special," Tavares said on July 1, 2018, after inking a seven-year deal that pays $11 million annually.The local kid was the biggest free-agent acquisition in the history of the Original Six franchise. Tavares and Matthews down the middle was supposed to be nightly nightmare fuel for the opposition in the regular season and playoffs.But the truth is the window isn't as big anymore, isn't as wide open. If Toronto loses Game 7, the first four years of the Tavares experiment are over without a single series victory.Tavares, whose contract isn't aging gracefully (it was never going to), needs to contribute in a massive way. Whether it's burying another goal, setting up a teammate, winning crucial faceoffs (he's at a 64.8% success rate through six games), killing time in Tampa's zone if the Leafs have a late lead ... whatever it is, No. 91 must be a leader on the ice.Otherwise, it's going to be an especially long (and miserable) summer.Jack CampbellCampbell, Toronto's lovable starting goalie, has been fine this series. He hasn't stolen a game by himself or single-handedly lost one.Case in point: He's coming off allowing four goals on 35 shots in Game 6. Not good, but also not bad. The first Lightning goal, scored after a brutal neutral-zone turnover by Alexander Kerfoot, wasn't Campbell's fault, but the shot by Ondrej Palat was saveable. Ditto for Anthony Cirelli's spin-o-rama swipe just outside the crease on the 2-0 goal.In order to outduel Tampa's Andrei Vasilevskiy - a difficult task yet one Campbell has accomplished so far - in Game 7, No. 36 will likely need to be close to perfect.Vasilevskiy, whose resume is impeccable, has been ordinary. Superstar goalies like him usually don't go seven straight games without standing on their head at some point, so there's a solid chance Game 7 is Vasilevskiy's best of the series.Goalies are always under immense pressure to perform - they're essential to winning single games, whole series, and Stanley Cups. Where is Campbell's head right now?Matthews Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesMatthews has been a stud in this series. He leads the Leafs in goals (four) and points (eight). His third-period winner in Game 5 counts as a signature moment in a young career packed with beast-mode outings and highlight-reel snipes.However, fair or not, the pressure will still very much be on Matthews in Game 7.Sure, the generational goal-scorer banked a regular season for Leafs lore by scoring 60 goals in 73 games. And he's probably going to win the Hart Trophy. But 2021-22 gets an asterisk if it ends in another first-round defeat.This actually isn't the John Tavares era, or even the Mitch Marner era in Toronto - it's the Auston Matthews era. He's the focal point, on and off the ice, and though the blame doesn't fall squarely on him so far in his career, the disappointments up to this point are a big part of his story. You play to win championships, and not to collect individual awards.A Leafs win will send the fan base into a days-long frenzy and will be a legacy-building victory for its best player. Advancing to the second round is not winning the Stanley Cup - far from it! - but it would be a giant step in the right direction for this core and, in turn, No. 34.MarnerA lot of what's written above applies to Marner. Like Matthews, he's a star whose resume lacks playoff success. There's built-in pressure with him.What's slightly different about Marner's situation is that he was the poster child for last year's first-round collapse against the Montreal Canadiens. Throughout the offseason and regular season, fans and media were quick to mention the $10.9-million man hadn't scored in 18 straight playoff games.(William Nylander is the other resident punching bag for another segment of the fan base, which means he isn't excused from the pressure cooker. However, the easygoing Swede not only makes $4 million less than Marner, he's also been buzzing against Tampa and was one of the Leafs' top players versus Montreal.)Marner's rebounded this spring in a big way, with two goals and a team-high five assists in six games. The 25-year-old from Markham, Ontario, just north of Toronto, has skated 22:42 a night, trailing only TJ Brodie (22:44). Marner's racked up 17 scoring chances, third-most on the team, according to Natural Stat Trick.There's no reason why Marner can't continue this run of inspired play. Considering what's at stake, though, the heat will be turned up in Game 7, and Marner cannot be a passenger. He must be a difference-maker.Mark Giordano Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesPressure comes in many forms. With Giordano, 38, it's the personal kind. He's chasing an elusive first Stanley Cup amid the backdrop of an uncertain future.Jason Spezza is also 38, Cup-less, and a pending unrestricted free agent, so Giordano isn't the only veteran running out of time. That said, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. Spezza, on the fourth line and averaging 8:01 of ice time through four games, is three seasons into his Leafs tenure, whereas Giordano, who's on the second pairing and averaging 20:18 through six games, was the club's splashy trade-deadline acquisition.Giordano's been on the ice for six goals for and seven goals against, which is OK considering he's a regular on the penalty kill and that he and partner Justin Holl have been matched up against Tampa's star-heavy lines at five-on-five. What's stuck in the minds of Leaf fans, of course, is Giordano's failed attempt to stop a streaking, spinning, and scoring Cirelli in Thursday's second period.Giordano, a two-time team captain and one-time Norris Trophy winner, and yet another local guy with Toronto roots, needs to bounce back in Game 7. It's as simple as that.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.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby didn't suit up for Game 6 against the New York Rangers on Friday.Crosby exited during the second period of Game 5 shortly after taking a hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Sullivan confirmed Thursday that Crosby is dealing with an upper-body injury. Trouba wasn't fined or suspended for the incident.On Friday, sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that Crosby has a concussion.Crosby skated with skills coach Ty Hennes before practice Friday morning."I've spoke with Sid. He's in a good place (emotionally)," Sullivan said before news of the concussion was reported, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby.Crosby has a lengthy history of head injuries. He was limited to 69 games in the 2021-22 regular season due to separate ailments but still logged 31 goals and 53 assists.Crosby leads the Penguins with nine points in the series, and he currently sits sixth all time in playoff points. Forward Evan Rodrigues took Crosby's place on the top power-play unit during the team's morning skate, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Mike DeFabo."We have enough. We have what it takes to win," Sullivan said, per Wes Crosby.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bruce, there it is.Head coach Bruce Boudreau will return behind the bench for the Vancouver Canucks next season, the team announced Friday.After taking over in December for former head coach Travis Green, Boudreau won the first seven games of his Vancouver tenure. The Canucks, who started 8-15-2, finished the season 32-15-10 under Boudreau's direction, narrowly missing the playoffs.The 67-year-old also won over the Vancouver crowd, which regularly serenaded him with chants of "Bruce, there it is.""My desire has always been to come back to coach this team," Boudreau said. "I love the organization, city, fans, and the players. I'm also grateful for the opportunity provided to me by Jim (Rutherford) and Patrik (Allvin) to continue building what we started."Rutherford, the Canucks' president of hockey operations, said earlier this month that he wasn't ready to commit to Boudreau beyond this upcoming season."I just feel that, as good a job as he's done, it wasn't a full season," Rutherford said. "I feel that giving him a chance to take the team from training camp all the way through next season - I guess we could get to a point where, partway through the season, we may decide to talk about (an extension)."Boudreau is one win shy of 600 victories. He'll now have the chance next season to become the 22nd coach in league history to reach the milestone.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness couldn't be happier about Jake Oettinger's attitude as the young netminder stares down a must-win Game 6 against the Calgary Flames on Friday night."What I really like about Jake right now - he's loving this. He's loving the challenge. He is. He's enjoying it," Bowness said Friday, per Sportsnet. "That's what you want to see your athletes do - enjoy this. Playoffs are exciting. You work all year to get here, it's the best time of year to be playing hockey."He continued: "We gave him the ball, he's running with it and loving it. That'll make him grow, a great experience for him. He'll just keep getting better. It's his attitude you've gotta love, man, he competes. He wants the ball - I love that about him."Oettinger, 23, surrendered just one goal on 26 shots during his first career playoff start in Game 1. He followed that up with a 29-save shutout in the next game.Overall, the American is rocking a sterling .956 save percentage and 1.63 goals-against average this series while going toe-to-toe with Vezina Trophy finalist Jacob Markstrom.Oettinger was also excellent throughout the 2021-22 campaign, which didn't go unnoticed by Flames head coach Darryl Sutter."He was 30-15 in the regular season. Nobody talked about it before the series started," Sutter said, according to The Athletic's Saad Yousuf. "He was 30-15, so their MVP in the regular season ... that's a pretty remarkable record. If you hit 30 wins in the NHL, you're top 10."Oettinger leads all goaltenders this postseason in goals saved above average (8.21) and goals saved above expected (9.97), per Evolving Hockey.Puck drops on Game 6 of the series at 9:30 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

On Wednesday night, we successfully backed the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames to pick up wins inside 60 minutes. The stakes are higher now - with both trying to eliminate their opponents - but that's not going to stop us from backing them once again. Let's dive into why.Panthers (-180) @ Capitals (+150)The Washington Capitals sure appear to have squandered this series. Up 2-1 and at home, they held a lead late into the third period of Game 4 but blew it in the dying minutes and lost in overtime.Washington followed that up by swallowing an even tougher pill, throwing away a commanding 3-0 lead on the road in the span of eight minutes. It never recovered and ended up conceding five unanswered.Not only have they thrown away multiple opportunities to jump in the driver's seat, but they've also given the Panthers plenty of reason to feel good about themselves. Florida won consecutive games and really started to dictate the run of play at five-on-five to the level we expected.Through five games, the Panthers controlled around 54% of the expected goals and scoring chances, giving them a roughly 8% edge. It's taken time for that to shine through in most games, but when all's said and done, those edges lead to victories.Look for the Panthers to pick up where they left off in Game 5 and send this veteran Capitals team packing with a more complete effort.Bet: Panthers in regulation (-115)Flames (-165) @ Stars (+140)Jake Oettinger is the only reason this series is close. The Dallas Stars are getting absolutely rolled in terms of dictating the run of play. While some nights are better than others, the results are consistently poor.The Calgary Flames controlled 58% of the expected goals at five-on-five, placing them behind only the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs. They won the expected goals battle at five-on-five in every game thus far.The series looks even more lopsided when including special teams, as Calgary's xG share rises to nearly 60%.Oettinger's .956 save percentage really does tell the full story. He's provided the best goaltending imaginable, and yet the Stars still find themselves on the brink of elimination.That's problematic - especially considering Oettinger's numbers are likely to dip as the sample of games grows. He's unlikely to reach another level, but it's possible he drops one or two.That spells trouble for the Stars, who look lifeless anytime their top three forwards aren't on the ice. The next wave of stars - no pun intended - simply haven't been up to the task.Of the 15 Stars to play 40 or more minutes at five-on-five thus far, John Klingberg, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin are the team's three worst in expected goals for percentage. Each is "helping" the Stars control 35% or less.With Dallas' high-priced support players getting their teeth kicked in to such an extent, it's hard to imagine them hanging around for a Game 7. Look for the Flames to close things out inside 60.Bet: Flames in regulation (+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.

Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, and Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi were announced as the 2021-22 Ted Lindsay Award finalists Friday.McDavid became the seventh three-time Ted Lindsay winner after taking home the honor in 2021. A fourth victory would put him in the same company as Mario Lemieux (1986, 1988, 1993, 1996) and Wayne Gretzky (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987) as the only players who've won it at least four times.The Canadian superstar paced all skaters in points for the second straight campaign after putting up a career-high 123 in 80 regular-season games. He factored in on 43.16% of the Oilers' total goals in 2021-22.Matthews, who received his first Ted Lindsay nomination in 2020-21, won his second consecutive Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy after leading the league with 60 goals. His campaign also featured a run in which he scored 50 in a 50-game span.The sniper put home 19.23% of the Maple Leafs' total goals in 2021-22, and he also paced the NHL with 44 even-strength goals as well as 348 shots on goal. Matthews topped all skaters with 31.8 goals above replacement and 5.6 wins above replacement this season, according to Evolving Hockey.Josi, a first-time Ted Lindsay finalist, is also in the running for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman. He led all blue-liners with 96 total points, 59 even-strength points, and 11 power-play goals in 80 games.If the Swiss veteran wins, he'll become the first defenseman to win the Ted Lindsay since Bobby Orr in 1975. He's just the third rearguard in 22 years to be voted a finalist and the first in Predators history.Similar to the Hart Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award is given out annually to the "most outstanding player." However, it's voted on by members of the NHL Players' Association rather than the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.Matthews and McDavid were announced as Hart Trophy finalists Thursday. McDavid, who's the reigning winner, is one of 14 players who've won the Hart and Ted Lindsay in the same season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

For Wild head coach Dean Evason, the club's special teams are the biggest reason why Minnesota's historic season came to an unceremonious end Thursday night."They have to be better, simple as that. I'd love to tell you why and all that. They're going to get better. They have to get better," he said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "They literally sucked all year. ... We've gotta get better from Day 1 next year."During the regular season, Minnesota's power play (20.5%) and penalty kill (76.1%) ranked in the bottom half of the league.In their first-round defeat to the St. Louis Blues, the Wild allowed eight power-play goals while mustering just four of their own. St. Louis potted two of those markers in its 5-1 Game 6 victory, while Minnesota went 0-for-5.An emotional Mats Zuccarello agreed special teams were the "difference-maker.""It's still fresh, you know? Obviously really disappointed," the veteran told reporters Thursday, per Bally Sports North. "I think we all had the belief that we were going to come back to Minnesota for a Game 7. Our goal was to move forward."He continued: "All I can say is that everyone in that dressing room competed their asses off all year for each other, even today. ... I don't really know what to say right now, but I'm really proud of this group."The Wild also made a goalie switch in Game 6. Cam Talbot replaced Marc-Andre Fleury, who started the first five games."Obviously, was I disappointed? Yeah. Pissed off? Yeah. But they expected that. They want you to be pissed off," Talbot said about sitting for most of the series, per Russo. "I mean, who doesn't want to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? But I respected the decision, of course."Talbot surrendered four goals on 26 shots Thursday."I was doing everything I could to stay ready," he said. "You don't want to come into an elimination game, but you want the opportunity to play during the playoffs. They gave me the opportunity, and it just wasn't good enough."The Wild set a franchise record for most wins (53) and points (113) en route to a second-place finish in the Central Division. Additionally, Minnesota star Kirill Kaprizov established a Wild record for most points in a single campaign (108).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2022 IIHF World Championship is taking place from May 13-29 in Helsinki and Tampere, Finland. Canada won gold at the 2021 event, defeating this year's hosts in the final.Here are the most notable players participating this time around:CanadaPlayerPositionTeamJosh AndersonFMTLMathew BarzalFNYIDrake BathersonFOTTMax ComtoisFANADylan CozensFBUFPierre-Luc DuboisFWPGMorgan GeekieFSEANoah GregorFSJSKent JohnsonFCBJAdam LowryFWPGDawson MercerFNJDNicolas RoyFVGKCole SillingerFCBJThomas ChabotDOTTRyan GravesDNJDNick HoldenDOTTDysin MayoDARITravis SanheimDPHIDamon SeversonDNJDZach WhitecloudDVGKChris DriedgerGSEALogan ThompsonGVGKCzechiaPlayerPositionTeamTomas HertlFSJSDavid KrejciFOlomouc (Czech Extraliga)Dominik SimonFANAJakub VranaFDETFilip HronekDDETMichal JordanDAmur Khabarovsk (KHL)Radim SimekDSJSLukas DostalGANAKarel VejmelkaGARIDenmarkPlayerPositionTeamNikolaj EhlersFWPGFinlandPlayerPositionTeamJoel ArmiaFMTLMikael GranlundFNSHJuho LammikkoFVANFrancePlayerPositionTeamAlexandre TexierFCBJGermanyPlayerPositionTeamTim StutzleFOTTMoritz SeiderDDETPhilipp GrubauerGSEASlovakiaPlayerPositionTeamTomas TatarFNJDAdam SykoraFNHL draft eligibleAdam HuskaGNYRSwedenPlayerPositionTeamRasmus AsplundFBUFEmil BemstromFCBJRasmus DahlinDBUFOliver Ekman-LarssonDVANErik GustafssonDCHIAdam LarssonDSEASwitzerlandPlayerPositionTeamNico HischierFNJDTimo MeierFSJSPius SuterFDETJonas SiegenthalerDNJDUnited StatesPlayerPositionTeamRiley BarberFDETKieffer BellowsFNYIAlex GalchenyukFARIAdam GaudetteFOTTJohn HaydenFBUFKarson KuhlmanFSEASam LaffertyFCHIVinni LettieriFANABen MeyersFCOLAustin WatsonFOTTNick BlankenburgDCBJJordan HarrisDMTLSeth JonesDCHIJaycob MegnaDSJSAndrew PeekeDCBJNate SchmidtDWPGAlex NedeljkovicGDETCopyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Thursday was a disappointing night for our shot totals. Mitch Marner came through to get the party started, but Leon Draisaitl and Kirill Kaprizov fell short. Draisaitl missed a chunk of the game while being in and out of the locker room. Kaprizov, like most Minnesota Wild players, failed to show up.We'll look to rebound as we find the best way to attack Friday's elimination games.Alex Ovechkin over 3.5 shots (-155)I really like to back stars in elimination games, especially when they're volume shooters. When seasons are on the line, coaches tend to ride or die with their best players, and Ovechkin certainly classifies.Ovechkin was once again a shooting machine this season, averaging 4.3 shots on goal per game.While his numbers aren't as strong against the Florida Panthers, they're still quite good. Ovechkin is averaging four shots through eight meetings - including the playoffs - and has gone over the number five times. He also fell one puck shy in two of the three losses.Ovechkin is hitting more often than not and generally finishing within striking distance when he does fall short. He hasn't played a ton in this series - he's logged more than 20 minutes only once - but I expect that to change with his team on the brink.Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (+115)The Panthers are very deep down the middle, operating with Barkov, Sam Bennett, and highly touted rookie Anton Lundell at center. They can give any team fits, and that has shown in this series.The Washington Capitals were one of the league's most stout sides in terms of limiting shots to the position during the regular season. However, it's been a much different story through five playoff games thanks to Florida's 1-2-3 punch.Washington is allowing the third-most shots to centers (15. 8) among all teams this postseason.Barkov is doing the most damage, leading Florida in shots and attempts. With a chance to put the Capitals away, you can bet the Panthers will lean heavily on their captain in this one.Mikael Backlund over 2.5 shots (-114)Backlund must wish he could play every game against the Dallas Stars.The Calgary Flames centerman has registered three-plus shots in seven of eight meetings with Dallas dating back to the regular season. Backlund fell only one short in the lone exception, and that's because he missed the net five times.The Stars were among the worst teams in the league at suppressing shots to centers over the final two months of the campaign. They allowed 11.30 per game, which is less than they've given up in the playoffs (13).There's real value in backing Backlund again.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 Edmonton Oilers forced a Game 7 against the Los Angeles Kings by winning 4-2 on the road Thursday. Expect these storylines to influence what happens in Saturday night's series finale.Whose style will prevail? Harry How / Getty ImagesWhen the Oilers coasted to back-to-back six-goal wins last week, it affirmed that the Kings can't handle Edmonton's offense when it shifts to top gear. Mike Smith raised his playoff save percentage to .931 after stopping 30 shots in Game 6, significantly better than Jonathan Quick's .893 mark.So, why aren't the Oilers through to the second round yet? They haven't consistently controlled what this series looks like. The undermanned Kings have dictated play for crucial stretches by imposing their preferred style.When Edmonton's stars blaze into the offensive zone at top speed, their wizardry with the puck is hard to contain. For example Thursday, Connor McDavid took Evander Kane's give-and-go pass, sidestepped Sean Durzi, and beat Quick to the far post for a wraparound goal.But L.A.'s defensive scheme has worked at other points. Four Kings hang back to congest the blue line and the middle of the ice, disrupt the Oilers' entries, and force giveaways that spark their own offense.L.A. counters Edmonton's creativity with simplicity. The Oilers rely on pace and inventiveness to generate chances. The Kings attack downhill in transition, drive straight for the crease, establish the cycle if their first foray is deterred, and aim everything on net. Adrian Kempe shook off two checks when he scored to win Game 5 in overtime. An outlet pass that scrambled Edmonton's defensive coverage led to Carl Grundstrom's goal in Game 6.The Kings have few potent scorers, and they lost one when Viktor Arvidsson was ruled out of the entire round. Two goals weren't enough to end the series in Game 6. But this matchup has lasted longer than most fans probably anticipated, and L.A. has one more shot to make Edmonton's skill guys uncomfortable.Can L.A.'s top six tilt the ice? Juan Ocampo / NHL / Getty ImagesLike any team that boasts an MVP candidate, Edmonton reaches peak form when McDavid refuses to be denied. He pierced L.A.'s defensive wall to score on the wraparound in his second shift of Game 6. He deked Trevor Moore to gain the O-zone right before Tyson Barrie broke the late deadlock. He gained the playoff scoring lead after assisting on Kane's empty-netter for his 12th point of the round.Anze Kopitar was the only Kings forward who cleared 60 points this season. Seriously, they lack firepower. But L.A.'s top lines, centered by Kopitar and Phillip Danault, have shown they can lean on the Oilers in spurts.In Game 5's brief overtime period, Danault's line hemmed in and fatigued McDavid's trio right before Kempe subbed in and capitalized off the rush. When L.A. trailed 2-0 in Game 6, consecutive pressure shifts from the Kopitar and Danault lines forced multiple saves, drew blocked shots, and resulted in a penalty. Kopitar won the faceoff on that power play, and Danault screened Smith as Durzi's slapper eluded the goalie's glove hand.That said, Kopitar, Kempe, and Alex Iafallo were on the ice for Edmonton's first two goals Thursday, which put L.A. in a hole against a team that tends to stifle comebacks. The Oilers went 29-3-1 in the regular season when they opened the scoring and 28-1-0 in games they led at the first intermission. The Kings haven't trailed in their three wins this series, so starting strong in Game 7 is paramount.Will Edmonton's power play be the difference? Juan Ocampo / NHL / Getty ImagesL.A. outscored Edmonton 1-0 with the man advantage in Game 6, which was a surprise. The Oilers' power play ranked third in the NHL this season and enters Saturday's decider on a 7-for-18 (38.9%) tear. The Kings' power play ranked 27th in the league. Durzi's goal upped their success rate in the series to 3-for-24 (12.5%).That's a mismatch that could doom the Kings. On the flip side, they only took one penalty in Game 6, which illuminated how much the Oilers rely on McDavid. He played a game-high 24:01 on Thursday, 21:31 of that in grueling five-on-five situations. He was marvelous - McDavid's expected goals share was 74.5% - but he'd surely prefer more power-play time.McDavid's been on the ice for 18 of the Oilers' 25 playoff goals, including nine of 14 at five-on-five and five of seven on the power play. If Leon Draisaitl is hobbled in Game 7, carrying the offense could fall to him again. If the Kings can barricade the zone at even strength and not let Edmonton's speedsters get a step on them, that'll minimize the likelihood they obstruct someone and give McDavid an edge to exploit.Will the Oilers stay levelheaded? Harry How / Getty ImagesRegrettable mistakes have cost the Oilers at inopportune moments. Failed clearances wound up in their net in Games 4 and 5. Duncan Keith carelessly tipped in a Troy Stecher goal and fell over trying to defend Kempe's OT winner. Deciding to headbutt Danault got Darnell Nurse, Edmonton's top defenseman and minutes leader, suspended for an elimination game.The Oilers never pulled away in the series despite Smith's great play, partly because his intercepted pass cost them Game 1. Smith jabbed Andreas Athanasiou in the groin in Game 6, an unprovoked and avoidable act that was penalized. Up a goal with two minutes left, Josh Archibald bungled an open shot at the empty net, though Kane avenged Archibald's miss and iced the game soon afterward.Playoff success often stems from punishing the opponent's miscues. Gaffes and slipups are magnified, and imprecision can swing the result of a tight Game 7. Staying disciplined with the puck and in scrums Saturday is something Edmonton can, and must, control.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Auston Matthews isn't letting the Toronto Maple Leafs' long list of playoff disappointments get to him after the Tampa Bay Lightning forced a Game 7 with a 4-3 overtime victory Thursday."What's in the past is in the past, man," Matthews said after the loss, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel. "We can't change that now. It's about this next game and going out there with a purpose, and with details, and just competing for 60 minutes or whatever it takes. We just gotta put our balls on the line and go for it.""We have a great opportunity on home ice, Game 7, do or die, win or go home, and we should be excited about that opportunity," Matthews added, per Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun.Toronto led 3-2 in a hard-fought game heading into the third period, but Tampa Bay equalized on a 5-on-3 power play and Brayden Point delivered the winner in the extra frame.The Maple Leafs are now 0-8 in opportunities to close out a series since Matthews was drafted in 2016. They're 0-9 dating back to 2013.The Lightning, in fairness, are a tough out. The back-to-back defending champions have now won 17 consecutive games following a postseason loss dating back to 2020.Toronto will look to win its first playoff series since 2004 on Saturday night.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.