The Vegas Golden Knights opened the season with the very worst odds to win the Stanley Cup. But after their stunning first-round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings, the Knights now find themselves at the top of the pile.
Sure, it's just odds, but the expansion team has come a long way in a short amount of time.
Here's a look at the complete updated odds for the eventual Stanley Cup winner, courtesy of Bodog:
Aside from planting a big ol' kiss on Lord Stanley, the Conn Smythe Trophy is the piece of postseason hardware all NHLers covet.
And while there's obviously no denying the Cup is what matters most, taking home the award for playoff MVP almost always means a player's team ultimately emerged victorious.
As of Friday, only the Vegas Golden Knights have punched a ticket to the second round, so we're well aware it's very early. But still, these five studs already stand above the rest.
Here is the first edition of our Conn Smythe Power Rankings:
No. 5 - Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks
Anaheim's goose might already be simmering, but the San Jose Sharks' 3-0 series lead isn't just due to the Ducks struggling. Instead, it's indicative of how nasty San Jose netminder Martin Jones has been through the first three contests.
Sure, the Sharks' 8-1 blowout victory in Game 3 doesn't look like a contest dominated by a goaltender, but Jones turned aside 45 of 46 shots and kept the momentum from swinging in Anaheim's favor. He also held the Ducks to only two goals through the first six periods of the series, earning a shutout in Game 1 and limiting Ryan Getzlaf and Co. to only two tallies in Game 2.
Simply put, Jones has been lights out, posting a seriously stellar save percentage of .970 while allowing just three goals on 101 shots.
Not to take anything away from the team playing in front of him, but Jones has been the major reason why San Jose has Anaheim on the brink, making him a lock for our list.
No. 4 - David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins were in video-game mode for the first two contests of their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, pouring in 12 combined goals.
A big reason was forward David Pastrnak, who may as well dress up as a straw for Halloween, as he's been the one stirring Boston's offense. He has four goals and five assists overall, and put up six of those points in Game 2.
David Pastrnak (21 years, 324 days) of the @NHLBruins is the youngest player in NHL history to record 6+ points in a playoff game, eclipsing the mark set by Wayne Gretzky (22 years, 81 days) in Game 3 of the 1983 Division Finals (4-3—7 at CGY). #NHLStats#TORvsBOS#StanleyCuppic.twitter.com/rLWrPCm61H
Boston's top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Pastrnak was one of the most dominant units in the league all season. And thanks to Pastrnak's torrid playoff start, it's continued to wreak havoc against Toronto.
No. 3 - Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets
How's that Brandon Saad trade looking now, Chicago?
OK. We've been down that road before. But seriously, Panarin was sensational for the Columbus Blue Jackets over the last two months of the regular season, and he's continued to be in the playoffs.
He was directly involved with more than 60 percent of the Blue Jackets' total offensive output in the first three games of their series against the Washington Capitals, registering seven points and a game-winning overtime tally.
And even though Washington won on Tuesday to make it a 2-1 series in Columbus' favor, Panarin was again one of the best forwards on the ice.
If the Blue Jackets are going to complete the first-round upset, Panarin will need to continue being the offensive catalyst he's been so far.
No. 2 - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sid's case to earn the title of postseason MVP is getting stronger with each passing Penguins win. And with the way Crosby is playing right now, Pittsburgh could be in for a whole lot more Ws.
Regardless of how hard Philadelphia Flyers fans try to distract him from doing his thing, Crosby continues to produce, racking up four goals and three assists across three games while being a force at both ends of the ice.
Sidney Crosby of the @penguins recorded his 14th career postseason game with 3+ points.
The series against Philly is far from over, but it's safe to say that if Pittsburgh finds itself playing for the Stanley Cup again come June, you can count on Crosby being in the mix to add a third Conn Smythe to his already loaded trophy case.
Thursday night in Los Angeles, "Flower" registered his second shutout in four games en route to the first postseason series win in franchise history (in the team's inaugural campaign, of course). Check out his numbers across the four games against the Kings - let's just say he's been feeling it:
Game
Shots against
Saves
SV%
Result
Game 1
30
30
1.000
Shutout Win
Game 2
30
29
.967
Win
Game 3
39
37
.949
Win
Game 4
31
31
1.000
Shutout Win
Even more impressive is that Fleury's Game 4 shutout was the 12th of his illustrious postseason career, moving him into a tie with Hall of Fame netminder Terry Sawchuk for 10th on the all-time playoff shutouts list.
The feel-good story of the decade continues to get better, and with Fleury protecting his blue paint like a Vegas pit boss defends his dealers, don't be shocked if he and the Golden Knights are eventually in line for both pieces of coveted playoff hardware.
Morrissey was not penalized on the play, much to the dismay of Staal and Wild coach Bruce Boudreau, and Winnipeg ultimately won 2-0 to go up 3-1 in the series.
The Jets are already shorthanded on the back end, as Tyler Myers missed Game 4 with a lower-body ailment, and Toby Enstrom hasn't played since March 23 due to an ankle injury. If Morrissey - who's fourth on the team in minutes in the postseason - were to miss considerable time, it could help the Wild crawl back into the series.
Morrissey's hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
Quick walked away with a 1.55 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage while only getting three goals of support in four games. That's the best save percentage in league history through four losses in a playoff series, according to NHL Public Relations.
And it's not just the standard stats that make Quick's first-round performance so impressive. The Kings were vastly outplayed. The Golden Knights outchanced them 112-82 at five-on-five, and when it comes to high-danger scoring chances, Vegas had 41 compared to L.A.'s 25.
Here's a heat map showing each team's unblocked shots.
Series 5v5 shot recap, LA at VGK, first round 2017-2018. Lots from the right faceoff circle for LA but not too much else. Vegas much, much better. pic.twitter.com/kPbOWpOpsS
As NHL teams are eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The 14th edition focuses on the Florida Panthers, who missed the playoffs by one point.
The Good
Barkov and Co. The Panthers had three players under the age of 24 score 60 or more points in 2017-18, an encouraging sign. Aleksander Barkov led the way with 78 points, Vincent Trocheck scored 31 goals and 75 points, and Jonathan Huberdeau had 69 points.
Owen Tippett and Henrik Borgstrom. Panthers general manager Dale Tallon plans to go younger next season, and players like Tippett and Borgstrom will get ample opportunity to prove themselves at the NHL level. Tippett scored 36 goals in 51 games for the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga Steelheads and played seven games with the Panthers at the start of the year. Borgstrom played in the last four games of the season after two years of NCAA hockey in Denver, where he had 45 goals and 50 assists in 77 games.
Solid defense.Keith Yandle might have been the most improved Panthers defenseman in Bob Boughner’s first year, with 56 points as the elder statesman next to counterparts Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson. Ekblad scored 38 points, including a career-high 16 goals. Matheson capped off a career year with 10 goals and 27 points.
Luongo's milestone. Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo celebrated his 1,000th game April 5, joining Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy as the only netminders in NHL history to reach the milestone. Next on the list: 600 wins; Luongo enters the 2018-19 season just 26 victories shy.
The Bad
That sluggish start. The Panthers got off to such a slow start (4-8-2) at the beginning of the season that not even a tremendous late surge - specifically, a 25-8-2 run after the All-Star break - could lift them into a playoff spot for a single day. Just one point would have done the trick. In most years, a 96-point team would make the playoffs, but not this one, and they've now missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.
Poor puck possession. The Panthers had a goals-against average of 3.01, in comparison to their 2.97 goals scored per game. In addition, they gave up the third-highest shots on goal per game (34.4), were a negative possession team, and ranked in the bottom half of the NHL in goal differential at even strength.
The power play. Aside from a six-week stretch from Jan. 30 to March 10 - when the Panthers' power play was converting at an incredible 29.5 percent rate - this was one of the worst man-advantage units in the league, finishing 21st overall at a dismal 18.9 percent.
The Questions
What do they need? Well, that depends. Tallon is confident in the Panthers' young core and doesn't want to end up blocking them by doing too much this summer. He'll keep a close eye on the playoffs to see if any upcoming free agents fit the team's needs - players who can add offense and maybe some help on the blue line.
Is goaltending a problem? Luongo said he will be back for another season, his 19th, and though he missed stretches of the season with several injuries, backup James Reimer held his own. Even with Antti Niemi in goal for a handful of games, Florida still finished above the league average in save percentage. Do the Panthers want Luongo and Reimer as their goalie tandem next year? That might be another question entirely.
Who comes back?Radim Vrbata announced his retirement from the NHL after 16 years and 1,057 games, but other than that, most of the same players will return for the 2018-19 season. The good news is that aside from maybe a player or two to boost the team's offensive production and possibly a defenseman, there's not a ton of shaking up to be done.
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 on Tuesday night to complete the 4-0 series sweep and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The win is the latest feat by the expansion franchise who becomes the first franchise in NHL history to sweep a series in its inaugural season, excluding the total-goals series prior to the 1936-37 season.
Golden Knights are the 3rd team from the NHL, NBA and MLB to complete a four-game sweep to win their first-ever playoff series. The Penguins did so in 1970 (vs. Oakland Seals) and the MLB's Boston Braves did so in 1914 (vs. Philadelphia Athletics).
Fleury's 0.65 GAA in Rd1= 3rd best by a goalie winning each game in a 4-game sweep + 6th best by a goalie winning all 4 games of any single series (since NHL began official goalie stat tracking in 1955-56) https://t.co/mupvK2ekwJ
As for the Kings the series was historic for all the wrong reasons. The club scored just three goals, setting a franchise record for the fewest in a playoff series of at least three games.
Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau believes that one play in particular during Tuesday's pivotal Game 4 against the Winnipeg Jets was the difference between a win and a loss.
After dropping the game by a score of 2-0, the Wild now find themselves on the brink of elimination. And after the game, Boudreau expressed his displeasure about Josh Morrissey's vicious cross-check to the neck of Eric Staal and the fact that it went unpunished.
"They (referees) decided not to call it because we were already on the power play. It cost us the game," Boudreau said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. "He should have been out of the game."
Boudreau makes a good point as the cross-check in question came late in the first period with the Wild just 40 seconds into a two-minute power play, meaning the club would have enjoyed a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage had a penalty been called on the play.
Staal said postgame that the ref apologized for the missed call, but unfortunately for the Wild the apologies don't change the fact the club is now down three games to one as it heads back to Winnipeg for Game 5.
Eric Staal was apparently very upset postgame when asked about Josh Morrissey's cross-check to the side of his head, which didn't draw a penalty.
The veteran Minnesota Wild forward revealed that the official in question apologized to him for missing the Winnipeg Jets defenseman's apparent infraction, but that's not what Staal was interested in.
"He apologized. I'm not looking for an apology," he said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "I'm in the middle of the game, why would I want an apology? It's frustrating. It is what it is. Tough. I'm all for playing hard, I love it, it's part of the game, but that wasn't a good play."
Morrissey called it a "complete accident," said he was trying to box Staal out, and insisted he's not a dirty player and "would never try and hurt anybody," according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
The blue-liner caught Staal with the cross-check late in the first period. Staal went off to the bench in obvious discomfort but returned and ultimately led Wild forwards in ice time with 20:12.
