How the Maples Leafs and Oilers are holding up in the Stanley Cup playoffs
The GIST: Most series are still anyone’s for the taking as we approach the midway point of the second round. After yesterday’s high-scoring frenzy, the NJ Devils trail the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1, while the Seattle Kraken are up 2-1 on the Dallas Stars. South of the border aside, let’s take a closer look at our Canadian contenders, future stars included.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs seem to have returned to their familiar playoff ways after last night’s 3–2 Game 3 overtime loss to the surprisingly good Florida Panthers, which put the Buds down 3-0 in the series. Not on our bingo card.
- And with top tendy Ilya Samsonov out with an injury, Toronto needs to dig deep to stay alive when the teams meet again Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Edmonton Oilers: Out West, centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl showed why they’re still the ones the Oilers can turn to, leading the squad to a 5–1 Game 2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Now they’ll look to gain the series lead when the puck drops in E-town for Game 3 tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Tonight’s draft lottery: But first, four ping-pong balls will determine the fate of one of the league’s best-ever prospects. The NHL draft lottery takes place at 8 p.m. ET, where the 11 eligible teams who missed the playoffs will be hoping to land the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft — aka 17-year-old Connor Bedard, who has drawn comparisons to Wayne Gretzky.
- The team with the worst regular-season record has the best chance of landing the No. 1 pick — this year, the Montréal Canadiens are the closest Northern squad after their fifth-to-last finish. C’est…possible?
