This is the first edition of theScore's rankings of the top candidates to be named 2019-20 playoff MVP. We've featured only players still competing in the postseason, which officially included the qualifying round and round-robin stage.

1. Carter Hart

One of the biggest question marks heading into the playoffs was how Hart would perform in his first taste of postseason action, but the 22-year-old Philadelphia Flyers goaltender has delivered in spades. His save percentage ranks first among puck-stoppers who've played at least three games, and he boasts the third-best goals saved above average at five-on-five among all netminders in the postseason.

Hart's play is even more impressive when considering he's excelling without much offensive help from his teammates. The Flyers have managed only 2.44 goals per game - second-lowest among teams still playing - and yet he's looked more than comfortable in the Philadelphia crease, making the strongest case to be the Conn Smythe Trophy front-runner.

2. Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon is arguably the leading candidate for the Hart Trophy this season, and the Colorado Avalanche superstar continues to provide immense value in the playoffs, as well. Prior to the start of the second round, he sits tied for first in both points and assists despite playing fewer games than his counterparts. He's also logged his usual 20-plus minutes per contest while registering truly dominant possession figures.

Several other Avalanche players have made big contributions during the team's run, but there's no doubt MacKinnon's been the catalyst and one of the most impactful players this postseason.

3. Miro Heiskanen

Now that John Klingberg has six seasons under his belt, Heiskanen has emerged as the Dallas Stars' best young defenseman and been critical to their playoff success. The 21-year-old has looked like a grizzled vet since the restart.

The talented blue-liner erupted for four points in the Stars' series-clincher against the Calgary Flames, joining a relatively short and impressive list in the process. However, it wasn't just that one game that cemented his spot on this list. Heiskanen sits in a tie for second in points among all skaters through first-round action, and only Tampa Bay Lightning rearguard Ryan McDonagh has logged more ice time among players on teams still competing.

4. Elias Pettersson

If these playoffs have taught us anything, it's that Pettersson has shed the "phenom" label and is now a full-fledged star. The 21-year-old is tied with MacKinnon for the postseason points lead through the opening round, albeit in two more contests than the Avalanche dynamo.

Pettersson has been typically consistent in his first taste of playoff competition. The productive Swede was held off the score sheet only once in the Vancouver Canucks' six-game series win over the St. Louis Blues, and, similarly, just once did he fail to notch a point in the four games the Canucks needed to dispatch the Minnesota Wild in the qualifying round.

5. Semyon Varlamov

Varlamov is the biggest reason the New York Islanders made such quick work of both the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers. New York's No. 1 goaltender has been stellar throughout the postseason, sitting in a tie with Vancouver netminder Jacob Markstrom for the most wins and ranking second behind Markstrom in GSAA at five-on-five despite playing one fewer game than his Western Conference counterpart through the opening round.

The Islanders goalie hasn't needed to make more than 27 stops in any of his nine postseason appearances, but New York wouldn't have eliminated the Capitals in five or the Panthers in four without him.

Honorable mentions: Mark Stone, Nazem Kadri, Anthony Beauvillier, Markstrom, Philipp Grubauer, Bo Horvat, Brayden Point, David Krejci

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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And then there were eight.

With the second round of the playoffs set to begin Saturday night, we outline one key storyline for each series.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. New York Islanders (6)

If you love goals, this series isn't for you - this will be a defensive battle for the ages.

The Isles (1.67) and Flyers (1.78) are allowing the second- and third-fewest goals per game, respectively, in the postseason so far. Philadelphia (.937) ranks second in save percentage, with the Islanders (.934) in third.

New York has a substantial advantage in the underlying numbers, though, ranking fourth in expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five, while the Flyers rank 20th out of 24 teams.

With goals at a premium, the obvious X-factors are netminders Carter Hart and Semyon Varlamov. But what could actually make or break this series is special teams. The Islanders' penalty kill (75%) ranks 22nd after struggling against potent Florida and Washington units. The Flyers' power play (10.3%) has been equally poor, ranking 22nd in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Isles' power play and Flyers' PK have both been average.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Boston Bruins (4)

Despite reverting back to the old 1 vs. 8 reseeding playoff format for a year, we still get an Eastern Conference Final-caliber matchup a round earlier than we should. This is a powerhouse meeting between the two best teams in the conference and the past two Presidents' Trophy winners. Tampa and Boston rank first and second in points, respectively, in the NHL over the past three regular seasons.

These two teams last met in the playoffs in 2018, when the Bolts won four straight contests after dropping Game 1 to take the series in five games. Much has changed since, though. Not only did each squad add numerous different role players to fill out the lineup, but each is missing a star player.

Steven Stamkos (undisclosed) has yet to appear in the postseason and his status for Round 2 is unclear. His return would be massive considering the Lightning haven't generated consistent offense from anyone other than Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.

Meanwhile, it's Jaroslav Halak's crease for the Bruins after Tuukka Rask opted out and departed the bubble. Halak was sharp against the Hurricanes, but he owns an .893 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average in 10 career games against the Lightning.

Western Conference

Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5)

These teams are built similarly. Both employ a high-powered top-six forward group and a distinctly different bottom-six group, the latter intended to bring grit and simply not be scored upon. Each team also has stellar goaltending, and both Jacob Markstrom and Robin Lehner happen to be unrestricted free agents at season's end.

The biggest discrepancy comes on the blue line, where the Golden Knights have a sizable advantage. Vegas doesn't have anyone as dynamic as Quinn Hughes, but its collective top four featuring Nate Schmidt, Brayden McNabb, Alec Martinez, and Shea Theodore is better than what the Canucks offer.

Vancouver's already beat two of the league's best blue lines, though. It dispatched Minnesota in the qualifier and then took down defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis in Round 1. Neither of those teams received strong goaltending, though, and Vegas has two capable netminders.

The Canucks will have to work extremely hard to generate their chances against one of the best puck-possession teams in the league, and Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, and company will have to continue to capitalize on their opportunities, especially on the power play, as they did against St. Louis. Easier said than done, though.

Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Dallas Stars (3)

This series showcases a head-to-head matchup between two of the best players in the NHL. One of these players - Nathan MacKinnon - is obvious. The other - Miro Heiskanen - doesn't garner the same attention.

MacKinnon's abilities are well known. He has blazing speed, soft hands, and a lethal shot - a nightmare combination for any defenseman. But if there's one blue-liner left in the playoffs who might have the best chance of slowing him down (other than Victor Hedman, perhaps), it's Heiskanen.

The 21-year-old is a sensational skater, and always seems to be in the right position to break up scoring chances. The Stars have outshot their opponents 99-72 and generated 57.3% of expected goals when Heiskanen's been on the ice at five-on-five in the playoffs. He also leads the team offensively with 12 points in nine games.

If Heiskanen can contain MacKinnon - and maybe even outshine him, though that's a big ask - not only will the Dallas defender start to receive the national recognition he deserves, but the Stars will have a chance to upset the Avalanche. If MacKinnon runs wild, Dallas has no chance.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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The NHL is ready to drop the puck for the second round and unveiled the schedule for the eight remaining playoff teams Saturday.

Round 2 will begin Saturday evening, three days ahead of schedule, so the Stanley Cup is likely to be awarded before Oct. 1, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

All times ET

Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. New York Islanders (6)

*If necessary

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Boston Bruins (4)

Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5)

Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Dallas Stars (3)

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After 10 seasons and only 14 games of NHL postseason experience, Taylor Hall wants to spend the next chapter of his career in the playoffs on a more regular basis.

"I think, honestly, it's probably all winning," the Arizona Coyotes forward said Friday when asked what's most important as he heads to unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika.

"Any player at this stage in their career that has had the career that I've had, 10 seasons, only make the playoffs twice, that's really what I'm after," the 28-year-old said. "So we'll see what happens there."

The Coyotes have made the playoffs just once in the last eight years, but Hall isn't ruling out a return to the desert.

"I think the Coyotes have a bright future," he said. "They have some great guys, some good young players. When I get around to crossing that bridge and I kind of come to what I want to do, we'll see."

Hall understands he likely won't get paid as much due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused the league to institute a flat salary cap - rather than a rising one - for multiple years. That's placed a premium on winning.

"But yeah, I'd say it's pretty much all winning," he said. "I don't think the money's going to be what it was maybe before COVID or before the season, but that's fine. I think we get paid a lot of money to play a game, and we'll see what happens."

Hall recorded 16 goals and 52 points in 65 regular-season games. He added six more points in nine playoff contests. He and St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo are expected to headline this offseason's free-agent class.

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The Vancouver Canucks eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues from the playoffs with a 6-2 victory in Game 6 of their series on Friday.

Vancouver came ready to play in Game 6, with Jay Beagle taking advantage of a turnover early in the first period to put the Canucks ahead.

Antoine Roussel then managed to beat Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington just two minutes into the second frame to extend the lead. Things quickly took a turn for the worst for St. Louis when Vancouver potted goals from Troy Stecher and Brock Boeser. St. Louis then opted to pull Binnington in favor of Jake Allen, who started the last three games of the series.

Vancouver entered the third period with a large 4-0 cushion. Blues forward Jaden Schwartz netted two goals in the final minutes of the game, but the Canucks hung on for the win.

Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced, while Binnington allowed four goals on 18 shots, and Allen gave up one goal on six shots.

Vancouver will now take on the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2.

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The Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens from the postseason with a narrow 3-2 victory in Game 6 on Friday.

The top-seeded Flyers will now take on the No. 6 New York Islanders in the second round.

More to come.

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