Forman Faceoff 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview - Round Robin + Play-In Round Preview

Well this is uncharted territory right here, the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning in August...strange. The reality is nothing is normal in the world right now with the outbreak of the coronavirus, which is the reason the season was suspended back in mid-March in the first place. With that being said, hockey is finally back! It's time to look at the 24 teams involved in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with a look at the round-robin between the bye teams, the play-In series match-ups, and some fantasy hockey notes for those taking part in Stanley Cup Playoff pools. Hope you enjoy!

How the Playoffs will work:

-Seeds #1-4 in both conferences will get a bye through the play-in round. Those teams are:

Eastern Conference:

#1 Boston Bruins 

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning 

#3 Washington Capitals 

#4 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference: 

#1 St. Louis Blues 

#2 Colorado Avalanche 

#3 Vegas Golden Knights 

#4 Dallas Stars

-Each bye team will face off against the other three bye teams in the conference (one game each) in a round-robin, with the standings used to re-seed for the next round of the playoffs. These round robin games will follow regular season rules (3 on 3 OT/shootout instead of continuous OT)
-Seeds #5-12 in both conferences will face-off in a 5-game playoff series, with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser dropping into the NHL draft lottery. This is particularly interesting to watch considering the #1 overall pick is held by one of these unknown 8 play-in teams
-The match-ups for the play-in round are as follows:

Eastern Conference:

#5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #12 Montreal Canadiens

#6 Carolina Hurricanes vs #11 New York Rangers

#7 New York Islanders vs #10 Florida Panthers

#8 Toronto Maple Leafs vs #9 Columbus Blue Jackets

Western Conference:

#5 Edmonton Oilers vs #12 Chicago Blackhawks

#6 Nashville Predators vs #11 Arizona Coyotes

#7 Vancouver Canucks vs #10 Minnesota Wild

#8 Calgary Flames vs #9 Winnipeg Jets

-All Eastern Conference games will be played out of Toronto, all Western Conference games played out of Edmonton, with a schedule of 6-games a day once the playoffs begin August 1st
-The Conference Finals + Stanley Cup Finals will be in Edmonton
-Here's a look first at the bye-teams in each conference:

Round Robin Bye Teams:

Eastern Conference:

#1 Boston Bruins (44-14-12, 100 points)

Players to Watch: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara

X-Factor: David Pastrnak

Stat Leaders:

Goals: David Pastrnak (48), Patrice Bergeron (31), Brad Marchand (28)
Assists: Brad Marchand (59), David Pastrnak (47), Torey Krug (40)
Points: David Pastrnak (95), Brad Marchand (87), Patrice Bergeron (56)
Wins: Tuukka Rask (26), Jaroslav Halak (18)
Goals Against Average: Tuukka Rask (2.12), Jaroslav Halak (2.39)
Save Percentage: Tuukka Rask (.929), Jaroslav Halak (.919)
Shutouts: Tuukka Rask (5), Jaroslav Halak (3)

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning (43-21-6, 92 points)

Players to Watch: Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Alex Killorn

X-Factor: Nikita Kucherov

Stat Leaders:

Goals: Nikita Kucherov (33), Steven Stamkos (29), Alex Killorn (26)
Assists: Nikita Kucherov (52), Victor Hedman (44), Brayden Point (39)
Points: Nikita Kucherov (85), Steven Stamkos (66), Brayden Point (64)
Wins: Andrei Vasilevskiy (35), Curtis McElhinney (8)
Goals Against Average: Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.56), Curtis McElhinney (2.89)
Save Percentage: Andrei Vasilevskiy (.917), Curtis McElhinney (.906)
Shutouts: Andrei Vasilevskiy (3), Curtis McElhinney (1)

#3 Washington Capitals (41-20-8, 90 points)

Players to Watch: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, Tom Wilson

X-Factor: Alex Ovechkin

Stat Leaders:

Goals: Alex Ovechkin (48), TJ Oshie (26), Jakub Vrana (25)
Assists: John Carlson (60), Nicklas Backstrom (42), Evgeny Kuznetsov (33)
Points: John Carlson (75), Alex Ovechkin (67), Nicklas Backstrom (54)
Wins: Brayden Hotlby (25), Ilya Samsonov (16)
Goals Against Average: Ilya Samsonov (2.55), Brayden Holtby (3.11)
Save Percentage: Ilya Samsonov (.913), Brayden Holtby (.897)
Shutouts: Ilya Samsonov (1)

#4 Philadelphia Flyers (41-21-7, 89 points)

Players to Watch: Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Carter Hart, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny

X-Factor: Carter Hart

Stat Leaders:

Goals: Travis Konecny (24), Kevin Hayes (23), Sean Couturier (22)
Assists: Jakub Voracek (44), Sean Couturier/Travis Konecny (37), Claude Giroux (32)
Points: Travis Konecny (61), Sean Couturier (59), Jakub Voracek (56)
Wins: Carter Hart (24), Brian Elliott (16)
Goals Against Average: Carter Hart (2.42), Brian Elliott (2.87)
Save Percentage: Carter Hart (.914), Brian Elliott (.899)
Shutouts: Brian Elliott (2), Carter Hart (1)

Western Conference:

#1 St. Louis Blues (42-19-10, 94 points) - Defending Stanley Cup Champions

Players to Watch: Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jordan Binnington, David Perron, Alex Pietrangelo, Brayden Schenn

X-Factor: Ryan O'Reilly

Stat Leaders:

Goals: David Perron/Brayden Schenn (25), Jaden Schwartz (22), Alex Pietrangelo/Zach Sanford (16)
Assists: Ryan O'Reilly (49), Alex Pietrangelo (36), David Perron/Jaden Schwartz (35)
Points: Ryan O'Reilly (61), David Perron (60), Brayden Schenn (58)
Wins: Jordan Binnington (30), Jake Allen (12)
Goals Against Average: Jake Allen (2.15), Jordan Binnungton (2.56)
Save Percentage: Jake Allen (.927), Jordan Binnington (.912)
Shutouts: Jordan Binnington (3), Jake Allen (2)

#2 Colorado Avalanche (42-20-8, 92 points)

Players to Watch: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky

X-Factor: Nathan MacKinnon

Stat Leaders:

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (35), Gabriel Landeskog (21), Andre Burakovsky (20)
Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (58), Cale Makar (38), Sam Girard (30)
Points: Nathan MacKinnon (93), Cale Makar (50), Andre Burakovsky (45)
Wins: Pavel Francouz (21), Philipp Grubauer (18)
Goals Against Average: Pavel Francouz (2.41), Philipp Grubauer (2.63)
Save Percentage: Pavel Francouz (.923), Philipp Grubauer (.916)
Shutouts: Philipp Grubauer (2), Pavel Francouz (1)

#3 Vegas Golden Knights (39-24-8, 86 points)

Players to Watch: Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore

X-Factor: Mark Stone

Stat Leaders:

Goals: Max Pacioretty (32), Reilly Smith (27), Johnathan Marchessault (22)
Assists: Mark Stone (42), Max Pacioretty (34), Shea Theodore (33)
Points: Max Pacioretty (66), Mark Stone (63), Reilly Smith (54)
Wins: Marc-Andre Fleury (27), Robin Lehner (3)
Goals Against Average: Robin Lehner (1.67), Marc-Andre Fleury (2.77)
Save Percentage: Robin Lehner (.940), Marc-Andre Fleury (.905)
Shutouts: Marc-Andre Fleury (5), Robin Lehner (1)

#4 Dallas Stars (37-24-8, 82 points)

Players to Watch: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, Ben Bishop, Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg

X-Factor: Ben Bishop

Stat Leaders:

Goals: Denis Gurianov (20), Jamie Benn/Roope Hintz (19), Tyler Seguin (17)
Assists: Tyler Seguin (33), Miro Heiskanen (27), John Klingberg (26)\
Points: Tyler Seguin (50), Jamie Benn (39), Miro Heiskanen (35)
Wins: Ben Bishop (21), Anton Khudobin (16)
Goals Against Average: Anton Khudonin (2.22), Ben Bishop (2.50)
Save Percentage: Anton Khudobin (.930), Ben Bishop (.920)
Shutouts: Ben Bishop (2)

Round Robin Standings Prediction:

Eastern Conference:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

2. Philadelphia Flyers

3. Boston Bruins

4. Washington Capitals

Western Conference:

1. Colorado Avalanche

2. St. Louis Blues

3. Vegas Golden Knights

4. Dallas Stars

Play-In Round Match-ups:

Eastern Conference:

#5 Pittsburgh Penguins (40-23-6, 86 points) vs #12 Montreal Canadiens (31-31-9, 71 points)

Season Series: Penguins won the season series 2-1-0

December 10, 2019: Montreal Canadiens 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
January 4, 2020: Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Montreal Canadiens 2 (OT)
February 14, 2020: Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Montreal Canadiens 1

Players to Watch:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Bryan Rust

Montreal: Carey Price, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, Tomas Tatar, Jeff Petry

X-Factor:

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

Montreal: Carey Price

Stat Leaders:

Pittsburgh

Goals: Bryan Rust (27), Evgeni Malkin (25), Jake Guentzel/Jason Zucker (20)
Assists: Evgeni Malkin (49), Sidney Crosby (31), Kris Letang/Bryan Rust (29)
Points: Evgeni Malkin (74), Bryan Rust (56), Sidney Crosby (47)
Wins: Tristan Jarry/Matt Murray (20)
Goals Against Average: Tristan Jarry (2.43), Matt Murray (2.87)
Save Percentage: Tristan Jarry (.921), Matt Murray (.899)
Shutouts: Tristan Jarry (3), Matt Murray (1)

Montreal

Goals: Tomas Tatar/Brendan Gallagher (22), Max Domi (17), Joel Armia (16)
Assists: Tomas Tatar (39), Phil Danault (34), Jeff Petry (29)
Points: Tomas Tatar (61), Phil Danault (47), Max Domi (44)
Wins: Carey Price (27), Charlie Lindgren (2)
Goals Against Average: Carey Price (2.79), Charlie Lindgren (3.33)
Save Percentage: Carey Price (.909), Charlie Lindgren (.888)
Shutouts: Carey Price (4)

Prediction: To me this is one of the more lob-sided play-in match-ups, the Penguins finished 15 points ahead of the Canadiens in the regular season and seem like the heavy favourites in this match-up. Give the edge to Sid and the Pens

(PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 3, MONTREAL CANADIENS 1)

#6 Carolina Hurricanes (38-25-5, 81 points) vs #11 New York Rangers (37-28-5, 79 points)

Season Series: Rangers won the season series 4-0-0

November 7, 2019: New York Rangers 4, Carolina Hurricanes 2 
November 27, 2019: New York Rangers 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2
December 27, 2019: New York Rangers 5, Carolina Hurricanes 3
February 21, 2020: New York Rangers 5, Carolina Hurricanes 2

Players to Watch:

Carolina: Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, Justin Williams

New York: Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Igor Shesterkin, Chris Kreider, Ryan Strome, Adam Fox

X-Factor:

Carolina: Sebastian Aho

New York: Artemi Panarin

Stat Leaders:

Carolina

Goals: Sebastian Aho (38), Andrei Svechnikov (24), Martin Necas (16)
Assists: Teuvo Teravainen (48), Andrei Svechnikov (37), Jaccob Slavin (30)
Points: Sebastian Aho (66), Teuvo Teravainen (63), Andrei Svechnikov (61)
Wins: Petr Mrazek (21), James Reimer (14)
Goals Against Average: James Reimer (2.66), Petr Mrazek (2.69)
Save Percentage: James Reimer (.914), Petr Mrazek (.905)
Shutouts: James Reimer/Petr Mrazek (3)

New York

Goals: Mika Zibanejad (41), Artemi Panarin (32)
Assists: Artemi Panarin (63), Ryan Stome (41), Tony DeAngelo (38)
Points: Artemi Panarin (95), Mika Zibanejad (75). Ryan Strome (59)
Wins: Alexandar Georgiev (17), Henrik Lundqvist/Igor Shesterkin (10)
Goals Against Average: Igor Shesterkin (2.52), Alexandar Georgiev (3.04), Henrik Lundqvist (3.16)
Save Percentage: Igor Shesterkin (.932), Alexandar Georgiev (.910), Henrik Lundqvist (.905)
Shutouts: 

Prediction: This to me is one of the closest match-ups in the play-in round. You have the stingy Hurricanes, fresh off their Conference Finals trip last year, vs a young and upcoming Rangers team lead by MVP-candidate Artemi Panarin. I think this series will go the distance; while the Hurricanes are the higher seed, the Rangers won all 4 meetings in the regular season and thus I see them squeaking out a series victory

(NEW YORK RANGERS 3, CAROLINA HURRICANES 2)

#7 New York Islanders (35-23-10, 80 points) vs #10 Florida Panthers (35-26-8, 78 points)

Season Series: Islanders won the season series 3-0-0

October 12, 2019: New York Islanders 3, Florida Panthers 2 (SO)
November 9, 2019: New York Islanders 2, Florida Panthers 1
December 12, 2019: New York Islanders 3, Florida Panthers 1

Players to Watch:

New York: Mat Barzal, Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Brock Nelson, Semyon Varlamov, Jordan Eberle

Florida: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Sergei Bobrovsky, Keith Yandle, Mike Hoffman, Aaron Ekblad

X-Factor:

New York: Mat Barzal

Florida: Aleksander Barkov

Stat Leaders:

New York

Goals: Brock Nelson/Jean-Gabriel Pageau (26), Anders Lee (20), Mat Barzal (19)
Assists: Mat Barzal (41), Josh Bailey (29), Brock Nelson (28)
Points: Mat Barzal (60), Brock Nelson (54), Anders Lee/Josh Bailey (43)
Wins: Semyon Varlamov (19), Thomas Greiss (16)
Goals Against Average: Semyon Varlamonv (2.62), Thomas Greiss (2.74)
Save Percentage: Semyon Varlamov (.914), Thomas Greiss (.913)
Shutouts: Semyon Varlamov (2)

Florida

Goals: Mike Hoffman (29), Evgenii Dadonov (25), Jonathan Huberdeau (23)
Assists: Jonathan Huberdeau (55), Aleksander Barkov (42), Keith Yandle (40)
Points: Jonathan Huberdeau (78), Aleksander Barkov (62), Mike Hoffman (59)
Wins: Sergei Bobrovsky (23), Chris Dreidger (7)
Goals Against Average: Chris Dreidger (2.05), Sergei Bobrovsky (3.23)
Save Percentage: Chris Dreidger (.938), Sergei Bobrovsky (.900)
Shutouts: Sergei Bobrovsky/Chris Dreidger (1)

Prediction: Another series that is really a toss up; you've got the stingy, defense-first Islanders vs. the high-flying offense-first Panthers. The Islanders won all 3 games in the regular season, so I give them the slight edge in this match-up

(NEW YORK ISLANDERS 3, FLORIDA PANTHERS 2)

#8 Toronto Maple Leafs (36-25-9, 81 points) vs #9 Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, 81 points)

Season Series: Leafs won the season series 1-0-1

October 4, 2019: Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
October 21, 2019: Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 3 (OT)

Players to Watch:

Toronto: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Frederik Andersen, Morgan Rielly

Columbus: Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cam Atkinson, Elvis Merzlikins, Oliver Bjorkstrand

X-Factor:

Toronto: Auston Matthews

Columbus: Zach Werenski

Stat Leaders:

Toronto

Goals: Auston Matthews (47), William Nylander (31), John Tavares (26)
Assists: Mitch Marner (51), John Tavares/Tyson Barrie (34), Auston Matthews (33)
Points: Auston Matthews (80), Mitch Marner (67), John Tavares (60)
Wins: Frederik Andersen (29), Jack Campbell (3)
Goals Against Average: Jack Campbell (2.63), Frederik Andersen (2.85)
Save Percentage: Jack Campbell (.915), Frederik Andersen (.909)
Shutouts: Frederik Andersen (3)

Columbus

Goals: Oliver Bjorkstrand (21), Zach Werenski (20), Pierre-Luc Dubois (18)
Assists: Pierre-Luc Dubois (31), Gustav Nyquist (27), Seth Jones (24)
Points: Pierre-Luc Dubois (49), Gustav Nyquist (42), Zach Werenski (41)
Wins: Joonas Korpisalo (19), Elvis Merzlikins (13)
Goals Against Average: Elvis Merzlikins (2.35), Joonas Korpisalo (2.60)
Save Percentage: Elvis Merzlikins (.923), Joonas Korpisalo (.911)
Shutouts: Elvis Merzlikins (5), Joonas Korpisalo (2)

Prediction: Fresh off of their historic sweep of the Lightning last post-season, can John Tortorella and the Blue Jackets pull of the big upset again vs a highly skilled Leafs team? This could be one of the best series to watch in the play-in round, and time will tell which team can seize the momentum quickly in a short series. I give the initial edge to the Leafs based on their depth up front

(TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 3, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 1)

Western Conference:

#5 Edmonton Oilers (37-25-9, 83 points) vs #12 Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8, 72 points)

Season Series: Blackhawks won the season series 2-1-0

October 14, 2019: Chicago Blackhawks 3, Edmonton Oilers 1
February 11, 2020: Edmonton Oilers 5, Chicago Blackhawks 3
March 5, 2020: Chicago Blackhawks 4, Edmonton Oilers 3

Players to Watch:

Edmonton: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Zack Kassian, James Neal

Chicago: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Alex DeBrincat, Dominik Kubalik, Brandon Saad

X-Factor:

Edmonton: Connor McDavid

Chicago: Patrick Kane

Stat Leaders:

Edmonton

Goals: Leon Draisaitl (43), Connor McDavid (34), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (22)
Assists: Leon Draisailt (67), Connor McDavid (63), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (39)
Points: Leon Draisaitl (110), Connor McDavid (97), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (61)
Wins: Mike Smith (19), Mikko Koskinen (18)
Goals Against Average: Mikko Koskinen (2.75), Mike Smith (2.95)
Save Percentage: Mikko Koskinen (.917), Mike Smith (.902)
Shutouts: Mike Smith/Mikko Koskinen (1)

Chicago

Goals: Patrick Kane (33), Dominik Kubalik (30), Brandon Saad (21)
Assists: Patrick Kane (51), Jonathan Toews (42), Alex DeBrincat (27)
Points: Patrick Kane (84), Jonathan Toews (60), Dominik Kubalik (46)
Wins: Corey Crawford (16)
Goals Against Average: Corey Crawford (2.77)
Save Percentage: Corey Crawford (.917)
Shutouts: Corey Crawford (1)

Prediction: Connor McDavid and Patrick Kane going head to head should be an absolute treat to watch, as I expect this to be one of the most high-scoring series of the play-in round. The big question mark for both teams remains in goal, with the Oilers deciding between Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen while the Blackhawks dealing with potentially not having Corey Crawford. I think this series goes the distance, and the Blackhawks pull off the upset lead by Kane

(CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 3, EDMONTON OILERS 2)

#6 Nashville Predators (35-26-8, 78 points) vs #11 Arizona Coyotes (33-29-8, 74 points)

Season Series: Season series tied 1-1

October 17, 2019: Arizona Coyotes 5, Nashville Predators 2 
December 23, 2019: Nashville Predators 3, Arizona Coyotes 2

Players to Watch:

Nashville: Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, Ryan Ellis, Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson

Arizona: Taylor Hall, Phil Kessel, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Conor Garland

X-Factor:

Nashville: Roman Josi

Arizona: Taylor Hall

Stat Leaders:

Nashville

Goals: Filip Forsberg (21), Nick Bonino/Craig Smith (18), Mikael Granlund (17)
Assists: Roman Josi (49), Ryan Ellis (30), Matt Duchene (29)
Points: Roman Josi (65), Filip Forsberg (48), Matt Duchene (42)
Wins: Pekka Rinne (18), Juuse Saros (17)
Goals Against Average: Juuse Saros (2.70), Pekka Rinne (3.17)
Save Percentage: Juuse Saros (.914), Pekka Rinne (.895)
Shutouts: Juuse Saros (4), Pekka Rinne (3)

Arizona

Goals: Conor Garland (22), Christian Dvorak (18), Clayton Keller/Carl Soderberg (17)
Assists: Taylor Hall (36), Nick Schmaltz (35), Alex Goligoski (28)
Points: Taylor Hall (52), Nick Schmaltz (45), Clayton Keller (44)
Wins: Darcy Kuemper (16), Antti Raanta (15)
Goals Against Average: Darcy Kuemper (2.22), Antti Raanta (2.63)
Save Percentage: Darcy Kuemper (.928), Antti Raanta (.921)
Shutouts: Darcy Kuemper/Antti Raanta (2)

Prediction: A unique feature of this match-up is both teams have two very capable goalies ready to start, with Pekka Rinne/Juuse Saros in Nashville and Antti Raanta/Darcy Kuemper in Arizona we could see all four goalies appear in this series. I think this is going to be the lowest scoring series of the play-in match-ups, and I give the very slight edge to the Predators

(NASHVILLE PREDATORS 3, ARIZONA COYOTES 2)

#7 Vancouver Canucks (36-27-6, 78 points) vs #10 Minnesota Wild (35-27-7, 77 points)

Season Series: Wild won the season series 2-1-0

January 12, 2020: Vancouver Canucks 4, Minnesota Wild 1
February 6, 2020: Minnesota Wild 4, Vancouver Canucks 2
February 19, 2020: Minnesota Wild 4, Vancouver Canucks 3 (SO)

Players to Watch:
Vancouver: Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, JT Miller, Tyler Toffoli, Jacob Markstrom

Minnesota: Ryan Suter, Kevin Fiala, Eric Staal, Zach Parise, Mats Zuccarello, Kirill Kaprizov

X-Factor:

Vancouver: Elias Pettersson

Minnesota: Ryan Suter

Stat Leaders:

Vancouver

Goals: Elias Pettersson/JT Miller (27), Tyler Toffoli (24), Bo Horvat (22)
Assists: JT Miller/Quinn Hughes (45), Elias Pettersson (39), Bo Horvat (31)
Points: JT Miller (72), Elias Petterson (66), Quinn Hughes/Bo Horvat (53)
Wins: Jacob Markstrom (23), Thatcher Demko (13)
Goals Against Average: Jacob Markstrom (2.75), Thatcher Demko (3.06)
Save Percentage: Jacob Markstrom (.918), Thatcher Demko (.905)
Shutouts: Jacob Markstrom (2)

Minnesota

Goals: Zach Parise (25), Kevin Fiala (23), Eric Staal (19)
Assists: Ryan Suter (40), Kevin Fiala (31), Eric Staal (28)
Points: Kevin Fiala (54), Ryan Suter (48), Eric Staal (47)
Wins: Alex Stalock (20), Devan Dubnyk (12)
Goals Against Average: Alex Stalock (2.67), Devan Dubnyk (3.35)
Save Percentage: Alex Stalock (.910), Devan Dubnyk (.890)
Shutouts: Alex Stalock (4), Devan Dubnyk (1)

Prediction: This to me is the biggest toss up of all the play-in series match-ups. The Canucks seem like the initial favourites with their high-powered offense, but the Wild are always a tough draw in the playoffs with their stingy defense-first style. I think this series goes the distance, with the Wild pulling off the upset

(MINNESOTA WILD 3, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2)

#8 Calgary Flames (36-27-7, 79 points) vs #9 Winnipeg Jets (37-28-6, 80 points)

Season Series: Jets won the season series 1-0-0
October 26, 2019: Winnipeg Jets 2, Calgary Flames 1 (OT) 

Players to Watch:

Calgary: Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, David Rittich

Winnipeg: Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor, Patrik Laine, Nik Ehlers

X-Factor:

Calgary: Johnny Gaudreau

Winnipeg: Connor Hellebuyck

Stat Leaders:
Calgary

Goals: Elias Lindholm (29), Matthew Tkachuk (23), Sean Monahan (22)
Assists: Johnny Gaudreau (40), Matthew Tkachuk (38), Mikael Backlund (29)
Points: Matthew Tkachuk (61), Johnny Gaudreau (58), Elias Lindholm (54)
Wins: David Rittich (24), Cam Talbot (12)
Goals Against Average: Cam Talbot (2.63), David Rittich (2.97)
Save Percentage: Cam Talbot (.919), David Rittich (.907)
Shutouts: David Rittich/Cam Talbot (2)

Winnipeg

Goals: Kyle Connor (38), Mark Scheifele (29), Patrik Laine (28)
Assists: Mark Scheifele (44), Blake Wheeler (43), Neal Pionk (39)
Points: Mark Scheifele/Kyle Connor (73), Blake Wheeler (65), Kyle Connor (63)
Wins: Connor Hellebuyck (31), Laurent Brossoit (6)
Goals Against Average: Connor Hellebuyck (2.57), Laurent Brossoit (3.28)
Save Percentage: Connor Hellebuyck (.922), Laurent Brossoit (.895)
Shutouts: Connor Hellebuyck (6)

Prediction: The only all-Canadian series in the play-in round should be a dandy, with two exciting offensive teams separated only by a point in the regular season. The Flames are hoping to not have a repeat of last year (being upset by the Avs in round 1), but I think the Jets top 6 forwards will overpower the Flames much like the Avs did and the Jets come away victorious in this series

(WINNIPEG JETS 3, CALGARY FLAMES 1)


After looking at all of the 24 teams in the playoffs and the play-in match-ups, here's a look at my top 20 players for Stanley Cup Playoff Pools:

Forman Faceoff Top 20 Stanley Cup Playoff Pool Player Rankings:

1. Nathan MacKinnon (COL)

2. Connor McDavid (EDM)

3. Sidney Crosby (PIT)

4. Alexander Ovechkin (WSH)

5. David Pastrnak (BOS)

6. Leon Draisaitl (EDM)

7. Patrick Kane (CHI)

8. Nikita Kucherov (TBL)

9. Evgeni Malkin (PIT)

10. Auston Matthews (TOR)

11. Brad Marchand (BOS)

12. Artemi Panarin (NYR)

13. Ryan O'Reilly (STL)

14. Mark Scheifele (WPG)

15. Mat Barzal (NYI)

16. Elias Pettersson (VAN)

17. Mika Zibanejad (NYR)

18. Mark Stone (VGK)

19. John Tavares (TOR)

20. Claude Giroux (PHI)

Because of the unique starting time of the playoffs, many NHL teams have the luxury of adding prospects for their playoff run that might not have been available back in April. Here's a look at the lesser-known rookies to watch

Rookies to Watch:

1. Kirill Kaprizov (MIN) - Fresh off signing his 3-year entry level deal a few weeks ago, the 23-year old KHL star looks to make an immediate impact with the Wild since coming over from Russia.  Kaprizov lead the entire KHL with 33 goals this season (also lead it last season with 30 goals) and finished 3rd with 62 points in 57 games. Expect him to jump into the Wild's top 9 forwards right away, potentially even into the top 6 if he can find some chemistry early on. Either way, I expect Kaprizov to make a big impact for the Wild in these playoffs

2. Nick Robertson (TOR) - Robertson lead all CHL (and OHL) players in goals this season, tallying an impressive 55 goals in 46 games for the Petes. While slightly undersized (5'9 165 pounds), Robertson posses extremely gifted scoring instincts and uses his speed to his advantage. Remains to be seen if he'll be in the lineup for the Leafs come game #1 in the playoffs, but he's been extremely impressive in practice and looks well on his way to being in the lineup

3. Kiefer Bellows (NYI) - Bellows lead the Islanders AHL team in goals (22) and points (31) in his 2nd full AHL season, including playing 8 games for the Islanders before the season paused (2 goals/1 assist). Bellows has an extremely heavy shot when he can get it off, and could end up being a sneaky contributor for the Islanders if he can stay in the lineup

4. Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI) - Speaking of those Islanders, Wahlstrom is another rookie who could make a big impact in the playoffs if he can stick in the lineup. Like Bellows, Wahlstrom played most of the season in the AHL (10 goals/22 points in 45 games) but played 9 games for the Islanders (no points). Based on recent practice lines both Wahlstrom and Bellows were on the 3rd line

5. Morgan Frost (PHI) - Frost split time between the AHL and NHL in his 1st professional season, with 13 goals/29 points in 41 games in the AHL and 2 goals/7 points in 20 games for the Flyers. He has shown glimpses of being an impact player for the Flyers, it remains to be seen if he can crack the lineup as the Flyers have strong depth on the wings

After a painful four and a half months of no hockey, the Stanley Cup playoffs starts on Saturday August 1st, with exhibition games starting on Tuesday July 28th. What a (crazy) time to be alive!

-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff