The NHL already hands out plenty of major hardware at its annual awards night, but some of the season's most impressive accomplishments still manage to slip through the cracks without proper recognition.Below, we look at three individual awards the league should add and determine who would win them this season.Best Defensive DefensemanThe Norris Trophy is given to the best all-around defenseman, but players usually need to be among the leaders in points at their position to win the award. Defensive defensemen are the most unheralded players in hockey, mainly because there are no basic stats to fairly quantify their abilities - plus-minus, hits, and blocks don't even come close to cutting it.This trophy would strictly focus on the defensive contributions of blue-liners - essentially the Selke Trophy for defensemen. This player should log heavy minutes and match up against top competition on a nightly basis.It could be named after former Washington Capitals defenseman and Hockey Hall of Famer Rod Langway, one of the few pure defensive defensemen to win the Norris Trophy. He did so in 1983 and 1984, beating out legends Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey in the process.Finalists: Jonas Brodin, Miro Heiskanen, Christopher Tanev Christopher Mast / National Hockey League / GettyOur three finalists have plenty in common. They aren't the towering, physical players one might think of when the term "shutdown defenseman" is thrown around - none recorded more than 60 hits or stands above 6-foot-2. Heiskanen relies on his smooth skating ability more than Brodin and Tanev, but all three use their exceptional instincts, positioning, and active sticks to make life uncomfortable for the game's top offensive players.Winner: Heiskanen. There's no right or wrong choice here, as all three players posted similarly elite defensive metrics this season, but we're giving Heiskanen the nod. He averaged nearly three more minutes at five-on-five per game than Tanev and almost two more than Brodin. He played less than both on the penalty kill but posted better metrics. At 22 years old, the sky is the limit for the 2017 third overall pick.Most Improved PlayerThe NBA hands out this award annually, and there's no reason the NHL shouldn't follow suit with a trophy that recognizes growth. And no, this won't be a pity prize for the league's worst player like it is in youth hockey. We're looking for someone who made a serious leap.Finalists: Ryan Hartman, Ville Husso, Tage Thompson Bruce Kluckhohn / National Hockey League / GettyWe seriously considered as many as 10 candidates for this award but narrowed our focus down to three - and all are deserving. Hartman and Thompson both transformed from bottom-six wingers to top-line centers - a difficult and rare transition - and scored over 30 goals each. Husso had marginal success in the minors and struggled in his rookie campaign a year ago, but he provided some much-needed stability to the St. Louis Blues' crease with Jordan Binnington struggling.Winner: Thompson. The forward was the primary part of the Buffalo Sabres' return package in the trade that sent Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis in 2018, but up until this season, everybody was ready to label him a bust. In his prior four NHL seasons, Thompson recorded just 18 goals and 17 assists in 145 games. The towering 6-foot-7 sniper came into his own playing down the middle in 2021-22, tallying 38 goals and 30 assists in 78 games.Comeback Player of the YearWhile there is a slight possibility for some crossover with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - which is awarded for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey - this award will be much more cut-and-dried. Much like in the NFL, we're looking for a player who had their previous season cut short (most commonly, but not limited to, due to injury) and overcame adversity to have a sensational comeback campaign.Finalists: Jack Eichel, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Seguin Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyWell-documented Sabres saga aside, it's impressive that Eichel returned close to his old self after being the first NHL player to undergo an artificial disc replacement surgery. Kucherov, meanwhile, recorded 69 points in 47 games this season after missing all of 2021 following hip surgery. Seguin's year (24 goals, 25 assists in 81 games) may be one of his worst statistically, but he deserves some recognition. He said he basically had to rebuild his entire quad muscle after hip arthroscopy, labral repair, and knee scope in late 2020 limited him to three games last season.Winner: Eichel. We're not denying the severity of Kucherov's injury that kept him out last season, but he already had his comeback tour in the playoffs. Eichel took a risk having a surgery no NHL player had undergone. His persistent effort to have his desired method of treatment even led to a divorce from the Sabres. And while Eichel is certainly capable of more than 25 points in 34 games, it's still remarkable given the context.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

These aren't your father's Minnesota Wild, nor are these your older brother's St. Louis Blues.Both teams are known to be defense-first franchises. The Blues won the 2019 Stanley Cup by grinding teams into submission, a strategy that the Wild attempted for two decades to minimal postseason success.This season, the Blues (3.77 goals/game) and Wild (3.72) are two of the NHL's five highest-scoring teams. Meanwhile, their respective goaltending situations have been murky at best. Jordan Binnington's -9.08 goals saved above expectation (GSAx) at even strength has left the door open for Ville Husso (+8.99) to get the nod in the Blues' net.The Wild made a point to address their crease by trading for Marc-Andre Fleury. His numbers have been very similar to what they were in Chicago, except for a 9-2 record that comes from playing behind Minnesota's firepower.The Blues have the better special teams, while only two teams won more home games than the Wild this season.Series OddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPWild-140-150MIN -1.5 (+140)Blues+120+130STL +1.5 (-160)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.Due to the special circumstances of the season, which included some tainted results from before the All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, we'll make use of a formula to factor in home ice that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 Minnesota (Games 1, 2, 5, and 7), and St. Louis (Games 3, 4, and 6).WILDBLUESTrue ML in Minnesota-161+161True ML in St. Louis+122-122Series Price-149+149Price to betIn the regular season, we needed 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 3/4/6SERIESWild-154+144-143Blues+191-118+177We're looking to bet on Minnesota at its opening price of -140 in Game 1. As for the series, the -150 price on the Wild isn't quite low enough to take them to advance, but it's better than what we're being offered to take the Blues. Between two evenly matched teams, it looks like the sportsbook's vig is coming off of the underdog.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 OddsWild 4-07.7% / +1202Wild 4-117.5% / +472Wild 4-215.4% / +550Wild 4-319.3% / +417Blues 4-04.5% / +2144Blues 4-18.3% / +1107Blues 4-215.3% / +552Blues 4-312% / +731Unsurprisingly, with such little value in the series market, there are no deals being handed out in betting the exact result, either.Best betWith two high-scoring teams, you're more likely to get a strange result for a game or series.On a game-to-game basis, this series should provide numerous live-betting opportunities. A 1-0, or even a 2-0 (do I hear 3-0?), lead isn't all it's cracked up to be for a series that may go over the total more often than not.A quick series would probably be considered a strange result as well, but if either team sees its goaltending fall through, that's what we may get. Under 5.5 total games can be found at +145.Pick: Under 5.5 total series games (+145)Game 1: Wild moneyline (-140)Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Don't stop me if you've heard this one before over the years: The Rangers ride their All-World goaltender into the Stanley Cup Playoffs and hope he can carry them to glory not seen since 1994. Sure, it almost worked once during the Henrik Lundqvist era, but there was a lot of disappointment the rest of the time.Speaking of sorrow, the Penguins find the words "New York" on their postseason dance card for the third time in four years. They've got to be relieved it's the Rangers and not the Islanders, given how well it went the last two times.Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2017, the Penguins have entered the playoffs with little more than name value. They've often had some combination of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang injured and goaltending that was sketchy at best.While Tristan Jarry proved a liability against the Islanders last year, he came into that postseason as slightly below average (-2.34 goals saved above expectation at even strength). This year, he's slightly above average with a 1.65 GSAx, and the big names come in as healthy as they've been in years.The problem for the Pens' stars and an improved supporting cast is that the Rangers' No. 1 goalie just happens to be a star for the entire league. Igor Shesterkin saved 21.92 more goals than would be expected of a mere mortal and is in the conversation for the Hart Trophy - it's exactly the kind of thing we would have said about Lundqvist years ago.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPRangers-125-110NYR -1.5 (+180)Penguins+105-110PIT -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, high-danger chance rates, and high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who will play better in the postseason.Due to some tainted results from before the All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, to factor in home ice, we'll make use of a formula that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 New York (Games 1, 2, 5, and 7), and in Pittsburgh (Games 3, 4, and 6).RANGERSPENGUINSTrue ML in New York-103+103True ML in Pittsburgh+137-137Series Price+130-130Price 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 3/4/6SERIESRangers+108+162+153Penguins+114-132-125If you're looking to back the Penguins in Game 1, you're nearing a valuable bet. At the common price of +105, any slight movement or a rogue sportsbook might give you the +108 that we're hoping for. Given the 49.3% win probability that I have for a Pens win on Tuesday night, anything with a plus sign in front of it is excusable.Derivative marketSeries resultProbability / Converted OddsRangers 4-04.6% / +2094Rangers 4-110.8% / +822Rangers 4-212.4% / +706Rangers 4-315.7% / +539Penguins 4-08.1% / +1127Penguins 4-114.1% / +609Penguins 4-219% / +425Penguins 4.315.2% / +556Neither team had notably more success at home than it did on the road, and even though the Rangers had a 25-16 moneyline record away from Madison Square Garden, their 43.04% expected goal share was the worst in the league away from home. The Penguins are just as likely to close this series on Broadway as they are at home.Best betIn the short-term variance of an NHL playoff series, all it takes is merely average play between the pipes for a team's advantage in net to go by the wayside. In that small sample size, if I can rely on steady goaltending from the team with the better collection of skaters, that's where I'll put my money.An excellent goaltender is less likely to steal an entire series than he is to be the hero on any given single night. Therefore, I'm looking to take Pittsburgh in a long, drawn-out series.Pick: Penguins to win series (-110 or better)Penguins series handicap -1.5 (+170 or better)Game 1: Penguins 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.

The Florida Panthers might get star defenseman Aaron Ekblad back for Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Washington Capitals."There's a chance," interim head coach Andrew Brunette said Sunday, according to team reporter Jameson Olive.Brunette added Ekblad had a "full workload" at practice Sunday, but the team still needs to "see where he's at," according to The Hockey News' Erin Brown.Ekblad has been sidelined since March 18 when he suffered an apparent leg injury. While it initially looked like a brutal blow, it was revealed there was no structural damage as the diagnosis appeared much better than initially feared.The 26-year-old was in the midst of a career season when the injury occurred. Despite only playing 61 games, he tallied a career-high 57 points.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen won't start Game 1 versus the Boston Bruins, according to team reporter Walt Ruff.Andersen has been out since he suffered an undisclosed injury two weeks ago against the Colorado Avalanche after an awkward-looking fall in the crease.Carolina has yet to announce its starting goalie for Monday's home contest. Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov have taken over the crease in Andersen's absence.Andersen, 32, has been among the league's best goalies this season. He managed a .922 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average in 52 games. Andersen and Raanta were awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender(s) to have played a minimum of 25 contests for the team with the fewest goals against in the NHL.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins opened up about his struggles this past year while he was grieving the death of his late teammate and friend Matiss Kivlenieks.Kivlenieks died July 4, 2021, due to an accident involving fireworks at the house of Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace. Merzlikins was also there at the time of the incident."The before Christmas period, I wasn't here. I wasn't here mentally because I felt that Christmas was coming closer and Matiss was always with us on Christmas and the New Year," Merzlikins said Saturday, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Bailey Johnson. "Then I heard the fireworks. I remember we played on (Jan. 1) and I asked (Brad Larsen). I couldn't even talk. I knew in my head that I couldn't play that game because there (were) gonna be fireworks, and if I heard them, it's gonna be a problem."I remember I walked to Manny and just started crying. I couldn't even express myself."Merzlikins said last year, just over a week after the accident, that Kivlenieks "died a hero" and that he sacrificed his life to save others.The pair of goalies, who both hailed from Latvia, formed a tight bond. Kivlenieks lived in Merzlikins' guest room at his house."I'm gonna be honest, there (were) a couple of games I was just going out there and I didn't care because I wasn't there," Merzlikins said, per Johnson. "I was playing hockey. The guys are coming on me and I'm thinking, 'Gosh, last year he was here with me. This year, there's gonna be an empty seat at my table.' It was hard."Merzlikins also admitted he was triggered early on in the season by the cannon blast the Blue Jackets use to celebrate goals. However, he said he's since been able to move past that particular struggle."When I heard the cannon, my heart - I felt my heart. I never heard in my life my heart beating that alive," he said. "That was a really weird feeling, what I had. I'm gonna be honest, the next three or four games when I heard the cannon, even when we scored goals, I was always closing my eyes and getting myself ready."I think that's just the trauma, but it went away. Obviously, now, when I hear the cannon, I'm happy."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's entirely possible that the Predators weren't going to win this series anyway, but any underdog losing its star goaltender right before the playoffs is going to be in even more trouble when facing a healthy, powerhouse roster like the Avalanche.Juuse Saros is out four-to-six weeks for the Predators, who landed on our list of teams that would suffer a major drop-off at the position if their starter missed time.On the penultimate night of the regular season, the Preds played in Colorado, already without Saros. While they beat the full-strength Avs 5-4 in a shootout, the more relevant note is that they closed around +255 on the moneyline, a significant increase from the Predators' +170 price when they visited Colorado in late November.Saros didn't play in that earlier game either, though, so the last time the Avs saw Saros was in January in Nashville when the Preds were +110 on the moneyline. Using ratings for that game, had it been played in Colorado - flipping the home-ice advantage - the Predators would have been around +140 - just a 5% win probability upgrade with Saros versus the +170 price with David Rittich.With an even-strength GSAx (goals saved above expectation) of +4.44, Saros stops .08 goals per 60 minutes above an average goaltender, while Rittich gave up 0.5 more goals than expected per 60 minutes in his limited action this season.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPAvalanche-300-500COL -2.5 (-110)Predators+240+375NSH +2.5 (-110)The Game 1 moneyline is a small adjustment toward the Predators, giving them some credit for last Thursday's win with Rittich. However, the post-Saros pricing implies a 15% drop in Nashville's game-by-game win probability.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, and high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who will play better in the postseason.Due to some tainted results from before the All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, to factor in home ice, we'll make use of a formula that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 in Nashville (Game 3, 4, and 6).AVALANCHEPREDATORSTrue ML in Colorado-212+212True ML in Predators+118-118Series Price-217+217Price 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-202+139-207Predators+256-113+263With the significant downgrade in the market to the Predators without Saros, it's not surprising that the value equation leans to Nashville, especially over the course of a full series.Derivative marketSeries resultProbability / Converted OddsAvalanche 4-09.7% / +930Avalanche 4-121.8% / +359Avalanche 4-216.3% / +512Avalanche 4-320.6% / +385Predators 4-03% / +3218Predators 4-15.7% / +1644Predators 4-213.1% / +666Predators 4-39.7% / +927Both teams played considerably better at home than on the road this season, posting even-strength expected goal shares above 50% at home, but posting sub-50 XG% on the road. That would suggest home ice is more important than usual.Best betIf you bet on the Predators moneyline every game, you could go 2-4 and still end up profitable. For example, with a greater than +200 payout on the Preds in Games 1, 2, and 5, you would only need Nashville to win one in Denver. The Preds will likely be home underdogs in Games 3 and 4, needing only a split to be profitable on those two games.While it's hard to imagine the Predators knocking out the Avalanche, there's value on Nashville lasting longer than the market thinks. Forcing a sixth game would cash a bet on the +2.5 series line at -110. My numbers make that a 68.5% probability, and even if that's not accounting enough for the drop-off in net, there's still some value at that price.Pick: Predators +2.5 games (-110)Games 1, 2, and 5: Predators moneyline (+250 or better)Games 3 and 4: Predators moneyline (+100 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 2021-22 NHL regular season featured many unforgettable moments that covered a wide range of emotions.Here, we reflect on those that made everyone in the hockey world feel good - regardless of who you cheer for.Guy Lafleur remembered Francois Lacasse / National Hockey League / GettyIf there's one thing about the Montreal Canadiens that hockey fans can agree on, it's that the NHL's oldest franchise knows how to hold a proper pregame ceremony. That's never been more true than when the Habs honored Guy Lafleur in their first home game after his passing.The Bell Centre faithful gave a 10-minute standing ovation for the beloved legend before puck drop, and Montreal incorporated several classy touches throughout the evening, including shining a spotlight on "The Flower's" iconic No. 10, removing ads on the boards to write his name, and gathering the players underneath his banner to raise their sticks after the contest. All in all, it was the epitome of class and a unifying tribute for the hockey world after a big loss.Kraken fan helps save life of Canucks' equipment manager Christopher Mast / National Hockey League / GettyThis moment had nothing to do with the sport itself but was unforgettable nonetheless. Nadia Popovici, a Seattle Kraken fan and future medical student, used the Notes app on her phone to warn Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian Hamilton during a game that a mole on the back of his neck looked cancerous.Popovici was right. Hamilton had the mole removed, and doctors confirmed it had cancerous cells and life-threatening implications. After the operation, Hamilton posted a letter to the Canucks' Twitter account in hopes of identifying Popovici, and the two met up the next time Vancouver was in Seattle."She extended my life. I've got a wonderful family. I've got a wonderful daughter. … She saved my life," Hamilton said.The Kraken and Canucks combined to award Popovici a $10,000 scholarship and honored her with a video tribute during a later game in thanks.Bokondji Imama's 1st NHL goal Norm Hall / National Hockey League / GettyBokondji Imama took a long, difficult path to the NHL, but his hard work and determination were almost instantly rewarded. The 25-year-old played five full seasons in the QMJHL, then bounced around multiple AHL and ECHL organizations after the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted him 180th overall in 2015.This season with the Tucson Roadrunners, Imama was targeted with a racist gesture that warranted a 30-game suspension for the perpetrator. Imama finally made his NHL debut for the Arizona Coyotes on April 22 and scored his first goal the next day to spark a three-goal, third-period rally against the heavily favored St. Louis Blues.His reaction was great enough on its own, but the sight of his parents and sisters shedding tears of joy in celebration in the stands was truly priceless.Carey Price returns Francois Lacasse / National Hockey League / GettyThe Canadiens' legions of loyal fans produced two of the season's most heartwarming moments in a matter of weeks. Not long before the Lafleur ceremony, Montreal welcomed back its most cherished player of this generation: Carey Price.After carrying the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final last summer, Price missed the first 74 games of Montreal's season due to recovery from knee surgery and a month in the NHL's player assistance program. It was a long road back to the ice, and the former MVP returned to a thunderous ovation.Price isn't only the heart and soul of the Canadiens, but he's also one of the most respected veterans in the league. Sidney Crosby was one of the players who reached out to wish him well after his first game back, which is a strong indicator of Price's reputation among his peers.Ovechkin moves into 3rd place on goals list Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / GettyUntil Alex Ovechkin retires, his pursuit of the NHL's goal record will be one of the most popular subplots of any season. The "Great Eight" provided plenty of entertainment in that regard this past campaign, catapulting from seventh to third on the all-time list with his 767th career goal in March.Ovechkin passed Marcel Dionne, Brett Hull, and Jaromir Jagr this season to move onto the podium behind only Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. The hockey world may be a bit numb to Ovechkin's goal-scoring exploits by now, but each time he moves up the ladder, it's a must-see moment.Jagr himself reached out to congratulate Ovechkin, making the big moment even sweeter.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There are few occasions in sports quite as exciting and chaotic as the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.We're treated to another batch of mouth-watering matchups this year, with every arena back at full capacity for the first time since 2019 following the bubble playoffs in 2020 and lingering restrictions in 2021. Giddy up.Below are the odds for every series as well as our NHL betting writers' favorite plays.Series oddsHIGHER SEED (ODDS)LOWER SEED (ODDS)Florida Panthers (-300)Washington Capitals (+240)Toronto Maple Leafs (-125)Tampa Bay Lightning (+105)Carolina Hurricanes (-115)Boston Bruins (-105)New York Rangers (-105)Pittsburgh Penguins (-115)Colorado Avalanche (-500)Nashville Predators (+375)Minnesota Wild (-150)St. Louis Blues (+125)Calgary Flames (-285)Dallas Stars (+230)Edmonton Oilers (-250)Los Angeles Kings (+200)Favorite series priceAlex Moretto: Bruins (-105)This is going to be a fascinating series between two of the league's best five-on-five teams, but I believe the wrong one is favored. The Bruins are playing their best hockey at the right time, while the Hurricanes are sputtering and facing serious question marks in net as Frederik Andersen races to get healthy. He should return early in the series, but the Bruins have had their way with him in past playoffs.In many ways, these are two very similar teams, but the Bruins hold some key edges that aren't reflected in this price, starting with how much more consistent they are defensively. It won't be easy by any means, but Boston will ride its elite blue line and battle-tested top line to a fifth successive first-round series win.Matt Russell: Penguins (-115)Moretto stole my Bruins pick and it feels like cheating if I take the Panthers (-300), with whom my numbers have the largest edge, so the Penguins it is. It's a matchup between one team in Pittsburgh that sees the sands running through the hourglass awfully quickly and one in the Rangers, who rely too heavily on their goaltender for my liking. Since Brian Burke took over, the Penguins decided to go for it in the latter days of Sidney Crosby's and Evgeni Malkin's careers - and for the first time since their Stanley Cup wins years ago, the core is healthy.Todd Cordell: Wild (-150)The Blues are a very good offensive team, but I have great concerns with when they don't have the puck. At five-on-five they allowed 2.85 expected goals per 60 over the last 25 games of the regular season, which put them 27th in the NHL, behind teams like the Flyers, Ducks, and Jets. I think the Wild will expose those defensive issues while playing responsible two-way hockey.Favorite series spreadAlex Moretto: Avalanche -2.5 (+105)Tougher tests await the overwhelming West favorites in the coming rounds, but a first-round matchup with the Predators gives the Avalanche a chance to wet their feet - and likely pick up some extra rest ahead of date with the Wild or Blues. Colorado's depth is overwhelming, especially for a Nashville team that lacks depth on the back end.The Predators can be a fun team and have an innate ability to make life difficult on their opponents, but they also rely heavily on the exploits of Juuse Saros, who will miss the duration of the series. The drop-off in net from Saros to Connor Ingram is among the biggest of any team from starter to backup, and as a result, it's hard to see the Preds winning more than a game here. Their energetic crowd could help them to a victory on home ice, but the chances of Colorado winning this series in five games or fewer are much higher than the odds reflect.Matt Russell: Oilers -1.5 (-115)Sure, I could have taken the Stars +1.5, but instead, I'll go head-to-head with Moretto's supposed upset. (To follow.) All it would take is merely average goaltending for the Oilers to wash away some of the stink of the last two playoff losses that can be attributed to padded masked men. Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen are still around, but they're capable of being just OK, and that will be enough against the Kings, whose high-stakes last six weeks may have worn them down.Todd Cordell: Panthers -1.5 (-140)I think the Capitals are in for a world of hurt in this series. Their offense isn't as prolific as it has been in the past, and their goaltending is a big concern. Only the Devils posted a worse team save percentage over the final 25 games of the season. Goaltending issues are a recipe for disaster against the Panthers, who scored more goals than every team in the NHL. I just don't see the Capitals keeping up, especially if Alex Ovechkin is not 100%.Favorite upsetAlex Moretto: Kings +1.5 (-105)I gave out the Bruins (-105) as my favorite series price, so take that as my upset if you want because I'm taking the coward's way out here.Edmonton has drastically improved under Jay Woodcroft, but even over that span - since Feb. 10 - Los Angeles has been the better team at five-on-five. The Oilers' high-end talent and strong special teams make them scary to bet against, but the Kings can give them trouble with their structure, discipline, and defensive acumen. Watching Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault go to work against two of the world's best offensive players is going to be a treat. There's a wealth of playoff experience on these Kings, and while the Oilers might ultimately pull through, they're going to have to earn every inch.Matt Russell: Wild-Blues Under 5.5 games (+145)We're blessed with three coin-flip series but cursed with at least two that aren't going to provide much drama, so options seem more limited than usual in this category. Instead, I will pivot to a juicy price, which would be considered an upset by betting standards.Admittedly, I don't know who's going to win the series, but if there's a surprise, it might be that one team can't get enough goaltending. Given the way the Blues and Wild can score, that might mean a quick exit for either team. Think Oilers-Jets last year, where the games were high-scoring and close, but the series score was not.Todd Cordell: Bruins (-105)The Bruins aren't a team I would want to face in the playoffs. They posted the best expected goals for percentage in the league over the last 25 games, coming in above 60%. They have lethal duos on each of their top lines and are stout defensively; very few teams can limit chances like Boston can. While the Hurricanes are a strong team, I believe more in Boston's star power and structured defense. The Andersen situation in goal makes Carolina a tough side to back as well. If he misses more than a game or isn't 100%, I think the Hurricanes are in trouble.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Our sense of time has been muddled by the pandemic, so here's a quick refresher: the St. Louis Blues were the reigning Stanley Cup champions when the world shut down in March 2020. They are still the last team not named the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Cup, and the last team to win after a full 82-game season.Remember that 2018-19 Blues squad? Such a fairy-tale story.There was that stunning trajectory, going from dead last in the standings midway through the regular season to taking out the Boston Bruins in the Cup final; there was the rise of rookie goalie Jordan Binnington. And, of course, the rally song "Gloria," young superfan Laila Anderson, Carl Gunnarsson's urinal game, and drunk Brett Hull yelling, "We Went Blues!" Joe Puetz / Getty ImagesWhat a special run for a fan base that waited 52 years to celebrate a title.The Blues have since lost in the first round of the playoffs two years in a row, but they again look strong enough to legitimately compete for the Cup. St. Louis is entering the postseason as one of the NHL's hottest teams, having gone 14-2-2 since March 26.The Blues finished ninth overall in points (109) and fifth in goal differential (plus-69), but they're the No. 3 seed in a stacked Central Division. They're set to meet the Minnesota Wild in what could ultimately be Round 1's most thrilling series.Ahead of Monday's opener, let's take a look at what's changed and what's stayed the same for the Blues since they hoisted the Cup, and also why the hockey world shouldn't sleep on them as a 2022 Cup threat.Mix of old and new Michael Martin / Getty ImagesAlex Pietrangelo left for Vegas in the fall of 2020; Justin Faulk has stepped into the ex-captain's role as the club's all-purpose right-handed defenseman.Alex Steen retired due to injury in late 2020; winger Brandon Saad was brought in this past offseason to replace him as a top-nine forward.Vince Dunn was selected by Seattle in the expansion draft; lefties Torey Krug and Marco Scandella have picked up the slack - and more - on the blue line.Jaden Schwartz also ended up in Seattle; Pavel Buchnevich, acquired in an offseason trade with the New York Rangers, has been dynamite on the wing."It's like watching the sequel to a movie where the characters are the same but they're using different actors," said former Blues defenseman Jamie Rivers, now an analyst for 101 ESPN and Bally Sports Midwest. Rivers added the key part is that despite the turnover, the team hasn't lost any talent. "When I look at the overall vibe, it's eerily similar to 2019."Of the 23 players available for Monday's game against the Wild, only nine made an appearance in the 2019 playoffs: forwards Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, David Perron, Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas, and Ivan Barbashev; defensemen Colton Parayko and Robert Bortuzzo; Binnington in net. (Speedster Jordan Kyrou, a crucial piece now and into the future, played 16 games in the 2018-19 regular season but did not see action in the playoffs.)While that's a relatively small group, the quality of players is quite high. Add a handful of newcomers - Faulk, Saad, Krug, and Buchnevich from other teams plus goalie Ville Husso from their development system - and you get the makeup of players who collectively drive the 2022 team. Scott Rovak / Getty ImagesThe depth of talent is impressive. It's difficult to pinpoint where the reliable part of St. Louis' lineup ends and the iffy part begins. The gap between the best forward and seventh-best forward, for example, isn't huge - which is on-brand for the Blues. Sure, the mid-market franchise has employed the likes of Hull, Adam Oates, Chris Pronger, and Wayne Gretzky, but it's always been a blue-collar team at heart."If you look in the past, there's not too many superstars coming to St. Louis," Schenn, who arrived from Philadelphia in 2017, said in a recent interview. "It's just a bunch of hockey players that want to play for one another. Ultimately, that wins."As for on-ice results, the sharpest contrast between 2019 and 2022 is in the sheer volume of goals. A few years ago, the Blues bagged 2.98 goals per game (15th in the league) on the strength of three 20-goal scorers and the 10th-ranked power play. This regular season, they scored 3.77 per game (third) and boasted an NHL-high nine 20-goal scorers, with veteran sniper Tarasenko (34) leading the charge. They also own the second-ranked power play."When we're going, everyone is creating chances. It's hard for teams to defend us," said Thomas, who recorded a team-high 57 assists in 72 games."It feels like we can get on this run of wave after wave, of just being all over them, being relentless, and being hard on them. When you have that depth, it gives you confidence. You know when you change another line is going to pick up right where you left off. That's one of the staples of our game."Distinct playing styles Scott Rovak / Getty ImagesThe Blues attack shift after shift. When they're truly feeling it as a group, they attack in waves and show their versatility.Unlike the 2019 team, which generated most of its offense off the cycle, the current Blues can alternate between an uptempo, finesse style fueled by speed and skill, and a heavy cycle powered by strength and endurance."We've had a good rush team all year, but now we're playing smarter," head coach Craig Berube said earlier this month amid a 16-game point streak. "If the plays aren't there, we're putting it deep and we're going to work. And that used to be our game all the time - our (cycle) game and our heavy forecheck - but we're getting a pretty good combination of them both now."At full health, the top three forward lines are Buchnevich-Thomas-Tarasenko, Saad-O'Reilly-Perron, and Barbashev-Schenn-Kyrou. The Thomas group is dynamic, especially in transition, with a puck-possession center feeding silky passes to trigger-happy wingers. The O'Reilly trio is a two-way "boards line," as Rivers calls them, "since they work everything around the walls." The Schenn line tends to play a style closer to smash-mouth hockey, though Kyrou's quickness gives them game-breaking flair."That's a lot for other teams to handle," Rivers said. "How do you do your matchups? Do you take your best defensive line and try to play them against the most dynamic trio? Do you try to play heavy against the O'Reilly line? Do you try to get into a punch-in-the-mouth contest with the Schenn line?" Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesMost notably, Thomas has found twin-like chemistry with Tarasenko. TNT and Bally Sports analyst Darren Pang points out stopping them is no easy task."Vladi always thinks the game at a different level and his expectations are very, very high," Pang said. "If this wasn't working between him and Robert you'd be seeing a lot of slamming sticks and slamming bench doors. But you're not seeing that at all. We're seeing a really cohesive group that wants to be the best line in the game every time they're out there on the ice."Despite the Thomas trio being known as the de facto first line, O'Reilly led all Blues forwards in ice time during the regular season, skating for 19:05 a night. Thomas was second at 18:47 while Saad (16:16) was ninth. Berube is well aware depth is a major strength of his roster and he's not afraid to lean into it."I'm not going to lie, throughout the year, there's been a few scraps here and there about power-play time or this or that - but in a good way," Schenn said. "It's not guys hating on one another, it's guys challenging each other to be better, and ultimately, that's worked well for us this year."The X-factor Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesEvery playoff team - including St. Louis and Minnesota, two of the highest-scoring squads in the regular season - need at least passable goaltending in the first round and beyond. You can't outscore your problems for an entire run.Are the Blues secure in their duo of Husso and Binnington?"We feel like we've got the best tandem in the league," Thomas said.The final stat line for Husso: .919 save percentage, 14.9 goals saved above average, 13.4 goals saved above expected, and a 25-7-6 record in 40 games played, 38 of them starts. And for Binnington: .901 SV%, minus-6.5 GSAA, minus-9.7 GSAx, and a 18-14-4 record in 37 games played. Scott Rovak / Getty ImagesIt's obvious who should start Game 1 against Minnesota. Rivers believes Husso, much like Binnington exhibited in 2019, has the mentality of a playoff goalie."Even if he gets lit up like a Christmas tree in a game, it doesn't faze him," Rivers said. "He moves on to the next shot, the next period, the next game, whatever. He has a very short memory, which, for a goaltender, is a bonus."Added Pang: "Ville knows where the middle of the net is and he gets there. A lot of pucks hit him in the belly, in the pants. That's a sign of great positioning and awareness of where that net is. It's a calming influence for a coach."In theory, having a tandem like Husso and Binnington is another advantage for Berube. Depth at forward, depth at defense, and depth at goalie - the Blues seem to have it all.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.

It appears as though Jakob Chychrun wants no part of another rebuild.The Arizona Coyotes defenseman was a popular candidate to be moved ahead of this year's trade deadline before a lower-body injury in March ultimately ended his season.But trade rumors surrounding Chychrun are expected to heat up again with Arizona now turning its focus to the offseason. And it doesn't sound like the 24-year-old would oppose moving to a contender."I don't know," Chychrun said Saturday when asked if he'd be OK not getting traded this summer, according to PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan. "I'm signed for three more years. The trajectory of where the team is going and a lot of that stuff is important to me. I want to be in a position where I'm getting to play a week from now, not packing up."The Coyotes have been in full teardown mode since hiring general manager Bill Armstrong in September 2020. In his first full offseason in charge, Armstrong prioritized stockpiling draft picks and prospects, trading away multiple core players in the process.This direction has frustrated Chychrun."I've been here my whole career and absolutely love it here, and it seems like every time we get to a point where it looks like we're gonna be getting there, it just gets torn down again," he said. "That was kind of tough on me a bit this year, just naturally as a human being and competitive person. I want to win so bad. That's the only part that can be tough on me at times."Chychrun recalled receiving advice from former Coyotes goalie Mike Smith about not taking an NHL career for granted."You only have so many chances at this, and you can't let them go by every year and say, 'Oh, it's another year.' Wash your hands and move on, get ready for the summer," Chychrun said. "You really have to take advantage of the short time you have in this league because it flies by."Chychrun had a down season statistically. After finishing 10th in Norris Trophy voting in 2020-21 with 41 points in 56 games, he registered just 21 points in 47 contests this campaign.He's signed to a team-friendly contract carrying a $4.6-million cap hit through 2024-25, only adding to his already high trade value.Armstrong admitted Saturday that he'll survey the market this offseason."I think that's something that we're going to look to explore and see where that goes," Armstrong said, according to AZ Central's Jose Romero. "I'd be a lying GM if I said that I didn't talk to other GMs and try to explore, you know, try to move the club forward, make it better. So I think we'll look at all of our options, and that's one of them."A report in January said the Coyotes sought a return similar to what the Buffalo Sabres received for Jack Eichel.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The night before the Lightning brought the Stanley Cup to the White House last week, Tampa Bay's Ondrej Palat flicked a wrister into the chest of Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, halting play. Palat skated to the bench, emotionless about the shot and save. Blood spattered behind him.Panthers agitator Ryan Lomberg punched Erik Cernak in the temple, and they kept fighting after the officials intervened. Cernak threw a left jab over the linesman's shoulder. Lomberg wiggled his fingers in Cernak's face. Cernak pointed at Lomberg as he left the ice. Having fanned the flames at home, Lomberg waved to the cheering crowd and disappeared into the tunnel."People talk about other rivalries, whether it's in Alberta or wherever," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the game, which Tampa Bay won 8-4 last Sunday. "But don't turn your back on this one. (These are) two pretty darn good teams that want to win. They'll do anything to do it." Joel Auerbach / Getty ImagesSeriously: Don't ignore either Florida team this spring. The playoffs start Monday and the road to the Cup - in the East, at least - runs through the Sunshine State. The Panthers claimed the Presidents' Trophy and scored more goals than any team in the salary-cap era. Sixteen postseason wins separate Tampa Bay from a third straight championship.The Atlantic Division bracket ropes the Toronto Maple Leafs into the fray. The Leafs could beat the Lightning in the first round to end a long string of early knockouts. But if Toronto falters and the Panthers oust the Washington Capitals, Round 2 would feature the second playoff edition of the Battle of Florida.Tampa Bay's shot to become an unquestioned dynasty would be on the line. Same goes for Florida's hope to escape the Lightning's long shadow.A playoff team for three seasons running, the Panthers haven't won a series since 1996, by far the league's longest drought. Claude Giroux was the latest big-ticket player they acquired to fix this. Eliot J. Schechter / NHL / Getty Images"They feel that the opportunity, the window, is right now," Ed Jovanovski, the retired defenseman who analyzes Panthers games on Bally Sports Florida, said in a recent interview. "You have an excellent season. You bring in a top-end talent like Giroux. Hopefully, that one extra guy is the part of the puzzle that can get you to the next step."Jovanovski added: "This team has a really tough time getting through the first round. That could be, possibly, weighing on the group. But no signs have shown me this team can't fight through any adversity."The Panthers teemed with offensive talent even before Giroux arrived at the trade deadline. He was the seventh Florida forward to eclipse 20 goals this season. The Panthers potted six-plus goals in a game (17 times) more often than they were held to two or fewer (15). When they topped Toronto 7-6 in overtime April 5, it was the second time in four days that they'd erased a four-goal deficit to win by that score.The Giroux deal typified how Bill Zito, the Panthers' general manager, built them to contend. Florida landed its cornerstone stars - Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, and Aaron Ekblad - near the top of the draft between 2011 and 2014. Then Zito deepened the lineup over the past two seasons with shrewd pickups and all-in trades.Jovanovski played with Huberdeau and Barkov in Sunrise late in his career, when Florida scraped the bottom of the league standings. He's watched the duo ascend to rare heights: Barkov is a perennial Selke Trophy contender and Huberdeau dished 85 assists this season, the most ever by a left winger.Jovanovski has also seen Huberdeau up his physicality, cracking back when he gets gloved in the face."He's not going to take shit. A top-end talent, you expect a little more attention. He'll give it back. It's good to see how that part of their games has evolved," Jovanovski said. "These guys have been together a while, and I think they're just sick of losing." Mark LoMoglio / NHL / Getty ImagesThe Lightning can't relate. The reigning champs atoned for a four-game losing skid in April by pumping eight goals apiece past the Leafs and Panthers. Those outbursts helped elevate Steven Stamkos to 106 points, a career best in his first healthy campaign since 2019. Nikita Kucherov just racked up 23 points in a nine-game span, signaling, like Victor Hedman has all season, that he's at peak form.Lightning GM Julien BriseBois' deadline focus was to replenish forward depth, a strength of the title teams that's hard to maintain under the cap. Linemates Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, and Yanni Gourde all left Tampa last offseason. The Lightning acquired Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul, who burned the Panthers shorthanded last weekend.Championship teams need "fresh blood" in the lineup to be able to repeat, Lightning TV analyst Brian Engblom told theScore. Newcomers arrive hungry to win for the first time. Different postseasons present different challenges, but they only get more demanding."I've always felt it's as much about will, or even more about will, than skill to win the Stanley Cup," said Engblom, a two-time Cup champ in the 1970s with the dynastic Montreal Canadiens. "It takes everything you've got from everybody."Every playoff game, for me, is worth about three regular-season games. That's kind of the best way to describe it. If you're going to play 24 games in the playoffs to win it all, you do the math, and that's what it means. Can you get there emotionally often enough to win every series?"When the Lightning bounced the Panthers in Round 1 last year, the six-game matchup was chippy and engrossing. Lomberg buried an OT breakaway to clinch a comeback win in Game 3. But Florida was at a loss to contain Tampa Bay's horde of scorers, changing goalies four times in the series.Kucherov tallied 11 of his playoff-best 32 points against the Panthers, alternately delighting and dispiriting crowds that were capped at half capacity because of the pandemic.Expect sellouts if the rivalry resumes this month. The Lightning want to throw a third boat parade, their signature expression of triumph. To Panthers IceDen hockey director Peter Worrell, a Florida run would substantiate that the Panthers are elite after a couple of down decades."The toughest part about being in South Florida is that there are so many things to do. If you're not a winning team, you get forgotten real quick," said Worrell, the retired NHL enforcer."After (many) years in the desert, so to speak, having the type of team they've had for the last couple of years has been nice. But I think for some people, they thought it was a mirage. This team is solidifying what they're doing."When the Panthers entered the NHL the year after the Lightning, the situation rankled Phil Esposito, Tampa Bay's first GM. Teams only got to protect one goalie in the 1993 expansion draft, not two as when the Lightning debuted. Esposito called the Florida franchise "Miami" and said his squad planned to "beat the hell out of them." On live TV, before an early preseason showdown, he tiptoed toward Bobby Clarke and kissed the Panthers GM on the cheek."Jesus," Clarke said, per the Sun-Sentinel. "He's a fool."Only one '90s expansion team has won multiple Stanley Cups. That's Tampa Bay, but Florida reached the final first. Backstopped by John Vanbiesbrouck, the Vezina Trophy candidate they poached in the expansion draft, the Panthers missed the playoffs by a point in 1994 and 1995 before they seized the postseason spotlight.The '96 Panthers were a stingy defensive club with some scoring punch. As the Eastern Conference's fourth seed, they vanquished starrier opponents. Bill Lindsay blew by Ray Bourque to ice a five-game win over the Boston Bruins. OT goals from Dave Lowry and Mike Hough powered a six-game upset of Eric Lindros' Philadelphia Flyers. Vanbiesbrouck stonewalled the Pittsburgh Penguins as Round 3 went the distance."Shaking hands with Mario Lemieux, (he said), 'Hey, your team played unbelievable hockey,'" Doug MacLean, Florida's first-year head coach that season, told theScore recently. "It was the thrill of a lifetime to win that in seven games."Nobody gave us a chance, obviously. But nobody gave us a chance in any of the series."Although the Colorado Avalanche swept them in the final, the Panthers inspired a singular hockey ritual. Ahead of Florida's home opener that season, Scott Mellanby one-timed and killed a rat that tried to scurry across the dressing room. His two-goal game later that night prompted fans throughout the season to hurl toy rats, sometimes by the thousands, from their seats to the ice. There, attendants who were dressed as exterminators collected them in buckets.Before the NHL banned the celebration after routine goals - Florida broke this rule twice in a period in 2016, incurring minor penalties - the rats haunted visiting goalies throughout the '96 playoffs. Curious locals gravitated to the underdogs. Jovanovski, a Panthers rookie that season, said Miami buzzed like a Canadian city."We became sort of the darlings of the Florida market," MacLean said. "It became absolutely crazy. People still come up to me and talk to me about the fans and what it was like in South Florida during that two-month playoff run."Penguins goalie Tom Barrasso shelters in his net during the 1996 playoffs. David E. Klutho / Sports Illustrated / Getty ImagesScenes from the '96 playoff run. Bill Frakes / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images The area has had little to cheer about for 26 years. No franchise that was active in 1996-97 has recorded fewer wins since than Florida. In Delray Beach, MacLean's home city 30 miles north of Sunrise, bartenders have told him they can't televise the Panthers game because they don't carry Carolina's NFL contests."They need a playoff run so bad to reignite the fan base. They're capable of it this year with the team they have," MacLean said. "This team is a better-skilled team than the '96 Panthers by a margin, probably. But the question will be: Do they have the character and the drive that team had? We'll see."Other storylines will swing results for both teams. For the Lightning to get back to the White House - the pandemic kept them from visiting until last Monday - proven performers like Palat, Brayden Point, and Alex Killorn need to produce in every series. Florida hopes the following will hold up under pressure: Bobrovsky's goaltending, Ekblad's right leg - he's expected back from injury soon - and the offense that conjured goals on a whim."I think we gave (our home crowd) a lot of great memories in the regular season," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette told reporters recently. "Now it's time to build them in the playoffs." Bruce Bennett, Mike Ehrmann / Getty ImagesThose memories galvanize people. When Worrell started coaching Panthers-affiliated youth squads, a lot of players cited the '96 run as their introduction to hockey. When one of his youth players, now-26-year-old defenseman Chase Priskie, debuted in the NHL with the Panthers last fall, he became the first South Floridian to skate for the hometown team."Tampa, right now, is going through the renaissance from 2004, and then their back-to-back wins," Worrell said. "It carries people to the rink - to want to watch games, but then they want to get their little sons or daughters involved."History will be in reach if the Lightning overcome Toronto and go further. Not even Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers three-peated as Cup champs; the New York Islanders did that last in the early '80s. Tampa Bay's staying power rivals that of those dynasties, which is quite the feat for the club the Columbus Blue Jackets swept three years ago.Engblom brought up that 2019 series the other week, describing it as telltale. Bombing out of Round 1 wasn't desirable, but the fan reaction was."You could really tell that people were paying attention. They were angry," he said. "They're emotional because their team lost. When you get that emotional reaction, now you're really getting somewhere."And then, of course, it's followed by the two Cup wins. Everybody now is full-on sailing along. Literally, in the boat parades."Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Almost two years ago in the bubble, the Hurricanes had the Bruins on the ropes, but weren't able to score enough to send Boston home. Last year, Carolina found itself in a second-round matchup with the Lightning, but couldn't solve Andrei Vasilevskiy to force a Game 7. Will the issue crop up again in a rematch with the Bruins?When we're looking for a valuable bet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the first question is: "What have you done for me lately?"The Bruins are my highest-rated team after the All-Star break, a cohort that's particularly important (more details below). Only four other playoff teams improved in the second half over their season-long rating. The Hurricanes were one of them, but not to Boston's degree.If the Canes are carrying baggage from the last two postseasons, they can't be thrilled to face a team that improved steadily the way Boston did. The Bruins are a wild-card team in more ways than one - they won 26 games at home and 25 on the road this season.Series OddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPHurricanes-115-115CAR -1.5 (+180)Bruins-105-105BOS -1.5 (+160)Projected pricesHopefully you used our NHL betting guide to evaluate your bets during the regular season, and to find what value truly means in hockey. For the playoffs, we're using even-strength metrics like expected goals, high-danger chance rates, and high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict which team will play better playoff hockey.Due to special circumstances during the season, which included some tainted results pre-All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, we'll make use of a formula to factor in home ice that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7), and in Boston (Game 3, 4, and 6).HURRICANESBRUINSTrue ML in Carolina-101+101True ML In Boston+166-166Series Price+159-159Price 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+112+198+188Bruins+109-159-152The identical game and series prices imply a 50-50 coin flip of a matchup, and should this go to a seventh game in Carolina, maybe that's the case. However, the Bruins' ability to play on the road, along with a hostile atmosphere in Boston, suggests going the distance might be tough for the Hurricanes.Derivative marketSeries resultProbability / Converted OddsHurricanes 4-03.6% / +2709Hurricanes 4-19.5% / +953Hurricanes 4-210.5% / +855Hurricanes 4-315.2% / +560Bruins 4-09.7% / +936Bruins 4-115.5% / +546Bruins 4-221.2% / +372Bruins 4-315% / +567Unless you get extremely fortunate with the inevitable overtime games that are going to come in any matchup between close teams, a sweep is hard to pull off. The Bruins are only 9.7% likely to put the brooms to Carolina, but at 12-1, there's value if you want to shoot your shot. Slightly more conservatively, the Bruins to win 4-1 at +650 has some value as well.Best betThe Bruins got clipped by the Islanders last year, but the pieces are all still there. The 18 skaters will need to take the pressure off the Bruins' inexperience in net. They've shown they can, allowing only 8.89 even-strength high-danger chances per 60 minutes since the All-Star break. That will make life easier for either Jeremy Swayman or Linus Ullmark.Carolina's lack of size on the defensive end is going to be tested to keep Frederik Andersen clean, and the longer the series goes, the more it moves in Boston's favor.There's not much in the way of value in the first game, but since the Bruins start on the road, grabbing that big price on a sweep is all I'll do for Game 1. A win in Raleigh puts everything in play. On the back end of the series, if the Bruins have a 3-2 lead heading home for Game 6, it's curtains for Carolina.Pick: Bruins to win series (-105 or better)Bruins -1.5 (+160 or better)Bruins sweep (+1200 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.

Home-ice advantage has been a topic of conversation in this space all season. The Flames had identical 25-16 records home and away. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Stars were 27-14 in Dallas and 19-22 on the road.When you see that sort of drastic discrepancy, the first thing to look at is whether those results were due to variance or anything statistically different between the teams when playing away from home.TEAMHOME XG%ROAD XG%Flames57.92%51.93%Stars53.85%48.05%The Flames played to the level of their 61% win percentage at home, but on the road, they were only good enough to go 21-20, so they were a little lucky to have that good record. Meanwhile, the Stars underperformed their record at home and were slightly better than their road record would suggest.The other hot topic for this matchup is the idea of playing "playoff hockey" before the actual postseason begins. However, at 14-11 in their last 25 games, and a five-on-five expected goal share (XG%) of just 51%, it's not like Dallas lit the league on fire to grab a wild-card spot. The Flames closed 15-10 in the same stretch without much to play for.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPFlames-235-260-1.5 (-125)Stars+190+210+1.5 (+105)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, and high-danger conversion rates - both for and against - to try to predict who will play better in the postseason.Due to some tainted results from before the All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, to factor in home ice, we'll make use of a formula that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 Calgary (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7), and in Dallas (Game 3, 4, and 6).FLAMESSTARSTrue ML in Calgary-158+158True ML In Dallas+122-122Series Price-147+147Price 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-152+143-141Stars+188-117+175The opening line of the Stars +190 in Game 1 would suggest a bet on Dallas, and logically, if the Stars are going to push the Flames in this series, they'll need to jump on Calgary early, playing with the urgency they've had the last few weeks.Derivative 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 4-07.6% / +1208Flames 4-117.3% / +477Flames 4-215.4% / +549Flames 4-319.2% / +420Stars 4-04.5% / +2115Stars 4-18.4% / +1090Stars 4-215.4% / +551Stars 4-312.1% / +724Given the inflated price on Calgary across the board, if you're still looking to back the Flames and get a little value, a 4-3 series win is available at +425 - the only fair price on their side.My numbers show that this series goes at least six games 62.1% of the time. That would require a price shorter than -164 to be worth considering for a bet. Conversely, if you think one team or the other gets it done quickly, +164 is the lowest you should be willing to go on Under 5.5 total games.Best betThe value for this series lies in the Stars keeping it competitive. A Dallas sweep is a stretch, but at 25-1, stranger things have happened. More realistically, the +750 price for the Stars to win in six would see them closing out the series at home.For me, this series comes down to what you think about Game 6. If you don't think it sees one, bet the Under 5.5 games. If you think it does, then either Stars 4-2 (+750) or Flames 4-3 (+425) makes sense in the "series correct score" market.With a simpler, conservative approach, I'll be taking better than even-money with the Stars +1.5 games. I have that bet winning 59.6% of the time, and we're getting paid like it happens just under 50% of the time.Pick: Stars +1.5 (+105 or better)Game 1: Stars (+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.

Beyond the natural intrigue of two Stanley Cup contenders meeting in the first round, this series provides an even more interesting circumstance for bettors - a collision between arguably the two most popular teams to bet on by the public.The Lightning bring a pair of Stanley Cups to the party, and you know bettors like to wager on what they’ve seen most recently; the Leafs bring the logo and a diehard fan base oddsmakers know will show up to back their team - even if they never win in the playoffs during the most modern of eras (post-2004 lockout).It’s almost impossible to find value on either team, so what happens when they face off? The answer in this case is as close to a pick’em series as you can find. Toronto has home-ice advantage; Tampa has the clear edge between the pipes with Andrei Vasilevskiy.The Lightning don't have the same depth that they've had during their streak of playoff series wins, but they come in as healthy as could be expected. The Leafs managed Auston Matthews' bumps and bruises down the stretch, so the only injury issue is Petr Mrazek (-12.84 GSAx), and if you ask much of Leaf Nation, the bigger issue came when the first-year Leaf was in the crease.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPMaple Leafs-130-120TOR -1.5 (+160)Lightning+110+100TBL +1.5 (-190)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.Due to the special circumstances of the season, which includes some tainted results from before the All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, we'll make use of a formula to factor in home ice that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 Toronto (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7), and in Tampa Bay (Game 3, 4, and 6).MAPLE LEAFSLIGHTNINGTrue ML in Toronto-149+149True ML In Tampa Bay+144-144Series 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 3/4/6SERIESMaple Leafs-143+171-112Lightning+177-139+145I’ve got a relatively large moneyline swing depending on where the puck is dropped in this series. Toronto was 31-10 on the moneyline at home and 24-17 on the road. Tampa was much more evenly balanced in their splits, with a 27-14 home record, and 24-17 on the road. With a Game 1 moneyline at -130, I'd hop on the Leafs before that rises.Derivative 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 OddsMaple Leafs 4-06% / +1566Maple Leafs 4-115.2% / +558Maple Leafs 4-213.6% / +636Maple Leafs 4-319.1% / +423Lightning 4-05.6% / +1680Lightning 4-19.8% / +916Lightning 4-217.8% / +462Lightning 4-312.8% / +681With the Leafs' dominant home record this season, the best chance for exact result betting is for Toronto to close out the series at home. Given the tight matchup, there’s value in this being a long series as well. My fair price expectation for the series to go over 5.5 games is -173.Best betsNormally, betting on Toronto requires paying a tax for brand name, but with both teams getting that credit in this matchup, you can actually get close to fair price with the Leafs in this series.The reliance on Jack Campbell (-8.18 GSAx) is terrifying for Leafs’ backers, especially considering we know what you’re going to get from Tampa’s star netminder. This series has all the makings of a first-round classic, and the true advantage the Leafs have tapped this season will carry this to a Game 7. With a minus-price on Toronto expected for that game, sitting on a ticket worth +500 would provide ample opportunity. Even a ticket at -120 for the Leafs to win the series would have a little value as well.Pick: Maple Leafs (-120 or better)Maple Leafs win 4-3 (+500)Over 5.5 total games (-170 or better)Game 1: Maple Leafs (-140 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.

Having a plan rooted in advanced metric evaluations is a good way to remove any personal biases. That bias might be against the Oilers after recent postseason disappointments, but last season’s sweep at the hands of the Jets was an all-time outlier. All four games could have gone either way - with three going to overtime.The Oilers created 60 high-danger chances to the Jets’ 39, and Edmonton had a 58.75 expected goal share. Add that to a powerplay with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on it, not only should the Oilers have not been swept, they should have won the series relatively easily.The reason the series went the way it did was due to goaltending. Mike Smith came into the playoffs last year with an +8.36 GSAx (goals saved above expectation) only to falter with a -1.58 GSAx against Winnipeg. This year Smith has a +6.92 GSAx, but can the Oilers rely on him to be consistent in the playoffs? The other option is Mikko Koskinen, who led the team in wins despite his -2.01 GSAx.Meanwhile, the Kings return to the playoffs after a core of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick led surprise runs to the Stanley Cup. Los Angeles made astute offseason additions with proven playoff performers Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, but it's Adrian Kempe's leap to a career-high 35 goals that's allowed the Kings to easily clear their projected 84.5 point total for the season.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPOilers-205-250EDM -1.5 (-115)Kings+165+200LAK +1.5 (-105)Projected prices Hopefully 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.Due to the special circumstances of the season, which includes some tainted results from before the All-Star break when COVID-19 ravaged lineups, we're weighing the second half more than we normally would. Lastly, we'll make use of a formula to factor in home ice that includes each team's moneyline win percentage with the league average win probability differential.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 Edmonton (Game 1, 2, 5, and 7), and in Los Angeles (Game 3, 4, and 6).OILERSKINGSTrue ML in Edmonton-163+163True ML In Los Angeles-104+104Series Price-191+191Price 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 1/2/5/7 GAME 3/4/6 SERIESOilers-156+100-183Kings+194+122+230From a series standpoint, there’s not much of a bet to be made here as the market almost matches what I have. The vigorish for Game 1 appears to be pressed onto the Oilers with an opening moneyline of -205.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 OddsOilers 4-010% / +900Oilers 4-119.5% / +413Oilers 4-217.7% / +466Oilers 4-318.5% / +440Kings 4-03.5% / +2783Kings 4-17% / +1319Kings 4-212.4% / +705Kings 4-311.4% / +780From a value perspective, the Kings are available at +750 to win 4-2, which would be better than the fair price of +705 by 0.6%. In the series handicap market, the Kings (+1.5) are available at -105 (51.2%) with a fair price of -112 (52.8%), so there's a modest deal to be had there at a 1.6% edge.Best betWith not much in the mathematical evaluation of the odds to push us one way or another, we’ll have to bet this series the old-fashioned way. Whether it’s Smith, Koskinen, or both, the Oilers can get at least average goaltending in this series. If they do, we’ll want to bet on high-end Oilers’ results, implying that they can take care of the Kings quickly. With a heavy price for them to just win the series, "Oilers in five" is the way to go for a long-term bet on a short-term result.Pick: Oilers win 4-1 (+340)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.

With the 2021-22 NHL regular season now in the books (well, except for the Winnipeg Jets and the Seattle Kraken, but their rescheduled game won't have any impact here), it's time to evaluate who deserves some of the league's most coveted hardware.Our hockey editors each made their top three selections for six awards. The votes submitted by the individual writers who handled this season's Hart, Vezina, Norris, and Calder Trophy Power Rankings carried more weight for their specific honors. However, two of those races - and half of all the awards - produced unanimous winners.Here are theScore's choices for this season's premier NHL awards:Jack Adams Award Glenn James / National Hockey League / GettyWinner: Darryl Sutter

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is unsure of his status for next season due to his ongoing knee ailment."My honest opinion is no. I don't believe that the current state would be sustainable for a whole season," Price said when asked if he thinks he can start 55-60 games next season. "In that regard, I got a lot of question marks, and fortunately for me, I've got a lot of time over the summer to prepare, so we'll see."Price was sidelined for the majority of the 2021-22 campaign following knee surgery last offseason. He spent several months rehabbing his knee after entering the NHL's player assistance program at the start of the season.The 34-year-old said Saturday he's still dealing with a lot of swelling in his knee. He's planning on getting a second opinion on it during the offseason, and a second surgery isn't off the table.Price admitted the thought that Friday's game might be his last in the NHL crept into his mind."The whole day, it was just an exceptional day for myself. I had a great sleep, it was just an A+ day," Price said. "So if it is it, then that would be a great way to do it."Still, Price said he isn't prepared to back down from doing his all to get back into game shape and get ready for next season."Like I said a little bit earlier, this is definitely tough," Price said. "But I've always been a fighter and I've always been a clawer and I'm not giving up, I'm going to continue to do my best to prepare for next season."Price posted a .878 save percentage and a 1-4-0 record in five games this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The matchups are set, and the NHL playoffs will begin in just a couple of days. Which favorite is most deserving of the hype? Which longshots carry real value? We’ll dive into just that with three best bets for the postseason.TEAM CUP ODDSColorado Avalanche+325Florida Panthers+550Calgary Flames+800Toronto Maple Leafs+1000Carolina Hurricanes+1100Tampa Bay Lightning+1100Edmonton Oilers+1700Minnesota Wild+1700New York Rangers+1700Boston Bruins+2000Pittsburgh Penguins+2100St. Louis Blues+2200Dallas Stars+4000Washington Capitals+4000Nashville Predators+4000Los Angeles Kings+5000Colorado Avalanche (+325)The Colorado Avalanche are healthy favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and yet I still think this line is short. Colorado dealt with an insane amount of injuries this season, seemingly never having a healthy lineup, and even so, the team remained in contention to win the Presidents' Trophy until the end of Game 81. Think about that. The Avalanche scored in bunches and dominated all year long, even though Nathan MacKinnon, Nazem Kadri, Gabriel Landeskog, Devon Toews, Sam Girard, and Bowen Byram, among others, missed double-digit games. I think the Avs lap the field when they're at full health, and their divisional playoff bracket isn't exactly scary. This team is going deep.Edmonton Oilers (+1700)The Edmonton Oilers have been a completely different team under Jay Woodcroft. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Co. have been their usual dominant selves, while, importantly, Woodcroft has found a way to get much more from the roster when those guys aren't on the ice. The Oilers no longer get crushed in depth minutes, which makes them a scary side to deal with. There is a reason only the Florida Panthers won more over the final 25 games of the season.Edmonton's underlying metrics are very good, the squad's power play is terrifying, and Mike Smith has been excellent over the last month or two. It'll be tough to get past the Calgary Flames in the second round, but if they do, maybe the Oilers will have a banged-up Avalanche team waiting for them.Boston Bruins (+2000)The Boston Bruins are my favorite dark horse team. Boston finished the season in sparkling form, winning 17 of the final 25 games while controlling a league-best 60.5% of the expected goals at five-on-five - nearly 2% more than the next closest club.The Bruins are stout defensively, and with David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall crushing on the second line, their top six is a problem for anybody. If Boston can find a way to get the power play going, the team will essentially be flawless.Although the Carolina Hurricanes are a tough draw, I think going through the Metropolitan bracket will help Boston's cause in the long run. If the Bruins can get by Carolina, they'll meet the New York Rangers or Pittsburgh Penguins on the other side. And with all due respect, I'd much rather see either of those teams than the No. 1 seeded Panthers.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.

Andy Moog was in a funk. It was the early 1980s and the Edmonton Oilers goalie found himself in a sour mood every time he set foot inside an arena. "Maybe I wasn't playing well. Maybe I was hurt, sick, tired - honestly, who knows," Moog says now.One day, teammate Willy Lindstrom snapped. "Listen," he barked at Moog. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You're never going to get this again."Lindstrom was talking about the satisfaction of victory, competing in packed buildings, team camaraderie. The NHL lifestyle vanishes in the blink of an eye."He made me really appreciate the moment, and I admire him for that," says Moog, a three-time Stanley Cup champion with those dynastic Oilers teams.Andy Moog with the Stanley Cup in 1984. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesMoog tells this story over the phone while examining one of his three Cup rings. Two are locked inside a safety deposit box and stored at a bank, but he tends to keep his first - the smallest, plainest, and most meaningful - handy."There it is," the 62-year-old says as he describes his cherished 1984 ring. "You can put it on your hand and walk around. There's your connection to a Stanley Cup."Moog is one of 1,452 players to be on a Cup-winning team, according to Hockey Hall of Fame records. Of those players, 844 have won one title and 608 have won two or more. Starting Monday, another crop of players will battle for the 2022 championship. Some of them, like Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, will be hunting a fourth Cup. Others, such as the Florida Panthers' 42-year-old Joe Thornton, will be chasing an elusive first.Every year, the winning team's players, coaches, and staff pop champagne and celebrate the achievement, and the days-long party culminates with a city-wide parade. In the offseason, everybody gets the Cup for a full day, and their names will be eventually engraved onto pro sports' most iconic trophy.Still, no single person owns the Cup. It travels back to the Hall of Fame after the offseason tour, and the cycle restarts each fall. Even memories of the Cup run can fade, losing their sharpness as the years and decades tick by.The ring is what stands the test of time for individuals."It's the one tangible thing," Phil Pritchard, longtime caretaker of the Cup trophy, says of the ring's unique place in hockey culture."You want to add that ring to your legacy, to your family tree, to who you are as a player or coach," adds Dan Bylsma, head coach of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. "The ring is something you take with you forever."The origins of the Cup ring can be traced back to the first Cup-winning team.Seven players on the 1893 Montreal AAA hockey club are believed to have received a championship ring after finishing atop the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada standings with a 7-1-0 record. (The first Stanley Cup playoff games took place in 1894.)A century later, in 1993, the daughter of forward Billy Barlow donated her father's ring to the Hall of Fame. The artifact has been on display ever since."It looks like a standard male wedding ring," says Pritchard, who runs the Hall of Fame's resource center. "It's basic. But what it represents is amazing."Billy Barlow's 1893 Stanley Cup ring. Hockey Hall of FameMontreal players received watches for repeating in 1894, and again in 1902. In 1915, players on the Vancouver Millionaires got medallions. There isn't a complete database of Cup gifts; however, the Hall of Fame's working document lists the 1927 Ottawa Senators as the second team to issue rings.The 1937 Detroit Red Wings were next to hand out rings, and in the 1940s, the Original Six club specially designed one so it could be used as a stamp ring.For the next few decades, teams rotated between presenting their players with gold rings and other gifts, such as cufflinks, pendants, and television sets. When owners did foot the bill for a ring, there were usually strings attached. Members of the 1960s Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty, for instance, received a single ring for all four Cups; instead of issuing multiple rings, the diamond on the original ring was enlarged each time Toronto won another title. (In 2014, the Leafs made amends to those players, issuing make-good rings.)New York Islanders rings from the 1980s. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesRings finally became the standard during the 1980s. Now it's an unbreakable tradition; every Cup team creates a unique piece of bling.The main difference between, say, 1981 and 2021 is aesthetics. As recently as the mid-1990s, Cup rings resembled a high school class ring - simple, elegant, wearable. Nowadays, they're closer to a trophy - extravagantly beautiful, intricately detailed, and utterly ostentatious in size."You need a shopping cart to move one of the new ones around," quips Jim Paek, a defenseman on the 1991 and 1992 Penguins. "Mine are tiny by comparison." Bylsma, owner of a modern ring, can confirm, noting: "It's not the easiest thing to cut a steak and have your ring on at the same time."According to Miran Armutlu, the master jeweler at the ring-making company Jostens, the 2002 Red Wings "changed the industry." Early in the design process with Detroit, owner Marian Ilitch instructed Armutlu to "make my logo come to life" by coloring the iconic winged wheel with eye-catching rubies.It was the first time custom-cut stones were incorporated into a pro team's logo, Armutlu says. "To this day, when people look at our collection of rings, it's one everybody's attracted to," he adds. "It's an unbelievable piece."Nicklas Lidstrom's 2002 Cup ring. Dave Reginek / Getty ImagesJostens, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, has produced 15 of the last 19 Cup rings. Armutlu meets with team executives three or four times to hash out design elements before the manufacturing process begins. Common personal touches include a rundown of series scores, the name of the post-victory song, or the coach's top slogan.The 2020 Tampa Bay Lightning wanted a "hidden story" on their ring, which carries 557 diamonds and 81 blue sapphires for a combined weight of 25 carats. The mini trophy at the center of the ring was specially configured so it could rotate sideways and reveal the word "STOCKHOLM" (for the site of the team's first two games of the year), two hockey sticks, and a black diamond representing a puck. The estimated retail cost per ring? A reported $66,000.Players receive the highest-quality rings. From there, hundreds of other people - from coaches, athletic trainers, and equipment managers in hockey operations, to accountants, marketers, and salespeople in business ops - slot into tiers, and the caliber of their rings varies by level.Owners often try to one-up one another - or, in the case of repeat champions, themselves. Rings have doubled in weight over the past two decades, Armutlu says, swelling from around 70 grams in the early 2000s to 140 grams, which is nearly a third of a pound."They've gotten to a point where we seriously try to talk the team away from making it bigger than the last one," Armutlu says. Asked if he foresees a time when the Cup ring reaches its maximum size and weight, the jeweler who's designed more than 100 different championship rings laughs."We're there," he says. "If it's going to get any bigger, I'm going to have to figure out how people are going to get two fingers through the ring."Rapper Snoop Dogg flashes two L.A. Kings Cup rings. Adam Pantozzi / Getty ImagesFresh off claiming the 1996 Cup, Mike Ricci and his Colorado Avalanche teammates were notified of an end-of-summer dinner at the last minute. Ricci figured the "mandatory" gathering had been called so management could deliver a lecture about turning the page and shifting focus to the year ahead.Instead, the players were shown highlights of the '96 run on a giant screen, along with quotes from the movie "Rudy." A few minutes later, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger himself appeared. The event wasn't quite what Ricci had imagined."We actually got our rings from the real Rudy," he says.Once a small, informal gathering, the ring reveal has evolved into a black-tie affair for players, coaches, staff, and significant others. The pomp and circumstance of the evening contribute to the ring's overall charm and aura.Ian Cole and Rick Tocchet during the 2017 Cup Final. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesRick Tocchet, a forward on the 1992 Penguins, recalls looking at his ring for the first time during an event at LeMont, a five-star restaurant in Pittsburgh. In that moment, he felt fortunate. Acquired in a midseason trade, Tocchet had settled into his stall in a dressing room full of future Hall of Famers and lifted the Cup a few months later. Now he was sharing stories over drinks.Tocchet owns two other rings (2016 and 2017) from his time as an assistant coach for the Penguins. When Tocchet gazes at that '17 memento, he pictures defenseman Ian Cole and his unmistakable post-Cup glow. Cole laid 13 body checks and blocked nine shots in third-pair minutes in the '17 Cup Final."He was a monster on the penalty kill to win the Cup. That's what I think about when I look at that ring," says Tocchet, now a TV analyst for TNT. "Sure, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, those guys were - and still are - phenomenal. But I think of the little guys and what they did to help us win."Mike Ricci after winning the '96 Cup. Al Bello / Getty ImagesFor Ricci, the ring elicits a wide range of memories and emotions - the good days, the bad days, the elation, the dejection, and everything in between. And while the Avs swept the final, and the ring embodies that dominant four-game stretch, the fear of failure sometimes comes rushing back."Fear, and a hatred for the other team," he says. "That makes it even more special because it forced the group to come together and get really close. You realize it wasn't a guarantee; there are times when you were up against it."When Ricci's wife sees the ring, she will ask, "Do you remember the bruise you had on your forearm?" Bruises fade, but the memories - and the ring -don't.As for the current whereabouts of Ricci's beloved piece of jewelry ..."If I told ya, I'd have to kill ya," he says dryly. "No, no, it's in a safe. I should answer that more truthfully: It's in a safe - I think."All seven Cup winners interviewed for this story store their rings either in an easy-to-access spot - inside a medicine cabinet, for example - or behind lock and key in a safety deposit box at home or at a bank."It doesn't see the light of day much," says Max Talbot of the 2009 Penguins.Former Penguin Matt Cooke shows off his 2009 Cup ring. Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesGiven what it represents and the limited supply, a Cup ring carries tremendous monetary and sentimental value. This helps make them an easy target for theft, as evidenced by the pile of news reports about stolen rings.Henri Richard, who played on a record 11 Cup-winning teams, was left with only one ring after getting robbed decades ago. When the burglar called Richard to offer his rings back in exchange for money, the Montreal Canadiens legend reportedly hung up in disgust. "No way I was going to pay for my own bloody rings," Richard, who died in 2020, recalled in a 2000 interview.The vast majority of Cup winners find reliable storage within days of acquiring the ring. A select few aren't so cautious, and they tend to pay for it. Bylsma remembers one night a "management person" from the '09 Penguins joined the players' warmup routine and immediately regretted his jewelry choice."He threw the football and threw his ring right off with it," says Bylsma, now with the AHL Charlotte Checkers. "The ring was so heavy, it came right off with any motion. It ended up on the ground and had to be put back together."Armutlu's heard all kinds of stories about lost or damaged rings. Jostens will issue a replacement, but only once "very strict protocol" has been followed. "We're not going to just make a ring because the player calls up and says it's broken," Armutlu says. "He needs to go to the team and get a letter from the president."Mitch Marner, Dylan Strome, and Connor McDavid check out Cup rings in 2015. Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesRich Matthews, head equipment manager for the St. Louis Blues, lost his high school class ring a long time ago. He took it off one day and - poof - it was never seen again. "I don't want that to happen to one of my Cup rings because they're irreplaceable," says Matthews, who owns a ring from each of his three stops: the Dallas Stars (1999), New Jersey Devils (2003), and the Blues (2019).The Stars ring could easily be gone too. As the family was moving from Dallas to New Jersey in the offseason of 2000, Matthews' wife convinced him to stash the '99 ring and the mini Cup that goes with it in his vehicle for the cross-country drive, just in case.The moving truck carrying the family's belongings was involved in a multi-vehicle crash near Biloxi, Mississippi. The truck driver died in the crash and most of the family's cargo was unsalvageable. The fiery accident and the driver's death still haunt Matthews."I don't tell that story to too many people," he said.The '99 ring is a memento of a thrilling, then difficult, part of their lives."I'm not a player, so it takes a lot more for those guys to win," says Matthews, who's been to six Cup Finals. "But it does take a lot out of us equipment guys too, being on the road and preparing and giving the players the best chance to win every night."Winning a Cup does mean a ton to us. You take the rings out every once in a while and reminisce. It brings back so many memories. It's all pretty cool."On a tombstone somewhere within a Toronto cemetery, there's a picture of the Cup. In the photo, Pong Paek, the man signified by the tombstone, is raising the giant trophy proudly, his son Jim having just won the '92 Cup."I still remember giving that ring to my dad," says Jim Paek, his voice faltering during a phone interview on March 14 - the 10th anniversary of Pong's passing. "I get choked up thinking about it - how happy he was, the tears, him jumping for joy."Paek's other ring ('91) went to his mom, Kyuhui, who now has Alzheimer's disease. Kyuhui used to wear it all the time, even while working at the duty-free shop inside the Toronto airport. "All of the referees and coaches would come in and buy their liquor, so she got to know a lot of the people," Paek says. "She would show off the ring. She was very proud of me."Paek, the NHL's first Korean-born player, was a bubble guy, not a star. He says his parents' support had an incalculable influence on him reaching the best league in the world. Gifting them his rings was a no-brainer. "I truly believe I wouldn't have won those Cups if it weren't for my parents," he says.Tie tack turned into '53 Cup ring (center). Darrell Davis / HandoutDarrell Davis, the son of former NHL winger and amateur scout Lorne Davis, is in possession of one of his father's six Cup rings. Technically, the Canadiens didn't issue rings in 1953, but a jeweler managed to turn ownership's gift - a sparkling tie tack shaped in the team's logo - into a nice ring.Lorne wore his wedding band on his left ring finger, and the Canadiens Cup ring on his right. In 2005, two years before he died, the Habs sent proper rings to members of the '53 team. Suddenly, Lorne had two of a kind - and the perfect Christmas gift for Darrell, a longtime sports reporter based in Saskatchewan."I broke down crying," Darrell, now 64, says. "I never asked him for it, he never told me he was going to give it to me, but I opened the box, and yeah, I was a little puddle in the corner."Lorne Davis' rings are on the long-established succession plan: Keep it in the family tree. "What's the old credit card commercial?" Darryl says. "Yeah, it's priceless. It doesn't have a cash value in our minds. It has emotional value."Max Talbot and Bill Guerin hold up coach Dan Bylsma during the '09 Cup parade. Jamie Sabau / Getty ImagesTalbot, who scored Pittsburgh's only two goals in Game 7 of the '09 Final, will pass his bling onto his kids, too. "There'll be a cage with the three of them, a lion, and the ring in the middle. We'll see who comes out with it," he jokes.Talbot last played in the NHL in 2016, retiring from pro hockey in 2019. Of late, he's been reflecting on his career more often, with the gold ring and silver trophy front of mind. "It's a nice reminder because sometimes it feels like another life, even though I stopped playing four years ago," he says.His coach for that Cup season - the first of Crosby's career - can relate."Occasionally," Bylsma says, "I'll get my ring out when I'm just by myself and having a glass of wine and reminiscing about being a Stanley Cup champion."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.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set. The NHL unveiled schedules for all eight Round 1 matchups following the conclusion of the regular season on Friday night (excluding Sunday's meaningless Seattle Kraken-Winnipeg Jets game). Let's dive in.All times ET.

The NHL regular season has come to a close, so it's time to take a look at the statistical leaders from this year's campaign.Though there is still technically one game to be played, for all intents and purposes, the 2021-22 regular season ended Friday night. Sunday's game between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets won't have much impact on these statistical races unless Kyle Connor happens to score 15 goals to steal the "Rocket" Richard Trophy.Art Ross TrophyAwarded to the player with the most pointsWinner: Connor McDavidRankPlayerP1Connor McDavid (EDM)123T2Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA)115T2Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)1154Leon Draisaitl (EDM)1105Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)108Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy Mark LoMoglio / National Hockey League / GettyAwarded to the player with the most goalsWinner: Auston MatthewsRankPlayerG1Auston Matthews (TOR)602Leon Draisaitl (EDM)553Chris Kreider (NYR)524Alex Ovechkin (WAS)505Kirill Kaprizov (MIN)47Assists leader Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / GettyWinner: Jonathan HuberdeauRankPlayerA1Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA)852Connor McDavid (EDM)793Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)754Artemi Panarin (NYR)745Roman Josi (NSH)73Defenseman points leader John Russell / National Hockey League / GettyWinner: Roman JosiRankPlayerP1Roman Josi (NSH)962Cale Makar (COL)863Victor Hedman (TB)854Adam Fox (NYR)745John Carlson (WSH)71Average ice time leader Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyWinner: Seth JonesRankPlayerATOI1Seth Jones (CHI)26:132Thomas Chabot (OTT)26:123Brent Burns (SJ)26:094Kris Letang (PIT)25:475Drew Doughty (LAK)25:44William M. Jennings Trophy Juan Ocampo / National Hockey League / GettyAwarded to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals againstWinner: Frederik Andersen and Antti RaantaRankPlayerGA1Frederik Andersen/Antti Raanta (CAR)2002Jacob Markstrom (CGY)2033Igor Shesterkin/Alexandar Georgiev (NYR)2044Linus Ullmark/Jeremy Swayman (BOS)2185Tristan Jarry/Casey DeSmith (PIT)222Save percentage leader Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyMinimum of 25 games played, per NHL.comWinner: Igor ShesterkinRankPlayerSV%1Igor Shesterkin (NYR).9352Ilya Sorokin (NYI).925T3Frederik Andersen (CAR).922T3Jacob Markstrom (CGY).9225Darcy Kuemper (COL).921Goalie wins leader Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / GettyWinners: Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei VasilevskiyRankPlayerWT1Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA)39T1Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)393Juuse Saros (NSH)38T4Jacob Markstrom (CGY)37T4Darcy Kuemper (COL)37Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is a restricted free agent this summer, but he isn't putting too much thought into contract negotiations just yet.Asked Friday if Winnipeg is a team he could see himself signing with long term, Dubois gave a measured response."Yeah, it is," he said. "But at the same time, you know, I haven't really thought about that, we haven't talked about it with the team ... there's been no, really, discussion, so it's not something that I've put that much thought into."I've enjoyed my two years here - I like the guys, I like the group, I like the team. I've had a fun two years, so yeah, it is somewhere I could see that. But like I said, I haven't - I know it's hard to believe me - I haven't put that much thought into it. That's what these next four-to-five months are for, and we have time."The 23-year-old is wrapping up his second season with the Jets after they acquired him in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets early last year. He's scored career-high 28 goals and added 31 assists in 79 games this season.Dubois - who joined Winnipeg after requesting a trade from Columbus - pointed out that money and term aren't necessarily his top priorities when it comes to signing a long-term deal."It's not easy. It's tough. Especially now, if you think of a long-term deal; I could have a family, and I could be in the last years of my career at that point," Dubois said. "So it's not just 'what do you want now?' It's 'what do you want six years from now and five years from now and eight years from now?'"He continued: "Everybody has different motivations ... It's not an easy decision to make; it's not just 'here's money and here's years.' If it was that, I wouldn't have taken a risk two years ago and asked for a trade out of Columbus. It's a very important and very tough decision to make, and that's why I said these next four-to-five months will be important to think about everything and all the different scenarios possible."Dubois is coming off a two-year, $10-million deal he inked with the Blue Jackets. He's two years from unrestricted free agency.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This year's participants in the NHL playoffs are all set in stone, but six of the eight first-round matchups remain up in the air. Every playoff team plays its final game of the regular season Friday, so all series will be set by the end of the night.The Edmonton Oilers will host the Los Angeles Kings in their first-round series. The Minnesota Wild will play the St. Louis Blues, but home-ice advantage is still on the table. Here are all of the clinching scenarios ahead of Friday's big slate.Eastern ConferenceTampa Bay LightningThe Lightning will clinch the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division and set up a first-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs if any of the following happen:

The NHL regular season concludes Friday for 30 of the league's 32 teams. That's right: we have a whopping 15-game slate to look forward to.Here are our best bets:Capitals (-115) @ Rangers (-105)The Washington Capitals still have something to play for. In fact, they have a lot to play for.With a win - and some help - they could leapfrog the Pittsburgh Penguins, which would mean drawing the New York Rangers in the opening round. The Rangers have been quite good since the deadline but it's safe to say the Capitals - and perhaps any other team in their position - would prefer to avoid the Florida Panthers.Alex Ovechkin is banged up and it seems senseless to risk further injury by dressing him in this game. Otherwise, I expect the Capitals to be at full strength.The Rangers won't be. While they are surprisingly reinserting several key players into the lineup, Artemi Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, and Andrew Copp remain out. The top players are also unlikely to get a full workload in what is another meaningless game for New York.Backing the Capitals isn't as enticing of a proposition as it could've been if the Rangers kept everyone out, but I still see value at this price.Bet: Capitals (-115)Avalanche (-115) @ Wild (-105)The Colorado Avalanche fell to the Nashville Predators on Thursday, taking away any chance they had at claiming the Presidents' Trophy. Their lineup Friday will surely reflect that.Colorado has dealt with constant injury problems all season. That makes it even harder to imagine a scenario in which they dress their key players in a divisional back-to-back on the road with nothing on the line.Darcy Kuemper has been one of the league's best netminders in recent months, but he won't play in this game. It seems likely Nathan MacKinnon and some other top Avs regulars will also sit out.It's a much different story for Minnesota. With a point in this game, they can claim home ice in their opening-round series against the St. Louis Blues. The latter is playing at home to an injury-plagued Vegas Golden Knights team with no motivation. The Wild surely will ice a strong lineup, hoping to take care of their own business and leave nothing to chance.The wrong team is favored here. This line is going to move in Minnesota's favor sooner than later and the swing has a very real chance of being drastic. Get out in front of it and back the Wild.Bet: Wild (-105)Flames (-155) @ Jets (+130)We successfully backed the Vancouver Canucks in their home finale Thursday, as they snuck by a Los Angeles Kings team that was resting players and had nothing on the line.We're going to hope for more of the same from the Winnipeg Jets in a very similar spot. They're playing their second-last home game against a Calgary Flames side that is firmly entrenched in its playoff spot.Like the Avalanche, the Flames are on a road back-to-back with nothing to play for. While Darryl Sutter isn't the type of coach to give players extended rest and have them rusty heading into the postseason, I fully expect him to sit some key players in this game.Meanwhile, the Jets aren't mailing things in as they play out the rest of their season on home soil - they've won consecutive games by a combined seven goals. I expect to see a full lineup and - hopefully - a fruitful win from the underdogs.Bet: Jets (+130)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 Florida Panthers secured the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top regular-season team on Thursday night thanks to a win over the Ottawa Senators and the Colorado Avalanche's loss to the Nashville Predators.Florida has 122 points with one game remaining. The Panthers' mark is the most in franchise history and the third-highest total for any NHL team since the award was introduced in 1986. The 1996 Detroit Red Wings hold the record at 131.The Panthers will have home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin May 2. Florida hasn't advanced past the first round since it reached the final in 1996.This postseason, the Panthers are set to play either the Washington Capitals or Pittsburgh Penguins. The Metropolitan Division rivals are separated by one point heading into the final game on their respective schedules.Florida's dominant campaign has come on the strength of a near-unstoppable offense. The club recently set a salary-cap era benchmark with 322 goals and currently sits at 338 and counting with a plus-102 goal differential.Winger Jonathan Huberdeau has led the charge up front with 115 points in an MVP-caliber season, and he's one of four 30-goal scorers on the Panthers' roster.Florida caps its record-setting regular season Friday against the Montreal Canadiens.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A pair of playoff-bound teams are hoping to keep their highly successful midseason acquisitions beyond 2021-22.The Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers will make concerted efforts to re-sign Evander Kane and Andrew Copp, respectively, according to TSN's Darren Dreger."I'm told the New York Rangers are going to push hard, hard to extend Andrew Copp; we can understand why," Dreger reported on Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment. "Likewise for Evander Kane and the Oilers."Edmonton signed Kane to a one-year, $1.375-million deal in January after the San Jose Sharks terminated his previous contract. The 30-year-old power forward has recorded 22 goals and 17 assists in 41 games this season while riding shotgun with Connor McDavid.Dreger speculated that contract length could potentially be problematic in negotiations."You wonder about the term between Kane and the Oilers," he said. "Is three years too much? We have to find out."Edmonton projects to have roughly $12 million in cap space this summer with a roster of 14 skaters and one goalie, per CapFriendly. Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto are its most prominent pending restricted free agents.The Rangers acquired Copp and a sixth-round pick from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a pair of conditional second-rounders, a fifth-round pick, and prospect Morgan Barron.The versatile forward has found a home at right wing on the team's second line alongside Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. He's tallied eight goals and 10 assists in 16 games with New York.The Rangers project to have nearly $11 million in cap space with a roster of 16 skaters and one goalie. Strome is their biggest pending UFA, while Kaapo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev are their most notable pending RFAs.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby recognizes the 2021-22 Stanley Cup Playoffs could be the last opportunity for his club's longtime core to chase a championship.Teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are set for unrestricted free agency this summer."As much as you don't want to think about it, it's something that you understand could be a possibility," Crosby told NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "I think you just try to enjoy it as much as you can, and try to take it all in because you know it's something that's not going to last forever, whether it's this year or down the road a little bit more."You only get to play for so long, so I think just trying to enjoy it and be grateful for the opportunity that we have to do it again."Crosby (34 years old), Malkin (35), and Letang (35) have been teammates for the past 16 seasons, qualifying for the playoffs each year and winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016, and 2017. The only campaign Crosby's Penguins failed to reach the postseason was his rookie year in 2005-06, before Malkin and Letang debuted in the NHL.Although they're well into their 30s, the trio is still the engine that drives the Penguins.2021-22 statsPlayerGPPTSATOICrosby688420:01Malkin404018:25Letang776725:48Malkin currently carries a $9.5-million average annual value, while Letang earns $7.25 million per season. Both high-profile players could command big-ticket contracts on the open market, but the Penguins could attempt to retain the pair of superstars. Pittsburgh has more than $29 million in projected cap space this offseason, according to CapFriendly.Crosby is signed through 2024-25 at a yearly cap hit of $8.7 million.The Penguins currently sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 101 points and one game remaining. The Washington Capitals are hot in pursuit of their archrivals with 100 points of their own and a game in hand.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Veteran Dustin Brown will retire following the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings announced Thursday.Brown has spent his entire 18-season NHL career with the Kings since they drafted him 13th overall in 2003, and he's Los Angeles' all-time leader in regular-season games played.The 37-year-old captained the squad to Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014, making him the only American player in NHL history to accomplish the feat, according to NHL Network's Jon Morosi.Heading into his final regular-season contest against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, Brown has 325 goals and 387 assists in 1,295 career contests - good for the seventh-most points in franchise history.RankPlayerPointsGames played1Marcel Dionne13079212Luc Robitaille115410773Dave Taylor106911114Anze Kopitar106612095Wayne Gretzky9185396Bernie Nicholls7586027Dustin Brown71212958Butch Goring659736This season will mark Brown's eighth career playoff appearance. Ahead of the Kings' first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, he has 19 goals and 28 helpers in 85 career postseason contests. He put up a combined 34 points in 46 games en route to the Kings' pair of Stanley Cup victories.Brown served as Los Angeles' captain from 2008-09 to 2015-16.The New York native also made some noise on the international stage, capturing a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday night's slate proved profitable for our best bets. While the Seattle Kraken let us down, the Montreal Canadiens and Jack Eichel pulled through to give us a 2-1 record.Let's keep the train going as we look for the best way to attack Thursday's nine-game slate.Devils (+240) @ Hurricanes (-300)The Carolina Hurricanes clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division with a win over the New York Rangers last time out. Now, the Hurricanes are playing for nothing, and their lineup in this game should reflect that.Carolina anticipates sitting Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, and Jaccob Slavin and could pull others as well, not to mention starting goaltender Frederik Andersen - who was one of the league's best this season - remains sidelined with an injury.Even with those absences, the Hurricanes will clearly roster a better lineup than the New Jersey Devils. The gap is not as large as it could be, though, and I expect the coaching staff to really distribute ice time as opposed to giving the big guns a full workload.The Devils have played pretty well without key players like Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler and aren't rolling over for opponents, ranking ninth in expected goal share over the last 10 games. New Jersey just recalled top prospect Alexander Holtz from the AHL, which should give the offense a little shot in the arm.I'm not sure the Devils get a win in this game, but I think they'll be able to hang around.Bet: Devils +1.5 (-105)Kings (+120) @ Canucks (-145)I love the Vancouver Canucks in this spot. They've played very good hockey of late, going 7-2-1 over the last 10 games while sitting 14th in expected goals percentage at five-on-five.Vancouver won't have Thatcher Demko between the pipes, which stings, but I don't think the club will need Grade A goaltending to get a win.The Los Angeles Kings are playing their last game of the regular season and can't move up or down in the standings, which means their sole focus will be getting through 60 minutes of hockey in one piece.The Kings rested Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Dustin Brown on Wednesday night, so I wouldn't be surprised if even more regulars sit this one out.But with Cal Petersen between the pipes, that could be a problem. Petersen owns a .890 save percentage since the beginning of February and has conceded nearly 10 more goals than expected during that time. This Vancouver offense should get to him.I know the Canucks aren't playing for anything in terms of standings, but this is their home finale, and they will no doubt have the motivation to put on a good show for their fans.Bet: Canucks (-145)Elias Pettersson over 2.5 shots (-114)Elias Pettersson is on a nice little shooting run. He has registered at least three shots in nine of his last 12 games, averaging a hair under 3.7 shots during that time.Pettersson is averaging about 1.5 more attempts per game than his season total, indicating his increase in outputs comes from more shot opportunities as opposed to just hitting the net more frequently.While the Kings are a solid shot suppression team, they are in the latter half of a road back-to-back, playing for nothing, and should be without several key players. I like Pettersson to stay hot in this game.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.

With the 16-team postseason field set and everyone looking at the same numbers, statistics, and metrics for an angle to attack the playoffs, it's hard to find an edge. Very little difference will be found with oddsmakers and bettors agreeing on the valuations of each team, making a good bet impossible. So, how do we find the edge? By combining logic with our favorite metrics.For more than half of the NHL season, we couldn't accurately evaluate a team's quality as players shuttled in and out of the lineup due to COVID policies and virulent testing. Then came the All-Star break. The league's decision to loosen protocols and pull back on testing allowed teams to match up at full strength from Feb. 7 onward.As a result, teams became easier to evaluate. So, ahead of the end of the regular season Friday, let's look at the 2022 postseason teams and see how they stack up using just the last three months of data.Here, we'll use a combination of offensive high-danger chance creation and conversion at even strength to rate each team, along with how well clubs shut down their opponents.Post-ASB power ratingsTEAMRATINGML RECORDBruins1.20024-13Panthers1.15125-8Hurricanes1.13922-17Flames1.10727-11Oilers1.10424-14Wild1.08723-16Maple Leafs1.08224-15Lightning1.07820-14Stars1.06622-16Blues1.06323-14Penguins1.06018-17Kings1.03920-14Rangers1.02421-13Predators1.00216-18Avalanche0.99424-12Capitals0.94519-14*as of games played April 27The biggest thing to jump out from this list is toward the bottom. The Avalanche have managed a 66% win percentage on the moneyline despite giving up an average of 12.47 even-strength high-danger chances (HDC) per game. That's well above the league average of 11.33.Colorado's opponents are converting a league-average 1.46 even-strength HDCs per game, but the Avs' offense is recording just 1.36 per contest. The difference has been Colorado's special teams.The Avalanche have accounted for nine more goals on the power play than they've given up on the penalty kill in the 36 games since Feb. 7. However, can they rely on that to beat a good team four out of seven games?The recipeBefore the 2021-22 campaign, we devised a three-part series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.This season's on-ice predictive metrics make up 90% of our total rating. Basing 10% of the ratings on preseason "priors" allows us to emphasize team metrics without going all-in on what's happened during this campaign, which includes some tainted results from when COVID-19 ravaged lineups. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a side playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and 3% without travel.How to use the guideWhat follows is my fair price on the matchups (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd need to bet on each side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. You can establish your own threshold and may decide on a higher cutoff for bigger underdogs, like 6%-7%. On games that I've projected could be a near coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to make a wager worthwhile.Friday, April 29GAMEWIN PROB.(%)TRUE MLPRICE TO BETCBJ@PIT26.2/73.8+282/-282CBJ +351/PIT -268CHI@BUF53.2/46.8-114/+114CHI -109/BUF +134DET@NJD37.2/62.8+169/-169DET +202/NJD -162BOS@TOR46.8/53.2+114/-114BOS +134/TOR -109OTT@PHI41.9/58.1+139/-139OTT +164/PHI -133WSH@NYR42.6/57.4+135/-135WSH +159/NYR -129FLA@MTL79.1/20.9-377/+377FLA -356/MTL +490TBL@NYI54.5/45.5-120/+120TBL -115/NYI +141VGK@STL48.3/51.7+107/-107VGK +118/STL +103COL@MIN43.4/56.6+130/-130COL +154/MIN -125CGY@WPG53.5/46.5-115/+115CGY -110/WPG +135ANA@DAL33.3/66.7+200/-200ANA +241/DAL -191VAN@EDM32.7/67.3+206/-206VAN +249/EDM -197SJS@SEA45.7/54.3+119/-119SJS +140/SEA -114NSH@ARI58.1/41.9-139/+139NSH -133/ARI +164Matt 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.

It came down to the wire, but the Dallas Stars claimed the final spot in the playoffs, while the Vegas Golden Knights were eliminated from postseason contention on a wild Wednesday night.The Stars needed just one point to clinch their spot, and it looked like it would be smooth sailing for Dallas after the team built an early 3-0 lead against the Arizona Coyotes. However, the desert dwellers clawed back to force overtime, and Coyotes forward Travis Boyd sealed the comeback in the extra frame.At the same time, the Golden Knights, who needed to win against the Chicago Blackhawks in any fashion and for the Stars to lose in regulation, fell 4-3 in the shootout.Vegas will miss the postseason for the first time in franchise history, while the Stars have re-entered the fray after failing to qualify last season. Dallas made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019-20 but ultimately fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.The Stars currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference while boasting a record of 45-30-6. Dallas has one more point than the Predators, who reside in the second spot, but Nashville has played one fewer game.Grizzled veteran Joe Pavelski has led the way for the Stars all season long, and he has 81 points with one game remaining on their regular-season schedule. Youngster Jason Robertson has also proven to be a force with 40 goals under his belt.The Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural 2017-18 season, but they've yet to advance that far again. Despite making a splash by winning the Jack Eichel sweepstakes, a litany of injuries hampered Vegas' playoff hopes.Dallas will complete its regular season against the Anaheim Ducks, while Vegas will cap things off with a battle against the St. Louis Blues on Friday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights entered the 2021-22 season viewed as a favorite to take the Pacific Division's top spot, and they seemed destined to make the playoffs for the fifth straight campaign.However, the Golden Knights were eliminated from postseason contention for the first time in franchise history Wednesday night.After falling to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in a shootout, the team is left to pick up the pieces of a lost campaign."On paper, what can anyone say we're missing? We have it all," forward Max Pacioretty said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's David Schoen. "But at the same time, everyone knows that hard work beats that talent on paper, and chemistry is probably what's most important, on and off the ice."There's obviously going to be a lot of time for reflection," Pacioretty added. "A lot of decisions will be at this point kind of out of the players' control, but you got to expect when a team underperforms the way we have this year, all bets are off."Injuries decimated the Golden Knights all season long. Few know that better than Pacioretty, who appeared in just 38 games this season due to various ailments.Captain Mark Stone, defenseman Alec Martinez, and goaltender Robin Lehner were among Vegas' other key players forced to spend lengthy periods on the sidelines.Forward Chandler Stephenson knows that all those injuries added up."I've never seen anything like it. It's been crazy. Over 500 man games lost or something like that, that's always tough," he said. "You look at our group, and you wonder why we're not in (the playoffs), and I know that's an excuse. It is what it is. It's tough to win games when you have 10, 11 forwards some nights."Meanwhile, head coach Peter DeBoer is looking inward."I'm surprised. I'm disappointed. I'm at the front of the line for responsibility," he said. "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 Montreal Canadiens secured a last-place finish in the 2021-22 NHL standings after the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.Montreal now guarantees itself the best odds at winning the NHL draft lottery, which takes place on May 10. The Habs own an 18.5% chance of picking first overall, something the franchise hasn't done since 1980 when they selected Doug Wickenheiser with the top pick.The 2022 NHL Draft is also being held on home soil at the Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7 and 8.Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright is the projected first overall selection.The Canadiens are the first team since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2003 to finish last place in the NHL a year after making the Stanley Cup Final.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jake DeBrusk has been through it all this season.Most notably, he was a healthy scratch in November and then public trade bait for months leading up to the March 21 deadline. However, heading into the playoffs, the winger still finds himself sporting a Boston Bruins jersey with a brand-new extension in hand.Oh, and he's been a valuable member of Beantown's top line alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand for two months, a union that Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy dubbed "a real good marriage.""(DeBrusk's) been just as good for that line as they have been for him. ... You can see it in Jake's play. He's invested in every area of the ice, and that's what we always wanted," Cassidy told reporters Wednesday, per Boston Sports Journal's Conor Ryan. "He's given it to us, and as the result, you're seeing it. He looks like a first-line hockey player every night."A lack of effort was the reason behind Cassidy's decision to scratch DeBrusk in late November, and the news that DeBrusk wanted out of Boston came shortly after as his performance and role on the team continued to diminish.DeBrusk averaged roughly 20 goals over his first three NHL seasons, but he hit a wall in 2020-21, logging 14 points in 41 games.The 25-year-old seemed doomed to repeat that shoddy output after putting up nine goals and eight assists in his first 45 games of the 2021-22 campaign, but a promotion to the No. 1 line in late February saw him turn things around.Since Feb. 24, DeBrusk has motored along with 15 goals and eight assists in 30 contests alongside Bergeron and Marchand, a stint that's included his first career hat trick. The trio has spent almost 300 minutes together on the ice at five-on-five so far this season, and the Bruins have controlled 67.8% of the shot attempts and 70.9% of the expected goals during that span, per Natural Stat Trick.DeBrusk's average ice time has also increased by two minutes since joining his elite linemates."The little things that have made that line successful is, to me, second effort for them and then getting to your spots. He's done a great job with it," Cassidy said.After navigating a tumultuous season, Debrusk was named the Bruins' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes perseverance and dedication.DeBrusk's future beyond this season is still up in the air, though. Despite signing a two-year, $8-million extension on trade deadline day, he didn't rescind his trade request, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros will sit out his club's final two regular-season contests due to a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday.Saros was hurt late in Nashville's 5-4 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. He left the contest with just over six minutes remaining in regulation and didn't return. Former Flames netminder David Rittich entered the game in relief of Saros and will likely continue filling in while he's out.The Predators would play Calgary in the first round if the playoffs began Wednesday.Saros, who turned 27 last week, is 38-25-3 with a .918 save percentage across 67 games this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a somewhat quiet five-game slate Wednesday night, with most contests holding very little meaning. That creates some value on underdogs, which we'll look to attack with our best bets.Kings (-175) @ Kraken (+145)The Seattle Kraken aren't a good team, and they're playing in the latter half of a back-to-back. Even so, I like them in this game.The Los Angeles Kings are locked into their playoff spot after the Edmonton Oilers clinched second place in the Pacific Division on Tuesday. Put simply, the Kings' last couple of regular-season games are meaningless for them.Considering the laundry list of injuries L.A. has dealt with this season, it's very possible - if not likely - that the team sits its regulars. Keeping players healthy is much more important than beating the Kraken.Seattle has also improved a little bit of late. The club has controlled better than 50% of the chances at five-on-five over the last 10 games. Matty Beniers has injected some much-needed life into the Kraken's offense, and their goaltending, while not great, has finally become serviceable.I think Seattle will be motivated to finish this season strong and give its fans something to cheer about over the next few days. There's value in backing the Kraken against a Kings team that should be looking ahead to the postseason.Bet: Kraken (+145)Canadiens (+180) @ Rangers (-220)We backed a bad hockey team versus a side locked into its playoff position with our first bet of the day. It's only fitting we do the same here.After losing Tuesday night to the Carolina Hurricanes, the New York Rangers officially have nothing to play for. Absolutely nothing. Their lineup will reflect that.Igor Shesterkin will get the night off, as he usually does in back-to-back situations. Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp will also sit out. A couple of other forwards should as well.Plus, it seems likely the Rangers will rest one of their top defenders with Zac Jones being recalled from the AHL. Adam Fox is the obvious candidate. He plays a ton of minutes and is one of the most important defenders in the league to his team. With home ice already locked up, it makes sense to rest Fox and make sure he's ready when the games matter again.I realize the Montreal Canadiens are a disaster, but their top players have been quite good since Martin St. Louis took over. I expect they'll be able to do some damage against a watered-down Rangers team that, quite frankly, has no interest in anything other than getting through this game in one piece.Bet: Canadiens +1.5 (-130)Jack Eichel over 3.5 shots (-117)We've constantly targeted Jack Eichel with shot props this season, and he continues to reward us for our support. After coming through against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, Eichel has recorded at least four shots in 22 of his 30 games this season. That's a 73% hit rate.On Wednesday, Eichel draws a juicy matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Not only are they a poor defensive team, but they also struggle mightily against centers. They rank in the bottom five in shots allowed per game and goals over the last month.Playing in an absolute do or die, you can bet Eichel will be heavily leaned upon here. He should play a lot and, in turn, record a handful of shots against a bad defensive side.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 2021-22 NHL season has been one of the highest-producing campaigns in terms of offense the league has seen in years. With a handful of games remaining on the schedule, eight players have already eclipsed the 100-point mark, four have surpassed the 50-goal mark, and three defensemen have over 82 points.The NHLPA gives players the chance to voice their opinions on several different items. From their peers' on-ice performances to player personalities, here are some of the results of the 2021-22 player poll.Who is the most complete player? Dave Reginek / National Hockey League / GettyPlayerVote %Sidney Crosby29.5%Aleksander Barkov20.5%Patrice Bergeron19.5%Connor McDavid9.2%Anze Kopitar2.6%If you need to win one game, who is the one goalie you would want on your team? Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlayerVote %Andrei Vasilevskiy37.4%Carey Price13.9%Marc-Andre Fleury6.7%John Gibson3.5%Jacob Markstrom3.1%Jonathan Quick3.1%Juuse Saros3.1%If you need to win one game, who is the one skater you would want on your team? Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / GettyPlayerVote %Connor McDavid42.4%Sidney Crosby17.3%Victor Hedman6.7%Aleksander Barkov3.5%Nathan MacKinnon3.3%Which player do you least enjoy playing against, but would like to have on your team? Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlayerVote %Brad Marchand26.4%Connor McDavid18.3%Tom Wilson10.7%Victor Hedman6.9%Nathan MacKinnon5.3%Which player do you wish you could shoot like? Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlayerVote %Alex Ovechkin53.1%Auston Matthews24%Patrik Laine3.4%David Pastrnak1.7%Steven Stamkos1.3%Nikita Kucherov1.3%Who is the best stick-handler? Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPlayerVote %Patrick Kane57.3%Connor McDavid22.8%Nathan MacKinnon5.3%Aleksander Barkov2.4%Johnny Gaudreau1.4%Auston Matthews1.4%Who is the best passer? Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyPlayerVote %Leon Draisaitl17.7%Patrick Kane15.6%Nicklas Backstrom15.4%Connor McDavid10.6%Nikita Kucherov6.2%Which NHL player is the best role model? Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / GettyPlayerVote %Sidney Crosby42.7%Patrice Bergeron9.8%Connor McDavid3.2%Marc-Andre Fleury2.1%Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As we continue using the end of the regular season to tune up for the playoffs, one of the most interesting teams heading into the postseason is the Capitals.Remaining, at the very least, a fringe contender throughout the Alex Ovechkin era, Washington has quickly bowed out of the playoffs over the last few seasons. It now appears headed for a wild-card berth - and a potential series against the juggernaut Panthers.Before that, though, the Capitals make a trip to New York to complete a home-and-home with the Islanders and then close the campaign with a matchup against the Rangers. Washington finished its home schedule with a loss to the Islanders on Tuesday night, which wasn't out of character given its 19-22 home record on the moneyline this season.That's what makes the Capitals an interesting case study: their home-ice advantage - or lack thereof. The following chart compares their home and away moneyline record and even-strength expected goals share (XG%) from 2018-20 to this season:2018-2020 ML5-ON-5 XG% 2021-'22 ML5-ON-5 XG%ROAD47-3049.2625-1449.07HOME42-3248.619-2252.07Before the COVID-19 pandemic halted sports in March 2020, the Capitals played almost identically at home and on the road, averaging slightly less than 50% of the expected goals share in both scenarios. Given their slightly below-average even-strength goal metrics, the Capitals were fortunate to have an 89-62 record thanks to an Ovechkin-led power play.Predictably, that reliance on the power play failed them come playoff time. Washington is 0-3 in playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, with back-to-back 4-1 opening-round series losses the last two years.But this season has been even more fascinating: The Capitals' even-strength play has been much better at home - with a 52/48 share in expected goals - but the team is under .500 at Capital One Arena; that outlier suggests they deserved better results in friendly confines.On the road, Washington has seen a slight uptick from a 61% win percentage from 2018-2020 to 64% before its final two games this season, with a familiar XG% of 49. But with Ovechkin likely to sit until the playoffs, a pair of losses in the Big Apple would drop the Capitals back to their 61% road victory rate. Is that regression to the mean enough to fade them against the Islanders and Rangers this week? It certainly doesn't hurt the case for doing so.The recipeBefore the 2021-22 campaign, we devised a three-part series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.This season's on-ice predictive metrics make up 90% of our total rating. Basing 10% of the ratings on preseason "priors" allows us to emphasize team metrics without going all-in on what's happened during this campaign, which includes some tainted results from when COVID-19 ravaged lineups. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a side playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and 3% without travel.How to use the guideWhat follows is my fair price on the matchups (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd need to bet on each side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. You can establish your own threshold and may decide on a higher cutoff for bigger underdogs, like 6-7%. For games that I've projected could be a near coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to make a wager worthwhile.Thursday, April 28GAMEWIN PROB.(%)TRUE MLPRICE TO BETNJD@CAR36.6/63.4+173/-173NJD +207/CAR -166FLA@OTT75.2/24.8-304/+304FLA -288/OTT +381BUF@BOS22.4/77.6+347/-347BUF +445/BOS -328TBL@CBJ63.2/36.8-171/+171TBL -164/CBJ +205WSH@NYI50.8/49.2-103/+103WSH +107/NYI +114CGY@MIN48.7/51.3+105/-105CGY +116/MIN +105SJS@EDM26.3/73.7+280/-280SJS +347/EDM -266NSH@COL41.8/58.2+139/-139NSH +165/COL -134LAK@VAN48.4/51.6+107/-107LAK +118/VAN +104Matt 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 Western Conference playoff picture has come down to one last spot.The Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings punched their postseason tickets Tuesday with the Dallas Stars' shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Miro Heiskanen netted the only goal of the shootout in the seventh round.The Stars would've locked up the final spot had they defeated the Knights in regulation. Dallas is now four points ahead of Vegas with just two games remaining, but the Golden Knights hold the tiebreaker. The Stars can clinch Wednesday if they pick up a point against the Arizona Coyotes or if Vegas loses to the Chicago Blackhawks.The Kings secured third place in the Pacific Division and will play the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1. It's the first time since 2017-18 that L.A. has made the playoffs, and six players remain from that squad: Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick, Adrian Kempe, and Alex Iafallo.The Predators have now made the postseason in eight consecutive campaigns. They'll either play the Colorado Avalanche or Calgary Flames in the opening round.Additionally, the Vancouver Canucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators looked like they were on their way to besting the Calgary Flames in regulation on Tuesday night, but the universe had other ideas in one of the most dramatic games of the regular season.Nashville held a 4-3 lead with just over six minutes left in the final frame when star netminder Juuse Saros limped down the tunnel with an apparent injury. Former Flames goaltender David Rittich entered the contest in relief.

Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin didn't suit up for Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders due to an upper-body injury.Ovechkin was hurt in Sunday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after he was tripped by goaltender Erik Kallgren and crashed into the boards. He was officially labeled day-to-day.The 36-year-old has been sensational this season, authoring the ninth 50-goal campaign of his illustrious career. Ovechkin's also added 40 assists to lead Washington with 90 points in 77 games.Washington lost Tuesday's game 4-1, failing to gain ground in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals could have passed the Pittsburgh Penguins with a win, but they remain one point back of their rivals through 80 contests with one game in hand.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes secured their second consecutive Metropolitan Division title Tuesday night with a 4-3 win over the second-place New York Rangers.With the Florida Panthers already locking up the top overall spot in the Eastern Conference, Carolina is guaranteed to play the first wild-card seed in Round 1. The Boston Bruins currently hold that position.The win also established a new Hurricanes record with 114 points. Carolina's previous benchmark of 112 was set in 2005-06 when the franchise won its only Stanley Cup.The Hurricanes have qualified for the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. They were eliminated in the second round last summer by the Tampa Bay Lightning.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Auston Matthews is the newest member of the 60-goal club.The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar scored the milestone tally Tuesday night in a 3-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the first player since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12 to reach the historic mark.Matthews somehow kept the puck in at the blue line on the power play before ripping his patented wrist shot over Alex Nedeljkovic's glove hand.

Neal Pionk was blunt while assessing the Winnipeg Jets' disappointing performance in this campaign."Let’s be honest, it was kind of embarrassing what we did this (season)," the defenseman said Tuesday, according to the Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre. "We had a really good roster and totally underachieved.""When I look in the mirror, I’m embarrassed. I don’t think I played as best as I could all (season)," Pionk continued. "I think if everyone goes into the summer and does that self-evaluation and we all come back, it’ll be a lot better."The Jets will miss this year's playoffs despite boasting a roster featuring potent scorer Kyle Connor, dependable veteran forwards Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Paul Stastny, younger impact players like Nikolaj Ehlers and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in goal.Winnipeg is only four campaigns removed from reaching the Western Conference Final, and the team made the postseason in each of the three subsequent years before missing out in 2021-22. The club advanced to the second round last year, sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in their first-round series.Pionk posted career highs in his first season with the Jets in 2019-20, putting up 45 points and averaging 23:23 of ice time. However, he's produced only 66 points in total since then, and his average ice time has decreased to 21:13 in 2021-22.The Nebraska-born blue-liner also has a subpar 47.13 expected goals for percentage at five-on-five this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Jets ranked 17th as a team in the same category entering Tuesday's action.Winnipeg sits in sixth place in the Central Division at 36-32-11.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Before diving into Wednesday's action, we must mention that the highest-leverage contest on Tuesday's slate takes place in Dallas. With three games left to play for each team, the Stars lead the Golden Knights by three points for the last wild-card spot, so the former can put the final nail in the latter's coffin with a win.While this game is going on, some sportsbooks will open their prices for Wednesday's games, and they may even include the games involving the Stars (vs. Coyotes), and the Golden Knights (at Blackhawks). If that's the case, how Tuesday's marquee matchup shakes out will drastically affect the teams' outlooks for the next night.On paper, both teams have eminently winnable games against bottom-three Western Conference opposition. If the Golden Knights can keep hope alive with a win, it will revitalize hopes going into the Windy City. Alternatively, if the Stars, one of the best home teams in hockey, can clinch a playoff spot, both teams potentially become less interested in the second leg of their respective back-to-backs.If that does happen, both underdogs become more interesting. Unfortunately, they are underdogs for a reason. In our due diligence, we need to know what they've been up to lately - which is, of course, losing.Before going into Minnesota as +450 underdogs Tuesday night, the Coyotes have lost 10 straight games and will be on the second half of a back-to-back themselves, with travel.The Blackhawks, the Golden Knights' opponents, have won three times since March 24. Chicago triumphed in a shootout at home versus the Sharks, on the road in overtime over the Coyotes, and on Monday, they managed a 3-1 win over the Flyers. They've lost the other 12 games in the span of just over a month. A glimmer of hope exists in that one of the defeats - in overtime in Las Vegas on March 26 - even-strength play was nearly dead even.Tuesday's big game in "Big D" is lined as a pick'em, but intrepid bettors will be watching intently with their oddsboard up, ready to pounce on a big number should the playoff picture become clearer.The recipeBefore the 2021-22 campaign, we devised a three-part series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.This season's on-ice predictive metrics make up 90% of our total rating. Basing 10% of the ratings on preseason "priors" allows us to emphasize team metrics without going all-in on what's happened during this campaign, which includes some tainted results from when COVID-19 ravaged lineups. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a side playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and 3% without travel.How to use the guideWhat follows is my fair price on the matchups (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd need to bet on each side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. You can establish your own threshold and may decide on a higher cutoff for bigger underdogs, like 6%-7%. On games that I've projected could be a near coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to make a wager worthwhile.Wednesday, April 27GAMEWIN PROB.(%)TRUE MLPRICE TO BETPHI@WPG39/61+156/-156PHI +186/WPG -150MTL@NYR27.4/72.6+266/-266MTL +328/NYR -253VGK@CHI60.1/39.9-151/+151VGK -145/CHI +179ARI@DAL25/75+300/-300ARI +377/DAL -285LAK@SEA69.9/30.1-233/+233LAK -222/SEA +284Compare the "Price to Bet" column with the market's prices. From there, compile a list of wagers. After you make your bets, come back before puck drop on game night to see if any line movements created value that wasn't there before. At that point, compare the price of your opening bet to its late price to see how much closing-line value you may be getting.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 Toronto Maple Leafs are getting Jake Muzzin back before the start of the playoffs.Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Muzzin is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, according to TSN's Mark Masters.The defenseman missed the last six games for an undisclosed reason.Muzzin has been limited to 45 contests this season. He's sustained two concussions - one in January and then another in February, only six games after he recovered from the first one.The 33-year-old is averaging 20:48 of ice time in 2021-22. He's collected three goals and 11 assists while authoring an expected goals for percentage of 53.25 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.Toronto acquired Muzzin in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings in January 2019.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Both of the bets from the weekend preview came through, with the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks picking up wins for us.We'll look to pick up where we left off with three plays for tonight's jam-packed schedule.Flames (-140) @ Predators (+115)The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators have met twice this season, with both games featuring just five goals.I expect the trend of unders to continue on Tuesday night. Calgary has been one of the NHL's best defensive sides all season long and nothing has changed of late. They rank sixth in scoring chances allowed at five-on-five and ninth in expected goals allowed over the last 10 games. They're not giving up much.The same can be said of the Predators as only three teams have given up fewer five-on-five chances over the last 10.Combine the defensive prowess with the projected goaltending matchup and it's hard to envision an offensive explosion. Jacob Markstrom might well be a Vezina finalist and he enters this contest in fine form, having conceded two or less in six of his last eight starts.Juuse Saros' game log isn't quite as impressive but his season numbers (.918 save percentage, +20.8 goals saved above expected) suggest he should be more than fine playing behind a competent defensive side.It's also possible Calgary, a team playing for nothing, elects to sit a couple players for load management. While I'm not banking on that, per se, it could be a bonus.This total is at least half a puck too high.Bet: Under 6.5 (-115)Golden Knights (-110) @ Stars (-110)I know the Vegas Golden Knights have stumbled a little bit of late but they really are playing better than the results indicate.No, they shouldn't be losing to teams like San Jose and New Jersey. But those losses were exceptions to the rule based on how they played. The Golden Knights were on the front foot for the majority of each of those games, holding chance differentials of +15 (San Jose) and +18 (New Jersey). They blew a lead with less than a second to go vs the former while a handful - yes, a handful - of posts proved to be the difference against New Jersey. It happens.Even with some of their best players dealing with nagging injuries, and some of the off-ice drama hovering over, this is a legitimately good team.Vegas has controlled nearly 54% of the expected goals over the last 10 games, ranking them eighth in the NHL at five-on-five. That's well above the Dallas Stars. The latter's share of the expected goals is less than 50%, which slots them 19th in the league.I think the Golden Knights will get the better of the Stars at five-on-five. With both teams showing good discipline of late, there should be even more full-strength play than you'd generally expect to see. That should be good news for Vegas.I expect a close affair but like Vegas to prevail and keep their playoff chances alive.Bet: Golden Knights (-110)Oilers (+130) @ Penguins (-155)The Edmonton Oilers continue to hum along under Jay Woodcroft. The wins are there more often than not and the process is as good as we've seen from the team in a long, long time.Take the last 10 games, for example. Edmonton's five-on-five share of Grade A chances sits at 59.78%. That places them second in the league, sandwiching the Oilers between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins. Damn good company.They are dominating in the chance department almost every night. That's a recipe for success when you have top-tier talents like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the receiving end of all those opportunities.Factor in an almost unbelievable resurgence from Mike Smith and there aren't many flaws with the Oilers right now.While the Pittsburgh Penguins are solid, their power play is really floundering and I don't fully trust Casey DeSmith. I see value in backing the Oilers.Bet: Oilers (+130)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was a very quiet Monday in the NHL with just one game scheduled. The story is much different on Tuesday as we have 13 games to look forward to.Let's dive into some of the best values on the board.Jack Eichel over 3.5 shots (+110)Eichel has cooled off a little bit of late. Even so, he has registered at least four shots in 20 of his last 28 games. That's better than a 71% hit rate.While the Stars are a competent defensive side, we don't need to shy away from targeting them with Eichel. They have given up quite a bit of volume to centers of late, ranking 26th in shots against per game over the last month.Eichel could also see extended minutes in this game. If the Golden Knights don't win, their season is over. They will be desperate and riding their best players into the ground to try and get a result. If this game is close, as expected, Eichel should comfortably play more than 20 minutes. At this price, he's worth backing in a sneaky good spot.Elias Pettersson over 2.5 shots (-112)Pettersson has been a shooting machine of late. He has piled up at least three shots in seven of the last 10 games while falling just one shy of hitting in the three losses. He's in the mix to go over every single night.It's no coincidence that the Canucks forward's shot attempt numbers are going through the roof. He has averaged 6.3 attempts per game over the last 10, well above his season total of 4.8.The Kraken play pretty slow at five-on-five, but that didn't stop Pettersson from hitting last time he faced them. They're also taking a lot of penalties right now, opening up some cushy minutes to help Pettersson get there.Timo Meier over 3.5 shots (-137)Meier is an absolute monster on home soil. He has averaged 4.3 shots and 7.6 shot attempts per game in San Jose while going over the number (3.5) in 25 of his 37 games. That's a hit rate near 70%.He's someone I'd back against just about any team at this price. It just so happens that Meier has a mouthwatering matchup against the Ducks to look forward to. They have really struggled to limit shots of late, ranking dead last in attempts against per 60 over their last 10.Meier is no doubt champing at the bit to get a piece of these Ducks, whom he's absolutely shredded all season. Meier has attempted 27 shots and hit the net 19 times through three meetings thus far, going over in each of them.Look for that success to continue Tuesday night.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Russia will no longer host next year's ice hockey World Championship.The IIHF is withdrawing the nation's hosting rights "out of concern for the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and fans."The governing body of international hockey made the decision at a council meeting Tuesday. The tournament would've taken place in Saint Petersburg from May 5-21, 2023. The IIHF will select a new host during the upcoming Worlds in Finland next month.In late February, just days after the invasion of Ukraine began, the IIHF removed Russia as host of the 2023 World Junior Championship. No new host has been chosen yet for that event.The IOC had called for stripping Russia of hosting rights to all international sporting events in the wake of the invasion.The IIHF tabbed Russia as the host of the 2023 Worlds in 2019.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.