The first installment of theScore's NHL Playoffs Power Rankings was put together by NHL editor Craig Hagerman.

1. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks did it all in the first round en route to their series sweep of the Anaheim Ducks. The club averaged four goals per game, highlighted by a crushing 8-1 win in Game 3.

San Jose has five players averaging a point per game in the playoffs, while Martin Jones has put up a save percentage of .970, second in the postseason only to Marc-Andre Fleury.

2. Winnipeg Jets

Excepting a 6-2 smackdown in Game 3 to the Minnesota Wild, the Jets cruised to their first series win in franchise history. In fact, it was after this game that Connor Hellebuyck took his play to another level, turning in two consecutive shutouts to close out the series.

The Jets are also averaging the best shot differential in the playoffs, while Adam Lowry was the only series regular who failed to record at least a point. Facing a potent offense and an elite goalie, the Nashville Predators have their hands full in Round 2.

3. Vegas Golden Knights

Fleury didn't need to prove anything more to the people of Las Vegas regarding his value to the team, but he made sure to anyway. The 33-year-old put up two shutouts in four games and allowed just three goals in the four-game sweep of the Kings.

The rest of the team could use a few more goals than they put up in Round 1, but that likely has more to do with the Kings' goaltending than it does the Golden Knights' offense.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins certainly look up to the task of competing for a third straight Stanley Cup.

The club finished the first round having registered just shy of five goals per game. Sidney Crosby looks to be in Conn Smythe Trophy form with 13 points in six games while Jake Guentzel, on the back of a four-goal output in Game 6, has equaled that tally.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning didn't steamroll the Devils in the first round, but they did make short work of them, needing just five games.

Nikita Kucherov continues to do his thing offensively, with five goals and 10 points in Round 1, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who admitted to feeling fatigued toward the end of the season, appears no worse for wear, posting a 2.01 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

6. Nashville Predators

The Avalanche gave Nashville a bit of a scare in the opening round, but when it came down to it, the Predators flexed their muscles and hammered Colorado in Game 6.

Pekka Rinne proved to be human through the first five games, but with a shutout in the sixth, he's helped calm the nerves. The hope now is it's that version of Rinne we see in Round 2.

7. Washington Capitals

After dropping the first two games of their opening series to the Blue Jackets at home, the Capitals reeled off four straight wins to advance to the second round for the fourth consecutive year.

Of course, they are now poised to take on their playoff nemesis in the Penguins, but perhaps the desire to finally exercise their playoff demons will propel them past the reigning Cup champs. If John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Nicklas Backstrom can continue their blistering pace - the quartet combined for 33 points in Round 1 - that's a distinct possibility.

8. Boston Bruins

When the Bruins lost a game to the Maple Leafs in the first round, it was tight, but when they won, it was generally in commanding fashion.

The top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron further proved they are the best line in the NHL today, and that if you don't keep them in check, they'll make you pay. Meanwhile, David Krejci, Torey Krug, and Jake DeBrusk combined for 24 points; the Bruins are no one-trick pony.

9. Toronto Maple Leafs

It wasn't 4-1-in-the-third-period painful, but the Maple Leafs' third-period unraveling in Game 7 that saw them give up a 4-3 lead en route to a 7-4 defeat to the Bruins certainly sunk Toronto fans.

That being said, Toronto put some doubt into a strong Boston team by coming back from a 3-1 deficit to force Game 7.

10. Colorado Avalanche

It didn't end the way the Avalanche wanted, but they took the Presidents' Trophy winners to six games after needing the penultimate night of the regular season to nail down a playoff spot.

Considering the club finished with the worst full-season record in the salary cap era just one year ago, this season was most definitely a success for the Avs.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets appeared destined for a different playoff fate after finally drawing an opponent other than the Penguins.

Unfortunately, after taking the first two games on the road, the same old problem arose: Sergei Bobrovsky struggled in the playoffs. He finished the series with a 3.18 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. The fact those are better marks than his career playoff averages says it all.

12. Philadelphia Flyers

When the Flyers won against the Penguins, they looked great. When they lost, they looked pitiful.

They gave up nearly five goals a game (28 in six contests) and managed a success rate of just 9.5 percent on the power play. That's not a winning formula.

13. New Jersey Devils

The Devils didn't make things easy for the Lightning, which is an achievement in itself.

However, the fact was unless Taylor Hall scored 12 goals in the series, New Jersey didn't stand much of a chance against the top club in the Eastern Conference.

14. Minnesota Wild

The Wild are ranked ahead of a couple teams here because they actually managed to win a game, and did so in commanding fashion.

They defeated the Jets in Game 3 by a 6-2 margin, but that was all the life they had. They laid a massive egg in the first period of Game 5, and that about says it all.

15. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks averaged one goal per game and four against, and you just can't do that.

Of course, taking an average of seven penalties a game doesn't help your chances either.

16. Los Angeles Kings

It's surprising Jonathan Quick was able to skate off the ice of his own accord night in and night out after carrying the Kings throughout the entire playoffs.

He did all he could, but in the end, it's physically impossible to win a playoff series when you only score three goals.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The NHL is going to make fans wait to find out which teams land the three highest picks in the upcoming draft.

Saturday's lottery will be a little different than previous years, as the top three picks won't be revealed until the second intermission of Game 2 between the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, according to Sportsnet.

Picks No. 15 through No. 4 will be announced earlier in the evening, during the network's pregame show beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Game 2 is scheduled to begin after 8 p.m. ET.

The Buffalo Sabres have the highest odds (18.5 percent) of securing the first overall pick by virtue of having the league's worst record this season. The Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes finished with the second- and third-worst marks in the NHL, respectively.

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Wayne Gretzky has reclaimed the 12,000-square-foot Thousand Oaks home he sold to former New York Mets star Lenny Dykstra over a decade ago.

"The Great One" recently bought back the property for a cool $13.5 million - $5 million less than Dysktra paid for it in 2007, according to Jack Flemming of the Los Angeles Times. Dykstra lost the house to foreclosure after declaring bankruptcy.

The property boasts six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a theater room, gym, fenced tennis court, two guest houses, and views of the Santa Monica Mountains.

(Photo courtesy: Los Angeles Times)

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ARLINGTON, Va. - For the third year in a row, the Washington Capitals' path to the Eastern Conference final goes through Pittsburgh. And they can only hope their third attempt goes better than the first two.

The Capitals have fallen short in back-to-back second-round series against the Penguins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup both times. It’s the 11th occasion on which the franchises have met in the postseason; Pittsburgh has won nine of 10, only losing in the first round in 1993-94.

Both have taken turns dominating their division in recent years. Under the current playoff format, that means plenty of second-round encounters, and their third straight conference semifinal bout kicks off Thursday night at Capital One Arena.

"The way the playoff system is set up, it's going to be that way until it changes,” Capitals goalie Braden Holtby said. “That's just the way it is. I don't think it's a surprise to any of us that this would be another matchup that could come. But we didn't think too much about it.”

Washington hopes this time will be different. Both series felt more like an Eastern Conference final than a second-round meeting and, while the Capitals were game opponents, the Penguins prevailed in six in 2016 and escaped with a seven-game triumph in 2017.

Capitals players are well aware Pittsburgh has won nine consecutive playoff series dating back to 2016.

“Nobody’s been able to beat them,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “They have a lot of experience, they’re talented. It’s quite the challenge. I think we’re excited for that challenge. Somebody’s going to beat them eventually, so let’s get excited about our opportunity that maybe we’re the team to do it.”

The Capitals haven’t made the Eastern Conference final since 1998; they reached the Stanley Cup Final that season but were swept by the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings. Washington hasn't made it out of the second round during captain Alex Ovechkin’s career, despite making the playoffs in all but three of his 13 NHL seasons.

“One day, it (has) to happen,” Ovechkin said. “If we want to get success, we have to beat Pittsburgh and move forward. They (are the) most experienced team right now in the league. Lots of great players over there, and it's a huge challenge."

Both teams are a little different this time around. The Penguins lost Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, and Trevor Daley to free agency, and Marc-Andre Fleury to the expansion draft. They added Riley Sheahan and Derick Brassard to bolster center depth, and Jamie Oleksiak on the blue line. Rookies Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon were called up from Wilkes-Barre.

Washington lost Justin Williams and Karl Alzner in free agency and Nate Schmidt in the expansion draft, was forced to trade Marcus Johansson to clear cap space, but added Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek to the blue line, and Alex Chiasson and Devante Smith-Pelly up front.

The Capitals won the Metropolitan Division despite starting the season 10-9-1, and the Penguins certainly won't be taking them lightly.

“You have to face everybody,” Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang said. “You have to face the best team going forward, so if you want to win it all, you have to face those big teams, and the Capitals are the next team that we have on our path. So we have to bring our 'A' game, they're a good team."

One other way this series differs from the others is that the Penguins are facing major adversity heading into Game 1. Injured forwards Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin will not play in the opener, though Malkin, who had 98 points in the regular season, made the trip to Washington; both were hurt during the Penguins' first-round triumph over the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Regardless of who shuffles in and out of the respective lineups, these are two top NHL teams painfully familiar with one another, and that should make for some great hockey.

“We faced each other for a lot of games and we should know each other right now inside out,” Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom said. “That's just how it is. It's usually (a) tight series and one-goal games.

"Yeah. We're excited about this one.”

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It's playoff time, folks. To get you prepared, we break down each of the Eastern Conference's second-round series. (Advanced stats at 5-on-5 courtesy: Corsica)

Lightning 1A vs. Bruins 2A

The Lightning will come into this series as the more rested team after making quick work of the New Jersey Devils in Round 1. But after coming off an emotional high from a wild Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, don't take the Bruins lightly. In fact, the Bruins owned the Lightning during the regular season after walking away with the W in three of their four meetings.

The matchup should be highlighted by a battle between two of the best lines in hockey: Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak versus Kucherov-Stamkos-Miller. The Bruins' trio combined for 30 points in Round 1, while the Lightning's top three had 20 points in its five-game series with the Devils.

Game 1 begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay

Capitals 1M vs. Penguins 2M

What would a second round be without the Capitals and Penguins going head to head?

The Capitals will be looking for revenge after being eliminated by their Metropolitan rivals the past two postseasons. And, of course, the spotlight will once again shine brightest on the renewed showdown between the teams' respective captains. While Crosby (10 goals, 22 points) historically comes out on top in terms of series wins, Ovechkin (12 goals, 26 points) has statistically fared better between the two in their 20 playoff contests against one another.

Game 1 begins Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena in Washington

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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With only eight teams remaining, the NHL unveiled the complete schedule for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which kicks off Thursday night in Washington.

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay Lightning (A1) vs. Boston Bruins (A2)

Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M2)

Western Conference

Nashville Predators (C1) vs. Winnipeg Jets (C2)

Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs. San Jose Sharks (P3)

*If necessary

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Jake Gardiner held himself accountable for Toronto's Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins.

The Maple Leafs defenseman saw a team-high 24:01 of ice time in the series decider, recording one assist and a minus-five rating on the night. While the perception of the latter stat has changed in recent years, being on the ice for five even-strength goals did not sit well with Gardiner, to say the least.

"Personally, I've got to be better," he said after the loss, per TSN's Mark Masters. "A lot of this game is on me and it's just not good enough, especially in a game like this. It was the most important game of the season and I didn't show up so not much I can say, really.

"There's no real explanation," he continued. "I felt fine. It just seemed like everything I was doing ended up in the back of the net and ... yeah."

Gardiner was left to defend Boston's Jake DeBrusk and was burned on the eventual game-winning goal, and broke the play down as such:

"It's going to be a tough one to swallow," he concluded. "I let a lot of people down. Hopefully I can come back better from it. It's too bad."

For the series, Gardiner recorded two assists, finishing with a minus-six rating and 13 shots on goal.

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