What to know about the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid had himself a stellar season and is pretty much a shoe-in for the Hart Trophy. Through Tuesday’s games, he was averaging 1.889 points per game, which would be the most since the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mario Lemieux averaged 2.3 in 1995-96. But how much of that was because of the competition in the all-Canadian North Division, which features some of the NHL’s worst defenses? Edmonton went 7-2 and won its last six games against Winnipeg, its first-round opponent. But after that, things are likely to get tougher.