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ESPN staff
After their 82-game schedules have been completed, the 32 NHL teams are now eligible to compete for the most prestigious trophy in sports: 16 of them.
Yes. 2022 Stanley Cup playoffsThey are here. This year they are back on ABC and ESPN. They will also be broadcast every Monday through Wednesday game.
However, it is time for ESPN's NHL experts to give their picks about every first-round game.
Jump ahead:
FLA-WSH | TOR-TB
CAR-BOS | NYR-PIT
COL-NSH | MIN-STL
CGY-DAL | EDM-LA
Stanley Cup champ
Conn Smythe
Atlantic Division
Sean Allen:Panthers in five
Brian BoucherPanthers in five
John Buccigross:Capitals in seven
Sachin Chandan:Four Panthers
Chris CheliosSix Panthers
Linda Cohn:Six Panthers
Ray FerraroSix Panthers
Leah Hextall:Six Panthers
Emily KaplanSeven Panthers
Tim Kavanagh:Panthers in five
Don La Greca:Panthers in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Six Panthers
Steve LevyPanthers in five
Victoria Matiash:Panthers in five
Arda Öcal:Four Panthers
Kristen Shilton:Six Panthers
John Tortorella:Capitals in seven
Bob Wischusen:Six Panthers
Greg Wyshynski:Panthers in five
Consensus pick: Panthers, 17/19
2:28
John Buccigross looks at the history of the Tampa Bay Lightning over the past two years.
Sean Allen:Lightning in seven
Brian BoucherLightning in seven
John Buccigross: Maple Leafs in seven
Sachin Chandan:Lightning in seven
Chris CheliosLightning in six
Linda Cohn:Lightning in seven
Ray FerraroLightning in six
Leah Hextall:Lightning in six
Emily KaplanLightning in six
Tim Kavanagh:Lightning in six
Don La Greca:Maple Leafs for Six
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Maple Leafs in seven
Steve LevyLightning in seven
Victoria Matiash:Lightning in seven
Arda Öcal: Maple Leafs in seven
Kristen Shilton:Maple Leafs for Six
John Tortorella:Lightning in six
Bob Wischusen:Maple Leafs for Six
Greg Wyshynski:Maple Leafs for Six
Consensus pick: Lightning, 12/19
Metropolitan Division
Sean Allen:Six Bruins
Brian BoucherSix canes
John Buccigross:Bruins in seven
Sachin Chandan:Five canes
Chris CheliosSix Bruins
Linda Cohn:Six canes
Ray FerraroCanes in seven
Leah Hextall:Bruins in seven
Emily KaplanCanes in seven
Tim Kavanagh:Six Bruins
Don La Greca:Six canes
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Six canes
Steve LevyBruins in seven
Victoria Matiash:Six canes
Arda Öcal:Bruins in seven
Kristen Shilton:Five canes
John Tortorella:Canes in seven
Bob Wischusen:Canes in seven
Greg Wyshynski:Bruins in seven
Consensus pick: Canes, 11/19
2:38
Emily Kaplan breaks down some of the NHL's Eastern Conference's most powerful teams that are on the collision course for the Stanley Cup.
Sean Allen:Rangers in six
Brian BoucherRangers in six
John Buccigross:Rangers in five
Sachin Chandan:Rangers in six
Chris CheliosRangers in six
Linda Cohn:Rangers in seven
Ray FerraroRangers in six
Leah Hextall: Penguins in six
Emily KaplanRangers in seven
Tim Kavanagh:Rangers in five
Don La Greca:Rangers in six
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Penguins in seven
Steve LevyRangers in six
Victoria Matiash:Rangers in six
Arda Öcal:Rangers in six
Kristen Shilton:Rangers in seven
John Tortorella: Penguins in six
Bob Wischusen:Rangers in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Penguins in six
Consensus pick: Rangers, 15/19
Central Division
Sean Allen:Avs in four
Brian BoucherAvs in five
John Buccigross:Avs in seven
Sachin Chandan:Avs in four
Chris CheliosAvs in five
Linda Cohn:Avs in six
Ray FerraroFive Avs
Leah Hextall:Avs in five
Emily KaplanAvs in five
Tim Kavanagh:Avs in six
Don La Greca:Avs in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Avs in five
Steve LevyFive Avs
Victoria Matiash:Five Avs
Arda Öcal:Avs in five
Kristen Shilton:Five Avs
John Tortorella:Avs in six
Bob Wischusen:Five Avs
Greg Wyshynski:Avs in five
Consensus pick: Avs, 19/19
2:04
Although it has been 21 years since Colorado Avalanche reached the Stanley Cup Finals, they are one of the top contenders heading into the playoffs and hope to end the drought.
Sean Allen:Six blues
Brian BoucherWild in seven
John Buccigross:Wild in seven
Sachin Chandan:Six blues
Chris CheliosBlues in seven
Linda Cohn:Wild in seven
Ray FerraroWild in seven
Leah Hextall:Wild in seven
Emily KaplanBlues in seven
Tim Kavanagh:Six blues
Don La Greca:Blues in seven
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Blues in seven
Steve LevyWild in seven
Victoria Matiash:Wild in seven
Arda Öcal:Wild in six
Kristen Shilton:Wild in seven
John Tortorella:Wild in seven
Bob Wischusen:Wild in seven
Greg Wyshynski:Wild in six
Consensus pick: Wild, 12/19
Pacific Division
Sean Allen:Flames in six
Brian BoucherFlames in four
John Buccigross:Flames in seven
Sachin Chandan:Flames in five
Chris CheliosFlames in five
Linda Cohn:Flames in five
Ray FerraroFlames in five
Leah Hextall:Flames in five
Emily KaplanFlames in six
Tim Kavanagh:Flames in four
Don La Greca:Flames in six
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Flames in five
Steve LevyFlames in five
Victoria Matiash:Flames in six
Arda Öcal:Flames in five
Kristen Shilton:Flames in five
John Tortorella:Flames in five
Bob Wischusen:Flames in six
Greg Wyshynski:Flames in four
Consensus pick: Flames, 19/19
7:59
You can see how the hockey smile became a major part of the sport.
Sean Allen:Oilers in five
Brian BoucherSeven Kings
John Buccigross:Oilers in seven
Sachin Chandan:Oilers in seven
Chris CheliosOilers in five
Linda Cohn:Six oilers
Ray FerraroOilers in seven
Leah Hextall:Six oilers
Emily KaplanSix oilers
Tim Kavanagh:Oilers in seven
Don La Greca:Oilers in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Six oilers
Steve LevyOilers in seven
Victoria Matiash:Six Kings
Arda Öcal:Six oilers
Kristen Shilton:Seven Kings
John Tortorella:Seven Kings
Bob Wischusen:Oilers in seven
Greg Wyshynski:Six oilers
Consensus pick: Oilers, 15/19
Stanley Cup champ
Sean Allen: Panthers
Brian BoucherCanes
John Buccigross: Wild
Ryan Callahan:Flames
Sachin Chandan: Panthers
Linda Cohn:Avs
Ray FerraroAvs
Leah Hextall: Lightning
Emily KaplanAvs
Tim Kavanagh: Blues
Don La Greca:Canes
Peter Lawrence-Riddell:Avs
Steve Levy Rangers
Victoria Matiash: Panthers
Arda Öcal: Maple Leafs
Kristen Shilton:Flames
John Tortorella:Canes
Bob Wischusen:Avs
Greg Wyshynski: Panthers
Totals:Avs (5, Panthers (4, Canes (3, Flames (2)), Flames (2) Wild (1) Lightning (1) Rangers (1) Maple Leafs (1)
Conn Smythe Trophy, Playoff MVP
Sean Allen: Aleksander Barkov
Brian Boucher Sebastian Aho
John Buccigross: Kirill Kaprizov
Ryan Callahan: Jacob Markstrom
Sachin Chandan: Jonathan Huberdeau
Linda Cohn: Nathan MacKinnon
Ray Ferraro Cale Makar
Leah Hextall: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Emily Kaplan Cale Makar
Tim Kavanagh: Robert Thomas
Don La Greca:Sebastian Aho
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Cale Makar
Steve Levy Igor Shesterkin
Victoria Matiash: Jonathan Huberdeau
Arda Öcal: Auston Matthews
Kristen Shilton: Elias Lindholm
Bob Wischusen:Nathan MacKinnon
Greg Wyshynski: Aleksander Barkov
Totals: Makar (3), Barkov (2), Huberdeau (2), Aho (2), MacKinnon (2), Kaprizov (1), Vasilevskiy (1), Thomas (1), Shesterkin (1), Matthews (1), Lindholm (1)
