NHL playoffs: Eichel, Hughes among the top players to watch
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
The NHL playoffs are going on without Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin for the first time since their rookie year in 2006. But that doesn’t mean the chase for the Stanley Cup isn’t packed with star power. Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche are trying to go back to back. Connor McDavid is hell-bent on winning his first championship with the Edmonton Oilers. And there are a handful of players in the postseason as professionals for the first time. New Jersey’s Jack Hughes and Vegas’ Jack Eichel are ready to make an impact at the time hockey matters the most.
