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The Weekly 5-on-5: Playoffs taking shape, top teams gearing up

Jesse Montano Avatar
Jesse Montano
April 18, 2022
USATSI 18079630

We are coming down the home stretch here, with less than two weeks to go until the playoffs start, and we are starting to get some clarity on what matchups will look like, at least in half of the league. 

The Colorado Avalanche continue to take advantage of a great position in the standings and are gearing up for the start of the postseason. Let’s get into all of that, plus an emerging phenom playing for the Regina Pats of the WHL. 

Chris Kreider

What a season for Chris Kreider. This has, for a long time, been a player that folks in New York have thought was an underrated goal-scorer, and he proved them right this year. 

A lot has gone right for the Rangers this year, and Kreider has played a big role in that, smashing his previous career-high in goals (28) by posting 50 on the year. Kreider became the third player third player in the NHL this season to cross the iconic 50-goal mark. 

Here is the one small caveat to Kreider’s impressive goal total: exactly half of them have come on the power play. He has more goals on the man advantage than either Auston Matthews or Leon Draisaitl (the league’s other two 50-goal scorers). Again, this doesn’t invalidate the accomplishment, just something of note. 

East Playoff Race

Over the weekend, the Washington Capitals clinched the final playoff spot that was still available in the Eastern Conference. Pretty wild considering we still have 11 days until the end of the season. 

The East playoff race was decided by Christmas. No team that was in a playoff spot when Santa came to town ever dropped out of postseason position between then and now. All that is left to be decided is seeding, and there actually have been some really interesting storylines that have developed in terms of who finishes where.

Both Wild Card spots could look different by the time May rolls around, and we could even see a change at the top of the Metropolitan Division. Pretty much the only thing that is decided is that Florida is going to win the East. Pretty much all other seeding is subject to change. 

The East breaking this way in 2022 really begs the question of, is the top of the East THAT good? Or have some of those teams just been feasting on teams at the bottom of the conference that are THAT bad?

Connor Bedard

Man oh man, this kid is something else. At age 16, Connor Bedard just posted 51 goals and 100 points in just 62 games. Eligible for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Bedard is still a year away, pretty much everyone agrees that he’ll be the 1st overall pick.

With as young as Bedard is, I can’t wait to see what he’ll look like this time next year. 

Freddie Andersen

The Carolina Hurricanes have had a great season, their team-defense has been great, and they have some absolutely electric players up front. 

One thing the Canes have been missing in recent years is high-end goaltending, and this year they have gotten a Vezina-caliber performance from Freddie Andersen this season. Unfortunately, Andersen had to be helped off the ice late in the game on Saturday when the Hurricanes took on the Avalanche. 

Andersen went down, and was slow to get up after an awkward fall, but powered through and kept playing. Then, about a minute later, he made a point-blank save along the ice, and he went down. 

He didn’t stay down long, but that’s only because he made it clear to the trainer right away that he was seriously hurt. Not long after the medical staff made it to him in the crease, they were helping him off the ice, putting absolutely zero weight on his right leg. 

Andersen has had injury problems in the past, and you just hope for him that this isn’t too serious, and if you’re Carolina you’re just praying that he can be back before the playoffs start. 

Mike Bossy

Don’t have much to say here, but the hockey community lost a giant last week. Mike Bossy was one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time. Bossy played just 10 seasons in the NHL, as injuries cut his career short, and he scored at least 50 goals in each of the first nine, including scoring 50 goals in 50 games in 1981. 

Not a *ton* of news surrounding the Avs from this week, but we have got injury updates galore. Byram and Girard are officially back in the lineup, but we’ve got plenty to update you all on. 

Ben Meyers

The Avs landed top college free agent Ben Meyers last week right after the conclusion of the Frozen Four. It was a bit of a surprise as most high-end college UFAs prioritize teams that offer immediate opportunity in the lineup, and the Avs are one of the deepest teams we’ve seen in the NHL. 

Meyers said he picked Colorado because he saw it has having the best opportunity for development, and even though he’s not eligible for the playoffs, the Avs are already focusing on exactly that, his development. 

Meyers is going to get in the lineup a good amount between now and the end of the season, with his first game coming over the weekends and what a debut it was. 

After a relatively quiet first period, Meyers made his presence known in the second period when he crashed the net, and punched home a rebound for his first NHL goal. He had family and friends in the crowd, and earned the third star of the night. 

There’s a long way for him to go, but it’s been a great start to the relationship for Ben Meyers and the Colorado Avalanche. 

Gabe Landeskog

Update time! Landy was back on the ice for the first time this past week, granted it was very light work, but the fact that he’s back on skates is a great sign. 

Head coach Jared Bednar said that this is a step in the rehab process, testing to see how things feel and how hard he can push himself. It looks like he’s on track to return before the playoffs, or at worst, by Game 1 of the first round. 

Nazem Kadri

Kadri has now missed more than a week of game action, but he’s making his way back. 

He skated on his own several times last week, and then re-joined the team over the weekend in a non-contact jersey while taking part in all of the team drills. 

During the team’s morning skate ahead of their game against the capitals, Kadri was a full participant. Meaning, he had shed the non-contact jersey and was playing at full speed. 

Jared Bednar is expecting him to accompany the team on its upcoming road trip, and return to the lineup at some point on the trip. 

Devon Toews

So, on Saturday, I noticed Toews having an extended conversation with Jared Bednar and head trainer Matt Sokolowski after morning skate. I didn’t think much of it at the time, as he was set to play that night, but now we know.

Bednar said the Toews is dealing with somewhat of a nagging injury, so they’re going to give him some time off ahead of the playoffs to rest up and make sure he’s feeling 100%. 

Toews will sit out against the Capitals on Monday night, then will stay back as the team heads out on three-game trip. 

Clinched 

Rounding out the week was the Avs knocking off several accomplishments within two games. 

Beating the New Jersey Devils on Thursday pushed the 2021-22 Avalanche over the franchise mark for most wins in a season, as well as most home wins in a single season. The very next game, the Avs beat the Carolina Hurricanes to lock up first place in the Western Conference, and obviously that also means they’ve secured the top spot in their division. 

This has already been a historic season, and we still have more than a week to go. The playoffs will determine this team’s legacy, but no doubt about it that this will go down as an all-time Avs season. 

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