2022 NHL Playoffs: B/R Staff Predictions for a Wild Night of Game 7s

Ultimately, the Bruins' special teams, veteran leadership and their ability to cope with big-game postseason situations should overcome the Hurricanes' home-ice advantage. Prediction: Bruins 4, Hurricanes 2- Lyle RichardsonIt's one of those nights that can define a franchise.Game 7 between the Leafs and Lightning will not only decide which team reaches Round 2 of the Atlantic Division playoff fray, but it'll go a long way toward determining whether one will free itself from generations of organizational despair or the other will continue adding to an already stellar legacy.And if you think that veers a little too close to the hyperbolic end of things, go ahead and ask a die-hard Toronto fan how they're feeling in the aftermath of the OT loss in Game 6 Thursday.The Leafs entered the third period with a one-goal lead after rallying from a two-goal deficit but couldn't hold on and instead saw the two-time defending champs clinch it less than two minutes into extra time.The question now becomes whether the gut-punch loss sapped the mettle of a Toronto team that lost a 3-1 series lead last year on the way to a Game 7 flop at home against Montreal. Thanks to an incredibly weak Pacific Division, the Oilers were gifted a soft matchup in the overachieving Kings, which became even more fortunate once the team's best defensemen, Drew Doughty, underwent season-ending surgery.The Oilers, as has been the case this season and years past, are being bailed out by the team's top line, led, of course, by Connor McDavid, who has 12 points through six games.