As another playoffs opens for the Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl era here in Edmonton, we bring you the next in line among NHL seniors who feel like it’s graduation time this spring.

A series-opening game that saw 13 goals scored was somehow marked by a single save at the most pivotal moment. That it was made by Connor Hellebuyck came as zero surprise to the Winnipeg Jets.

A key driver for the Toronto Blue Jays during their run of four straight series wins over the past couple of weeks has been the dominant work of their starting rotation. Ten times in the past 12 games, their starters have allowed one run or less, and even Sunday, when Chris Bassitt allowed four runs, three earned, in 5.1 innings of a 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, they were very much left in a position to win. 

The irony in the evolution of J.T. Miller is that his best years in the NHL have been spent until now without the playoff hockey required to test and validate the better version of himself. The Canucks forward will get that chance starting Sunday against the Predators.

It’s not a stretch to think this Winnipeg Jets team can finally bring the Cup back over the border because they have 20 players pulling in the same direction.  They’re a unified, organized wagon of a team, and that’s what wins in the playoffs.

Five-foot-nine Conor Garland has a knack for infuriating opponents with his relentless style of play. In his first true playoff contest, it's this unyielding nature that will make him a difference-maker — and a popular target.

The playoff drought is at 13 years now for Ernie Clement’s Buffalo Sabres, but that hasn’t kept the Toronto Blue Jays infielder from following the annual chase for the Stanley Cup. Clement and several of his teammates make their picks for Round 1.