First line: The Capitals trot out Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on their top line. Bennett's arrival slid players down the lineup and only strengthened the bottom six (which has some decent players, including Nikita Gusev, whose performance has improved after a forgettable stint in New Jersey). The Penguins are bottom-six in penalty kill (77.4%), which is where the Isles thrive, finishing in the top six (83.7%). 1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. Playoff position: N/A Playoff position: N/A He has been solid the last two months of the season. Games left: 2 Games left: 4 Mock draft: First-round predictions Playoff position: W2 The Jets were really spiraling down the stretch, while the Oilers and a next-level McDavid were steam-rollering through teams. The East Division has had its four playoff teams clinched longer than anyone -- but there's the least clarity as to the order in which they'll finish. Fantasy Hockey Playoff Bracket - ESPN Fantasy Hockey Home Sign Up Fantasy Store Fantasy Hockey Support Username and Password Help Change Email Address Issues Joining a League Login and Account. Obviously, we're trying to make a bracket for all to see, so we kept it family friendly, in case you were looking for some notorious names. As long as health holds up, the Lightning should win this. 1 at this point. Tragic number: E, Points: 47 Advantage: Toronto, Health: The Leafs should get Hyman, Foligno and Nash back for the start of the playoffs. Advantage: Vegas. Picking the Wild here isn't misguided. Both were revelations on Tampa Bay's third line. Tragic number: E, Points: 74 From a woman coming across an azure-hooded blue jay and believing "Creighton will fly through the early rounds" to a man feeling a little husky, "like UConn" in his dress shirt, the . Next game: vs. STL (May 8) Advantage: Even. Briefly a member of the Wild before the expansion draft, he can be a physical force. (But not adjusted for division, detractors will say.) Grading all the big NHL deals, including Wednesday's trade that saw the Kings and Blue Jackets swap goaltenders, among other assets. Under this season's realignment, the playoffs will be division-based, with the top seed facing the fourth, the second facing the third and the . They've skated with Victor Rask primarily this season, but lately have seen time with the more rugged Ryan Hartman. It is more surprising to see the Penguins' duo of Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith ranking sixth in the same category (.925). The interim coach doesn't have much of a sample, but he might have done enough to earn the job, provided GM Marc Bergevin returns. While we agree that Lorne "Gump" Worsley, George "Punch" Imlach, Joseph "Toe" Blake, Harold "Punch" Broadbent, Modere "Mud" Bruneteau, Aubrey "Dit" Clapper, Elmer "Moose" Vasko, Eldon "Pokey" Reddick and others are stone-cold classic hockey names, we've taken them out of the tournament field. Games left: 1 Regulation wins: 27 Playoff chances: 0% 12-year-old Sam Holtz, a Notre Dame fan, said that he didn't watc - Create up to 25 brackets and . He's motivated and scary. Since entering the league, Kucherov is top 10 in power-play points -- and that's despite missing this entire season. Advantage: Pittsburgh, Defense: The Islanders are known for their defensive structure -- often playing in low-scoring games, with forwards always coming back to help on the backcheck -- but they also have a true No. Regulation wins: 19 Orr. For Montreal, Tyler Toffoli brought as much joy to the Canadiens as his departure brought pain to Vancouver, scoring 28 goals this season. After the NHL staged a 24-team, bubble-based tournament to determine the Stanley Cup winner in 2020, we're back to a more traditional 16-team event in 2021 -- with a significant twist. The line of Martin Necas, Nino Niederreiter and Vincent Trocheck (57.89% expected goals for percentage) could feasibly operate as Nashville's top line. 1 pick, Points: 75 Terms of Use Regulation wins: 20 At risk of incurring another analytics rant from coach Paul Maurice, Wheeler has been sub-replacement (negative-2.6 goals scored above average) level this season. After a winner is crowned from the four divisions, the "final four" will be rebracketed based on their regular-season records, with No. Playoff chances: 0% Complete your bracket by selecting your winner for each game of the NCAA Tournament, starting with the Sweet 16. The middling "Price In Name Only" that they've seen in the regular season? After the NHL staged a 24-team, bubble-based tournament to determine the Stanley Cup winner in 2020, we're back to a more traditional 16-team event in 2021 -- with a significant twist. Regulation wins: 28 Your US State Privacy Rights Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at $100,000 in prizes. No. 3 Los Angeles Kings (Edmonton . 2 facing No. Let's take an in-depth look at each first-round matchup and make our picks for which teams will advance. No. (Spoiler: He does, as he should.) Advantage: Tampa Bay. Regulation wins: 28 Next game: vs. OTT (May 9) Playoff position: N/A Forward depth: The Avs' second line features Nazem Kadri flanked by Andre Burakovsky and either Joonas Donskoi or Brandon Saad, the latter of whom is working back from a lower-body injury. NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? When Vladimir Tarasenko is in the lineup, you might find him skating with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. Games left: 1 ET. Ryan Graves, Makar's primary partner last season, has combined with Samuel Girard for another solid pairing (61.0% expected goals). Lee won't be back for the postseason, but New York added Palmieri and Zajac at the deadline to help replace him. On Tuesday, we'll have staff picks and winners. Bracket Analyzer How far can your bracket go?. Playoff chances: 100% | Playoff position: N2 In more than 775 minutes together at 5-on-5, the duo have a 59.96% expected goals for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick. Also, Jarry has played in only one career postseason game, while DeSmith has zero. Entries Per User The amount of brackets each member is allowed to enter into your group. ESPN Insider's Bracket Predictor helps you evaluate each of the 63 games and imports your picks directly into ESPN's Tournament Challenge. Payouts to be determined based on number of entries. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 58 Continue reading this article and more from top writers, for only $9.99/mo. Copa del Rey semifinal: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid preview, key players, prediction, Infighting of Women's World Cup faves Spain, France, Canada reveals big issues in the sport, ISL Musings: Bengaluru's Ws continue, Odisha sneak through, ATKMB beat EB (again). ; Pick the correct champion for a chance to win a share of $50,000 in prizes!Fill out 25 brackets to compete for more cash! 1 -- and then the debates begin. The B's are on pace for NHL records in wins and points, along with some individual superlatives as well. Series pick: Jets in seven. Ovechkin. There is no penalty for not filling-out all of your created brackets/entries with team selections or using them to enter into a group. Jump to: The best part is it's completely free to play and we're offering $150K in total prizes this year! Watch on ESPN+, Defense: Here's where the Predators finally can go toe-to-toe with the Canes. But Jon Cooper is one of the best in the game right now, the man Canada is likely to tap as its 2022 Olympic coach. Dominique Ducharme replaced Claude Julien after 18 games, and managed to sneak the Canadiens into the playoffs despite several injuries down the stretch. East: PIT-NYI | WSH-BOS Right behind Saros on that 5-on-5 save percentage list is Carolina rookie Alex Nedeljkovic, who has emerged as a pleasant surprise and supplanted James Reimer as the Canes' No. No. Children's Online Privacy Policy Here are our expert picks for the winners of all of the 2022-23 men's college basketball . Regulation wins: 19 Advantage: Even, Goaltending: Tuukka Rask has played 93 career playoff games, and that type of experience typically matters this time of year. Advantage: Tampa Bay, Forward depth: When the Lightning won the Stanley Cup last year, they were lauded for their trade deadline acquisitions of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. 4 and No. See Official Rules for full details. They've made life easy for Alexandre Carrier, a rookie who earned a bigger role midway through the season, and has played mostly with Ekholm. Instead, Koskinen has struggled while Smith posted a .924 save percentage in 31 games, placing 12th in goals saved above average (14.6). Games left: 4 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. Advanced stats are from Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. 1, a loaded LPGA field and more to watch in golf this week, How to watch PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on ESPN+, Disputed loan at center of Commanders probe, Everything you need to know about F1's 2023 season, F1 season preview: Who's hot and who's not, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, Oral history: When Barcelona, Real Madrid played four Clasicos in 18 days back in 2011, LIVE Transfer Talk: Gvardiol, Bellingham named Real Madrid's top transfer targets, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas. The winners of those series will square off in the Stanley Cup Final. Next game: @ FLA (May 8) Ivan Barbashev and Kyle Clifford are among the options in the lineup. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 52 Defense: It has not been the smoothest transition for Alex Pietrangelo. | Tarasenko, who returned after his third shoulder surgery, had just four goals in 24 games. That means the four divisions the. Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at. Tragic number: E, No. Washington's forward depth, overall, is stronger than Boston's. Capitals send Eller to Avs for second-round pick, Kings deal Cup-winning G Quick to Blue Jackets, Rangers clear hurdles, get Kane from Blackhawks, Oilers bulk up defense, secure Predators' Ekholm, Leafs win Schenn sweepstakes, trade for veteran, Leafs deal Sandin to Capitals for Gustafsson, pick, Wild add depth, acquire Johansson from Capitals, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. While the Blues are locked into the No. Fans can submit up to 25 brackets and join up to 10 groups each for the men's tournament at ESPN.com/bracket and the women's tournament at ESPN.com/tcwomen, Top center Ryan Johansen's production has dipped from 0.80 points per game two years ago to 0.46 points per game this season. Regulation wins: 28 Veteran defenseman Erik Johnson could return later this postseason. Privacy Policy Complete your bracket by selecting your winner for each game of the Men's NCAA Tournament. Goodrow is out indefinitely with an upper body injury. Modern North American region, with players from North America who were active for NHL franchises in the past dozen years. Playoff chances: 100% Bracket busted? Advantage: Tampa Bay, Coaching: Typically, Joel Quenneville -- a three-time Stanley Cup winner, who ranks second all time in coaching wins, behind only Scotty Bowman -- is the automatic choice here. After the NHL staged a 24-team, bubble-based tournament to determine the Stanley Cup winner in 2020, we're back to a more traditional 16-team event in 2021 -- with a significant twist. The NHL on NBC is an American presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by NBC Sports, and televised on NBC properties, including MSNBC, CNBC, Golf Channel, USA Network and NBCSN in the United States.. Advantage: Edmonton, Goaltending: Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender last season, and has once again carried the defensive load for the Jets. Can the red-hot Hurricanes topple the Bruins at No. Florida might have made its own shrewd move this time around. Playoff chances: 0% NHL trade grades: Kings make smart additions in Gavrikov, Korpisalo, NHL trade tracker: Latest deals, rumors and grades, Capitals send Eller to Avs for second-round pick, Kings deal Cup-winning G Quick to Blue Jackets, Rangers clear hurdles, get Kane from Blackhawks, Oilers bulk up defense, secure Predators' Ekholm, Leafs win Schenn sweepstakes, trade for veteran, Leafs deal Sandin to Capitals for Gustafsson, pick, Wild add depth, acquire Johansson from Capitals, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? Complete your bracket by selecting the winner in each of the games in the NCAA tournament. Privacy Policy Note: Playoff chances are via Money Puck. On the second pairing, Brett Pesce has quietly been outstanding for the Canes, with nearly the same expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5 as Hamilton. 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