Travis Yost

Minnesota

Writer at The Sports Network (TSN)

Hockey at TSN ... @travisyost on Bsky

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Articles

Awarding an MVP for each first round series

1 week ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has arrived, and, at this point, it’s reasonable to argue every remaining contender has a shot at winning the title. Each first-round matchup was compelling, and though we had zero sweeps, some series were closer than others. To that end, I wanted to reflect on how we landed at this group of eight, and the player (or unit) most responsible for leading their team out of the first round. Let’s start in the Eastern Conference and work our way west.
Travis Yost: Top lines driving Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild in the first round

2 weeks ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

Advancing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs requires contributions from every level. Early eliminations, however, tend to come on two fronts: substandard goaltending, and poor top-line play. The goaltending component is obvious. In a league where the talent distribution of most puck stoppers is narrow, teams can ill afford blowups in net.
Improved Kings present tough challenge for Oilers

3 weeks ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Edmonton Oilers were a consensus favourite to contend for the Stanley Cup. Oddsmakers gave the Oilers the shortest odds to win it all this time around after falling just short against the Florida Panthers a season ago.
Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers under immense playoff pressure

1 month ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

If pressure is a privilege, consider the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs the luckiest of the National Hockey League lot. Just days away from the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, all three organizations know they will be under immense scrutiny going forward. Every playoff qualifier knows the stakes rise once the postseason begins, but organizational expectations and historical outcomes have a unique way of dialling up the heat.
Travis Yost: Trades have transformed the Colorado Avalanche's season

1 month ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

The National Hockey League trade deadline was a busy one, and we witnessed a flurry of major trades from contenders in both conferences. And while attention was fixated on superstar winger Mikko Rantanen finding a long-term home, his old team in Colorado was putting the finishing touches on their playoff lineup – a finishing touch that has solidified the Avs as a championship contender once more.
Yost: Eight factors that define the NHL's Western Conference playoff picture

1 month ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

The surging St. Louis Blues are poised to lock up the last playoff berth in the Western Conference. And barring a late-season miracle, it does appear we have our group of eight, which allows us to start making real sense of the playoff landscape out west. To that end, I wanted to identify the eight statistics defining this year’s Western Conference playoff picture.
Special teams say a lot about this year’s Cup contenders

1 month ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

When you are evaluating each team’s viability as a Stanley Cup contender, you must overweight two components: the sustained ability of a team to win at even strength (where the lion’s share of game minutes are played), and the efficacy of the goaltending. If a team cannot reasonably check both boxes, they are ripe for an early exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Travis Yost: Ottawa Senators primed to shake up Eastern Conference playoff picture

1 month ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s more than a canned safety warning on a car’s rear-view. The Ottawa Senators delivered this message to Craig Berube’s team on Saturday, and appear primed to shake up the entire Eastern Conference playoff picture. For months we have waited for Travis Green’s team to show us they’re more than a fringe wild-card contender.
Sizing up NHL’s wild-card races after the trade deadline

2 months ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

With the National Hockey League’s trade deadline officially behind us, focus now shifts to the playoff race and the bid for those final wild-card slots. Both conferences have deep races for their two respective spots, owing largely to the NHL’s scoring system that awards points for overtime and shootout losses. A large swath of teams remain in contention, and the calibre of these teams ranges greatly.
Punchless offence puts Canucks in a tough spot this week

2 months ago | tsn.ca | Travis Yost

The week ahead is mission critical for the Vancouver Canucks. J.T. Miller has already been traded, Brock Boeser and Carson Soucy are on everyone’s trade board (including ours), and once-rising star Elias Pettersson has struggled so mightily this season that some fans want him gone, too. Oh, and supernova defenceman Quinn Hughes is banged up again. Taking all of this into account, you would imagine the Canucks as one of the biggest sellers at this year’s trade deadline.