After cheekily hinting on Saturday he'd be ready to go, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is officially in Toronto's Game 1 lineup against the Ottawa Senators.

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed the news following the team's optional skate, which the 33-year-old defenseman attended. Ekman-Larsson missed the final four games of the regular season with an upper-body injury.

Berube confirms OEL is available. https://t.co/UCfq0Mzsex

— David Alter (@dalter) April 20, 2025

With the defenseman returning to the lineup, expect the Maple Leafs to go with this defense group in Game 1 against the Senators:

Morgan Rielly — Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Ekman-Larsson joined the Maple Leafs on a four-year, $14 million contract this summer after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last June. The defenseman played in all but five games for Toronto, averaging 21:04 of ice time, and scoring four goals and 25 assists.

'We'll See Tomorrow': Maple Leafs Reveal Lineup For Game 1 Against Senators, But Could It Change?The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't changing much ahead of Game 1 on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators.

"He's been a very good player in this league for a long time," Berube said on Sunday morning.

"He's been a really good all-around defenseman for us, in my opinion, all situations. He's the type of guy that's very versatile, moving around with different partners, playing the right side, power play, penalty kill. He's kind of a guy that we really count on in different situations and in different roles more than anything."

Toronto is entering the postseason with only one playoff rookie: Bobby McMann. Ottawa, however, has several players who have yet to make their playoff debut.

Ekman-Larsson has played 49 postseason games with Florida and the Arizona Coyotes. He played in all 24 of the Panthers' games last year when they won the cup, which will help in the long run with Toronto.

But how much does experience matter, especially in a series where it's so lopsided in Toronto's favor?

"I think it matters. I think it's good to know what you're getting yourself into. But so many different things that happen out there, so you've got to be able to kind of adapt," Ekman-Larsson said on Saturday.

'Got To Quiet The Noise': Craig Berube Reveals What He's Learned The Most Since Becoming Head Coach of the Maple Leafs Craig Berube is set to embark on his first Stanley Cup Playoffs as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. One day before his team takes on the Ottawa Senators in a best-of-seven first-round series, Toronto's bench boss was asked what he's learned the most about coaching the club.

"It's going to be ups and downs in the series, and it's the team that kind of handles that the best that comes out of it usually, so I think it matters. But with that being said, I think we've got to focus on what we have to do there. Just come out and play like we've been playing all year."

Jake McCabe will also return to Toronto's lineup after missing the last seven games of the year: "Ready to rock."

Anthony Stolarz gets the start in Game 1 against Ottawa as the Maple Leafs look for their first series win since 2023 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I'm excited for it for sure. That's what you play all year for is to get to this situation and have the opportunity to compete in the playoffs," Berube said. "I'm excited and just focused on what we need to do and trying to prepare our team the best way."

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Little did anyone know that when the Pittsburgh Penguins signed free agent defenseman Matt Grzelcyk in the summer of 2024, the 31-year-old would go on to have a career season with his new team, finishing the campaign with 40 points.

During his eight seasons with his hometown Boston Bruins, Grzelyck never scored more than 26 points, setting a career-high in 2022-23. Before moving to Pittsburgh, he was a four-time 20-point player despite never playing a full 82-game schedule.

With the Penguins, Grzelyck was an assist machine, picking up 39 helpers, ranking behind Sidney Crosby (58) and Erik Karlsson (42). Moreover, he finished sixth in team scoring, following Crosby (91), Rickard Rakell (70), Bryan Rust (65), Karlsson (53), and Evgeni Malkin (50).

Inside The Numbers: Penguins' Record In Season FinalesThe Pittsburgh Penguins just finished their 57th season with a 34-36-12 record, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive campaign.

Ultimately, Grzelyck outscored long-time defenseman Kris Letang by ten points and was only one of two players, besides Karlsson, to play all 82 games.  

Meanwhile, he was tied with Crosby for most assists on the power-play, picking up 15 on special teams.

However, those statistics only begin to tell the story of how special Grzelcyk's season was. In his first season with the Penguins, he became only the 20th defenseman to record 40 points in a season, joining a list featuring Hall of Famers and Norris Trophy winners.

• Kris Letang (11)
• Paul Coffey (5)
• Sergei Gonchar (4)
• Randy Carlyle (4)
• Ron Stackhouse (4)
• Larry Murphy (3)
• Moe Mantha (3)
• Erik Karlsson (2)
• Ryan Whitney (2)
• Dick Tärnström (2)
• Kevin Hatcher (2)
• Zarley Zalapski (2)
• Dough Bodger (2)
• Matt Grzelcyk (1)
• Justin Schultz (1)
• Matt Niskanen (1)
• Sergei Zubov (1)
• Paul Baxter (1)
• Mario Faubert (1)
• Tom Edur (1)

Additionally, Grzelcyk is one of only 12 skaters to achieve the feat in their first season with the Penguins. He follows in the footsteps of Coffey, Gonchar, Carlyle, Mantha, Karlsson, Tärnström, Hatcher, Zubov, and Edur.

Technically, Murphy and Schultz scored 40 points in their first full season in Pittsburgh, having played part of the previous campaign after a trade.

Grzelcyk is now a free agent, coming off a one-year deal worth $2.75 million signed on July 1, 2024. It turned out to be a bargain deal considering he made $3.687 million annually with the Bruins. 

As the 26th-highest scorer (tied) among defensemen in the NHL during the 2024-25 season, Grzelyck won't be a free agent for long when the opening bell rings on July 1. 

Which UFAs Should The Penguins Bring Back?Although the Pittsburgh Penguins shipped out most of their unrestricted free agents before the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 7, there are still a few remaining on the roster.

The 2024-25 Columbus Blue Jackets season has ended, so let's take a final look at the stats, leaders, and other numbers.

Goals

1. Adam Fantilli - 31
2. Kirill Marchenko - 31
3. Kent Johnson - 24

Assists

1. Zach Werenski - 59 - 4th among all NHL defensemen
2. Kirill Marchenko - 43
3. Sean Monahan - 38

Points

1. Zach Werenski - 82 - 2nd among all NHL defensemen
2. Kirill Marchenko - 74
3. Sean Monahan - 57
4. Kent Johnson - 57

Plus/Minus

1. Kirill Marchenko - +29
2. Dante Fabbro - +20
3. Sean Monahan - +19

Power Play Goals

1. Dmitri Voronkov - 8
2. Sean Monahan - 7

Game Winning Goals

1. Zach Werenski - 5
2. Mathieu Olivier - 5

Shots

1. Zach Werenski - 298 - 3rd in the NHL

PIM

1. Mathieu Olivier - 139 - 2nd in NHL

Fights

1. Mathieu Olivier - 15 of the NHL's 297

Hits

1. Mathieu Olivier - 306 - 2nd in NHL

Blocks 

1. Dante Fabbro - 136
2. Zach Werenski - 131

Time On Ice

1. Zach Werenski - 2166:22 - 26:45 per Game - 1st in NHL

Goalie Wins 

1. Elvis Merzlikins - 26 - 21st in NHL
2. Jet Greaves - 7
3. Daniil Tarasov - 7

Save %

1. Jet Greaves - .938
2. Elvis Merzlikins - .892 - Outside top-50
3. Daniil Tarasov - .881

Goals Against Average

1. Jet Greaves - 1.91
2. Elvis Merzlikins - 3.18
3. Daniil Tarasov - 3.54

Total Goals Scored 

1. 267 - T-7th in NHL - Franchise Record
2. 3.26 goals per game - T-7th in NHL

Total Goals Against

1. 267 - 25th Worst in NHL
2. 3.26 goals per game - 25th Worst in NHL

Power Play & Penalty Kill

1. 19.5% - 22nd in NHL
2. 77.0% - 22nd in NHL

Corsi & Fenwick per MoneyPuck.com

1. Corsi - 48.53% - 22nd in NHL
2. Fenwick - 48.63% - 24th in NHL

Penalties Minutes Taken per 60 per MoneyPuck.com

• 7.52 - 20th in NHL

Penalties Drawn per 60 per MoneyPuck.com

• 6.69 - 6th Fewest in NHL

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter the offseason and will undoubtedly formulate a plan to build on the success of the 2024-25 season. GM Don Waddell has many important decisions to make this summer and a lot of money to spend. 

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. 

Zach Werenski Declines Offer To Play At World ChampionshipsColumbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has declined the offer to play for Team USA at the 2025 World Championships in May. Thank You From The Hockey News Columbus TeamThank You, Columbus! Prediction Results For the 24-25 Columbus Blue JacketsBefore the season started, I made some predictions for the 24-25 season. Although none of them were earth-shattering by any means, no one knew what to expect from a team hit with the ultimate tragedy just over a month before training camp.  Elvis Merzlikins Gives An Update On The Injury That Ended his SeasonThe Columbus Blue Jackets held their end-of-season exit interviews on Friday with GM Don Waddell, HC Dean Evason, and select players.  Report: Former Blue Jacket Accused Of Sexual AssaultAccording to a report from The Athletic’s Katie Strang, former Columbus Blue Jacket and current New York Ranger Artemi Panarin has settled on an alleged sexual assault incident from December of 2023. You can read Strang's full report in the above link. 

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb finished the season with a +/- rating of +42, the second-best in the NHL, earning high praise from HC Bruce Cassidy.

"I think Brayden McNabb is one of the most under appreciated defensemen in the league," Cassidy said.

The 34-year-old is known for his defensive acumen, throwing 131 hits this season and blocking 167 shots. His 167 blocked shots ranked first on the Golden Knights and 14th in the NHL. His defensive work is more than enough for Cassidy to feel this way about McNabb, but he's become more than that. 

His penalty killing work is highlighted by his improved play with the puck. He's cleaner with his breakouts and moves the puck efficiently, and it's why he's worked so well next to Shea Theodore or Kaedan Korczak.

In addition to his puck-moving, the 2024-25 campaign saw McNabb equal his career-high in goals (5) and record the third-highest point total of his career (20). He also averaged the second-most ice time of his career, 20:07, and recorded over 20 minutes for the third time in his career. 

Earlier this season, the Davidson, SK, native signed a three-year contract extension, which will keep him with the Golden Knights until he is 37 years old. His 6'4 frame and hockey IQ should help him stay in top form despite being considered one of the slowest skaters in the NHL. Since he arrived in Vegas, McNabb has been a safety blanket for each coach, and he'll continue to be vital to the team's defensive success. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Golden Knights Sticking With Lines That Have WorkedThe Vegas Golden Knights flamed out in the first round of the playoffs last year to the Dallas Stars in large part due to HC Bruce Cassidy’s inability to find the best lines. The blame can’t all be put on him as the Golden Knights were ravaged with injuries and did not have enough time to build chemistry among linemates.  Storylines Abound When In Opening Round Series Between Golden Knights And Wild, Including Several Head-To-Head MatchupsLAS VEGAS -- There are storylines aplenty across every NHL Playoff series, and will be as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Laval Rocket ended its season with a 5-4 win over the Belleville Senators. Since the Montreal Canadiens had already clinched the league’s championship, coach Pascal Vincent opted to rest some of his regulars and iced his “B” lineup.

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Those who didn’t benefit from a night off were Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, and recently signed goaltender Jacob Fowler. The young netminder gave up four goals on 31 shots, finishing his night with a .871 save percentage. Not a brilliant result, to say the least, but Laval’s defense was not as strong as it usually is.

Beck, Tuch, and Noel Hoefenmayer each picked up a goal while Xhekaj scored a pair, including the overtime winner. Now that the season is over, we can say just how impressive the youngest Xhekaj’s first professional season has been.

He finishes the year with 24 goals and 11 assists for 35 points, but he also put up 175 penalty minutes, meaning he entered a very select club. Only three other players in AHL history have scored at least 20 goals while putting up at least 150 penalty minutes.

Shaun Van Allen scored 25 goals and 182 penalty minutes with the Cape Breton Oilers in 1990-91, but he was 24 years old and in his fourth pro season. He went on to play 794 games in the NHL.  

Zenon Konopka scored 24 goals and racked up 194 penalty minutes in 2007-08 with the Syracuse Crunch, but he was 27 years old and in his sixth professional season. He went on to play 346 games in the NHL.

Former Hab Cédric Paquette was the last to accomplish the feat in 2013-14 with the Crunch. He’s the only one, aside from Xhekaj, who can do it in his first professional season. He played 448 games in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20. He played his last 24 NHL games with the Canadiens.

There’s no guarantee that Xhekaj will be able to have that kind of career, but his first season certainly is an encouraging sign, and he looks like a good candidate for an energy line in Montreal down the line. This season, he also pulverised the rookie goal scoring record in Laval which stood at 17. When he scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday night, he celebrated in a particular fashion, not taking the time to celebrate with his teammates and heading straight to the dressing room, as if to say, “Time to get on with the real business!”

Florian Xhekaj marque le but de la victoire et ne perd pas de temps pour se rendre aux douches ! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/uy4QVlI7jm

— RDS (@RDSca) April 20, 2025

Thanks to winning the league championship, the Rocket has a bye for the first round of the playoffs and will face the winner of the Cleveland Monsters—Toronto Marlies duel. A team only needs to win three games to move on to the division semifinal. The Monsters have won seven of the eight duels between the two sides this season and look to be the favorites in that series.

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In April a year ago, Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane—then an expiring free agent—raised eyebrows at his locker clean-out day press availability when he spoke about his time in the Red Wings in the past tense: "It was fun to be a Wing and in this organization. I'll definitely have some memories to last me a life time," Kane said then.

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That sounded like a farewell, but instead, on the cusp of free agencies opening, Kane agreed to a one-year, bonus-laden deal to remain in Detroit for another season, remaining with the franchise where he revitalized his career after hip resurfacing surgery.

Now, Kane is again an expiring free agent, but during Saturday's locker clean out interview, his message about the future was one Red Wings fans will be eager to here.  Regarding free agency, Kane said he would "definitely take some time to think, but overall, I've really enjoyed my time here, and I think it's been a great place for me to continue my career and play and there's a lot of great things about the organization."  Kane then proclaimed, there is "definitely some mutual interest in coming back and continuing on here."

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In 72 games this season, Kane scored 21 goals and added 38 assists.  He started the season slow, but his game picked up with the arrival of new coach Todd McLellan and his creative touch proved an essential ingredient in Detroit's lethal power play.

On Saturday, Kane pointed out that free agency can be unpredictable but said another contract similar (in term and bonus structure, something players over the age of 35 are able to include in their contracts) to his present one sounds appealing.

"Last year I felt like I sat up here and said one thing I was thinking at the time—talking about security and maybe multi-year contracts—and then a month, a couple weeks later, you think completely different," Kane said.  "So I think those are conversations that still need to be had with myself, my family, the people closest with me, my agent, obviously with the organization too and figure all that out, but I thought this year with my age and the one-year bonuses and kinda working that contract, I thought it worked well for both sides."

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“All the pieces, including depth pieces, serve a purpose.”

Adding new players is a delicate process.

The Colorado Avalanche knows a thing or two about that this year. While the calendars were still reading the year 2024, they had swapped out their entire goalie tandem. Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen were out, and Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood came in.

Bookmark The Hockey News Colorado Avalanche team site so you never miss the latest news, game day coverage, and information on the Avalanche players.

Further into the season, the Avalanche made many more additions. Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Lindgren, and Jack Drury were a few of the other players acquired during the season.

With that many new faces on the team, concern arises about upsetting the team chemistry. To the players’ credit, that was not the case.

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A Round One Schedule for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is HereNHL Public Relations announced the full schedule for games 1-4 of round one for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday morning. Dates for games 5-7 were also announced with times listed as TBD, meaning they will be announced once or if they become necessary.

“We came back with a lot of the same guys,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said to the media in a scrum after his team’s Game 1 victory over the Dallas Stars. “We were banged up early in the season. We got a look at our guys going into the season, what we liked and didn’t like.” 

“I feel like as a coach we were really lucky,” Bednar revealed. “We re-vamped the most major parts of our lineup.” 

“The two goalies right away, strength down the middle of the ice when you get Drury, Coyle, and Nelson, added some grit and determination on the backend in Lindgren.”

🗣️Jared Bednar

"I can't say enough about the moves that he [Chris MacFarland] made to re-vamp our team."#GoAvsGo | @gs_off_icepic.twitter.com/86IP0NhZxQ

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) April 20, 2025

Blackwood performed admirably in the first playoff game of his career. The 28-year-old stopped 23 of 24 shots to backstop the Avalanche to a 5-1 victory in Game 1.

Not bad for his first playoff game.

“It’s never easy winning (in the) regular season, playoffs it gets harder every single round,” Bednar said. “We feel like we have a good team and it’s up to us to go play our best hockey for two weeks at a time, as far as you can possibly go and try to reward the organization for giving us those players.”

“I can’t say enough about the moves that he made to revamp our team.”

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After holding an optional skate on Friday morning, Martin St-Louis held a regular practice on Saturday. While it was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., at 10:30, most of the players were already on the ice, ready to get going.

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Former assistant coach Alex Burrows was also present and had a long conversation with Montreal Canadiens’ center Jake Evans. Samuel Montembeault revealed the nature of the conversation in the post-practice media availability. The netminder told us that Burrows had been scouting the Washington Capitals for a few weeks already, paying particular attention to their lethal power play.

Once practice started, St-Louis got everyone’s legs going with three vs. three mini-games on a reduced ice surface. Then there were some passing and shooting drills, but not as complete lines. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield always worked together, while Ivan Demidov was always with Patrik Laine.

Then, the focus was squarely on the power play. There was no change to the first unit, with Suzuki, Laine, Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson skating together, but much of the focus was on getting Caufield to unleash shots from the bumper position. Asked how he felt about being deployed there, the diminutive sniper answered that it was a work in progress and that it would depend on how Washington deployed its penalty kill.

On Caufield, the coach said:

He’s progressed tremendously from goal line to goal line on both sides; he’s had to score goals differently a little bit this year; you see him more on the inside. I think it’s important for him not to be a perimeter player, having all those touches in space all the time, the game isn’t going to give you that space all the time. I think especially in the playoffs, you must be willing to play inside regardless of whether you're big-bodied or not.

- Martin St-Louis on Cole Caufield.

On the second until, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Demidov, and Mike Matheson participated in all the drills while Suzuki and Joel Armia alternated. Time will tell if St-Louis has finally decided not to overwork his captain and give him a bit of downtime. It wouldn’t be a bad idea, and it would allow him to be fresher and play better minutes.

After practice, the members of the penalty killing units were whisked away for a meeting to dissect the Capitals’ power play and its weapon of mass destruction, Alexander Ovechkin. Speaking of the Great Eight, Ivan Demidov explained that he watched him play growing up, but he was more of an Evgeni Malkin fan. The youngster is preparing to play in his second professional playoff tournament in the same season. When he was asked what he thought was different between the postseason and the regular season, he said:

The playoffs are a different game than the regular season, you need like more energy.

- Ivan Demidov on the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.

When asked about his feelings about playing the newly minted best goal scorer in league history, Patrik Laine simply replied, “I couldn’t care less.” Clearly, the Finnish sniper doesn’t feel like too much emphasis should be put on Washington’s captain.

Meanwhile, goaltender Samuel Montembeault is ready to finally make his playoffs debut and is excited about the challenge of facing the Caps.  

It was about time, after eight years, to finally get to play some playoff hockey. I’m really excited to do it with this team and am looking forward to Monday.

-

As for how he stayed cool and collected down the stretch while under much pressure, he explained:

I had some meetings with our sports psychologist here. We spoke about staying in the moment and just focusing on your breathing. When you focus on your breathing, you’re not thinking about what’s going to happen in the future or what happened in the past.

- Samuel Montembeault on how he stays calm. 

You can expect some very physical hockey when the puck drops on the series on Monday night in Washington. Josh Anderson mentioned how hard someone like Tom Wilson would play and added that he would do the same for the Canadiens. Caufield was asked how important it was that Slafkovsky played a physical game, and he said:

That’s how he should play every game. He knows it, it’s just about him making that decision himself and leading the way physically, I’d say.

- Cole Caufield on Juraj Slafkovsky

This is an assessment that most fans will agree with. There was a bit of excitement in the air in Brossard. The players were visibly happy to have reached the postseason, as they should be. The bench boss was also in good spirits, even teasing The Athletic’s Arpon Basu when he had to be called on twice to ask his question. St-Louis smiled and asked if he was in Ferris Bueller, giving everyone a good chuckle.

Heineman and Demidov have good releases #GoHsbsGopic.twitter.com/6t2vxi0Vk4

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) April 19, 2025

The Canadiens will hold another practice in Brossard on Sunday morning before taking off for Washington to prepare for game one the following day. Game two is scheduled for Wednesday, and the series will move to Montreal on Friday, when the Bell Center should be filled to the brim with overexcited fans.

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Earlier this season, former New Jersey Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was traded to the Colorado Avalanche by the San Jose Sharks. The move was understandable, as the Avalanche desperately needed help between the pipes, while the Sharks were willing to move Blackwood because of his then-pending unrestricted free agent status. 

The decision to acquire Blackwood certainly has benefited the Avalanche. In 37 regular-season appearances with Colorado after the move this campaign, he had a 22-12-3 record, a 2.33 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage, and three shutouts. Due to this impressive play, Blackwood earned a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension with the Avalanche, which kicks in next season.

Now, Blackwood has gotten the playoffs started on the right foot for the Avalanche. In Game 1 against the Dallas Stars, Blackwood stepped up big time, saving 23 out of 24 shots he faced. That equates to an impressive .958 save percentage on the night.

Blackwood made multiple incredible saves in the process and undoubtedly played a significant role in the Avalanche's 5-1 win over Dallas. Now, Blackwood and the Avalanche will look to keep this kind of play up when they face the Stars next for Game 2 on April 21. 

Blackwood was selected by the Devils with the 42nd overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In 152 games as a Devil over five seasons, he had a 65-57-18 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 2.97 goals-against average. His time in New Jersey came to an end during the 2023 NHL off-season when he was traded to the Sharks for a sixth-round pick.

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New Jersey Devils Star Entering Playoffs Red-HotWhile Timo Meier's numbers were a bit lower than expected for his standards this campaign, he was still one of the New Jersey Devils' top offensive contributors. In 80 regular-season games, the 6-foot-1 winger finished third on the Devils with 26 goals and fourth on the team with 53 points.  Former Devils Goalie Has Thrived With New TeamDuring this past off-season, former New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Nashville Predators. This was after the 32-year-old netminder posted a 16-7-5 record, a .899 save percentage, and a 2.85 goals-against average in 32 games with the Dallas Stars in 2023-24. Devils Superstar Has Hit New Level This SeasonAfter missing the playoffs during the 2023-24 season, the New Jersey Devils certainly bounced back this campaign. The Devils finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 42-33-7 record and secured the third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division. Now, they are set to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the post-season, with the series kicking off on April 20.

As the Kings prepare to open up their first round series against the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth straight year on April 21st, one thing will be dramatically different this time around: Darcy Kuemper.

For the first time since the days of franchise legend, Jonathan Quick, the Kings will have a netminder in place that is capable of stealing games or even an entire series with his play. However, in the three previous series with Edmonton, that wasn't the case for the LA Kings.

In the 2021-22 series, LA was backed by future Hall of Famer and all-time winningest American-born goaltender, Jonathan Quick. Although LA would eventually push the Oilers to seven games, Quick did not play at the level of his previous playoff performances. He finished the series with a save percentage of .904 and a goals against average of 3.43, far off his career playoff numbers with the Kings. In 92 career playoff games with Los Angeles, Quick posted a .921 SV% and a 2.26 GAA. Of course, Quick's gold standard took place in 2012 on LA's first Cup run when he dropped a .946% and a microscopic 1.41 GAA. 

On June 11, 2012, the @LAKings were crowned Stanley Cup champions after a 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Jonathan Quick was named playoff MVP, and Dustin Brown became the first player in #LAKings history to lift the Stanley Cup.#GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/Qa1lLzvysA

— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) June 11, 2024

The post-Quick versions of the Kings-Oilers playoff matchup have seen the Kings try to play around subpar goaltending. Not an ideal situation when facing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. 

In 2022-23, for example, LA started both Joonas Korpisalo and Pheonix Copley, eventually losing again to the Oilers in six games. Both goalies posted numbers that were well inferior to Quick's. Korpisalo registered a .892 SV% and a GAA of 3.77 and Copley was even worse: .750 SV% and a GAA of 4.26. Not remotely good enough to beat anybody in the playoffs, let alone the Oilers.

Last year's battle with Edmonton would see LA go with Cam Talbot in net. After a very solid regular season campaign, Talbot was unable to elevate his game against the Oilers. Talbot started three games against Edmonton and posted a .861 SV% and a GAA of 5.30, while Dave Rittich had a .872 SV% and a GAA of 2.56. Thus, similar to the previous year's series, neither goalie was capable of stealing a game for the Kings. 

This year, however, could be an entirely different story. Darcy Kuemper is coming off one of the best regular seasons of this career. In addition to a 15-game streak of allowing two goals or fewer, the second longest streak since the NHL expanded in 1967-68, Kuemper finished the year with a stingy 2.02 GAA.

With his 27-save shutout victory, Darcy Kuemper has allowed two or fewer goals in 13 consecutive starts and is just the fifth goaltender in the NHL’s expansion era to accomplish such feat, per @NHLPR. pic.twitter.com/scQ7Itst7Y

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) April 5, 2025

More importantly, Kuemper has shown an ability to consistently make tough saves, something that could help LA win a game or two that they have no business winning. As per NHL Edge, Kuemper leads the league with a high-danger shot save percentage of .863.  His career playoff numbers are also superior to the goalies from the previous two series. Overall, Kuemper has a career .908 SV% and a GAA of 2.72, including a 9.02 SV% and a 2.57 GAA during Colorado's successful Stanley Cup run in 2021-22.

While many factors come into play in deciding which team eventually wins a seven-game series, the numbers and the eye test show that the LA Kings should feel very confident about playing in front of Darcy Kuemper this year.

If folks have been paying attention to NHL news cycles the past few weeks, young Montreal Canadiens forward prospect Ivan Demidov has garnered quite the buzz.

Although the 19-year-old Russian forward's impressive talent is on display - he had a goal and two points in the two regular-season NHL games he played prior to the Habs' first-round matchup against the Washington Capitals - he made some headlines Saturday because of his words.

During a media availability Saturday morning, Demidov was asked about facing Alex Ovechkin in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Someone followed up by asking if Ovechkin was one of his idols growing up.

His response?

"Probably in NHL," Demidov said. "But I love Malkin much better than Ovi, you know what I mean?"

Yes, Demidov was a big fan of Pittsburgh Penguins future hall-of-fame center Evgeni Malkin, who - along with Ovechkin - is one of the greatest Russian-born players of all-time. 

Habs rookie Ivan Demidov today:

“I love Malkin much better than Ovechkin.” pic.twitter.com/dkHJSscp3g

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 19, 2025

Malkin, like Demidov, is known for his playmaking, and the 38-year-old has amassed 514 goals and 1,346 points in 1,213 NHL games. He was infamously omitted from the NHL's 100 Greatest Players Of All Time list in 2017. 

In any case, that's one way for Demidov to spark something before going head-to-head with Ovechkin for the very first time in his NHL career - and in the playoffs, nonetheless. 

You can catch Game 1 between Montreal and Washington on Monday, Apr. 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET. 

Laine Saying He 'Couldn't Care Less' Facing Ovechkin In Playoffs Being Taken The Wrong WayMontreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine made headlines on Saturday after appearing to downplay facing Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin in the opening round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!  

Things were going like they intended it for the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday.

Their special teams were strong, they started the game hitting everything that moved, with a whopping 32 in the first period, and their special teams helped them carry a lead into the final 20 minutes.

But the Blues succumbed in a big way. The Winnipeg Jets scored three times, including Kyle Connor's one-timer with 1:36 remaining to rally for a 5-3 win against the Blues at Canada Life Centre.

The Blues, who trail the best-of-7 series 1-0 with Game 2 on Monday at 6:30 p.m., were 35-2-1 in the regular season when leading after two periods. It was almost automatic they would have the capability to close out a game but couldn't on Saturday.

Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou scored power-play goals, Oskar Sundqvist scored and Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.

Let's look at Saturday's Three Takeaways:

* Horrendous third period -- The Blues are usually good at locking down the third, and coach Jim Montgomery has praised the players for their abilities to do so since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Whatever that was on Saturday, this will be a quick series if that same blueprint and way of execution is in play.

Instead of managing the game, the Blues played prevent defense for seemingly 20 minutes, sat back, didn't dictate any play and had just one shot on goal until a meaningless Mathieu Joseph shot on Connor Hellebuyck with seconds remaining.

They had a chance to put a stranglehold on the game with a power play after killing off a Nick Leddy minor to begin the period but Zack Bolduc took an inexplicably bad cross checking minor to negate what was left of it and it seemed the Jets, even through they didn't score on the ensuing power play of their own, fed off the momentum.

"We can’t take that penalty in the playoffs, I do know that," Montgomery said." I thought we killed the penalty pretty good. I can’t say it built momentum for them, but it took us from a situation where I thought we were a little bit in control and then we weren’t."

The Blues managed things until Alex Iafallo tied the game 3-3 when Scheifele took a puck around the net, and was defended well by Thomas, but Cam Fowler jumped into try and defend as well, leaving that side of the ice open. Scheifele's pass hit the side of the net right to an open Iafallo, who deposited a lot shot beyond Binnington's right pad.

Winnipeg goal!

Scored by Alex Iafallo with 10:42 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.

Winnipeg: 3
St. Louis: 3#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/wzVGOAW8Xv

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 20, 2025

The Blues didn't generate any offense because their play with the puck was poor at best. They couldn't string together, forget two passes, they couldn't put one pass together. They kept giving it back in the neutral zone, then had to defend much of the period, getting hemmed in and when they would get it, would give it right back. Then they iced a number of pucks, including Kyrou late that started the sequence that led to Connor's eventual game-winner. Connor had been robbed twice in the game earlier by Binnington.

After Scheifele won the face-off from Thomas, who was 11-for-15, the puck came to the point, Josh Morrissey found Scheifele curling around the net along the left side, a pass to the low circle to Connor for a one-timer and it was 4-3. Adam Lowry iced it with an empty-netter to make it 5-3 at 19:07.

Winnipeg goal!

Scored by Kyle Connor with 01:36 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey.

Winnipeg: 4
St. Louis: 3#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/xfd34lCYDY

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 20, 2025

It was simply a terrible period for the Blues, one of their worst third periods all season and came at an inopportune time.

 "I didn’t think we managed the game very well in the third period," Montgomery said. "Penalties. Puck management. A little bit of our emotions.

"... I didn’t think our puck management and decision-making was quick enough."   

* Need more from Schenn line offensively -- Brayden Schenn will never be questioned for his physical nature; the Blues captain had a game-high nine hits of the Blues' 53 in the game. But with a line of Schenn, Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud, that line had a Corsi-for/Corsi-against of 0-11 in the game.

The Blues will not play beyond Game 4 if they don't get supportive scoring from someone other than the Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours line. Even the fourth line of Radek Faksa, Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker had a Corsi rating of 3-13.

No offense to Snuggerud, playing his first playoff game and eighth NHL game overall, but Saturday was a prime example of the Blues missing Dylan Holloway, who is a big influence in driving that line.

* Special teams did its job -- You can't go wrong when your power-play gets you two goals, like the Blues' did.

And quite frankly, if it wasn't for a lucky bounce off Ryan Suter's stick that gave Scheifele a gift power-play goal himself, the Blues' penalty killers would have been 4-for-4.

But one way to quiet a home crowd as a visiting player is to make the opposition pay with the man advantage.

Thomas made it 1-0 at 9:31 of the first when Cam Fowler kept a puck alive at the point, the second time on a backhand to Thomas, who made no mistake beating Hellebuyck with a wrister high glove.

Power play goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Robert Thomas with 10:29 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Cam Fowler and Pavel Buchnevich.

Winnipeg: 0
St. Louis: 1#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/MJUGEExgAY

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 19, 2025

And after Sundqvist tied it 2-2 with the Blues' only even strength goal at 18:10, Kyrou gave the Blues a 3-2 lead at 1:13 of the second period after a puck was worked around from left to the point to Kyrou, who had acres, it seemed, to skate into a wrister of his own and beat Hellebuyck high blocker (sense a theme here?).

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Oskar Sundqvist with 01:50 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Zack Bolduc and Justin Faulk.

Winnipeg: 2
St. Louis: 2#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/stTQvLE91a

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 19, 2025

Power play goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Jordan Kyrou with 18:47 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours.

Winnipeg: 2
St. Louis: 3#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/Q0QAw0rRrC

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 19, 2025

The Blues finished 2-for-3 with the man advantage and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill, and on most nights, you're winning those hockey games, playoffs or not. Not this night though.

"I think our special teams, ever since 4 Nations, it's been really good," Sundqvist said. "We just keep working on it. And, it's good to get some goals on the power play and killing some penalties off and then we just get back to work tomorrow and see what we need to do 5-on-5."

* Here's what else Montgomery and players said postgame:

“We played a hard game. Lot of good things to take away from this game for sure. It’s one game at a time and we know that.”

Jordan Binnington and Brayden Schenn after Game 1 in Winnipeg. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/Rw7suoyyQC

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 20, 2025

Welcome to the first show of The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.

Playoff Frenzy Live - April 19, 2025 | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

On tonight's show, Emma Lingan and Michael Augello look at the Winnipeg Jets' comeback victory against the St. Louis Blues in the first game of the playoffs.

Will the shaky start for both goaltenders cause any issues later in the series? How did the battle of the Schenn brothers go down? What's something to follow in the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche series?

Check out the show right now and share your opinions in the live chat and in our comment section.

The Vegas Golden Knights flamed out in the first round of the playoffs last year to the Dallas Stars in large part due to HC Bruce Cassidy’s inability to find the best lines. The blame can’t all be put on him as the Golden Knights were ravaged with injuries and did not have enough time to build chemistry among linemates. 

This season, however, is different. No long-term major injuries have leaked into the playoffs, and Cassidy feels comfortable with what he’s seen from his players. 

Heading into a series against a Minnesota Wild team that ranks 15th in goals allowed per game despite an abundance of injuries, Cassidy will go with what’s brought them success throughout the 2024-25 regular season. 

“Karlsson, Olofsson and Smith have been very good since Karly’s comeback, and we got Smitty through trade, so we don’t have to mess around," said Cassidy. "We’ve got Hertl, Dorofeyev and Saad; they’ve been very good together. Hertl missed a few weeks, but in general, they’ve been healthy. So it’s just Jack and Stoney, and then is it Barbie or Howden." 

"Then we got Roy, Kolesar and Pearson, and we have to decide that, but in general, we’re going to revert back to those lines we had earlier because guys have moved around. I think the positive side to losing guys to injury is that you get to look at guys in a more advanced role, so that can come in handy down the road. That's how we’re going to approach it to start and see how it turns out."

Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev have been a mainstay on the top line, recording 462:00 of ice time together.

Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev lead the team in goals and have been complemented nicely by Brandon Saad, who they signed as a free agent after he was cut by the St. Louis Blues. 

Victor Olofsson, who was not known for his defensive game with the Buffalo Sabres, has blossomed this season on that side of the puck and has become the perfect final piece to the formidable duo of William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. 

Smith And Karlsson’s Penalty Killing Pose Additional Offensive Threats For Golden KnightsWilliam Karlsson and Reilly Smith are the Vegas Golden Knights franchise leaders in shorthanded goals and points, and after being reunited at the deadline, they are showing just how dangerous and effective they can be on the penalty kill.

At the moment, Cassidy is unsure about who will be playing on the fourth line. One player out of Nicolas Roy, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolsear and Tanner Pearson will be held out of the Game 1 lineup despite being more than deserving of playing. 

The phrase "it’s a good problem to have" gets thrown around a lot in hockey, mostly when referring to having a plethora of depth options, and no team embodies it more than the Golden Knights. 

With several lineup options to choose from, Cassidy can benefit from being able to switch things quickly when it’s not going the Golden Knights' way and have the trust in his players that they can rely on the chemistry they’ve previously shown. 

The Golden Knights may be the odds-on favourite, but a team rostering Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Joel Erickson-Ek, Mats Zuccarello and Brock Faber will not roll over and let the Golden Knights breeze by. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Storylines Abound When In Opening Round Series Between Golden Knights And Wild, Including Several Head-To-Head MatchupsLAS VEGAS -- There are storylines aplenty across every NHL Playoff series, and will be as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Final. Which Golden Knights Players Have Contract Implications Heading Into The PlayoffsThe Vegas Golden Knights are heading into the playoffs with an abundance of confidence, winning the Pacific Division and ranking second in the Western Conference. Although most of the team is under contract beyond this season, some are not, and that could bode well for the Golden Knights. 

The vibes were high, the crowd was loud, the colour was white.

And the home team got the win. 

Entering the game with an NHL-best 116 points in 82 games, the Winnipeg Jets came out and took the first game of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by a 5-3 final over the eighth-seed St. Louis Blues.

The Saturday night affair was the first scheduled game of the playoffs for any team, and it most certainly did not disappoint.

Kyle Connor scored the winner with just 1:36 remaining off a cross-ice pass from Mark Scheifele, while Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 14 of the 17 shots he faced for his first win of the playoffs. 

A chaotic first period saw four total goals scored, two per team. 

It was an up and down first period for trade deadline acquisition Luke Schenn. He was in the box to see the Blues score the game's opening goal, on a play that left Robert Thomas all alone in the high slot. He didn't miss, and beat Connor Hellebuyck just 39 seconds into the interference minor.

After Scheifele scored a power play goal just moments into a Jake Neighbours slashing call, Schenn set Jaret Anderson-Dolan up for a deflection, leading to Winnipeg's 2-1 lead. His long-range point shot was tipped by both Morgan Barron and Anderson-Dolan, bouncing past Jordan Binnington and into the Blues' net.

But then, Schenn was victimized on a bad bounce later in the period. He blocked a point shot but couldn't corral his rebound. It landed directly on the stick of Oskar Sundqvist, who quickly buried up high, past Hellebuyck, making it 2-2 before the period came to a close.

But before the clock his zeros, Neal Pionk found himself in the box for yet another suspicious call. All three of the first period penalties were questionable at best.

Again, the Blues struck, getting their second of the game shortly into the second. It was Jordan Kyrou who put a perfectly-placed wrist shot through traffic and into the net, making it 3-2 just 1:13 into the middle stanza. 

Kyrou's goal was the difference in the period, with St. Louis holding onto a 3-2 lead through 40 minutes of play. Winnipeg outshot the visitors 10-6 in the frame, pulling ahead to a 17-15 lead entering the third period.

Winnipeg tied things up on a gritty goal from first-line fill-in Alex Iafallo midway through the third. A power move from Scheifele behind the net saw Iafallo grab the puck in close and beat Binnington five-hole. 

Then, with just 1:36 remaining, Connor blasted his first of the postseason into the net - a goal that proved to be the game-winner. Once again, it was Scheifele who picked up the primary assist, helping the Jets to the 4-3 advantage. 

Adam Lowry got the insurance marker, banking a missed Mason Appleton dump in into the empty net, sealing the deal on a Game 1 victory. 

Some minor fisticuffs ensued, but it was the Jets that came out on top 5-3. 

Game 2 goes on Monday night, with the Jets and Blues facing off at 6:30 PM central time. The game will be aired live on Sportsnet.