His presence along with Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov’s will be enough to fuel the Capitals past the Blue Jackets, who have scored the second-fewest goals among playoff teams this year. “I’ve watched it from afar and it’s really fun to watch, so it’s going to be even more fun to play”. Fans could also elect to receive game start notifications alerting them when their selected teams’ games were about to start.
Advertisement
Brassard was a key trade-deadline addition and got off to a slow start while getting adjusted to the Penguins’ more open style.
With the last of the 82 games each team plays, matchups and rankings have been finalized and it is time to battle it out to see who will raise Lord Stanley after just 16 intense victories; this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Carl Hagelin queried with a grin. Miller has plenty of playoff experience, but he hasn’t played in the postseason since 2015. New Jersey making the playoffs is a nice story, and Taylor Hall might be the favorite for the Hart Trophy.
A Golden Knights team put together with other teams’ discards spent the season using a “why not us?” mantra in setting expansion-team records for most wins (51), home wins (29), road wins (22) and longest point streak (10-0-2). And though it happened a while ago, it can be hard to forget that matchup with just how unusual that six-game affair was. The Capitals will have to get past the Blue Jackets first. Now, all eight series in the first round are expected to thrill, due in part that it’s the round with the most teams and most games played.
Per usual, the Flyers will have to deal with a Pittsburgh offense that is a twin-turbo of power, led by Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin.
In a league with so much parity, it is risky to call a series over before it even starts. Star captain Steven Stamkos is questionable after missing four of the final seven regular-season games with a lower-body injury. “Sometimes you pass the test. You have to find that balance and our experience since then will help us”. The 23-year-old says he’s more focused on how he feels and stressed he’s in a good place. Will Pittsburgh three-peat, something which hasn’t been done in over 30 years? “Whatever it was, it was in the moment, emotional”. The difference in this series is going to be special teams.
That includes the Vegas Golden Knights, the expansion team that incredibly holds the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference after putting up a historic 109-point season. “This is something we speak about with our group often”. All while being the feel-good story in a city emotionally devastated by a mass shooting that killed 58 people days before the Knights’ first National Hockey League game. It’s easy to lose control of your emotions and that’s where a certain level of discipline and diligence has to come into play. Both teams have good defenses and goaltending.
Elliott, 33, has never been part of the Flyers-Penguins rivalry in the playoffs, but he knows all about the bitterness between the teams. Gibson enjoyed the best season of his four-year career and is in the Vezina conversation. The Maple Leafs weren’t exactly the team they are now, but he wasn’t doing himself any favors.
“They’re skilled and they’re fast”, Letang said. Though they aren’t the number one seed in the East, the Lightning have been the most consistent team in the National Hockey League this season. While his production has slightly faded since his 35 point season with Edmonton past year, his combined 23 points between Edmonton and Columbus are decent for a bottom line player.
Sports people from the Western Pennsylvania city have been proud of their team that plays on ice, for good reason. In the giddy aftermath, Fleury passed the Cup to Murray, in many ways a literal passing of the torch from one generation to the next.
Advertisement
“This is great”, Patric Hornqvist said with a huge smile on his face. Another close matchup, but the final prediction: Toronto in 7 games. Unfortunately, the Cinderella season is likely to end at the hands of the NHL’s current top team.
