After one day without playoff hockey, the chase for the Stanley Cup resumes Tuesday night with the start of the conference finals 鈥 and the star power still in contention is off the charts.
Leon Draisaitl is the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after he and Connor McDavid got defending Western Conference champion Edmonton through two series against tough opponents. That is also partially the case because the Oilers are Cup favorites according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
in the postseason with 19 points in 13 games to get the against the Oilers that they hope goes the other way this time.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e got one of the best playoff players of all time in Mikko Rantanen in their lineup, and that might be one factor that allows them to have the narrative be different this year and beat the Oilers,鈥 retired defenseman and three-time Cup champion Ken Daneyko said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a money player. He鈥檚 big, he鈥檚 strong, he鈥檚 built for this.鈥
McDavid and Draisaitl
Edmonton’s antidote to the Rantanen and the Finns 鈥 Mikael Granlund, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell and 鈥 is the combination of McDavid and Draisaitl. They have 17 and 16 points, respectively, and will be the Stars’ focal point in the series beginning Wednesday night in Dallas.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a different team this year,鈥 Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a deeper team this year than they were last year. You see they鈥檙e getting scoring from a lot of places other than McDavid and Draisaitl, and they still have that element, obviously, every night.”
Yes, 16 different skaters have scored a goal for the Oilers, but they will likely go only as far as Nos. 97 and 29 take them. a year ago when they forced Game 7 at Florida and of the championship, and he may put his teammates on his back to return to the final.
鈥楧angerous鈥 Florida
It took the Panthers seven games to get through the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs in the second round, but they again have the look of a champion going into the East final against Carolina. BetMGM has Florida favored to reach a third consecutive Cup final.
鈥淣othing fazes them: They don鈥檛 care where they play, who they play,鈥 Daneyko said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a dangerous animal. That鈥檚 a confident bunch and rightfully so.鈥
Brad Marchand and Seth Jones in routing the Leafs in Game 7 on Sunday night. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky also looks dialed in a year after to the first title in franchise history.
Otter vs. Skinner
The goalie matchup in the West could determine the series. Jake Oettinger was not at his best for the Stars in the conference final a year ago, and he was actually outplayed by Stuart Skinner, who lost his job as the Oilers’ starter earlier this playoffs.
An injury to backup Calvin Pickard last round against Vegas. All he has done since is stop 67 of the 71 shots he faced, with back-to-back shutouts to .
“He鈥檚 as tough as any goalie with the way he bounces back,鈥 Daneyko said. 鈥淥ettinger鈥檚 the more constant for Dallas and one of the best goalies in the league, so a lot of people think you鈥檝e got a little edge there. But Skinner rises to the occasion.鈥
Oettinger allowed 12 goals on 170 shots over six games in the second round against Winnipeg, including just two in the third period all series.
Svechnikov showcase
The biggest reason to believe the Hurricanes can beat the Panthers this time after getting swept by them two years ago is Carolina’s top line of Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.
Svechnikov has eight goals, one shy of Rantanen for the most in the playoffs, including of the second round against Washington. Coach Rod Brind’Amour said they’ve been waiting for this version of Svechnikov, and the 2018 No. 2 pick has come into his own at age 25.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just been great, there鈥檚 no question about it,鈥 captain Jordan Staal said. “He鈥檚 been on it every night, shooting the puck and being physical and just being hard to play against, being the playoff player we know he is. It鈥檚 great to see the puck go in for him. He鈥檚 going to continue to lead our group.鈥
___
AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Dallas contributed to this report.
___
AP NHL playoffs: and
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation