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NHL Announces Stanley Cup Final Schedule Scenarios

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With time winding down on the Eastern Conference Final and the Colorado Avalanche already punching their ticket through, the NHL is beginning to prepare for the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Today, the league announced the schedule scenarios for the penultimate series, which is dependent on whether the Eastern Conference Final goes to six or seven games.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final, win Game 6 and advance tomorrow night, the Cup Final will commence on Wednesday, June 15th. If the New York Rangers force a Game 7, the series will begin Saturday, June 18. In either scenario, every Stanley Cup Final game will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT.

The Colorado Avalanche, who missed out on the Presidents’ Trophy this season by just three points, hold the home-ice advantage in both scenarios. The last possible day for the 2021-22 NHL season is Thursday, June 30, which is when Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final would occur if the Eastern Conference Final stretches to seven games.

The games are spaced evenly, and played every other day, aside from Games 1 and 2 of the six-game Eastern Conference Final scenario, where Tampa Bay and Colorado would play Game 1 on June 15 and wait until June 18 to play Game 2. In the United States, the 2022 Stanley Cup Final will be broadcast on ABC for the first time in 18 years.

Morning Notes: Copp, Spacek, Finals

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With the New York Rangers advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Winnipeg Jets are getting an improved draft pick. As CapFriendly reports, the conditional second-round pick from the Andrew Copp trade will upgrade to a 2022 first-round pick now that the Rangers have won a pair of playoff rounds. It also required Copp to play in at least 50 percent of those matches, and he has, suiting up for all 14 games so far.

While it’s never a great feeling to give up a first-round selection, the Rangers certainly aren’t complaining, given the success the team and Copp individually are experiencing. The pending free agent forward has 12 points in the postseason so far, including two in each of the deciding game sevens so far. The first 28 picks in this year’s draft are now set.

  • Speaking of Jets draft picks, Michael Spacek has signed a new two-year contract with HC Ambri-Piotta, taking his talents to Switzerland after a strong performance in Sweden this year. The 25-year-old had 46 points in 49 games while also suiting up for Czechia in both the Olympics and World Championship. Winnipeg decided not to issue Spacek a qualifying offer after the 2019-20 season with the Manitoba Moose, making him an unrestricted free agent. If he ever chose to test his hand in North America again, he could sign with any team.
  • After the Hurricanes were eliminated last night, the league revealed the full schedule for the Conference Finals, which will kick off tonight with the Edmonton Oilers visiting the Colorado Avalanche. The round will be over by June 14 at the very latest, meaning the Stanley Cup Final is set to start soon after that. Interestingly enough, should the Eastern Conference Final need it, there will be two full off days between games six and seven, meaning there’s no hockey on Monday, June 13.

NHL Announces Conference Final Schedule Scenarios

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After one-half of the conference finalists have been set, the NHL has released the potential schedule matrix for the 2022 Eastern and Western Conference Finals.

No matter what, the Eastern Conference Final will start June 1, whether it be in Raleigh or Manhattan. The Tampa Bay Lightning will be the visitor after sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the Second Round. The Lightning actually finished with the same point total as the New York Rangers (110), but surrender the tiebreaker, so it’s impossible for them to start the series at home. They would also start on the road against the Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes. The Eastern Conference Final will be televised on ESPN in the United States.

For the Western Conference, the schedule depends on the result of tonight’s Game 6 between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. If Colorado is victorious tonight, the series will start on May 31st in Denver. If it goes to a Game 7, the Edmonton Oilers will travel to either Denver or St. Louis for Game 1 on June 2. In the United States, the Western Conference Final will be on TNT.

The last possible day for Conference Final action is June 15, with a potential Western Conference Final Game 7 between the Oilers and either the Avalanche or Blues.

Morning Notes: Start Times, Audette, Gretsky

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The NHL has officially announced start times for each of the game fives, including Thursday night’s Carolina-New York and Edmonton-Calgary matchups. Those will go at 7:00 pm ET and 9:30 pm ET respectively, as Calgary and New York try to even their series. The Tampa Bay Lightning meanwhile have a chance to finish things off tonight on the second half of a back-to-back against the Florida Panthers.

More from around the hockey world:

  • KHL club Vityaz Podolsk has announced the signing of former AHL star Daniel Audette, a surprising move given the exodus of foreign players from the league since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Audette played part of last season with the club but ended his year with 18 games for Orebro HK in the SHL. He’ll now go back to the KHL for next season, where he has already proven he can be a difference-maker. In 45 games last season, the 26-year-old forward scored 17 goals and 39 points, continuing his trend of posting strong offensive numbers at every stop. Originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2014 draft, he never did play a game in the NHL.
  • “Gretsky Signs In KHL” could have been a headline today, as Amur Khabarovsk announced the signing of Vyacheslav Gretsky to a tryout contract. The 25-year-old forward is obviously of no relation to the Gretzky that North American fans are more familiar with (Brent, that is), but did experience a breakout campaign in Belarus last season. The 6’5″ forward had 19 goals and 35 points in 53 games, earning him another chance to play in the KHL.

West Notes: Second Round Schedule, Blues, Glendening

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Even with so many Game 7s on the calendar this weekend, we’re starting to receive some clarity on the upcoming Second Round schedule. NHL.com writer Lou Korac reports that it “sounds like” the Second Round matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues will start Tuesday, May 17.

With that said, there’s a strong potential we could see an off day with no games on Monday. The only series that could begin on Monday without a team playing back-to-back is the matchups between the Florida Panthers and the winner of tonight’s Game 7 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. With the league strictly using an alternating schedule of games during the First Round, it’s not outlandish to say that it’s either two games or no games on Monday night.

IIHF Withdraws 2023 World Championship From Russia

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The IIHF has imposed another sanction on the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, this time removing the 2023 World Championship from St. Petersburg. The event will be held at a different location, one that will be confirmed next month at the IIHF Annual Congress in Finland, during the final week of this year’s tournament.

In a press release, they explained:

The decision to relocate the event was taken primarily out of concern for the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and fans. As was the case with Council’s earlier decision to withdraw the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship that was to be held in Omsk and Novosibirsk, Russia, the Council expressed significant concerns over the safe freedom of movement of players and officials to, from, and within Russia.

The IIHF has now imposed several negative measures on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including the removal of the Russian and Belarusian teams from several international tournaments altogether. The 2023 World Juniors had already been withdrawn from the country.

Originally scheduled for St. Petersberg from May 5-21, the 2023 event will now have a new home. As Gord Miller of TSN tweets, the city had built a new rink that was meant to be the “centerpiece” of the 2023 championship.

Poll: Who Will Be The Odd Teams Out In The West?

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Though the actual playoff match-ups are not yet set in the East, the eight playoff teams have essentially been locked in since January, due in no small part to the fact that for the first time in NHL history all eight teams to qualify for the postseason in one conference will do so with 100+ points on the year. The Western Conference has been more wide open and with just over a week remaining in the regular season, there are still several playoff spots left unclaimed. While the Colorado Avalanche clinched a spot more than two weeks ago and the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues have since followed (the latter two are the only known first-round series thus far), the final spot in the Pacific Division and the two Western wild card berths remain available.

The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars currently occupy the wild card positions and the Los Angeles Kings sit in third in the Pacific. Will the status quo prevail over the remaining slate of regular season games? The Vegas Golden Knights remain in the hunt for all of these spots and certainly have the talent on paper and the pre-season expectations to keep things interesting. The Vancouver Canucks are still in the mix as well, but realistically only for a wild card spot. It would require an incredible run to end the year coupled with some help, but it certainly isn’t impossible.

Los Angeles Kings
Currently: 42-27-10, 94 points (.595) – third in the Pacific
Remaining Games: vs. ANA, @ SEA, @ VAN

Key Note: The Kings are on a three-game winning streak and need just a win on Saturday night and a Vegas loss on Sunday to lock up the Pacific. Given the caliber of their remaining schedule, the Kings appear to be in good shape – they always have the wild card to fall back on as well.

Nashville Predators
Currently: 44-28-5, 93 points (.603) – fourth in the Central, first wild card
Remaining Games: @ TBL, vs. MIN, vs. CGY, @ COL, @ ARI

Key Note: The Predators have the best points percentage and goal differential of the teams still fighting for a playoff spot. Nashville should a playoff team, but needs to play like one down the stretch with four very difficult match-ups remaining.

Dallas Stars
Currently: 43-30-5, 91 points (.583) – fifth in the Central, second wild card
Remaining Games: vs. SEA, vs. VGK, vs. ARI, vs. ANA

Key Note: Dallas is slumping at the wrong time, dropping three in a row heading into Saturday. Other than a critical clash with Vegas, they could not have asked for an easier end to the year with a homestand and several easy opponents. If they can’t clinch a playoff spot with this slate, they probably don’t belong there anyhow.

Vegas Golden Knights
Currently: 42-31-5, 89 points (.571) – fourth in the Pacific
Remaining Games: vs. SJS, @ DAL, @ CHI, @ STL

Key Note: The Knights have just as many wins as the Kings and in fewer games; overtime results are all that separate the talented team from a divisional playoff spot. The unclear situation in net is certainly a potential make-or-break issue for Vegas, but if the team should still have a good chance against two non-playoff teams and a playoff team who should be taking the night off in their regular season finale. The decision against Dallas could ultimately decide Vegas’ fate.

Vancouver Canucks
Currently: 38-29-11, 87 points (.558) – fifth in the Pacific
Remaining Games: @ CGY, vs. SEA, vs. LAK, @ EDM

Key Note: Losing is no longer an option for Vancouver, but it might not be anyway. The Flames are locked into their playoff spot and the Oilers and Kings will likely be as well by the time they face the Canucks later in the week; these teams lack purpose in their current match-ups and the Kraken should be a win regardless of the effort level. If Vancouver can take advantage of these situations, perhaps they still have a chance.

What do you think? Who will finish the job and who will be left on the outside looking in?

[mobile users vote here]

 

 

NHL Draft Lottery Set For May 10

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For teams already eliminated from playoff contention, the next biggest date on the schedule is the NHL Draft Lottery. The event, which determines the order of selection in the upcoming NHL Draft, can drastically change the direction of a franchise or prolong a rebuild by forcing them to miss out on top talent. This year’s event will be held remotely on May 10, according to Chris Johnston of TSN.

Currently, the Arizona Coyotes have the best chance at the top pick, though that could change in the coming weeks. The Montreal Canadiens are just two points ahead of them and actually have two fewer regulation wins, the first tiebreaker should it come to that. The Philadelphia Flyers are also doing their best to secure a top spot, losing six in a row to drop them down below the Seattle Kraken in terms of points percentage.

The draft, set to begin July 7 in Montreal, still has a likely first-overall pick in Shane Wright, though that is no longer a consensus. Players like Juraj Slafkovsky and Logan Cooley have pushed themselves up draft boards with strong play, while another potential top selection–Ivan Miroschnichenko–was unfortunately diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

With a few games left to jostle position, the race is on toward May 10 and the lottery.

Canucks’ Bo Horvat Out Rest Of Regular Season

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Though the Vancouver Canucks are still in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference, they face an uphill battle to qualify for the postseason. The team sits three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the final spot in the Pacific, with the Los Angeles Kings between them, and are even further behind the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars in the wild card hunt. Vancouver deserves recognition for their second-half turnaround, but still seem likely to fall short.

With today’s news, the Canucks’ playoff hopes now seem all but dashed. With exactly two weeks remaining in their regular season schedule, Vancouver has announced that captain Bo Horvat has been shut down due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. Horvat will be re-evaluated… in two weeks. The announcement comes as a relative surprise; Horvat left Thursday’s game after blocking a shot, but that decision was deemed precautionary and he has since been considered merely day-to-day. As it turns out, the prognosis is much more severe.

Horvat, 26, is Vancouver’s leading goal scorer with 31 tallies on the year. He is also fourth on the Canucks in scoring with 52 points in 70 games and second among forwards in time on ice, not to mention their top face-off man. In his fourth consecutive season of at least .70 points per game, Horvat potentially could have set a career-high in scoring this season if not for the injury. Now, Horvat will have to sit and watch as his team likely misses the playoffs and heads into a contract year in 2022-23 with an even more uncertain future.

To add to the bad news, the Canucks also confirmed the suspicion that young winger Nils Hoglander will not return from injury this season. Hoglander has missed the past month with a “week-to-week” groin injury with little update on his status in the interim. Today, Vancouver reported that Hoglander has in fact undergone surgery to correct the core muscle/groin injury and there is no timetable for his return. The typical recovery period for such a procedure is three to eight weeks, meaning Hoglander’s regular season is over and barring a miraculous stretch run and postseason, he is done for the year.

 

2022 NCAA Frozen Four Preview

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The culmination of the college hockey season has arrived. The “Frozen Four” is set to take place in Boston this weekend with the semifinal match-ups taking place tomorrow and the National Championship game on Saturday. While there are those who are understandably upset that there are somehow no New England teams to play in Boston, it truly is the best of the best at the end this year. Three No. 1 seeds advanced from their regional and the one outlier – Minnesota – was a No. 2 seed who had been a top-four ranked team for much of the second half of the season and arguably should have been a No. 1 seed. The four teams remaining were also the top four scoring offenses in college hockey this season. On top of that, all three Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick Finalists are also still alive. Anyone could seize the title in what should be a great finale to the NCAA season.

Schedule

Thursday
Michigan vs. Denver, 5:00pm ET
Minnesota State vs. Minnesota, 8:30pm ET

Saturday
National Championship Game, 8:00pm ET

No. 1 Minnesota State

Record: 35-5-0
Accomplishments: NCAA Regular Season Champs, CCHA Tournament Champs, CCHA Regular Season Champs
NHL Prospects: F Nathan Smith (ARI), D Benton Maass (WSH)
Notable Undrafted Free Agents: G Dryden McKay, F Julian Napravnik, D Akito Hirose

The Mavericks have basically been the wire-to-wire top team in the nation this season. Under head coach Mike Hastings, Minnesota State has made it to six of the past eight NCAA Tournaments but had struggled to advance past the first round, with many citing their strength of schedule as inflating their national ranking. That changed last season when the Mavericks made a run to the Frozen Four. This season, armed with a stronger non-conference schedule, Mankato was still No. 1 for the vast majority of the season and could finally be ready to take the title. While they aren’t as flashy on paper as the other remaining competitors and their prospect-laden lineups, Minnesota State had the best goal differential in the league this season, was second in defense, and tied with Michigan for second in power play efficiency. Veteran goaltender McKay was top five in the country in save percentage and goals against average and forwards Smith and Napravnik were both top five in points per game. Don’t underestimate the Mavericks.

No. 2 Michigan

Record: 29-9-1
Accomplishments: Big Ten Tournament Champs
NHL Prospects: D Owen Power (BUF), F Matty Beniers (SEA), D Luke Hughes (NJD), F Kent Johnson (CLB), F Mackie Samoskevich (FLA), F Brendan Brisson (VGK), F Johnny Beecher (BOS), F Thomas Bordeleau (SJS), G Erik Portillo (BUF), D Ethan Edwards (NJD), F Dylan Duke (TBL), D Jacob Truscott (VAN), F Eric Ciccolini (NYR)
Notable Undrafted Free Agents: D Nick Blankenburg

The Wolverines entered this season as the championship favorites and have retained that title throughout, now heading into the Frozen Four. It is difficult to recall a more star-studded NCAA squad than the current Michigan roster, which includes a whopping seven first-round picks. Beniers has enjoyed one of the best all-around seasons of anyone in college hockey this season, while Johnson and Power both rank in the top five in assists per game. Yet, those three 2020-21 holdover who received so much draft hype last year are only the tip of the iceberg. Michigan can score with nearly anyone on the ice and Portillo can hold his own in net. They will be difficult to beat.

No. 3 Denver

Record: 27-9-1
Accomplishments: NCHC Regular Season Champs
NHL Prospects: F Bobby Brink (PHI), D Antti Tuomisto (DET), D Shai Buium (DET), D Sean Behrens (COL), F Carter Mazur (DET), D Michael Benning (FLA), F Carter Savoie (EDM), G Magnus Chrona (SJS), F Cole Guttman (TBL), F Brett Stapley (MTL), F McKade Webster (TBL), F Massimo Rizzo (CAR)
Notable 2022 NHL Draft Prospect: F Jack Devine

There is no question that the Pioneers are on the brink of greatness. Hobey Baker favorite Brink has been the most dynamic scorer in the nation this season, ranked first in points and assists per game by a significant margin. That’s not all that Denver has to offer though. Savoie is one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the NCAA, especially on the power play. Guttman is masterful at the face-off dot and a well-rounded weapon. The blue line is deep in NHL prospect talent. If the Pioneers have one weakness at this stage of the tournament, it could be starting goaltender Chrona, who simply hasn’t performed to the same level as his remaining counterparts. Yet, if any team can win in a high-scoring shootout with Michigan, it would be Denver.

No. 5 Minnesota

Record: 24-12-0
Accomplishments: Big Ten Regular Season Champs
NHL Prospects: F Chaz Lucius (WPG), D Ryan Johnson (BUF), D Jackson LaCombe (ANA), D Brock Faber (LAK), F Matthew Knies (TOR), F Tristan Broz (PIT), F Blake McLaughlin (ANA), F Aaron Huglen (BUF), D Jack Perbix (ANA), F Rhett Pitlick (MTL), D Mike Koster (TOR), D Ben Brinkman (DAL), F Bryce Brodzinski (PHI), F Sammy Walker (TBL)
Notable Undrafted Free Agents: F Ben Meyers

Led by top free agent and Hobey Baker finalist Meyers, the Gophers actually have more NHL Draft prospects than Michigan or Denver. Meyers is sixth in the NCAA in points per game as he leads a Minnesota team that has found ways to win at every turn this season, including splitting the regular season series with Michigan. McLaughlin, Knies, and LaCombe have all had terrific seasons as well, and when healthy Lucius has been dangerous. Goaltender Justen Close has performed admirably since taking over for Jack LaFontaine (CAR) mid-season and is not the weakness that many expected him to be. The Gophers are a real threat to knock off Minnesota State on Thursday.

 

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