‘Most of the teams in the play-in round – particularly the teams in the 17 to 24 range – have some core competency that allowed them to be competitive enough to stay afloat. Winnipeg has elite goaltending and a surefire Vezina Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck. Montreal outshot and outscored opponents at an incredible rate at 5-on-5. The New York Rangers couldn’t get out of their own zone, but were a lethal counterattacking team with a plus-goal differential. Those components alone differentiated those teams from Buffalo.’