Flames-Stars top-line battle, Panthers, Avalanche, Maple Leafs offense among things to watch
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By Dan Rosen
@drosennhl NHL.com Senior Writer
The best time of the year is finally here.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Monday with four Game 1s followed by four more Tuesday.
The 16 teams in the playoffs will dwindle to eight in a span of two weeks. Eight will go to four by the start of June and the Stanley Cup will be awarded no later than June 30.
There are always interesting storylines to follow across the NHL at this time of the year. Here are 16 to whet your appetite for the two-month feast that is coming your way.
Lightning going for three-peat
The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83.
The Lightning have not lost a playoff series since getting swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round in 2019. They have 14 players on their roster who were with them for the Stanley Cup run last year; 13 of them were on the team for the back-to-back championships.
Tampa Bay went 51-23-8 (110 points) in the regular season to finish third in the Atlantic Division. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had 106 points (42 goals, 64 assists), his first time topping the century mark in points for a season.
The Lightning will open the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who finished second in the Atlantic Division. Game 1 is at Scotiabank Arena on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSUN).
Offense aplenty
Scoring was as high as its been in a quarter century across the NHL this season, which leads to the question of if it will continue at that pace in the playoffs, when scoring has historically dropped.
There were 6.3 goals per game this season, the highest in 25 seasons. Eight players reached 100-plus points, led by Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (123). Seventeen players scored 40 or more goals, led by Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (60).
Matthews had the first 60-goal season since Stamkos scored 60 in 2011-12.
There were three defensem*n with at least 80 points, the most since 1993-94.
There were four players with at least 50 goals, equal to the number of different players who scored at least 50 in the past 10 seasons.
The ice was littered with hats to celebrate a hat trick 102 times, the most since 1992-93, when there were 112.
Offense was a major storyline in the NHL this season. Will it continue to be in the playoffs?
DET@TOR: Matthews scores his 60th in two-goal night
Goalie injuries
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators could all start the first round without their No. 1 goalie.
Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry missed the final six games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Casey DeSmith started five of the final six games, going 3-2-0 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.
DeSmith is expected to be in net for the Penguins in Game 1 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS, MSG, ATTSN-PT).
Similarly, Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen missed the final six games with a lower-body injury and is questionable for Game 1 against the Boston Bruins at PNC Arena on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, TVAS, BSSO, NESN).
Carolina could turn to Antti Raanta, Andersen's backup all season, or rookie Pyotr Kochetkov, who played in three of the last four games, going 3-0-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .902 save percentage.
Predators goalie Juuse Saros missed the final two games with an undisclosed injury. Nashville remains hopeful he'll be ready for Game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SNE, TVAS, ALT, BSSO).
If Saros can't go, David Rittich or Connor Ingram will start.
Ovechkin's status
Alex Ovechkin missed the last three games of the regular season with an upper-body injury and it's not clear if the Washington Capitals 36-year-old forward will be ready in time for Game 1 against the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS, BSFL, NBCSWA).
Ovechkin, who scored at least 50 goals this season for the ninth time in his career, has been skating and there has been progress, Washington coach Peter Laviolette said prior to a 3-2 loss against the Rangers on Friday.
Ovechkin, who is day to day, has never missed a playoff game in his NHL career, scoring 135 points (71 goals, 64 assists) in 141 games.
Canada's Cup drought
The Montreal Canadiens fell three wins short last year. Will the Maple Leafs, Oilers or Calgary Flames finally be the team that ends Canada's Stanley Cup drought?
It's been 29 years since a Canadian-based team won the Stanley Cup. The Canadiens did it in 1993, defeating the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.
Canada has had chances since, with the Vancouver Canucks (1994), Flames (2004), Oilers (2006), Ottawa Senators (2007), Canucks (2011) and Canadiens (2021) each reaching the Stanley Cup Final but failing to get the job done.
The Oilers and Flames would meet in the Western Conference Second Round if both get out of the first round. The Maple Leafs have to first get by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions to have a chance.
Teacher vs. pupil
The coaching matchup in the Western Conference First Round series between the Los Angeles Kings and Oilers is an interesting subplot.
The Kings' Todd McLellan and the Oilers' Jay Woodcroft worked together with three teams across more than a decade.
McLellan was an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings when Woodcroft was their video coach. They won the Stanley Cup in 2008.
McLellan went to coach the San Jose Sharks in 2008-09 and brought Woodcroft with him as an assistant. They were together in San Jose through the 2014-15 season.
McLellan got the job as the Oilers coach prior to the 2015-16 season and brought Woodcroft with him as an assistant. They were together for three seasons before Woodcroft took the job as the coach of the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers' affiliate in the American Hockey League.
McLellan is in his third season coaching Los Angeles and Woodcroft replaced Dave Tippett to as Edmonton coach on Feb. 10. Game 1 between the Kings and Oilers is at Rogers Place on Monday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSW).
Panthers look to break 26-year drought
The Panthers have not won a playoff series since 1996, when they won three before losing to the Avalanche in their only Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Florida is 0-7 in playoff series since with a record of 9-23.
But this season the Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy for the first time, finishing with 122 points. They led the NHL with 337 goals, becoming the first team to score more than four per game (4.11) since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96 (4.41).
Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau was one of the eight players to top 100 points, finishing tied for second in the League with 115 (30 goals, 85 assists). He led the NHL in assists.
Pressure on the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs had a historic regular season, setting team records for wins (54) and points (115) while center Matthews set a team record for most goals in a season with his 60.
But their season will be defined by what they do in the postseason. Toronto has not won a playoff series since 2004 and has not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
The Maple Leafs will open the playoffs against the Lightning. They were 2-2-0 against Tampa Bay in the regular season, including losing 8-1 to them on April 21 and defeating them 6-2 on April 4.
Avalanche feeling the heat too
The Avalanche have reached the Western Conference Second Round in each of the past three seasons only to lose, including in six games to the Vegas Golden Knights last season after they won Games 1 and 2.
But like the Maple Leafs, the Avalanche set team records for wins (56) and points (119) this season. They're the top seed in the Western Conference and will open against the Predators.
Colorado is expecting to get forward Gabriel Landeskog back for Game 1. He missed the final 23 games of the regular season recovering from knee surgery. Landeskog had 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 51 games before the injury.
He said prior to the surgery that the Avalanche realize that they won't get too many more opportunities to win the Stanley Cup and feel they're better equipped to do it because of the playoff disappointments from the past few seasons.
Makar vs. Josi
Roman Josi of the Predators and Cale Makar of the Avalanche, the top two scoring defensem*n and arguably the top two candidates for the Norris Trophy, given to the League's best at the position, will go head-to-head in the first round.
Josi led all defensem*n with 96 points (23 goals, 73 assists), the most at the position since Brian Leetch had 102 (22 goals, 80 assists) with the Rangers in 1991-92. Makar was second with 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists).
Josi led the Predators with six points (two goals, four assists) in four games against the Avalanche during the regular season. Makar had a team-high seven points (two goals, five assists) in three games against Nashville.
Nashville won three of four against Colorado, including 5-2 on Dec. 16, when Josi scored a goal and Makar did not play.
COL@NSH: Josi fires wrist shot home for PPG from slot
Picking a goalie in Minnesota
Cam Talbot or Marc-Andre Fleury for the Minnesota Wild's starting goalie?
The question that has been omnipresent around the Wild since they acquired Fleury before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline will be answered in time for Game 1 against the St. Louis Blues at Xcel Energy Center on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, TVAS, BSN, BSMW).
Talbot and Fleury each started 11 of Minnesota's final 22 games. Talbot went 8-0-3 with two shutouts, a 2.25 GAA and .925 save percentage. Fleury was 9-2-0 with a 2.74 GAA and .910 save percentage.
Talbot started all three of Minnesota's games against the Blues this season, going 0-1-2 with a 5.92 GAA and .814 save percentage. Fleury went 0-3-0 for Chicago against St. Louis with a 3.36 GAA and .903 save percentage.
Husso in Blues net
The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with Jordan Binnington in net after he seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the best goalies in the NHL.
Three years later, the Blues will go into Game 1 against the Wild with Ville Husso expected to be their starting goalie and Binnington the backup.
Husso has earned it this season, going 25-7-6 with a 2.56 GAA and .919 save percentage in 40 games (38 starts). Binnington was 18-14-4 with a 3.13 GAA and .901 save percentage in 37 games.
The Blues feel comfortable with Husso, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, but don't expect coach Craig Berube to give him too long of a leash given Binnington has already proven he can win at this time of the year.
Last chance for Penguins core?
Sidney Crosby raised the point earlier this week that this could be the Penguins last chance at winning the Stanley Cup again with the three players who were all part of their championships in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
Crosby, a center who tied with forward Jake Guentzel for a team-high 84 points this season, is signed through the 2024-25 season. But center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang are each a pending unrestricted free agent.
Crosby is Pittsburgh's all-time leading scorer in the playoffs with 191 points (69 goals, 122 assists). Malkin is second with 174 points (64 goals, 110 assists). Letang is seventh, and first among defenseman, with 86 points (22 goals, 64 assists).
They also rank first, second and third in playoff games played; Crosby with 174, Malkin 170 and Letang 142.
The Penguins are in the playoffs for the 16th straight season, the longest active streak for any team in a major professional sports league in North America, but they have not won a playoff series since 2018.
Shesterkin's shot
Igor Shesterkin led the NHL with a 2.07 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. The Rangers goalie had 36 wins and six shutouts in 53 games (52 starts).
Shesterkin is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie and is in the conversation for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL most valuable player.
But this will be his first real chance to make a name for himself in the playoffs. His NHL playoff experience is limited to Game 3 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers against the Hurricanes on Aug. 4, 2020, when he made 27 saves in a 4-1 loss that eliminated the Rangers.
If Shesterkin can replicate his regular-season success in the playoffs the Rangers have a real chance to make a run this postseason.
Flames-Stars top-line battle
The matchup between the first lines in the series between the Flames and Dallas Stars will be one to watch. They are arguably the two best first lines in the NHL this season.
Calgary's top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk combined for 301 points (124 goals, 177 assists). Gaudreau (115) and Tkachuk (104) were two of the eight 100-point scorers. All three finished with at least 40 goals (Lindholm, 42; Tkachuk, 42; Gaudreau, 40).
Similarly, the Stars' top line of Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz was the driving force behind them getting into the playoffs. The line combined for 232 points (105 goals, 127 assists).
Robertson scored 41 goals, Pavelski, at 37 years old, put up career-highs in assists (54) and points (81), and Hintz scored 37 goals.
CGY@MIN: Gaudreau opens scoring with his 40th goal
Last hurrahs?
Kings forward Dustin Brown announced on Thursday that he will retire at the conclusion of the playoffs, so this postseason will be the last for the 37-year-old, who played in a team record 1,296 regular season games and will still add to his 85 career playoff games.
Brown is the only player in Kings history to play 18 seasons with the team, reaching the playoffs eight times. He won the Stanley Cup with them in 2012 and 2014 and had 712 points (325 goals, 387 assists) in his career. He has 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists) in the playoffs.
Could this also be the last postseason run for Bruins center Patrice Bergeron and Panthers center Joe Thornton?
Bergeron, who helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and get back to the Cup Final in 2013 and 2019, is in the last year of an eight-year contract and the 36-year-old has not committed to playing beyond this season. He has played all of his 18 NHL seasons with Boston.
Thornton is playing on a one-year contract for the fifth straight season. The 42-year-old is not playing regularly for the Panthers and could be on his last legs of a likely Hall of Fame career. He has never won the Stanley Cup.
