The Stanley Cup Playoffs are impossible to predict in a normal year, so who knows what may transpire with 24 teams in the fold this summer.
Playoff hockey in the midst of a pandemic will be different – no fans, no home-ice advantage, and an extra round – but if you can bank on one thing to remain the same, it would be upsets. All 24 teams entering the expanded playoffs in Toronto and Edmonton will be coming off four months of rest, which could create chaos in the league’s bracket experiment.
While we may not know what exactly lies ahead, here we predict three teams that have what it takes to go on a surprise run this postseason.
New York Rangers
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Opponent: Carolina Hurricanes 2019-20 record: 37-28-5 (.564) Key stat: 4-0 vs. Hurricanes this season
The No. 11 Rangers were surging before the shutdown, and by no means will be an easy out despite coming into the tournament as the second-lowest seed in the Eastern Conference. Led by MVP candidate Artemi Panarin and dynamic pivot Mika Zibanejad, New York boasts one of the league’s most dangerous top lines. However, the club’s true X-factor lies in goal.
Russian phenom Igor Shesterkin put the Rangers on his back after making his highly anticipated NHL debut, winning 10 of 12 starts while posting a .932 save percentage. It will be weird seeing the Blueshirts competing in the playoffs without Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes, but the club rallied around Shesterkin in the regular season and will likely turn to the 24-year-old again in the qualifying round to quell Carolina’s possession-heavy offense.
Carolina is one of the deepest teams in the East but were one of two clubs (along with Tampa Bay) to vote against the 24-team format before it was finalized – potentially due to the fact they were winless against the Rangers in 2019-20. The regular-season series wasn’t particularly close, either, with New York outscoring Carolina 17-9 across four contests.
Minnesota Wild
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Opponent: Vancouver Canucks 2019-20 record: 35-27-7 (.558) Key stat: Led league in xGA (107.12)
The No. 10 Wild have struggled to find any playoff success for much of the past decade, but Minnesota has potential to be a dark horse in the expanded postseason. The Wild were mediocre for much of the campaign, but they quietly put together a 16-10-4 record (a near 100-point pace over 82 games) after the calendar flipped to 2020, and were 8-4 under new head coach Dean Evason.
Minnesota was able to find success by shutting down its opponents, boasting the league’s stingiest defense by way of expected goals against. On top of a rock-solid blue line, the Wild discovered a spark when they turned to backup Alex Stalock in goal, who usurped Devan Dubnyk and posted a .920 save percentage over his final 18 starts of the season.
Also working in Minnesota’s favor is the stark contrast in experience between the two teams. The Canucks are a young, explosive bunch hoping to take a big step as a franchise and make some noise in the playoffs for the first time with their up-and-coming core. As exciting as the opportunity is, most of Vancouver’s key players haven’t tasted playoff hockey yet, whereas the Wild – a veteran group that can rely on the likes of Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, and Eric Staal – should be able to temper expectations and keep their composure once the stakes get higher.
Montreal Canadiens
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Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins 2019-20 record: 31-31-9 (.500) Key stat: 2nd in NHL with 54.01 xGF%
The Canadiens-Penguins matchup, on paper, is easily the most lopsided series on our list. That said, watch out for the 12th-seeded Montreal team in a shortened series with minimal margin for error. Montreal is lucky to be in the playoffs after losing more games than they won in the regular season, but the Habs shouldn’t be taken lightly this summer.
First, the Canadiens were one of the best possession teams in the league by numerous metrics, ranking second in five-on-five Corsi (54.43) and expected goals (54.01) this past season. Despite the strong underlying numbers, Montreal’s lack of finishing talent – which is far inferior to Pittsburgh’s – hindered its offensive results.
To stifle the Penguins’ offensive advantage, the Canadiens have Carey Price, whose inclusion in the postseason picture reportedly irked numerous teams during the planning stages due to his ability to take over a shortened series. Price is far removed from his MVP form, but is still regarded as the best goalie in the world by many of his peers and perhaps will benefit from a lengthy rest. It’s not completely unreasonable to imagine he’s able to outplay one of Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry in three of five contests.
Finally, Montreal enters this postseason with nothing to lose. The Penguins’ annual expectations are Stanley Cup or bust, so all the pressure to perform is on them. The Canadiens, on the other hand, aren’t expected to go anywhere this postseason, and are a sneaky good long shot team.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
