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Playoff Preview 2022
In our Playoff Preview, we have full-page breakdowns on each team, plus features on Slavin, Swayman, Guerin, the Avalanche, the Battle of Alberta and the Avs-Wings 1997 bloodbath.
BOSTON BRUINS
THN POWER RANKING | 10TH ALREADY ONE OF the best defensive teams in the NHL, the Bruins picked up the best available defenseman at the trade deadline when they dealt for Hampus Lindholm from Anaheim. They then promptly signed him to an eight-year contract extension worth $52 million. The B’s have spent most of the season at or near the top of the NHL in most 5-on-5 defensive metrics, including expected goals against, shots against, scoring chances against and high-danger chances against. That’s a big part of the reason why they led the league in one-goal victories three-quarters of the way through the season. And the franchise that enjoyed a decade of total stability between the pipes while Tuukka Rask patrolled the crease has transitioned seamlessly to relying on Jeremy Swayman to…
ROYAL REDUX
THE 1981-82 VANCOUVER Canucks stunned the hockey world when they punched their ticket to that season’s Stanley Cup final. The Canucks, a sub-.500 team during the regular season, featured a roster packed with castoffs from other organizations who conspired with an unconventional coach to shock the NHL that spring. But a deeper dive into that roster reveals a cast of characters who knew well what it takes to win. In yet another example of what a small – and often poetic – world that hockey can be, several of these underdog Canucks met under memorable circumstances a decade earlier in a clash for another of the game’s most revered trophies. In 1972, the landscape of junior hockey, including the Memorial Cup championship, was in a state of change. Gone were the…
NEW YORK RANGERS
THN POWER RANKING | 9TH THE RANGERS WERE one of the most talked-about teams in the Eastern Conference this season, especially when it came to Stanley Cup aspirations. On the surface, there was a lot to like about one of the best teams in the Metropolitan Division: they won a ton of games, particularly at home. But those killjoys in the analytics world cautioned about the Rangers’ underlying numbers, positing that New York was largely succeeding thanks to the Herculean efforts of goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Not only was the rising superstar the front-runner for Vezina Trophy honors, but he was getting serious traction for the Hart Trophy as well thanks to his stunning play in the Rangers’ net. On top of that, the Rangers have been one of the worst possession teams…
REMEMBERING EUGENE
THOSE WHO KNEW HIM best remember Eugene Melnyk as a fiery presence who wore his heart on his sleeve as the owner of the Ottawa Senators. “The words ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ define the man,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said of Melnyk, who died at 62 March 28 following a lengthy illness. “Eugene was often outspoken, but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots, and he loved nothing more than donning a Senators sweater and cheering on his beloved team.” Ultimately, though, Melnyk’s bold and brash approach toward running his franchise – he was prone to confrontations and outbursts against fellow businessmen, politicians and media members – resulted in him leaving a complicated legacy in Canada’s capital. Melnyk, the founder of the Biovail pharmaceutical company, was Ottawa’s white knight…
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