Boston Bruins
2019-20 season: 44-14-12, .714 points percentage
Season series: TBL 1-2-1; WSH 1-1-1; PHI 1-0-2
Game breaker
Forward Brad Marchand tied St. Louis Blues center Ryan O'Reilly for the NHL lead with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His 87 points (29 goals, 58 assists) in 70 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus were the second most in his NHL career, behind the 100 (36 goals, 64 assists) he scored in 79 games last season.
Goaltending
Tuukka Rask was 26-8-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .929 save percentage, and is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL. There's a chance backup Jaroslav Halak (18-6-6, 2.39, .919) gets some starts during the round-robin. Rask and Halak combined to win the William M. Jennings Trophy because Boston allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the regular season (167).
Numbers to know
If the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final, they would become the fifth team in 21 seasons to get there in back-to-back seasons, after the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 and 2017; 2008 and 2009), Detroit Red Wings (2008 and 2009), New Jersey Devils (2000 and 2001) and Dallas Stars (1999 and 2000).
They said it
"There's a mission here. There's a mission for us to win the Stanley Cup and finish the job." -- forward Jake DeBrusk
Projected lineup
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Anders Bjork
Jake DeBrusk -- David Krejci -- Karson Kuhlman
Sean Kuraly -- Charlie Coyle -- Nick Ritchie
Joakim Nordstrom -- Par Lindholm -- Chris Wagner
Zdeno Chara -- Charlie McAvoy
Brandon Carlo -- Torey Krug
Matt Grzelcyk -- Jeremy Lauzon
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak
Scratched: Trent Frederic, Zach Senyshyn, Jack Studnicka, Connor Clifton, John Moore, Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril, Maxime Lagace, Dan Vladar
Unfit to play: David Pastrnak, Ondrej Kase
Video: Boston Bruins Highlight Reel
Tampa Bay Lightning
2019-20 season: 43-21-6, .657 points percentage
Season series: BOS 3-1-0; WSH 0-2-1; PHI 2-0-0
Game breaker
Forward Nikita Kucherov can be among the best players in the NHL when he's on; he won the Hart Trophy voted as League MVP last season with 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists). He scored 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 68 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. With Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point, Kucherov is part of a top line that can be hard to stop. He's a threat because of his abilities as a scorer and playmaker, and his creativity is one of the keys to the Lightning's fortunes.
Goaltending
Andrei Vasilevskiy was voted winner of the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL last season and is a finalist for the award this season. He had a 2.88 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in his first 25 starts this season but finished with a 2.56 GAA and .917 save percentage. Vasilevskiy had a 3.82 GAA and .856 save percentage in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Lightning were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Numbers to know
The Lightning finished first in the NHL in goals (243) and goals per game (3.47) this season. It was the third consecutive season that they finished first in the League in scoring. The Toronto Maple Leafs were second in goals (237), and the Washington Capitals were second in goals per game (3.42).
They said it
"I don't think I'm going to be on my own. We have a great group of guys here, and I think if I don't have a good game, I know guys are going to pick me up. We're going to be helping each other to get through this. It's going to be a fun experience." -- forward Yanni Gourde
Projected lineup
Steven Stamkos -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn -- Anthony Cirelli -- Ondrej Palat
Blake Coleman -- Tyler Johnson -- Barclay Goodrow
Pat Maroon -- Cedric Paquette -- Yanni Gourde
Victor Hedman -- Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev -- Kevin Shattenkirk
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Curtis McElhinney
Scratched: Mathieu Joseph, Mitchell Stephens, Carter Verhaeghe, Alexander Volkov, Zach Bogosian, Braydon Coburn, Luke Schenn, Scott Wedgewood
Unfit to play: None
Video: Tampa Bay Lightning Highlight Reel
Washington Capitals
2019-20 season: 41-20-8, .652 points percentage
Season series: BOS 2-1-0; TBL 3-0-0; PHI 1-3-0
Game breaker
In his 15th NHL season, left wing Alex Ovechkin tied Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak for the NHL lead with 48 goals in 68 games. It was his NHL-record ninth time leading the League in goals. He's eighth in NHL history with 706.
Goaltending
Although Braden Holtby (25-14-6) had the worst goals-against average (3.11) and save percentage (.897) of his 10-season NHL career, the 30-year-old played well in his final 11 games, going 5-3-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .911 save percentage. Holtby's 2.09 GAA and .928 save percentage in the playoffs rank first among active goalies (minimum 50 games). Rookie backup Ilya Samsonov sustained a season-ending injury prior to training camp leaving either Pheonix Copley or Vitek Vanecek to back up Holtby. Copley, who was the Capitals backup last season, went 17-8-6 with a 2.46 GAA, .905 save percentage and two shutouts with Hershey in the American Hockey League this season. Vanecek, who has yet to play an NHL game, went 19-10-1 with a 2.26 GAA, .917 save percentage and two shutouts with Hershey.
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Numbers to know
Washington's power play was fifth in the NHL at 25.3 percent (22-for-87) through 28 games but was 30th in the NHL at 15.5 percent (20-for-129) in 41 games after that. ... The Capitals had the best winning percentage in the NHL when trailing after two periods (.321; 9-17-2).
They said it
"We're playing for a championship here. A little different circumstances, but at the same time, we're playing for the same thing. Whatever team is going to prepare themselves the best, that's the team that's going to win." -- center Nicklas Backstrom
Projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana -- Nicklas Backstrom -- T.J. Oshie
Carl Hagelin -- Lars Eller -- Ilya Kovalchuk
Richard Panik -- Nic Dowd -- Garnet Hathaway
Michal Kempny -- John Carlson
Brenden Dillon -- Dmitry Orlov
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Nick Jensen
Braden Holtby
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Alexander Alexeyev, Travis Boyd, Martin Fehervary, Radko Gudas, Tyler Lewington, Philippe Maillet, Beck Malenstyn, Connor McMichael, Brian Pinho, Daniel Sprong, Vitek Vanecek
Unfit to play: Ilya Samsonov
Video: Washington Capitals Highlight Reel
Philadelphia Flyers
2019-20 season: 41-21-7, .645 points percentage
Season series: BOS 2-1-0; TBL 0-2-0; WSH 3-0-1
Game breaker
Sean Couturier, the center on Philadelphia's top line, was third on the Flyers in goals (22) and second in points (59). A finalist for the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward in the NHL, he won a League-best 59.6 percent of his face-offs (minimum 500 taken), including 59.5 percent of defensive-zone face-offs, third best in the NHL behind teammate Claude Giroux (65.8 percent) and Jay Beagle of the Vancouver Canucks (61.0 percent). Coach Alain Vigneault will utilize Couturier in every important situation at 5-on-5 and on special teams.
Goaltending
Carter Hart, in his first full NHL season, won 24 games, had a .914 save percentage and was eighth in the NHL with a 2.42 goals-against average in 43 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The 21-year-old was the youngest goalie in the NHL to play at least 20 games this season, and his teammates have shown an abundance of confidence in him.
Numbers to know
The Flyers allowed an NHL-low 28.7 shots on goal per game. That includes limiting the Boston Bruins to an average of 29.3 shots on goal in three games, below Boston's season average of 32.1; the Tampa Bay Lightning to 26.0 in two games, below Tampa Bay's average of 31.1; and the Washington Capitals to 29.5 in four games, below Washington's average of 32.0.
They said it
"I think no matter who we play, this team has a ton of confidence. We had a great season. ... We're a very tight team, we're all pulling the same rope, whether it's the top guys getting all the points and the third- and fourth-line guys doing their job, it's a full team effort every night. It's been fun all year. I know the so-called best teams that had the best seasons are in the round-robin. I think no matter who we're playing, our coaches and our players have a lot of confidence playing against anyone." -- center Kevin Hayes
Projected lineup
Claude Giroux -- Sean Couturier -- Jakub Voracek
Joel Farabee -- Kevin Hayes -- Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk -- Derek Grant -- Tyler Pitlick
Scott Laughton -- Nate Thompson -- Michael Raffl
Ivan Provorov -- Matt Niskanen
Travis Sanheim -- Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg -- Justin Braun
Carter Hart
Brian Elliott
Scratched: Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Andy Andreoff, Connor Bunnaman, Morgan Frost, Mark Friedman, Oskar Lindblom,Shayne Gostisbehere, Andy Welinski, Yegor Zamula, Alex Lyon, Kirill Ustimenko
Unfit to play: None
NHL.com staff writers Amalie Benjamin, Tom Gulitti and Adam Kimelman contributed to this report
Video: Philadelphia Flyers Highlight Reel
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiVGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5obC5jb20vbmV3cy9lYXN0LXJvdW5kLXJvYmluLXN0YW5sZXktY3VwLXF1YWxpZmllcnMtcHJldmlldy9jLTMxNzYxNTA0NNIBAA?oc=5
2020-07-27 07:54:38Z
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