2017 NHL Draft Lottery
When: Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Toronto, Ontario
TV: NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports (Coverage on Sportsnet, CBC begins at 7:30 p.m. ET)

It's ping-pong balls time.

The NHL Draft Lottery will be held Saturday to determine which team will select first overall at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago, Ill., on Friday, June 23.

The most significant change to this year's lottery is a 15th team - the Vegas Golden Knights are in the mix. If it hasn't yet hit home that the NHL is expanding, it will this weekend.

Vegas has been afforded the same lottery odds as the 28th-place team (the Arizona Coyotes), while "the odds for all other participating teams have been reduced proportionally from the odds utilized in last year's NHL Draft Lottery," according to a league release.

Odds

The Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks are sitting prettiest among non-playoff teams, which all have a shot at No. 1.

Vegas, meanwhile, in its first draft, is guaranteed to pick no worse than sixth overall:

Like last year, the top three picks are in play. There will be a first Lottery Draw, a second Lottery Draw, and a third Lottery Draw, after which the clubs (4-15) will be slotted in based on how many points they had in the regular season (in inverse order).

The Prizes

Let's get this out of the way: This year's class isn't like 2015's or 2016's. There's no Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, or Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine - not that there's anything wrong with that.

Like previous years, though, it's thought to be a two-horse race: Canadian center Nolan Patrick, who earned NHL Central Scouting's No. 1 ranking among North American skaters, and Swiss center Nico Hischier, who slots in behind him at No. 2.

Nolan Patrick

Here's what you need to know about Patrick:

• He's 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, shoots right, and is from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
• He had 20 goals and 46 points in 33 games with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings this season, which was shortened by injury that also kept him out of the world juniors.
• He had 41 goals and 102 points in 72 games with Brandon in 2015-16. He added 13 goals and 30 points in 21 playoff games that season, leading the Wheat Kings to their first title in 20 years. He was named playoff MVP.

Nico Hischier

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Here's what you need to know about Hischier:

• He's 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, shoots right, and hails from Naters, Switzerland.
• As a QMJHL freshman this season, he had 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games with the Halifax Mooseheads. He was named Rookie of the Year.
• He impressed at the world juniors, finishing with four goals and seven points as Switzerland advanced to the quarterfinals, earning one more point than Finland.

The Takes

1. The Canucks have to be praying they land the top pick - but either No. 1 or No. 2 will do. Anything less will be a major disappointment, because in an unsexy draft headlined by two players, it would be very Vancouver-like for the Canucks to drop.

Vancouver needs top-flight offensive talent. Bad. This draft could ignite a true rebuild out West, or keep it sputtering.

2. The Avalanche are poised to add another dynamic young player to an already young core, but you have to think that adding one of Patrick or Hischier means a trade of Gabriel Landeskog or Matt Duchene is all but guaranteed.

If you're rooting for fireworks this summer, you want the Avalanche to come out on top. And if you're an Avalanche supporter, you've earned that No. 1 pick.

3. It would be great for Vegas and for the NHL if the Golden Knights land the top pick. The club is already shaping up to be more competitive than your standard expansion outfit, thanks to some well-thought-out expansion draft rules.

With the NFL on its way to Sin City, hockey on the strip is going to need all the help it can get.

The Rest

The top six ranked North American skaters are centers, and nine of 10 are forwards.

Six of the top 10 European skaters are forwards.

You can view all of the draft prospect rankings on the NHL's website.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Gotta admit: A little confused by Nikita Kucherov's reported comments calling out his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.

The NHL's fifth-leading scorer with 85 points, Kucherov, 24 in June, is poised to become one of the game's best players, but he's apparently not too enamored with some of his mates. The first-time 40-goal scorer vented to a Russian newspaper after a lost season that some of his teammates "got their money and stopped working," relays the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith.

Hardly subtle.

The comments even extended to the organization, which according to Kucherov is not providing competition for positions on the team, so guys are apparently coasting.

"You can see it in their stats and way of play," he reportedly said.

The thing is, you can't - not in their stats, at least.

All this after the Jonathan Drouin drama last year. Never a dull moment in the Lightning dressing room.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Name names

Here's a look at Kucherov's teammates who had at least 20 points this season, comparing their 2016-17 points-per-game averages to their career averages (which includes this past season):

* Indicates rookie
** Indicates player traded at/before deadline

Some quick takeaways:

• Hedman's career high in points before this season was 55 - he had 56 assists this year. He finished with 72 points - one more than Erik freakin' Karlsson - and is nominated for the Norris Trophy.
• Drouin turned 22 in March. He's going to be a star.
• Point's a rookie. You didn't hear about him because this season's freshman crop was insane.
• Killorn's 19 goals were a career high. How dare he.
• Even Filppula was producing. Heck, Boyle was going to challenge some career highs had he stayed in the south and not been traded to Toronto's fourth line.
• Ask anyone: They'll gladly take another dip in Stralman's production if it means Hedman's a 70-point Norris contender.
• Stamkos' line says it all. He played 17 games, and there's your issue.

Bad luck and poor 'tending

It was a frustrating season for Kucherov, and understandably so. It was an exasperating few months for everyone involved with the Lightning - they missed out on the playoffs by a point, finishing with only three fewer points than they had in 2015-16, when they were Eastern Conference finalists.

But Kucherov, he put the Lightning on his back down the stretch, almost willing Tampa Bay to the playoffs - he had a remarkable 12 goals and 22 points in 14 games in March. They came up short. That's hockey. That's life. And the truth is, injuries and poor goaltending were to blame.

If Stamkos played even half the season, the Lightning are in. If he played 10 more games. If he was able to play just one more game.

If Johnson played a few more games, if Boyle wasn't traded ... you can go on and on. But another and more obvious reality is that Tampa Bay didn't get the goaltending it needed to ensure a postseason berth.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The Lightning finished with a .910 save percentage, 16th in the league. Playoff teams that finished lower were St. Louis (.907), Calgary (.907), and Boston (.905), so, yeah, more frustration for Kucherov.

Problem is, Kucherov didn't call out his goalies. He made a point not to. He's apparently on record - again, in Russian - saying the following about his teammates up front:

"When we played together and I made a pass, they even were not expecting this. That's why this season was hard for me despite (my) good stats."

He wasn't passing the puck to Ben Bishop, who certainly had not been paid, set to hit unrestricted free agency July 1, and was traded at the deadline. And Kucherov wasn't passing the puck to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who finished with a .917 save percentage (decent, but not worth writing home about) in his first season as Tampa Bay's starter - after signing a three-year, $10.5-million contract extension. In other words, he was one of the guys who did get paid.

Numbers aren't everything ...

No one's arguing this is as simple as points-per-game averages, on an annual and career level. A heck of a lot more than that goes into what makes a hockey team successful. And the truth is, Tampa Bay has some work to do in its own end:

(Courtesy: Hockey Viz)

But this can't be what general manager Steve Yzerman wants to be dealing with ahead of a crucial offseason - arguably the most important in franchise history. Drouin, Johnson, Palat are restricted free agents July 1.

"I'm not going to make a big deal out of everything," Yzerman said about the reported comments, according to Smith. "Kucherov is a great player, been a great teammate. And we'll get things sorted out after the World Championships."

He's looking forward to it, no doubt.

Next time, Mr. Kucherov, help us out and name names. Or simply blame the hockey gods. That'll go over better in the room.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Braden Holtby is the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP - which means Vegas believes the Washington Capitals are going to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins for only the second time in 10 playoff series.

Bodog issued its Conn Smythe odds Tuesday, and the Caps' star goalie is slightly favored over those Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid guys.

Place your bets:

Feeling lucky? Mike Hoffman, Roman Josi, and Bryan Rust are your plays, each coming in at 60/1.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Capitals and Maple Leafs brought their A-games to the media ahead of Sunday night's pivotal Game 6, as Washington looks to end Toronto's season.

Two days after Mike Babcock bid Verizon Center staff farewell with "See you in a couple days," Capitals defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said he shares the Maple Leafs head coach's sentiments.

"We're ready to go home and say hello to the Verizon guys on Monday as well, just getting ready for series two," he said, according to the Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan.

Strong. That's Shattenkirk giving 110 percent in the postseason.

Here are some more select quotes from both clubs ahead of Sunday's 7 p.m. puck drop:

"I think Washington's a beautiful city so I wouldn't mind going back," Toronto agitator Nazem Kadri said.

"This is the fun time of year," Caps head coach Barry Trotz said. "It's stressful at times, but it's fun."

Alex Ovechkin, who took a big hit from Kadri in Game 5, said he's just fine.

"I take a hit and we win the game so I'll take those hits every day," Ovie said.

He also knows what's at stake.

"They're young, but they're tough," Ovechkin said about the Leafs, who have punched back against the NHL's top team at every turn, with all five games decided by one goal and four of them requiring extra time. "They never stop so it's a challenge. It's going to be an interesting game.

"You don't want to give them extra air and extra motivation to play Game 7," he added. "We know exactly what we have to do."

The Caps may know what they require, but that hasn't exactly mattered in the past:

"Right now we'll do anything to keep playing," Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "This is the most motivated this group has ever been."

We'll give coach Babcock the final word.

"If you're not loving this today, or enjoying it, you shouldn't be in hockey," he said.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sample size, anyone?

The Montreal Canadiens' and Minnesota Wild's seasons ended Saturday, the clubs joining the Chicago Blackhawks as 100-plus point teams eliminated in the first round. All shared the same fate: Beaten by otherworldly goaltending.

Here are the five-on-five save percentages of Henrik Lundqvist, Jake Allen, and Pekka Rinne after the first round:

That has to be one of the finer four-game stretches of Rinne's career, because those numbers are downright silly, but the Nashville Predators' defense deserves a ton of credit, too. Look at what they were able to do to Chicago:

(Courtesy: @IneffectiveMath)

Hot goalie, hot team, hot coach. A perfect Nashville storm.

However, if you heard Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman's presser on Saturday, you'd have no idea he was talking about a team that two years ago won its third Stanley Cup in seven seasons with a core built around Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and head coach Joel Quenneville.

"Completely disappointed. It's unacceptable. I'm frustrated. I'm angry," Bowman said.

"Complete failure," he threw in for good measure, adding that changes would be made after a second straight first-round exit, this one after the Blackhawks' second 50-win season in franchise history.

Should a team be judged based on 82 games, or four? Even if the club overachieved a little bit in the regular season, at least according to Kane, you decide.

That's why he's the King

The Habs were the better team at five on five against New York. Okay, perhaps "better" is subjective, but Montreal certainly had the puck more often.

(Data Courtesy: Corsica Hockey)

Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty finished with more fighting majors than goals in six games (one to zero), and 28 shots. That's a zero shooting percentage for a five-time 30-goal scorer (and three-time 35-goal scorer) and career 11.4 percent shooter. Believe it or not, he's the same Pacioretty who shot 10.9 percent in last year's postseason.

It gets crazier. People in Montreal are actually, physically, in real life talking about trading goaltender Carey Price, a Vezina Trophy finalist this season, who stopped 93.3 percent of the shots the Rangers fired at him, and 93.6 at even strength. That's exactly what you don't do when you lose to King Henrik.

This version of the Canadiens was far from perfect, but if you think Pacioretty and Price - Carey Price! - are the problem, you need to log off of Twitter, go for a long walk in the woods, and re-evaluate some of your life decisions.

Allen delivers the Blues

Allen didn't go into the playoffs for St. Louis with a standout spring resume going back to 2015. The opposite, actually. And check out the shot totals after the Blues' five-game series win.

Yeah, that'll do.

The poor Wild. Alive since 2000, this was Minnesota's best statistical season, with the club setting franchise records in wins (49) and points (106). And just like that, they're done. And it's because of Allen.

(Data Courtesy: Corsica Hockey)

The irony: Minnesota ranked 20th in possession during the regular season, coming in at 49.35 percent. They finally had the puck - like, all the time - and couldn't do a bloody thing with it. That's hockey, sometimes.

Possession ain't god

Look, possession isn't everything. No one's saying it is. But the top three possession teams in the first round - Minnesota, Montreal, and the Columbus Blue Jackets - are done after five, six, and five games, respectively.

Once the regular season ends, it doesn't matter. That's the truth. But another truth is that anything can happen in the playoffs, that luck is a big reason why a team ends up moving on, and even winning the Stanley Cup.

Allen and Rinne can, in fact, stop basically everything you throw at them over a week (we already knew Lundqvist could). Does that mean you blow up your team, based on four-to-six games?

A short series due to a hot goalie and some poor luck is just that - a short series due to a hot goalie and some bad luck. View it in a vacuum at your peril.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings are staying in house.

John Stevens will be named the next head coach of the team, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun and other sources.

It's a promotion for Stevens, who has been an associate head coach with the club since 2014.

Stevens was the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from October 2006 through December 2009, compiling a record of 120-109-34 in the regular season and 11-12 in the playoffs. He joined Los Angeles after his time in Philly, and the 2017-18 season will be his eighth with the Kings.

Oddly enough, while the Kings haven't formally announced Stevens' promotion, they have a release up on their website as of Sunday morning with the news that Stevens is the 27th head coach in team history. It includes a statement from new general manager Rob Blake.

John and I had very productive dialogue this last week in relation to his head coaching philosophy and specifically how he would implement a strategy to activate our players offensively while maintaining the defensive philosophies we have come to be known for. am confident that we are both in agreement on how that can be executed. With that said, we believe John has the ideal qualities to lead our hockey club. His wide array of coaching experience, including success as an NHL head coach and his inherent knowledge of our players and those in our development system, is very appealing to us. We are confident he is the best person to lead our hockey club forward.

Stevens was part of both Kings' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2014.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We're about to find out what a bunch of hockey-playing millennials are made of.

The Maple Leafs host the Washington Capitals in Game 6 of their first-round series Sunday evening, with Toronto facing elimination after its second overtime loss - and third one-goal loss - of the series Friday.

The young Leafs have - to put it simply - played with the veteran back-to-back Presidents' Trophy winners, in what's been one of the more entertaining series of the playoffs' opening round. And if they can force a one-game showdown, all bets may truly be off.

So, will they?

While Toronto's thought to be playing with house money, and the Capitals looking to exorcise some serious spring demons, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock knows what his team needs to be Sunday.

"If we don't win, we go home," he said, according to the Associated Press. "There should be no more desperate team than us and we're well aware and understand that fully."

Special teams may be the difference, which means Toronto needs to play the game at even strength - and continue what it's doing:

(Courtesy: @IneffectiveMath)

Babcock's also going to need his goalie, Frederik Andersen, to have a night, because Washington is enjoying good times in the Toronto zone.

(Courtesy: @IneffectiveMath)

Game 7, if necessary, will be played Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in the District.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

See ya, Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma.

The Buffalo Sabres fired their general manager and head coach Thursday, proving that Jack Eichel is the sheriff in town, and that losing will no longer be tolerated, no matter the cost - both Murray and Bylsma had years and millions of dollars left on their contracts.

The names of potential replacements for the pair are already flying around, and we're putting them in one place for you here.

As always, it's important to remember that a GM hires a coach, so that's the job that will likely be filled first - and may be the most important as the Sabres' rebuild continues.

Chris Drury

This one's easy, because of Drury's history with the Sabres.

He'll be 41 this summer and is currently serving as the assistant general manager with the New York Rangers, under Jeff Gorton.

Gorton, who will be 49 later this month, has been with the Rangers a long time and succeeded Glen Sather, and it appears the gig's Gorton's until it isn't. Drury, meanwhile, is thought to be an up-and-comer in the managerial industry, and was part of a couple of deep playoff runs with the Sabres in 2006 and 2007.

If you're looking for a nostalgia pick, it's Drury.

Julien BriseBois

Julien BriseBois has been learning from one of the league's best GMs, Steve Yzerman, down in Tampa Bay.

And Yzerman's on record in 2014 singing the praises of his assistant GM.

"It's only a matter of time before (BriseBois) gets his opportunity," Yzerman said, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith. "He's going to have a long and outstanding career as a GM."

BriseBois is only 40, was a candidate for the Pittsburgh Penguins' vacancy before they hired Jim Rutherford, and has been working with Yzerman since 2010.

Dean Lombardi

If the Sabres want to go the more traditional route, Dean Lombardi was recently fired by the Los Angeles Kings, and he's got two Stanley Cups on his resume.

Lombardi was at the helm of the Kings for a long time, and put together those Cup-winning teams. He knows how to get it done.

And if he still wants to work with Darryl Sutter, perhaps the pair could be hired as a package, although working with a young team would certainly be a change of pace for Sutter, who dealt primarily with veterans in Hollywood.

Lindy Ruff

Forget about Drury, if the Sabres really want to turn back the clock, Lindy Ruff is on the market after being fired by the Dallas Stars.

Now 57, Ruff spent 14 seasons and change in Buffalo, winning his only Jack Adams Award with the Sabres. He was behind the bench when Buffalo made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, losing to - oddly enough - the Stars in six games.

Ruff's record with the Sabres:

• Regular season: 571-432-78-84 (.560 winning percentage)
• Playoffs: 57-44 (.564 winning percentage)

Bill Guerin

Many former players have transitioned to the front office after their playing career, and another name that will be tossed around with respect to Buffalo's openings is Bill Guerin.

A veteran of 1,263 NHL games and a two-time Cup champion, Guerin is currently one of two assistant general managers of the Penguins. (The other is Jason Botterill, who played a key role in hiring Mike Sullivan to coach the Baby Pens, and we know how that turned out.)

Guerin's 46 and is also part of the braintrust putting together the U.S. team for the coming world championships.

Tom Fitzgerald

Same deal: Fitzgerald's transitioned from his playing days, trading in his skates for a suit and tie. He's currently the assistant general manager of the New Jersey Devils, working under Cup winner Ray Shero.

Fitzgerald, 49 this summer, was part of the Penguins' front office in 2009, when Shero's Pittsburgh team won its first Stanley Cup since the Mario Lemieux days. (Oddly enough, Bylsma was the coach of that team.)

Craig Conroy

This is a recording.

Former longtime NHL center Craig Conroy, 45, enjoyed his most fruitful years with the Calgary Flames, the team he now works for as assistant GM.

Interestingly, Flames GM Brad Treliving's contract is set to expire after this season, and Calgary's campaign officially came to an end Wednesday night. But it's expected Treliving will be re-upped in Calgary, so Conroy's the play here, should the Sabres look west. And, like the other former players mentioned, he's thought to be a rising star in the managerial ranks.

The Flames have put together a team with some strong young talent, something the Sabres have done as well, and Conroy could provide guidance with respect to taking things to the next level.

Phil Housley

Another former Sabre that could take over behind the bench is Phil Housley.

Now 53, the longtime smooth-skating defenseman has been an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators since 2013, and, let's face it, one reason they're a perennial playoff contender is their coaching staff - especially considering the Preds are forever on a tight budget.

Housley was the head coach of the U.S. junior team in 2013 (it won gold), and served as an assistant on the national team at the worlds that same year. He was also an assistant for Team USA at last year's World Cup.

A first-round pick of the Sabres back in 1982, Housley spent the first eight seasons of his career in Buffalo.

He's got the experience, and the history.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

No one enjoys scoring goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs more than Alexander Radulov.

The Montreal Canadiens forward has two this spring, and he's celebrated each like it was his first - and maybe his last. It's as simple as this: It's been awesome to watch. Dude cares. Like, a lot.

Here are some of our favorite photos of Radulov through the first three games of Montreal's first-round series against the New York Rangers.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Hear Radulov roar.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

OT winner. Let's go.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

Catch him if you can.

(Courtesy: Action Images)

Seriously, you can hear him.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

Still screaming.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

A one-handed goal ...

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

... At Madison Square Garden.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

Jeff Petry scored on this play, but you could easily be convinced it was Radulov.

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

You kind of have to want Radulov to score the Stanley Cup-winning goal, preferably in overtime, just to see what he'd do.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was probably worth the wait, eh Edmonton?

After a dispiriting 3-2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks in Game 1, in which the Oilers were outshot 34-9 in the game's final 43 minutes and change, and 44-19 overall, all eyes were on Rogers Place on Friday night to see how Edmonton would respond.

Well, we've got our answer. The Oilers are not going to be pushovers this spring.

Here's everything that went right for Edmonton, which simply returned the favor, in Game 2:

• A 2-0 win, first and foremost, the series now tied 1-1 heading to California.
• A playoff win in Edmonton, much to the delight of the home crowd, which waited oh so very long for Friday night.
• A shutout for Cam Talbot, though he only had to make 16 saves.
• Connor McDavid's first career playoff goal.
• Zack Kassian's first career playoff goal.
• Kassian's two devastating body checks.
• A 36-16 Oilers advantage on the shot clock. The Sharks didn't put more than six pucks on Talbot in any period, and were outshot 15-4 in the third, which they entered trailing by only a goal.
• A perfect night on the penalty kill, 6-for-6, which makes the final shot clock that much more impressive.
• A 41-21 Oilers edge in hits, and, let's be honest, it's unfair that Kassian's two thunderous ones count as only one each.
• A 16-6 Edmonton advantage in takeaways.

The Oilers dominated, in every way. Orange Crush, indeed. And McDavid is yet to dominate like he can, like he eventually will.

(Only one thing went wrong for the Oilers on Friday night: Oscar Klefbom blocked a Brent Burns shot in the third period and limped off to the dressing room. But, hey, injuries are a part of the playoffs. Ask the Sharks, who have played two games without Joe Thornton.)

As impressive as Edmonton's season has been, it wouldn't have been shocking for the young, inexperienced Oilers to go down 2-0 to the Sharks, last year's Stanley Cup finalists. But the Oilers assured San Jose, and the rest of the NHL, that they're not happy simply being at the dance. They're going to get down, have some fun. And, let's face, the playoffs are better for it.

Seven games, anyone?

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.