When Vladimir Tarasenko is in the lineup, you might find him skating with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. Andrei Vasilevskiy looks like he will win his second Vezina Trophy in three seasons (he has finished as a finalist in each of the past four seasons) after going 31-10-1 with a .925 save percentage. The Panthers are hoping to have Ekblad back at some point this postseason, but it's iffy for this series. For Edmonton, the pairing of Tyson Barrie (48 points in 55 games) and Darnell Nurse (36 points in 54 games) has excelled offensively. Advantage: Carolina. The Capitals' defense might not be the X factor in many games, but it also won't lose them many games either. Taylor Hall going scorched earth to earn a contract with Boston this summer. Yeah, it's the Isles by process of elimination. His primary partner has been Alec Martinez, who is working his way back from an injury. Washington defenseman Michal Kempny, a regular defenseman, is out for the season. He even cemented himself in the top 10 in goals in the NHL this season (27) and checked off all the performance bonuses in his contract this year. NHL Predictions For Todays Games. Not many people are picking the Wild to get out of the West. Advantage: Toronto. By the end of the season, he was wearing an "A" for the Avs. McDavid hasn't won a playoff round since 2017. The opposite happened with the trade for Eric Staal, who had three points in his first 21 games in Montreal. Which No. Which player will be the biggest X factor for his team this postseason? Sixteen teams begin the gauntlet of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and there's no telling who will be the last Read more on sportingnews.com. Home NHL Playoff Bracket 2021: East Division Series Predictions, Odds, Breakdowns, Stanley Cup Predictions. Winning Lord Stanley's mug. NHL playoffs bracket 2021: East Division series predictions, odds, breakdowns, Stanley Cup predictions. Barry Trotz and Mike Sullivan are Stanley Cup winners, though Trotz has had more recent success, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 (with the Capitals), earning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2019 and taking the Isles deep in the bubble last summer. Typically, teams will go with one option once the postseason begins to ride the hot hand. The Predators have finally inserted young players into the lineup. Wyshynski: Toronto Maple Leafs. NHL playoffs bracket 2021: East Division series predictions, odds, breakdowns, Stanley Cup predictions. I see that same fire since he joined the Bruins at the trade deadline. Arledge: Vegas Golden Knights. "You'll have to go through the island" is never a fun proposition for an opponent, especially when the Isles are under the tutelage of Barry Trotz. Sullivan did a wonderful job with the injury-riddled Penguins this season, but given that Pittsburgh has won only one postseason game over the past two years, the edge goes to Trotz. Since entering the league, Kucherov is top 10 in power-play points -- and that's despite missing this entire season. Advantage: Boston, Forward depth: The best pickup for any team at the trade deadline was Boston landing Taylor Hall for a second-round pick. West: COL-STL | VGS-MIN, First line: It's been a running theme throughout Sidney Crosby's career of just how many linemates he's had, but Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust are a well-oiled machine at this point. Kaprizov has a gold medal at the Olympics and has played well for the Gagarin Cup in the KHL. Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Underrated defenseman in the bubble last postseason has already been clinched capable of the upset but typical recently than Both were revelations on Tampa Bay was in a playoff round since 2017 has already been high-scoring! 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