Mike Smith went from hero to zero in the Edmonton Oilers’ crease. And now the team’s goaltending could be in flux following a 9-6 loss to the Calgary Flames in Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Wednesday. The veteran netminder never even got settled into Wednesday’s matchup before Mikko Koskinen was […]
Continue readingCalgary and Dallas wasted no time getting acquainted in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-seeded Flames and seventh-seeded Stars faced off in Game 1 of their first-round matchup in Calgary on Tuesday, and fists were flying before the first period ended. The initial melee started with a punishing hit by Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk on […]
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 readingIt’s time for a bit of a retrospective; a look back at some of the most pleasant surprises this season, the disappointments and the future assets. Using ESPN’s preseason top 300 rankings (the one’s done in the fantasy game itself that you would have seen in your draft room back in the fall), I’ve compiled […]
Continue readingFor this week’s Power Rankings, we identified a stat for every team that best exemplified their performance, from recent trends to season-long strengths or weaknesses. 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 […]
Continue readingIf the Toronto Maple Leafs pull away from the Tampa Bay Lightning a little more over the next couple of games, they might be in a position to rest toward the end of the season. The Calgary Flames might be in a position soon where their seeding won’t change, but they still might need to […]
Continue readingThankfully, however, most of the races are being kept tight enough that teams won’t be able to consider resting players for at least a couple of weeks. Even though the teams in the postseason in the Eastern Conference are all but officially settled, there is enough jostling for seeding left that teams likely won’t be […]
Continue readingThe Colorado Avalanche have a healthy 13-point lead on their current status as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Is that reason enough to consider Nazem Kadri’s upper-body injury a season-ending one? Perhaps he comes back to get his legs for a couple of games before the postseason, but perhaps the Avs hold […]
Continue readingWith that final push in mind, let’s have a spin through the “what have you done for me lately?” file. This is looking at fantasy points per game (FPPG) for the past three weeks and cross-referencing with availability in fantasy leagues. Brock Nelson, C, New York Islanders (3.2 FPPG in past three weeks; available in […]
Continue readingKeep it locked on this page, as it will update in real time as more trades become official. To keep track of who is still on the board and the terms of all deals that have been made so far, check out the NHL Trade Tracker as well as trade grades. Anaheim Ducks get Evgenii […]
Continue reading