![]() Should be a back-and-forth series that goes down to the end. Meanwhile, Minnesota has Kirill Kaprizov (40 goals), Matt Boldy (31 goals) and goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson. Minnesota (46-25-11)The skinny: Dallas sports one of the best lines in the league in Jason Robertson (46 goals, 63 assists), Roope Hintz (37G, 38A) and Joe Pavelski (28G, 49A), but the Stars' offense falls off pretty quickly after that. That incredible depth could serve the Kraken well, but it's hard to imagine they can beat the Avs four times with goalies Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer.ĭallas (47-21-14) vs. ![]() Seattle has six 20-goal scorers and a dozen who have 13-plus. The skinny: Those who believe the Avs (16-2-1 last 19 games) are going to waltz into the second round need to realize the Kraken are perhaps the league's most well-balanced team. Stanley Cup playoffs: First-round predictions by John Dietz WESTERN CONFERENCESeattle (46-26-8) vs. "But we're both at that point in our lives where we're happy for each other's success. "Early on in our career, there was always some healthy competition - maybe sometimes not so healthy," Toews said with a smile after the Hawks' season finale. Sounds like yes - as difficult as that is to admit. So what about former teammate Jonathan Toews? Will he cheer on the Rangers? If the Rangers advance to the conference finals, the second-round pick the Hawks acquired for Kane will become a first-rounder. There are a few others, but most Hawks fans will be watching - and likely rooting - for Kane. Teravainen, who won a Cup as with the Hawks in 2015, needs to be at his best or the Hurricanes could get upset by the Islanders. Teuvo Teravainen, who had a disappointing 12-goal season.Veteran defenseman Jack Johnson, who returned to Colorado and will try to help the Avs repeat as champs.The Maple Leafs are trying to get out of the first round for the first time since 2004. Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, who were traded to Toronto.He sat out the last two contests to rest his hip. Kane hasn't returned to superstar status in New York, but he did have 5 goals and 7 assists in 19 games. Kane waived his no-movement clause so that Hawks GM Kyle Davidson could engineer a trade with the Rangers. The past few years for me, the focus has been more on practice, on development, getting young guys better. "The coaches and players here, the attention is all on the games. "You can kind of forget how things are when you're winning," Kane told the Athletic. Tops among them is Patrick Kane, who will attempt to help the New York Rangers navigate a tough first-round series against the New Jersey Devils. While the Hawks likely will not experience this feeling again for a few years, some of their former players are raring to go. (Yes, the Hawks qualified for the bizarre bubble playoffs in 2020, but that was a joke considering they finished 24th out of 32 teams). It's a feeling Blackhawks players haven't truly felt in six years when they were stunned and swept by the Nashville Predators. Anything is possible right now, which is what makes the league's postseason the most compelling in sports.
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