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Adin Hill flashes old playoff form as Golden Knights beat Stars 2-0 to force Game 7
Mark Anderson, Associated Press | Updated May 4 - 12:04 a.m. | Save Story
Noah Hanifin broke a scoreless tie at 9:54 of the third period, Adin Hill stopped 23 shots and the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights kept alive their season by beating the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Friday night to force Game 7. The deciding game in the first-round series is Sunday in Dallas. Mark Stone also scored on a empty-netter from near his own goal line. This was a classic goalie duel, with Hill getting his first shutout since having two in three games in early November. On the other side, Jake Oettinger made 28 saves.
Canucks advance to 2nd round, beating Predators 1-0 in Game 6 on Pius Suter's late goal
Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press | Updated May 3 - 9:22 p.m. | Save Story
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6. Nashville had a final chance to force overtime with a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was called for cross-checking Gustav Nyquist. But the Predators couldn't beat rookie goalie Arturs Silovs. Silovs made 28 saves to become the 14th rookie goalie in NHL history to finish off a series with a shutout and just the fifth in 30 years. Vancouver will play Edmonton. The Oilers finished second behind the Canucks in the Pacific Division and beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.
The value of Valeri Nichushkin on display for Avs since his return from player assistance program
Pat Graham, Associated Press | Posted May 3 - 2:59 p.m. | Save Story
Valeri Nichushkin is lifting the Colorado Avalanche after taking the time to help himself. The big forward missed nearly two months of the regular season as he received care from the NHLPA/NHL Player Assistance Program for issues that have not been disclosed. He had also missed the final five games of a playoff loss last season for what the team called personal reasons. When he's on the ice, Nichushkin is a goal-scoring force. He had seven goals over five games in a first-round series win against the Winnipeg Jets.
Pittsburgh Penguins fire assistant coach Todd Reirden after missing out on the playoffs
The Associated Press | Posted May 3 - 11:05 a.m. | Save Story
The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired assistant coach Todd Reirden. General manager Kyle Dubas announced the decision Friday, which came just weeks after the Penguins failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season. Reirden was in charge of Pittsburgh's power play. The Penguins struggled while on the man advantage all season despite having a star-studded unit that included Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh converted on just 15% of its power play opportunities, 30th in the 32-team NHL.
The Carolina Hurricanes missed Andrei Svechnikov in last year's NHL playoffs. He's back as 'a force'
Aaron Beard, Associated Press | Posted May 3 - 10:28 a.m. | Save Story
Andrei Svechnikov is again making an impact for the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs after missing last year's postseason with a knee injury. The 24-year-old forward was tied for second on the team with five points in the five-game series win against the New York Islanders to open the playoffs. Svechnikov is also a key piece to Carolina's aggressive forecheck. The Hurricanes next face the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers. Svechnikov says he's enjoying being back after "a tough time" last year and focused on helping Carolina's push for the Stanley Cup.
Nylander and Woll help Maple Leafs beat Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
The Associated Press | Updated May 2 - 11:26 p.m. | Save Story
William Nylander scored twice, Joseph Woll made 22 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday night to force a seventh game in the first-round Eastern Conference series. Toronto has overcame a 3-1 series deficit, also staving off elimination with a 2-1 victory in overtime in Boston on Tuesday night, to send the series back to Boston for a winner-take-all finale Saturday night. The series winner will face the Florida Panthers. Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who also blew a 3-1 lead against the Florida Panthers last year in the first round before losing in Game 7 following a record-setting regular season. Morgan Geekie spoiled Woll's shutout bid with 0.1 seconds left.
'We might save a life': Utah goalie Connor Ingram a finalist for Masterton trophy
Ryan Miller, KSL.com | Posted May 2 - 5:09 p.m. | Save Story
Connor Ingram was done. In January 2021, the Utah goalkeeper woke up in a Dallas hotel and just wanted to go home.
Hurricanes' Rod Brind'Amour says he feels 'really good' about reaching new contract with team
Aaron Beard, Associated Press | Updated May 2 - 4:27 p.m. | Save Story
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday he feels "really good" that he'll reach a new contract with the team. That mirrored optimism from president and general manager Don Waddell a day earlier. Brind'Amour is in the final year of a deal reached in 2021 as he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach. He is considered by many as the face of the franchise with long-running ties that include being the captain on Carolina's 2006 Stanley Cup winner. Carolina next faces the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the second round of the NHL playoffs.
Igor Shesterkin has the Rangers looking like a Stanley Cup contender. He says he can be better
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press | Posted May 2 - 12:29 p.m. | Save Story
Igor Shesterkin's play in net is a big reason the New York Rangers swept through the first round of the playoffs and look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Shesterkin stopped 94 of the 101 shots he faced with one of the goals he allowed being hockey's equivalent of a diving curveball. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goaltender says he can be better at rebound control and other things. That's a daunting proposition for the Carolina Hurricanes up next in round two and the rest of the league if he improves.
NHL players are refining the art of the bank shot via ricochet off the masks of the goaltenders
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press | Updated May 2 - 12:10 p.m. | Save Story
A few goals in the first round of NHL playoffs have been scored with the puck banking in off the goaltender's mask. Shooting off masks is becoming more and more of a refined art for in hockey as skaters work to find new ways to beat some of the best netminders in the world. Goalies know now to expect shots even from bad angles off the back of their helmets. They're fine with taking a puck or two to the noggin in game action as long as teammates avoid shooting up high during practice.
With 60 goals, Sam Reinhart has made Florida Panthers history. He wants to win the Cup even more
Tim Reynolds, Associated Press | Posted May 2 - 12:09 p.m. | Save Story
Sam Reinhart is the first Florida Panthers player in history to score 60 goals in a season, including playoffs. Pavel Bure had two seasons in Florida where he scored 59. Reinhart picked the right time for a career year because he's going into free agency this summer. Panthers coach Paul Maurice raves about his top goalscorer. Maurice says he's one of the smartest players he's ever coached. Considering Maurice has coached more games than anyone other than Scotty Bowman in NHL history, that's high praise.
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews to miss Game 6 of first-round series against Bruins
The Associated Press | Posted May 2 - 11:18 a.m. | Save Story
Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews will miss Thursday night's Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. Coach Sheldon Keefe said following Thursday's morning skate that Matthews would be unavailable with Toronto trailing 3-2 in its first-round playoff series. Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals in the regular season, was pulled from Game 4 with an illness and didn't play in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory in Boston with the Leafs facing elimination.
Vegas retaliation on Stars forward Seguin costly as defending champion Knights now trail in series
Stephen Hawkins, Associated Press | Updated May 2 - 7:44 a.m. | Save Story
The retaliation the Vegas Golden Knights took against Tyler Seguin proved costly. Seguin was briefly down on the ice with a bloody nose after taking a shot to the face from Alex Pietrangelo in Game 5 of their first-round series on Wednesday night. It came after Seguin had earlier in that second period taken a penalty for an illegal check to the head of Shea Theodore. And it was costly for the reigning Stanley Cup champion Knights. They now trail the opening round series for the first time. Jason Robertson scored on the ensuing power play for the Stars in a 3-2 victory that gives them a 3-2 series lead.
Draisaitl scores twice as Oilers beat Kings 4-3 to advance to 2nd round
The Associated Press | Updated May 2 - 1:27 a.m. | Save Story
Leon Draisaitl scored twice, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in Game 5 to win their first-round NHL playoff series. Edmonton eliminated Los Angeles in the opening round for the third straight year. Zach Hyman -- with his seventh goal of the post-season -- and Evander Kane also scored for Edmonton. Evan Bouchard added three assists, and Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two each as Edmonton's offense broke out at Rogers Place. McDavid extended his points total to a playoff-leading 12 (one goal, 11 assists). Stuart Skinner made 18 saves after posting a shutout in Edmonton's 1-0 win at Los Angeles in Game 4. Adrian Kempe, Alex Laferriere and Blake Lizotte scored for Los Angeles, and David Rittich stopped 22 shots in his second straight start.
Stars first to hold serve at home, beat Knights 3-2 in Game 5 for series lead in NHL playoffs
Stephen Hawkins, Associated Press | Updated May 1 - 11:03 p.m. | Save Story
Jason Robertson scored a power-play goal to put Dallas ahead late in the second period after Tyler Seguin took a shot to the face and the Stars beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 5. The Stars are the first home team to win in this opening-round series that they now lead. Evgenii Dadonov and Matt Duchene also scored goals for Dallas on Wednesday night. Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 25 shots, including a nearly full-split save with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the game. Adin Hill had 22 saves for the Knights, while Mark Stone and William Carrier scored their goals. Game 6 is Friday night in Las Vegas,
Steven Stamkos wants to stay with Lightning, and team wants its career scoring leader to stay
Fred Goodall, Associated Press | Posted May 1 - 4:25 p.m. | Save Story
Steven Stamkos wants to hoist the Stanley Cup again with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 34-year-old captain who can become a free agent this summer reiterated Wednesday that he'd like to remain with the only franchise he's played for in a stellar 16-season career. And, general manager Julien BriseBois says the club definitely wants him back, adding he's already spoken with Stamkos and the player's agent to begin discussions in the aftermath of Tampa Bay's loss to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Stamkos is Tampa Bay's career goals and points leader.
Rangers rookie Matt Rempe doesn't mind playing the villain role in the NHL playoffs
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press | Updated May 1 - 3:10 p.m. | Save Story
New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe faced more criticism in the first round of the playoffs for a borderline hit that injured Washington defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. But the 6-foot-8 forward doesn't care. Instead of going on social media, he played "Halo" with his teammates. He's also fine being the villain knowing that home fans at Madison Square Garden will chant his name and cheer him even louder. The Rangers will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
High-scoring Avalanche await winner of Stars-Golden Knights in next round after dispatching Jets
Pat Graham, Associated Press | Posted May 1 - 1:44 p.m. | Save Story
The high-scoring Colorado Avalanche showed they are so much more than the Nathan MacKinnon Show. The supporting cast for the Avalanche played an integral role as they eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in five games during their first-round series. The Avalanche had 12 different players score in a series where they averaged 5.6 goals a game. It's the sort of top-to-bottom depth that has MacKinnon thinking of 2022, when the Avalanche won the third Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Colorado awaits either the Dallas Stars or the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights in the next round.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper apologizes for inappropriate comment about putting skirts on goalies
The Associated Press | Posted May 1 - 12:55 p.m. | Save Story
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper opened his end-of-season news conference apologizing for making what he called an inappropriate analogy of putting skirts on goalies. Cooper after the Game 5 loss that eliminated his team from the playoffs vented about two questionable goaltender interference rulings that contributed to Florida's win. The NHL's longest-tenured coach said he was sincerely sorry especially as a father of two girls in sports. Cooper added the comments bothered him more than losing the series. Tampa Bay has made the playoffs in 10 of his 11 seasons on the job and won the Stanley Cup back to back in 2020 and '21.
