Round Robin Breakdown

So with the round robin tournament play set to get underway Monday, we are here to help you get ready so you know what to be looking out for. I already did a breakdown of the Qualifying best of five round. To help me break down the round robin teams are my Tampa Sports insider (and Fellow Hockey fan) Lauren Burg.

It's FINALLY that time! After a nearly four month delay, the National Hockey League is back in action. There are some differences, however, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has rocked the world in ways that have never before been seen. 

 First, the NHL scrapped the remaining 12-14 regular season games for each team. Then, to ensure things were as fair as possible, the playoffs expanded from the traditional 16 to 24 teams. Basically, anyone who hadn't been mathematically eliminated at the time of the pause automatically qualified. From there, teams received seeds based upon their regular season points percentage when the season halted on March 12. The first four seeds in each conference receive a bye, instead playing one game non-elimination round robins against other top seeds to determine their seeding going forward. Seeds 5-12 play five game series against one another. For example, 5 plays 12, 6 plays 11 and so on.

Next, games are being held at two separate arenas. The Western Conference teams will utilize Rogers Place in Edmonton, while the Eastern Conference will play their games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Teams will be housed in two to three different hotels as well and will not be permitted to see anyone outside of their bubble so to speak

Boston Bruins:

After coming perilously close to winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, the Bruins showed no signs of a Stanley Cup Final hangover entering this season. Instead, they sprinted out of the gate like a team on a mission and were well on their way to capturing the Presidents Trophy when the season grinded to a halt. David Pastrnak led the team in scoring, with 48 goals in 70 games. That was enough to earn him a share of the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy, given annually to the league's leading goal scorer. His line, consisting of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, consistently matched up against other teams top lines with success. The fact they spent most of their time on the ice with the defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy didn't hurt either, as those five had the best plus-minus ratings on the team. Torey Krug proved to be a killer on the man advantage, with 28 points tying him and Marchand in that category. In net, Tuukka Rask carried the load and played exceptionally well, winning 26 of 41 starts with a 2.12 goals against average (GAA) and .929 save percentage. His backup, Jaroslav Halak, also performed nicely himself, collecting 18 victories in 29 starts. The only concern for this team would be how well their elder statesman (Bergeron, Chara, Marchand, David Krejci and Charlie Coyle) can hold up after months of not playing a competitive game or even being on the ice. Pastrnak's delayed arrival to training camp might pose a problem as well for a team looking to pick up where they left off in March.

Philadelphia Flyers:
Two years removed from their last postseason appearance, the Flyers are ready to make some noise in the 2020 playoffs. After a rebuilding year in 2018-19', they have the pieces to do just that. Led by captain Claude Giroux, this team went 14-4 leading up to the season's pause. Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek paced the team's scoring, while also growing into great two-way players. Matt Niskanen's arrival from the Washington Capitals added a veteran presence to the back end, something that helped Ivan Provorov's growth immensely. In goal, Carter Hart established himself as the clear-cut starter. His 2.42 GAA and .914 save percentage in 40 starts was by far the lowest of any Flyers netminder with at least 25 starts since the 2012-13 season. Backup Brian Elliott held his own also, winning 16 games and posting a 2.87 GAA and .899 save percentage. The biggest concern here is how well the young Hart performs in the spotlight, as this is his first time on the big stage.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Fresh off of a historic collapse, the Lightning struggled out of the gate this season. Scoring posed a challenge, as did winning games with the players figuring out how to prevent opposing goals. That left both Andrei Vasilevskiy and newly signed backup Curtis McElhinney on an island, trying to single-handedly steal games. Around mid December, the team clicked and went on two separate long winning streaks. Reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov again led the team in scoring, with 85 points in 66 games. Captain Steven Stamkos was on pace for another 30+ goal season when a core muscle injury requiring surgery ended his year a few weeks prior to the pause. Alex Killorn was in the midst of his best season in years, while newcomer Kevin Shattenkirk found his groove again after being let go by the New York Rangers. Victor Hedman continued evolving into one of the game's best defenseman, with 55 points and a plus-27 rating in 66 games played. While the pause helped this team get healthy for the most part, Stamkos has only taken part in three full team practices since training camp began a few weeks ago. The hope is that he'll be able to play in at least one of the teams three round robin games, but that remains to be seen. If he can't, it could be a concern heading into the first round.

Washington Capitals:

One season ago, the Capitals fell victim to an up-and-coming Carolina Hurricanes team in seven games. This year, they look to have the pieces in place for another Stanley Cup run. Alex Ovechkin led the team with 48 goals, nearly double the amount of the next highest goal scorer. Jakub Vrana, T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov can hurt you many different ways, as their numbers on the power play mirror what they produce at even strength. Tom Wilson provides the physical play, holding opponents accountable for any hits they lay on his teammates. John Carlson had his best year in awhile, with 75 points to lead his team and all NHL defenseman. That earned him a Norris Trophy nomination. Braden Holtby will get the starting nod, as Ilya Samsonov was deemed unfit to play in the postseason thanks to an undisclosed injury. Holtby wasn't at his best this season, with a 3.11 GAA and .897 save percentage, but led the team to the 2018 Stanley Cup. He'll be backed up by AHL Hershey Bears netminder Pheonix Copley or rookie Vitek Vanecek. Neither one has much, if any, NHL experience but neither did Samsonov before this season and he turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The concern for this team is if Holtby can handle the load in goal with no experienced options behind him.

St. Louis Blues:

After shocking everyone by going from last place in early January 2019 to Stanley Cup champion, the Blues entered this season ready for a repeat. They didn't waste time shooting out of the gate, showing zero signs of a Cup hangover. Ryan O' Reilly picked up where he left off last season, with 61 points in 71 games before the pause. He got help from a number of different teammates, most notably David Perron, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. Perron took the place of Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko who suffered a shoulder injury early in the season, and produced nine game-winning goals to lead the team. Alex Pietrangelo's playmaking ability and steady two-way play make him a threat on the man-advantage and at even strength. Both Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen give this team a chance to win on any given day, as both sport a GAA below 2.60 and save percentage of .912 or above. The biggest concern will be how well Tarasenko can acclimate himself back to game speed and conditioning after not playing a competitive game since late October of 2019.

Colorado Avalanche:

One year after making it to the second round, the Avalanche entered the 2019-20 season with a goal of going even deeper into the postseason. They have the talent to do exactly that. Led by perennial scoring threat Nathan MacKinnon and star rookie Cale Makar, this team poses a threat every time they step onto the ice. Mikko Rantanen is another young talent who can score when healthy. The offseason acquisitions of Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri helped the special team units, as each had 11 power play points at the time of the pause. In goal, both Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz have the ability to steal a game here and there. The numbers back that up, with the two combining for 39 wins and three shutouts in 67 starts. Michael Hutchinson was picked up off of waivers not long before the season paused, giving them more than enough experience in net. The only concern I see for this team is whether they can stay healthy long enough to make a deep playoff run.

Vegas Golden Knights:

Two seasons ago, the Golden Knights made history by becoming the first expansion team to win their conference and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. They fell short but that didn't faze them at all. Instead, the team set to work, making sure nobody thought their early success was a fluke. It wasn't, as this team is set to make their second playoff appearance in two years. Max Pacioretty looks to have finally found his groove in his second season with Vegas, putting up his best point total since 2016-17. Reilly Smith continued his maturation into a steady two-way player, while Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore displayed their talent on the man-advantage. Marc-Andre Fleury carried the load in net, winning 27 of 48 games and posting a 2.77 GAA and .905 save percentage. He was their lone good option up until the trade deadline when they picked up Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks. In three starts prior to the pause, he showed glimpses of his 2018-19 campaign, going 3-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage. The question is, did this pause affect his mentality? If it did, the Golden Knights might be in trouble. If not, they have the pieces in place to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.

Dallas Stars:

Fresh off of a playoff run that saw them come within a goal of beating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Blues, the Stars are ready for everything to align perfectly in the 2019-20 postseason. They have the talented veterans in Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. Add in second year defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the third overall pick in 2017, and you have four players capable of taking over a game. The acquisition of Joe Pavelski from the San Jose Sharks adds secondary scoring and steady play on both ends of the ice to a team that lacked both a season ago. Meanwhile, the addition of Corey Perry brings a physical presence, something this team needed last year. Both Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin have the experience necessary to make another run at Lord Stanley. The regular season and playoff numbers combined bear that out, as neither one has a GAA above 2.50 in the past two seasons. Durability could be a question mark, with Benn, Bishop, Khudobin, Pavelski and Perry all getting older. Do they have enough in the tank for one more deep run?