We’ve lumped the players up into tiers based on how much ice time they logged at five-on-five during the regular season. The only wrinkle here is that we’ve broken the defensemen down into three tiers rather than four. BOSTON BRUINS Zdeno Chara is an absolute animal. Despite having turned 37 years old during this past season, he put together yet another Norris-caliber campaign. While his workload has been slowly but surely reducing, he was still in a class of his own amongst Bruins blueliners....

It’s not the Olympics, sure, but there’s still something cool about Auston Matthews setting up Nikita Kucherov on a one-timer or Sidney Crosby skating alongside Alex Ovechkin. MORE: How the 2018 Olympics might’ve looked with NHL players This year’s rosters are a little bizarre, though. We’ve got Marc-Andre Fleury, he of 12 starts in an injury-shortened season, over John Gibson and Martin Jones in the Pacific net, a Metro defense that doesn’t include Washington’s John Carlson, Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere or Columbus’ Zach Werenski, and an Atlantic team that’s almost literally half Lightning, an obvious ode to the host of this year’s festivities....

The “Two Man Advantage” contest may fill easily based on increased demand. That has an $8 entry with $35,000 prize pool. There is also a Micro, Medium, and Large “Light The Lamp” contest at $3, $30, and $150 entry levels. Furthermore, several games have an over/under of six from Las Vegas. Keep in mind, Vegas is not always right, as games could dud like many did on Monday. MORE: SN DFS | DFS Lineup Builder...

On Monday, prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Capitals and Golden Knights, Svechnikov was one of six draft-eligible prospects in tow to take in the pregame. Svechikov is the top-ranked North American skater available, pegged by many as the No. 2 pick behind Rasmus Dahlin. If he’s selected as projected, he’ll become the second Russian-born player since Alex Ovechkin’s draft year to go in the top two, with Nail Yakupov being taken first by the Oilers in 2012....

New Jersey got the pick by winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday beating out New York, which will pick second, and Chicago, which will select third. It’s the first time the Rangers have been in the top three. Here is the full order of the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery. Odds to win the 2019 NHL Draft lottery Points vs. No. 1 overall % vs. not landing top five %...

Elite talent from across Canada’s three major junior leagues participated in the showcase, which was preceded by a day of testing on and off the ice. With scouts and front office staff from all 31 NHL teams in attendance, the players displayed high-end skill, end-to-end rushes and highlight-reel plays — with some physicality to boot. In fact, the third-period scuffle between winger Will Cuylle and defenseman Donovan Sebrango was the first fight in the Top Prospects Game since 2014....

My counterpoint islargely embedded in the fact that every offseason, we see a ton of sensible signings. Tampa Bay’s five-year, $22.5 million deal for Anton Stralman was about as good as it gets for a bona fide first-pairing defenseman. Chicago managed to sell a quality second-line center in Brad Richards on the chance at winning a Stanley Cup, and will pay him just $2 million next season. Pittsburgh, probably in the same regard, managed to ink another first-pairing defenseman in Christian Ehrhoff at just $4 million....

July hockey isn’t something that a lot of people expected to see in 2020, but that’s where we are this year. After the NHL suspended play in mid-March and some minor labor quibbles, some didn’t expect hockey to return this year, but after four months away, the chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup is back, and in a big, entertaining way. The NHL schedule restarts Aug. 1, with 24 teams jockeying for either spots and positioning for the 2019-20 Stanley Cup playoffs....

The plaintiffs accused the league of failing to inform them of health risks caused by concussions as a result of repeated head trauma and are seeking a financial settlement for the “pathological and debilitating effects of brain injuries caused by concussive and sub-concussive impacts sustained … during their professional careers,” according to court documents. The plaintiffs include former players Dan LaCouture, Michael Peluso, Gary Leeman, Bernie Nicholls, David Christian and Reed Larson....

Who will skate away with Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end is anyone’s guess, but the next seven games will decide the 2020 champion — almost a full year after the 2019-20 season began. Man, 2020. Below you’ll find everything you need to know about watching the 2020 NHL playoffs, including series-by-series TV schedules and live streaming information. MORE: Watch NHL playoff games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)...

Sixteen NHL teams will battle it out for the greatest trophy in all of sports: the Stanley Cup. How it’ll all play out is a little different in 2021: the four best teams in each division will face each other (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 in Round 1) and the eventual division champs will meet in the Stanley Cup semifinals. The last two teams standing will then go head-to-head in the Stanley Cup Final....

The Washington Capitals star scored two goals in his team’s 6-3 series-clinching win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday night, setting up a second-round matchup against Crosby’s Penguins for the third consecutive postseason. NHL playoffs 2018: Braden Holtby bounces back from benching as Capitals’ saving grace Pittsburgh won both of those series on its way to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, but that hasn’t deterred Ovechkin from wanting another shot against his biggest rival....

Like the Jets and Predators out West, these Stanley Cup contenders carry the unfortunate burden (challenge?) of having to beat one another to a pulp before their playoff really have a chance to get off the ground. Boston already experienced this in its a seven-game slugfest with Toronto; Tampa had it easier as the conference’s No. 1 overall seed, handily beating the happy-to-be-here Devils in five games. GOLDEN STANDARDHow Vegas became the most successful expansion team in sports history...

The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Calgary Flames 5-1 in Game 5 on Friday night; they advance to the Western Conference semifinals, where they will face the winner of the series between the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning were swept out of the postseason by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Colorado received two goals and an assist each from Mikko Rantanen and Colin Wilson in Game 5....

The ninth-year winger was flattened by Brent Burns immediately after feeding Nathan MacKinnon for the game-winning goal in the Avalanche’s 4-3 win over the Sharks on Sunday night. “if you’re going to win hockey games, this time of year especially, you have to have an element of sacrifice to your game,” Colorado head coach Jared Bednar told the media after the win. “I’m hoping he’s OK and he’ll be able to continue to play, but it’s huge, it’s what we want all our guys to do....

Players and teams from the NBA, the WNBA, MLB and MLS stood in solidarity by setting aside games to draw attention to the recent shooting of yet another unarmed Black man by police. The NHL did not. Instead, the league issued a short statement and observed a “moment of reflection” for a total of 33.69 seconds prior to Game 3 of the Lightning-Bruins playoff series in Toronto. “Racism has been embedded in our society for far too long,” public address announcer Mike Ross said as he read the league’s statement....

After weeks of speculation, and a few drool-worthy teasings by the NHL and teams alike, the homage to old-school hockey jerseys is officially here. Released on Nov. 16, the jerseys pay respect to each franchise’s history with a modern twist. “NHL team jerseys have long carried deep historical significance for avid and casual hockey fans," noted Brian Jennings, the NHL’s chief brand officer and senior executive vice president in the press release....

Also, it's not over; the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Chicago Blackhawks at Soldier Field on on March 1. Antti Raanta will be there, too, aparently in Darth Vader-esque pads. This photo circulated on Twiter on Wednesday afternoon: It's good to see guys getting away from standard and/or brown throwback pads for outdoor games. Say what you want about the Chrome jerseys, but they're forward-thinking. Not sure if Raanta's better than Henrik Lundqvist's pin-striped look, but they're close....