That's right you don't have to build a perfect bracket.. Yzerman. He's motivated and scary. 1 Calgary Flames vs. Wild Card 1 Dallas Stars (Calgary wins 4-3) No. Next game: @ CBJ (May 8) He should be rested heading into this postseason. Entries Per User The amount of brackets each member is allowed to enter into your group. How do you want to fill out your bracket? Full details on the process can be found here. Regulation wins: 17 Games left: 4 Zach Parise, a healthy scratch this season, is there too. It's a different story for rookie Peyton Krebs, who is out indefinitely with a fractured jaw. Regulation wins: 28 Tragic number: 2, Points: 52 Playoff chances: 0% ET for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by . Regulation wins: 24 Regulation wins: 23 Can the Lions fix their defense? Advantage: Even. Games left: 2 The infusion of reinforcements to the Canadiens' lineup, especially Gallagher, will be a boost to Montreal. We look at six teams and how they could plan to approach Friday's trade deadline. Defense: Like Toffoli with the Canadiens, T.J. Brodie was one of the most impactful signings of the offseason for the Leafs. Advantage: Tampa Bay. Stamkos (lower body injury) has been out since April 8 and is hopeful to be ready for the series, but it's troubling to hear him say all of his injuries are somewhat connected. You can catch this game streaming on ESPN+ tonight. The Canadiens have the 19th-best power play (19.3%) and the 18th-best penalty kill (79.3%). Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? The X factors: As always, one is Alex Tuch, who had 18 goals in 55 games this season and has 15 goals in 47 career playoff games. Complete your bracket by selecting your winner for each game of the NCAA Tournament, starting with the Sweet 16. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 75 Playoff position: N1 Next game: vs. DET (May 8) The Capitals' defense might not be the X factor in many games, but it also won't lose them many games either. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 73 The annual tradition is back! Perron had a special season: 58 points in 56 games. I think they push the Knights to the brink, but Vegas has the experience and the goaltending to get by them. 32 NFL players who could change teams this offseason, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum. Games left: 2 The Knights aren't nearly as strong defensively as they were under DeBoer last season, while the Wild are one of the NHL's best defensive teams in terms of limiting high-danger chances. The Capitals get a rematch against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday after losing Friday night. Tanner Jeannot, Mathieu Olivier, Eeli Tolvanen and Yakov Trenin have proved that the Preds do have some talent in the pipeline, but they're just not as seasoned as Carolina's group. The defensive defenseman's pairing with Morgan Rielly has a 56.1% expected goals percentage this season. Nashville's penalty kill is third worst in the league (75.4%), so this is a mismatch. They live in a world where all four lines can feasibly score, but to coach Rod Brind'Amour's identity of hard-nosed hockey. Gretzky. Binnington is on a redemption tour himself: He won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and then was the reason the Blues were eliminated in 2020, with an 0-5 record and an .851 save percentage. He has played with Joel Armia and dynamic center Nick Suzuki, who bounced back from a midseason offensive swoon. Here's what to watch for in Saturday's 14-game slate: There aren't many other teams that are locked in to particular spots right now, but one of them is the Carolina Hurricanes, who have clinched the Central Division crown. Regulation wins: 27 Reclamation success story Alex Galchenyuk is in the mix too. Regulation wins: 11 He had a .915 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average in winning 23 of 44 games. 1 -- and then the debates begin. Sam Bennett has been a seamless fit since coming over from Calgary, specifically thriving alongside Jonathan Huberdeau. Tragic number: E, No. Playoff chances: 0% A guy like Daniel Sprong could be sneaky-impactful for Washington this postseason. He's been great in the playoffs, too: .923 save percentage and four shutouts in 25 career appearances. 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. About Nielsen Measurement You can download the bracket here and play along. We've compiled 64 of them into four different regions in a bracketed tournament: Old-school region, with the players from yesteryear. Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at $100,000 in prizes. The Jets averaged 3.15 goals per game with him, and 2.25 goals per game since he left the lineup. The #1 bracket app is back and better than ever for the 2023 NCAA Men's and Women's College Basketball tournaments! While the Blues are locked into the No. Kyle Turris is also an option. ET (ESPN2) Game 2: Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. 4 Montreal Canadiens 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 . Series pick: Hurricanes in five. Join the Chowder NHL Bracket Challenge! To mark the ninth straight year of the Bracket Challenge, the NHL is introducing two new exciting elements to the program. 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, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Goaltending: The Panthers might have committed $70 million to Sergei Bobrovsky, but the Lightning have the best goalie in the game, full stop. Games left: 1 See Official Rules for full details. The Panthers created a "goaltending excellence department" this season, headed by Roberto Luongo, and have seen 26-year-old Chris Driedger totally overachieve. Already an ESPN+ subscriber? Washington defenseman Michal Kempny, a regular defenseman, is out for the season. That means the four divisions the. Advantage: Even. Pittsburgh has been buoyed by surprise performances from Mike Matheson and especially Cody Ceci. ET (TBS) Game 5:. ET (TNT) Game 4: Sunday, May 8 at 4:30 p.m. Nico Sturm, Nick Bjugstad and veteran center Nick Bonino are in the mix, as is veteran winger Marcus Johansson. First line: Florida's top line is all about Aleksander Barkov, one of the best two-way players in the game -- but really, just one of the best players in this game. Regulation wins: 19 Washington's forward depth, overall, is stronger than Boston's. Next game: @ SJ (May 8) While NBC covered the league at various points in its history, the network's last relationship with the NHL is the result of NBC Sports acquiring the league's broadcast . Menu ESPN. Sizing up the player of the year winners in all 32 Division I men's conferences. Advantage: New York, Health: The Islanders' biggest loss is captain Anders Lee, who has been out since March (ACL). The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. Make Your Picks, Points: 75 The Jets have the NHL's sixth-best power play (23.1%) and its 14th-best penalty kill (80.3%). Privacy Policy | Note: Playoff chances are via Money Puck. Advantage: Carolina, Postgame analysis and highlight show airing each night throughout the season from Barry Melrose and Linda Cohn. Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at $100,000 in prizes. Advantage: Even, Health: Boston had to shuffle its lineup quite a bit this season due to injuries and COVID-19 absences. Elizabeth Kitley, 6-4, C, Virginia Tech Hokies Kitley turned what was a close race into a second straight ACC Player of the Year trophy. They're praying the same thing doesn't happen this postseason, as Jonas Johansson and Devan Dubnyk are the alternatives. Regulation wins: 22 Fill out your bracket and compete against friends, ESPN personalities and celebrities for your shot at $100,000 in prizes. Paul Stastny, who recently passed 1,000 career games, has 29 points in 55 games playing in a variety of roles. Advantage: Edmonton. Tragic number: N/A, Points: 73 New for 2021, a team may move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. Follow along here with our updated tracker. Lee won't be back for the postseason, but New York added Palmieri and Zajac at the deadline to help replace him. Oh, and he led nearly this exact group to a Stanley Cup last year. Can the red-hot Hurricanes topple the Bruins at No. - Create up to 25 brackets and . 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. 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. Actual objects region, with players whose names are, or sound like, actual things. Champ Week begins Monday and runs through Selection Sunday. 2021 NHL playoff series previews: First-round matchups, picks, The triumph of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors in Creed III, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, Out of dark, Rodgers vows decision coming soon, Survey: Vikes, Fins, Raiders top FA report cards, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, Kings deal Cup-winning G Quick to Blue Jackets, Eagles defend QB-push tactic as NFL set to revisit, Chargers GM halts speculation: Allen staying put, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, A new home for Michael Thomas? When Washington hired Laviolette ahead of the season, it wanted to light a fire under the group and instill urgency. Advantage: Boston, Forward depth: The best pickup for any team at the trade deadline was Boston landing Taylor Hall for a second-round pick. Next game: @ MIN (May 8) Regulation wins: 28 Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? Tragic number: E, Points: 48 The first two rounds of the 2021 playoffs will be intradivisional. 1 role. Dayton has the chance to earn a "home" NCAA tournament game. Advantage: Pittsburgh, Special teams: The Penguins have a top-five power play (23.7%), while the Islanders are 21st (18.8%). Sullivan did a wonderful job with the injury-riddled Penguins this season, but given that Pittsburgh has won only one postseason game over the past two years, the edge goes to Trotz. Playoff chances: 0% Playoff position: N2 Advantage: Carolina. Advantage: Toronto. On Tuesday, we'll have staff picks and winners. The Predators have finally inserted young players into the lineup. In more than 106 minutes at 5-on-5 together, the duo has a whopping 73.62% expected goals for percentage, outscoring opposing teams 10-1. While not as dominant as they once were, with a 53.4% expected goals at 5-on-5 this season, they can still be a force. The opposite happened with the trade for Eric Staal, who had three points in his first 21 games in Montreal. Playoff position: W1 Advantage: Winnipeg, Coaching: Two veteran coaches squaring off here. 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. Briefly a member of the Wild before the expansion draft, he can be a physical force. The Golden Knights were 22nd in the NHL (17.8%), while the Wild were right behind them at 24th (17.6%). With Teravainen -- who had three goals in his first five games back -- they're even stronger. Next game: vs. TB (May 8) Series pick: Jets in seven. Playoff chances: 0% Washington Capitals (FLA 4-2) A2. Next game: vs. OTT (May 8) Playoff position: N/A You can also test out your skills by picking all the NCAA tournament games and more via the ESPN Streak game, where you can compete for $5,000 in guaranteed prizes each month. Assuming Kucherov is fully healthy and as dynamic as usual, the Lightning should have the edge here. Modern international region, with players from outside of North American who were active for NHL franchises in the past dozen years. The Habs' trio is great. The Stanley Cup is something that sets the National Hockey League apart from other sports. Today, we're featuring a look at the field. However, it should enter the playoffs with a mostly intact roster. Next game: @ BOS (May 8) Playoff chances: 0.4% Tragic number: E, Points: 80 Adam Larsson has been a mainstay on the second pairing, playing with Kris Russell, Caleb Jones and Dmitry Kulikov at different times this season. Andrei Vasilevskiy looks like he will win his second Vezina Trophy in three seasons (he has finished as a finalist in each of the past four seasons) after going 31-10-1 with a .925 save percentage. No. Make Your Picks, Defense: In a season when the Bruins' defense was supposed to regress -- thanks to significant turnover -- it didn't really. Hedman's health is of concern, especially after a precipitous drop off in performance to end the season. Finally, the New York Islanders need a lot of help to move out of fourth into third, but one part of the process would be a win in their game against the New Jersey Devils tonight. Bracket busted? Playoff chances: 100% Playoff chances: 100% 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 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. 3. Note: Emily Kaplan previewed the East and Central, while Greg Wyshynski did the honors for the North and West. Advantage: Toronto. Next game: vs. VAN (May 8) NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? 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