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Good morning! At this time is Day 13 of the NHL playoffs. Three groups are eradicated and solely Sport 6s and 7s are left in Spherical 1. Buckle up 💥🚗
Whereas You Had been Sleeping
(Scott Taetsch / Getty Photos)
Eulogies for the Devils, Habs and Bolts
The badly injured Devils and plucky Canadiens exiting stage left first and second isn’t a lot of a shock, as these have been two of the extra predictably lopsided sequence coming in. Count on each groups again with higher showings a yr from now, given their younger expertise.
However the Lightning getting dumped in 5 video games is a big shock, even by the hands of the defending champion Panthers. Tampa Bay appeared like a severe contender all yr, with the NHL’s seventh-best report this season and second-best purpose differential. Andrei Vasilevskiy was again as a Vezina Trophy candidate and Nikita Kucherov led the league in scoring.
Now they’re accomplished after managing one measly playoff win.
Partly, it exhibits how necessary profitable your division and avoiding that nasty 2-3 gap could be on this format. However there should be some soul-searching in Tampa, because it’s an older crew and has misplaced in Spherical 1 three years in a row.
The Lightning have had a lot success, however with an possession change coming and the Panthers seemingly going to be formidable for some time, you marvel if that group has one other Cup run in them.
One different notice on what we’ve seen within the opening spherical …
Is the NHL taking soiled hits severely sufficient?
I wrote a spin-around-the-league column earlier this week, and one of many issues that basically stood out was what number of readers have been upset within the feedback about missed calls and low-cost photographs.
It highlighted one of many issues I haven’t cherished in regards to the first spherical thus far: simply what number of gamers have taken late hits or blows to the top and needed to depart video games.
• The Hurricanes misplaced beginning netminder Frederik Andersen to a goal-mouth collision that would have been known as.
• Brandon Hagel couldn’t play for Tampa final evening in an elimination sport after experiencing Aaron Ekblad’s forearm to the face.
• Leafs veteran John Tavares took an uncalled elbow to the top and went to the quiet room in additional time of Sport 4.
• And the Jets misplaced Mark Scheifele final evening after successful from Brayden Schenn when he didn’t have the puck.
Then there have been the opposite low-cost, late hits traded within the Panthers-Lightning sequence: Hagel on Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk on Jake Guentzel and Niko Mikkola on Latvian Gretzky Zemgus Girgensons.
I do know the league brass and followers need the physicality the playoffs carry, however there’s been an excessive amount of line-crossing already. It was encouraging that each Hagel and Ekblad have been suspended, however there might have been extra vital penalties on the opposite performs.
It’s one thing to watch as we head deeper into the playoffs and the struggle of attrition turns into an even bigger issue. Nobody needs to see stars lacking video games for dangerous hits and suspensions, and nobody needs that to be what decides a sequence.
All Eyes on Spherical 2
(Mike Carlson / Getty Photos)
Sorting the contenders from pretenders
Right here’s a fast rundown of the place each crew stands after the Jets eked out a Game 5 win over the upstart Blues final evening in whiteout Winnipeg. Groups in daring performed final evening:
• Superior: CAR, FLA, WSH
• Up 3-2: DAL, EDM, TOR, VGK, WPG
• Down 2-3: COL, LA, MIN, OTT, STL
• Eradicated: MTL, NJD, TBL
Now that we’re right down to 13 groups enjoying for the Stanley Cup, some matchups within the subsequent spherical are already coming into focus.
The Capitals earn a date with the Hurricanes for the Metro crown, whereas Florida awaits the winner of Leafs-Sens within the Atlantic. The West is way much less settled with each sequence nonetheless going, but when the groups up 3-2 transfer on, we’d get two superb matchups: Jets-Stars and Golden Knights-Oilers.
It definitely pays to be within the East this yr, as whoever comes out of the West shall be limping after so many lengthy, onerous sequence. Count on Spherical 2 to get going ASAP because the league races to award the massive mug earlier than late June.
Click here for Dom Luszczyszyn’s updated probabilities after final evening’s video games.
Groups with the perfect Cup odds on Could 1
- Florida 17%
- Carolina 16%
- Jets 15%
- Maple Leafs 10%
- Oilers 10%
- Stars 10%
Who’s main our MVP watch?
With three sequence wrapped and the remainder of Spherical 1 winding down, it’s time for our weekly Conn Smythe rating. Additional factors go to gamers on groups which have superior or are forward of their sequence. Direct all complaints to Sean McIndoe on social media:
- Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton
- Sebastian Aho, Carolina
- Logan Thompson, Washington
- Kyle Connor, Winnipeg
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton
- Thomas Harley, Dallas
- Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota
- Sam Reinhart, Florida
- Jake Oettinger, Dallas
- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado
Coast to Coast
❓Shayna Goldman digs into all of the key matchups to watch within the many Sport 6s arising. In some way the Leafs versus their playoff demons didn’t make the listing.
🥅 The PWHL is increasing to Vancouver and Seattle. Hailey Salvian has a great explainer that gets into how that will work given the gap between these two new groups and, properly, everybody else.
🏒 The wild story of how top Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin finally got to Carolina, by means of Saudi Arabia (!?). It’ll be fascinating if he turns into an element for them in Spherical 2, given the Hurricanes have been one of many East’s contenders with out the KHL star.
🍁 ICYMI: Canada has a brand new Prime Minister. And he was once a goalie. Fluto Shinzawa has this fun profile of Mark Carney, who’ll now must cease the knucklepuck that’s tariffs and tarnished U.S. relations.
📢 Our e-newsletter co-conspirator DGBee will make you snicker and cry as he breaks down how this latest Maple Leafs mess could end. TBD if something will get lit on hearth within the subsequent few days; I don’t assume I’m parking downtown for Sport 7.
🎙️ Try “The Athletic Hockey Show” throughout the NHL playoffs as our forged and crew, with particular visitor Frank Corrado, analyze the motion.
What to Watch
📺 Maple Leafs @ Senators
7 p.m. ET on TBS / SN
Final week once we instructed you to remain tuned to this sport, the massive storyline was whether or not there can be a sea of blue-and-white Leafs followers within the crowd. That didn’t occur … and the narrative has shifted to dramatics on the ice. Will the underdog Senators push this one to Sport 7? Can the Leafs keep away from the ignominy that may include blowing a 3-0 sequence lead? Should-see TV, both method.
📺 Golden Knights @ Wild, Stars @ Avalanche, Kings @ Oilers
7:30 to 10 p.m. ET on ESPN / TBS / SN
4 Sport 6s in a single evening is a humiliation of hockey riches. The one disgrace is with video games overlapping, it’ll be onerous to look at all of them — though kudos to the NHL for staggering the beginning occasions for us channel flippers. With Minnesota, Colorado and Los Angeles all dealing with elimination, anticipate nice hockey as they attempt to earn a Sport 7 on the weekend.
The complete NHL playoff schedule is here. Strive streaming video games like these without spending a dime on Fubo.
The 🚨Statpack
(Scott Taetsch / Getty Photos)
Breaking: Ovechkin loves objectives
You will have heard Alex Ovechkin bested Wayne Gretzky’s profession regular-season objectives mark in the course of the season, however he managed to match one other Corridor of Famer final evening, too.
His purpose within the Capitals’ win moved him to 76 profession postseason tallies, tying him with Mario Lemieux for twelfth in NHL historical past.
Ovechkin has his work lower out to catch Gretzky on this stat, nonetheless. The Nice One’s report of 122 postseason objectives is 46 greater than Ovechkin has because the league’s energetic playoff objectives chief.
The subsequent-highest gamers who’re nonetheless energetic this postseason? Corey Perry and Brad Marchand, who each have 56 profession playoff objectives, good for forty fourth all time.
• Talking of Perry, he’s approaching some heady firm in profession playoff video games performed. Tonight’s Sport 6 in Edmonton shall be his 221st postseason sport, tying him for eleventh in NHL historical past with Bryan Trottier.
• If the Oilers go on a long term, Perry can climb as excessive as fourth this spring, passing luminaries like Mark Messier and Larry Robinson. Perry turns 40 in a pair weeks, nonetheless, so it feels unlikely he can take a run at Chris Chelios’ all-time mark of 266.
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(High picture of Brayden Schenn: Cameron Bartlett / Getty Photos)
