Jets of hot pick
Winnipeg Jets play their first playoff game in 19 years when they visit Anaheim (2230 ET).
This franchise has made the postseason in 2007, when it was known as the Atlanta Thrashers, but the last time a Winnipeg NHL club has played in the Stanley Cup tournament was in 1996, just before the original incarnation of the Jets moved to Phoenix.
Despite facing the first Western Conference head, wild-card pick Jets are upset fashion. Their goal differential is greater than Anaheim, they are better at driving game as measured by indicators possession, and they played a more difficult schedule in the central cutthroat while ducks fattened on the likes of Edmonton Arizona in the Pacific. In addition, the guardian of Winnipeg is red. Ondrej Pavelec stopped all 83 shots he faced in his last three games of the regular season.
Anaheim, however, excels in close contests, posting a 33-1-7 record in games ridicule of a goal. Some say it is due to luck, but if it is a skill, Anaheim has the tools to win in the stricter environmental audit of the playoffs.
Jets forward Mathieu Perreault was called a decision of playing time by coach Paul Maurice. Perreault, nursing a lower body injury, missed most of Thursday's workout before coming to the end. Winnipeg captain Andrew Ladd did not practice, but is expected to play.
Anaheim, Patrick Maroon play on the first line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. The Clayton Stoner defenders and Simon Després will be in the range of coach Bruce Boudreau for James Wisniewski.
Penguins hurt
The highest ranked team in the NHL facing a downward trend which is that the Rangers host the Penguins at Madison Square Garden (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 19:00 ET).
New York won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record in the league, and also had the highest goal differential. Pittsburgh has the high-end talent in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but the team has struggled with injuries and faded badly at the end of the regular season, needs a win to enter the final days.
The blue line of pens is decimated. Kris Letang should not be able to play at any time in the playoffs after suffering another concussion, and Christian Ehrhoff has been ruled out for a game as he tries to recover from a concussion of the his. Derrick Pouliot (undisclosed) will also miss the first game. Up front, Malkin ran out of time down the stretch with an injury at the bottom of unspecified body and did not record a point in its last five games.
Too bad, because the Rangers impressive record belies vulnerability signs: they ranked in the bottom half of the indicators of ownership adjusted scoring while leading the league in combined fire and save percentages, suggesting that they have enjoyed good fortune regular season.
Wings look to Mrazek in the net
Detroit announced this week he will go with 23 years Petr Mrazek into the net for his first game at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m. ET). He got the nod over veteran Jimmy Howard, Wings starter in the playoffs the past five years. This season, Mrazek produced slightly better goals against average (2.38 to 2.44 Howard) and save percentage (.918 to .910) while playing in fewer games (29 to 53).
Mrazek faces a major challenge facing a Lightning team that exceeded the NHL in scoring during the regular season. Steven Stamkos led the way with 43 goals, while Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov each had 29 game on a stellar line with Ondrej Palat (16).
Dubnyk saves wild
Title in game one in St. Louis (9:30 p.m. ET), Minnesota knows that it was a different team since acquiring Devan Dubnyk in mid-January. Make 39 consecutive starts from January 15 until the Wild clinched a playoff spot in the penultimate game of the season, the previously unknown veteran went 27-9-2 with a .936 save percentage and 1.78 average goals against for his new team would both executive NHL Carey Price the numbers.
The Blues, champions of the most difficult division of hockey, the plant will put pressure Dubnyk with their talented group ahead, led by 37 goals man Vladimir Tarasenko, who is only 23 years.
The coach Ken Hitchcock St. Louis opted to go with young Jake Allen in the net over veteran Brian Elliott. The 24-year-old Allen was 5-1-1 with 1.32 goals-against average of 0.950 and a percentage of its last eight games.
Winnipeg Jets play their first playoff game in 19 years when they visit Anaheim (2230 ET).
This franchise has made the postseason in 2007, when it was known as the Atlanta Thrashers, but the last time a Winnipeg NHL club has played in the Stanley Cup tournament was in 1996, just before the original incarnation of the Jets moved to Phoenix.
Despite facing the first Western Conference head, wild-card pick Jets are upset fashion. Their goal differential is greater than Anaheim, they are better at driving game as measured by indicators possession, and they played a more difficult schedule in the central cutthroat while ducks fattened on the likes of Edmonton Arizona in the Pacific. In addition, the guardian of Winnipeg is red. Ondrej Pavelec stopped all 83 shots he faced in his last three games of the regular season.
Anaheim, however, excels in close contests, posting a 33-1-7 record in games ridicule of a goal. Some say it is due to luck, but if it is a skill, Anaheim has the tools to win in the stricter environmental audit of the playoffs.
Jets forward Mathieu Perreault was called a decision of playing time by coach Paul Maurice. Perreault, nursing a lower body injury, missed most of Thursday's workout before coming to the end. Winnipeg captain Andrew Ladd did not practice, but is expected to play.
Anaheim, Patrick Maroon play on the first line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. The Clayton Stoner defenders and Simon Després will be in the range of coach Bruce Boudreau for James Wisniewski.
Penguins hurt
The highest ranked team in the NHL facing a downward trend which is that the Rangers host the Penguins at Madison Square Garden (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 19:00 ET).
New York won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record in the league, and also had the highest goal differential. Pittsburgh has the high-end talent in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but the team has struggled with injuries and faded badly at the end of the regular season, needs a win to enter the final days.
The blue line of pens is decimated. Kris Letang should not be able to play at any time in the playoffs after suffering another concussion, and Christian Ehrhoff has been ruled out for a game as he tries to recover from a concussion of the his. Derrick Pouliot (undisclosed) will also miss the first game. Up front, Malkin ran out of time down the stretch with an injury at the bottom of unspecified body and did not record a point in its last five games.
Too bad, because the Rangers impressive record belies vulnerability signs: they ranked in the bottom half of the indicators of ownership adjusted scoring while leading the league in combined fire and save percentages, suggesting that they have enjoyed good fortune regular season.
Wings look to Mrazek in the net
Detroit announced this week he will go with 23 years Petr Mrazek into the net for his first game at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m. ET). He got the nod over veteran Jimmy Howard, Wings starter in the playoffs the past five years. This season, Mrazek produced slightly better goals against average (2.38 to 2.44 Howard) and save percentage (.918 to .910) while playing in fewer games (29 to 53).
Mrazek faces a major challenge facing a Lightning team that exceeded the NHL in scoring during the regular season. Steven Stamkos led the way with 43 goals, while Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov each had 29 game on a stellar line with Ondrej Palat (16).
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Dubnyk saves wild
Title in game one in St. Louis (9:30 p.m. ET), Minnesota knows that it was a different team since acquiring Devan Dubnyk in mid-January. Make 39 consecutive starts from January 15 until the Wild clinched a playoff spot in the penultimate game of the season, the previously unknown veteran went 27-9-2 with a .936 save percentage and 1.78 average goals against for his new team would both executive NHL Carey Price the numbers.
The Blues, champions of the most difficult division of hockey, the plant will put pressure Dubnyk with their talented group ahead, led by 37 goals man Vladimir Tarasenko, who is only 23 years.
The coach Ken Hitchcock St. Louis opted to go with young Jake Allen in the net over veteran Brian Elliott. The 24-year-old Allen was 5-1-1 with 1.32 goals-against average of 0.950 and a percentage of its last eight games.
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