On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues with predictions for each of the eight first-round playoff series, three of which begin Wednesday.
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
And theScore's NHL editors are ready for what will be an exciting two months - and an especially exciting two weeks. There's nothing better than the first round. Here are our predictions.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Stars |
| Gold-Smith | Stars |
| Hagerman | Wild |
| McLaren | Stars |
| O'Leary | Stars |
| Vaswani | Stars |
| Whyte | Stars |
Total: 6-1 Stars
Only one pick for the Wild against a Dallas team with defensive issues. If Minnesota's able to pull this off without Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek, it would be one of the more monumental upsets in NHL playoff history.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Blues |
| Gold-Smith | Blues |
| Hagerman | Blackhawks |
| McLaren | Blues |
| O'Leary | Blackhawks |
| Vaswani | Blues |
| Whyte | Blues |
Total: 5-2 Blues
We're surprisingly in favor of the St. Louis Blues. Since 2013, the Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup every two years - and that means they're going home. At least, that's the consensus among some of the most brilliant hockey minds of our time.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Predators |
| Gold-Smith | Ducks |
| Hagerman | Ducks |
| McLaren | Ducks |
| O'Leary | Ducks |
| Vaswani | Ducks |
| Whyte | Ducks |
Total: 6-1 Ducks
The Nashville Predators need a miracle against the high-flying Anaheim Ducks, and only one of us thinks they can pull it off. Godspeed, Pekka Rinne.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Kings |
| Gold-Smith | Kings |
| Hagerman | Kings |
| McLaren | Sharks |
| O'Leary | Kings |
| Vaswani | Sharks |
| Whyte | Kings |
Total: 5-2 Kings
In the battle of California, the Los Angeles Kings are the consensus pick, but a couple of us are rooting for Joe Thornton's beard. Since 2012, the Kings have won the Cup every two years. If history is our guide, it's their year.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Capitals |
| Gold-Smith | Capitals |
| Hagerman | Capitals |
| McLaren | Capitals |
| O'Leary | Capitals |
| Vaswani | Flyers |
| Whyte | Capitals |
Total: 6-1 Capitals
The presidential Capitals are the sexy pick. Clearly. This will be one of the more interesting series of the first round, considering how early the Capitals locked up the No. 1 seed. The Flyers will be emotionally charged, too, after the death of owner Ed Snider.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Panthers |
| Gold-Smith | Panthers |
| Hagerman | Panthers |
| McLaren | Panthers |
| O'Leary | Islanders |
| Vaswani | Panthers |
| Whyte | Islanders |
Total: 5-2 Panthers
Jaromir Jagr's back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013. We clearly don't want to see him go home after only one round. As for the Islanders, if they're dispatched by Florida, it will be their third first-round exit under Jack Capuano. Strike three.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Penguins |
| Gold-Smith | Penguins |
| Hagerman | Penguins |
| McLaren | Penguins |
| O'Leary | Penguins |
| Vaswani | Penguins |
| Whyte | Penguins |
Total: 7-0 Penguins
We believe the Rangers' competitive window is about to slam rudely shut in New York's face.
| Editor | Pick |
|---|---|
| Cuthbert | Lightning |
| Gold-Smith | Lightning |
| Hagerman | Lightning |
| McLaren | Lightning |
| O'Leary | Red Wings |
| Vaswani | Red Wings |
| Whyte | Red Wings |
Total: 4-3 Lightning
We believe this will be the closest series of the first round, and Pavel Datsyuk will provide some magic, but the Tampa Bay Lightning will prevail, even without Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman. They've got a sizable advantage in goal, and so much of the playoffs comes down to the men in the crease.
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Arizona Coyotes co-owner Anthony LeBlanc is pouring cold water on reports the club expressed interest in Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas related to their vacant GM position.
Plenty of denials from Coyotes leadership that they did not reach out to Kyle Dubas to discuss vacant GM job.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) April 13, 2016
1/2
Coyotes Anthony LeBlanc :"...rumors are one thing,but tampering is another,and we have not reached out at all to (Dubas or the Leafs)"
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) April 13, 2016
2/2
Either way, it's believed Dubas has no interest in leaving Toronto, at least for the time being.
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The San Jose Sharks are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs after a one-year hiatus, and have their sights set on shaking off the ghost of the great 2014 collapse.
That year, of course, they blew a 3-0 first-round series lead to the Los Angeles Kings, whom they're matched up against this time around.
San Jose took the regular-season series with a record of 3-1-1, but will that success carry over to the postseason?
Here's what you need to know before the puck drops:
| Kings | Statistic | Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| 102 | Points | 98 |
| 2.72 (14th) | Goals per game | 2.89 (4th) |
| 2.34 (5th) | Goals against | 2.52 (11th) |
| 20% (8th) | Power play | 22.5% (3rd) |
| 81.4% (15th) | Penalty kill | 80.5% (21st) |
| 56.4% (1st) | Corsi | 51.7% (8th) |
| 6.8% (25th) | 5-on-5 SH% | 7.7% (12th) |
| 92.9% (9th) | 5-on-5 SV% | 92.3% (20th) |
| Kopitar: 74 | Leading scorer | Thornton: 82 |
Joe Thornton
While Jaromir Jagr continues to amaze with his longevity, 37-year-old Joe Thornton remains at the top of his game, emerging as a dark horse Hart Trophy candidate for the Sharks this season.
Thornton recorded 19 goals and 63 assists in all 82 games, finishing in a tie for fourth in NHL scoring with Ottawa's Erik Karlsson, and three points behind the defenseman for the league lead in assists.
Jettisoned as team captain following the dramatic collapse of 2014 in favor of Joe Pavelski, who began donning the "C" this season, Thornton remains in many ways the chum that stirs the waters for these Sharks.
Don't believe the narrative that Thornton doesn't bring it in the postseason, either. He ranks 13th among all active NHL players in career playoff points with 100 through 132 games.
Drew Doughty
For some, the Los Angeles defenseman put himself in position to unseat Karlsson as the Norris Trophy winner this year. While the playoffs bear no weight in terms of voting on the award, it's here that Drew Doughty can demonstrate his impact to a wider audience.
Doughty didn't blow anyone away offensively this season, scoring 14 goals and adding 37 assists, which is eight points off his career high set in 2009-10. Among players at his position with at least 1,000 minutes played, however, he ranked first with a Corsi rating of 58.9 during five-on-five play. Only teammates Tyler Toffoli (59.4) and Milan Lucic (59.3) boasted better numbers.
He also posted the best single-season on-ice shot attempt differential of the past decade.
(Courtesy: r/hockey)
In short, Doughty drives possession and is a force at his own end. Shutting down the Sharks begins with him.
Martin Jones and James Reimer
Not always a position of strength for the Sharks, head coach Pete DeBoer now has a luxury - or rather a difficult decision to make - in a 1A-1B situation heading into the playoffs.
General manager Doug Wilson sent a first-round pick to Boston to secure Martin Jones' rights, and the gamble has paid off.
As added insurance, Wilson traded for James Reimer prior to the deadline. The former Maple Leaf has been lights out since arriving in San Jose.
Jones will start Game 1, while Reimer will be ready and able if called upon. The Sharks will need either to be at the top of their games to match Jonathan Quick, who's been the star of this dance before, at the other end of the ice.
| Date | Time (ET) | Location | Networks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu. April 14 | 10:30 p.m. | Los Angeles | CNBC/CBC/TVA Sports |
| Sat. April 16 | 10:30 p.m. | Los Angeles | NBCSN/CBC/TVA Sports |
| Mon. April 18 | 10:30 p.m. | San Jose | NBCSN/CBC/TVA Sports |
| Wed. April 20 | 10:30 p.m. | San Jose | USA/CBC/TVA Sports |
| Fri. April 22* | TBD | Los Angeles | TBD |
| Sun. April 24* | TBD | San Jose | TBD |
| Tue. April 26* | TBD | Los Angeles | TBD |
*if necessary
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Steven Stamkos isn't giving up on this season.
While his Tampa Bay Lightning prepare for Game 1 of a first-round series against Detroit, the captain remains in hospital following vascular surgery to fix a blood clot.
Alex Killorn, one of several players to visit Stamkos on Monday, was told to help get the team as far as possible so as to leave the door open for a late-playoff return.
"You can tell he wants to be there (on the ice)," Killorn told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "In the case he could come back, he really wants to make sure we go back to the final to give him a chance to play again this season. That was kind of his message, 'Just go to the finals and maybe I'll see you guys.'"
Stamkos was given a timeline of one-to-three months, meaning it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Without him and Anton Stralman in the lineup, however, the task of repeating as Eastern Conference champions won't be an easy one.
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With no Canadian teams in the playoffs, some of the attention will shift to players who used to play up north and were moved for a variety of reasons. A few of those players will get to show their former teams what they missed - or prove that trading them was the right call.
Related: 3 reasons why Canadians should still watch the NHL playoffs
There are 22 players in this season's playoffs who ended last season on a Canadian team.
Here are some of the most notable.
All seemed right in the world for Kessel when he inked an eight-year, $64-million contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. Kessel was Toronto's scoring leader for six seasons, and one of the more consistent goal-scorers in the league. But Toronto only had a single playoff performance to show with Kessel in the lineup. He performed well, scoring four goals and six points in a now infamous seven-game series loss.
When Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford pulled the trigger on July 1 to get Kessel, it wasn't a move designed to get his team into the playoffs, but to provide more scoring throughout the lineup. The Penguins needed Kessel's offensive prowess to help stop a string of early spring exits. With 21 points in 22 career playoff games, and Pittsburgh's first-round pick in 2016 now Toronto's, we're about to find out if the Pens' gamble paid off.
Acquired only days before the trade deadline from Winnipeg, Ladd never wanted to leave the Jets. But unable to agree to terms with its captain, and having already signed other players to massive extensions, Winnipeg felt it necessary to get some assets in return before Ladd hit unrestricted free agency.
Ladd's fit in well and should continue to do so on a team he won a Stanley Cup with in 2010. He had eight goals and 12 points in 19 games with the Blackhawks, and having recently turned 30, he's looking to win his third Cup ring.
Hudler and Purcell, both wingers, were acquired from the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline and have played together on the Florida Panthers' third line since.
This being Florida's first trip to the playoffs in four seasons, both players bring experience - 99 combined postseason games - and will be expected to help settle some of the younger players' nerves. Hudler has 41 points in 77 career playoff games, while Purcell comes in with seven goals and 18 points in 22 spring games.
It's been established that Martin Jones will start Game 1 of the playoffs for the Sharks, but don't be surprised if you see Reimer at some point. Acquired before the trade deadline from Toronto, Reimer has been nothing short of superb in his brief tenure out west, with a 6-2 record, a .938 save percentage, and a 1.62 goals-against average. He also has something Jones doesn't have - playoff experience.
Here are a few other noteworthy players taking part in the postseason who were recently playing for Canadian teams:
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It's Jimmy Howard's crease.
The Detroit Red Wings confirmed Wednesday afternoon what many expected: Howard will start Game 1 of the club's first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.
The series is a rematch of last year's first-round matchup, the difference being Petr Mrazek was in goal for the Red Wings. Tampa Bay won in seven games, so Detroit's turning to Howard, who was the starter down the stretch, as the Red Wings needed Game 82 to clinch a playoff berth - their 25th straight.
Howard had a disappointing season, which he spent most of as Mrazek's backup. But that all means nothing now. The playoffs are a new season, and represent a chance at redemption. Howard has a career .919 save percentage and three shutouts in 46 career postseason games.
Detroit went 2-1 against the Lightning with Howard in the crease this season, the goaltender stopping 92.5 percent of the Tampa Bay shots he faced.
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Veteran coach Craig Hartsburg is calling it a career.
An assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Hartsburg is retiring after 27 years behind various benches. He'll remain with the club in a hockey operations capacity.
Hartsburg cited the difficulty in leaving his family and grandchildren at the end of each summer as the impetus behind his decision.
Now 56, Hartsburg spent time as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and Ottawa Senators, compiling a 201-208-69 record.
"I've been very fortunate to spend the past 30-plus years in the game as a player or coach and have enjoyed every minute of it, but my priority now is to spend more time with my wife, children and grandchildren," Hartsburg said. "I have really enjoyed my time in Columbus, working with both John Tortorella and Todd Richards, and appreciate the opportunity to continue to be part of the organization in a role that will also allow me to devote more time to my family."
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An NHL rink can be imposing to a visiting team even on the best of days. These three buildings are arenas opposing teams dread making the trip out to, and they'll continue to strike fear into visitors during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Location: New York, N.Y.
Rangers' reg. season home record: 27-10-4
Madison Square Garden has seen some epic sporting events in its time. In guiding the Rangers to a Stanley Cup Final and the seventh game of the East Final over the last two seasons, Henrik Lundqvist has made it a place opposing teams fear. King Henrik allowed two goals or fewer in 17 of 23 home games in that stretch.
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Blackhawks' reg. season home record: 26-11-4
For decades, Chicago was the home to countless playoff failures for a franchise that endured the second-longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history (49 years). Since then, the Blackhawks have brought the Holy Grail to the Windy City three times. Over the last three postseasons, the team has displayed its dominance at the United Center, compiling a 28-6 record at home in bringing two Cups back to Chicago.
Location: Washington, D.C.
Capitals' reg. season home record: 29-8-4
In racing out to the top spot in the NHL standings and clinching the Presidents' Trophy, the Capitals rode the best home mark in the league. Goaltender Braden Holtby compiled a 25-3-3 record at the Verizon Center during the regular season, where Alex Ovechkin scored 26 of his league-leading 50 goals. For the Capitals, the road to exorcising the demons of past playoff failures runs through D.C.
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