Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon was direct in his assessment of his team’s effort in a 4-1 Game 2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. “We were bad. We were really bad tonight,” MacKinnon said with the Western Conference second-round series now tied 1-1. “We just didn’t have our jump tonight. But […]
Continue readingThe first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs lasted 51 games — including a pair of Game 7 overtime thrillers in games No. 50 and 51 — and now we’re on to Round 2. To help digest what we saw from each of the eight surviving teams, as well as preview the all the […]
Continue readingMinnesota fell 5-1 in Game 6 of its first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against host St. Louis on Thursday, dropping the best-of-seven 4-2. The Blues advance for the first time since 2019, when they won the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup. They will face the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed Colorado Avalanche in the second round. […]
Continue readingEach series in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs has now gotten through Game 4, with no shortage of goalie drama, blowouts and controversy with on-ice officials. This postseason has certainly been thrilling, and following wins Monday by the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames, there will be a total of six Game 5 matchups in which […]
Continue readingTo answer these queries, we’ve asked our NHL insiders and betting experts to break down the field and spotlight key spots where value can be found. All odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer and Daily Wager contributor: There was some slight slippage at 5-on-5 play by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the […]
Continue readingThe matchups and storylines are set as the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs get underway this week, with the last team standing hoisting the cherished chalice sometime in late June. Will that be the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are looking to become the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New […]
Continue readingWe’re now wading into a fresh fantasy field in which the quantity of games played often rivals quality of individual performance. Alex Ovechkin can do only so much damage if his Washington Capitals are disposed of in five contests at the hands of the Florida Panthers. So, my advice: Pick a handful of teams you […]
Continue readingFor this week’s Power Rankings, we identify the big decision on tap (either in the coming weeks or this summer) for all 32 teams. How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors rates teams against one another — taking into account game results, injuries and upcoming schedule — and those […]
Continue readingThe NHL has turned the page to this final month of the regular season. As it goes, we’ll be watching how one player from each club handles the weight of a little added expectation — good, bad or (maybe) ugly. How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors rates teams […]
Continue readingThis week we’re focussing on players to help get you through the first round of your head-to-head playoff bracket. There’s no round two if you don’t get through the first match-up. Alex Killorn, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (Rostered in 54.8% of ESPN.com leagues): To be honest, I’m more enchanted with Tampa’s current schedule than this […]
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