By Jack Sponagle, The Hockey News Intern

We’ve seen many memorable NHL debuts over the years. Derek Stepan scored a hat trick in his debut with the New York Rangers, Auston Matthews found the net four times in an overtime loss in his first game and Al Hill had five points (two goals and three assists) in his debut with the Philadelphia Flyers back in 1977, which is still an NHL record.

However, what those three players all have in common is that their NHL debut happened early in the regular season. In Stepan and Matthews’ case, it was the first game of the year. Hill had his record-setting game in February.

Many NHL players did not lace up their skates for the first time on opening night. Some had to wait until the last few games of the season or even the playoffs to showcase their big-league talents. 

Lane Hutson

Hutson set a franchise record this season for most points by a rookie defenseman in Montreal Canadiens history, and he looks like a lock to win this year’s Calder Trophy as the league’s most impressive rookie.

This time last year, the 62nd pick in the 2022 draft was making his NHL debut. Following Boston University’s defeat in the Frozen Four, Hutson played his first NHL game in an overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Hutson played two games at the end of last season, registering two assists. 

Matty Beniers

Beniers won the Calder Trophy in 2022-23 after scoring 24 goals and 57 points in 80 games. But Beniers made his NHL debut when he played in the final 10 games of the 2021-22 season, putting up three goals and nine points.

Beniers was the first draft pick in Kraken franchise history when he was chosen second overall in the 2021 draft. He made his NHL debut on April 12, 2022, against Calgary, and managed a primary assist on a Ryan Donato goal in a 5-3 loss. He scored his first career goal against New Jersey on April 16, 2022. 

Ryan Poehling

Before Ivan Demidov, Poehling’s debut had Habs fans talking. The Canadiens played the Toronto Maple Leafs in their final game of the 2018-19 season.

Poehling scored his first career goal in the first period. He would go on to score in the second and third periods to complete his hat trick before adding the shootout winner. This made him the first Habs player to score three goals in his NHL debut since 1943.

Cale Makar

Before Makar won the Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy in 2022, he was a standout collegiate defenseman for UMass Amherst. Following his last game with the Minutemen, he signed a three-year deal with the Avalanche on April 14, 2019.

The next day, he made his debut for Colorado in Game 3 of their playoff series against Calgary. Makar connected on a drop pass from Nathan MacKinnon and scored his first career goal. He became the seventh player and first defenseman to do so in the playoffs. 

Johnny Gaudreau

Another NCAA standout to get his first shot in the NHL in the springtime was the late, great Johnny Gaudreau. His cut-short 10-year NHL career began when he suited up for the Flames' final game of the 2013-14 season.

He signed his entry-level deal on the same day he was awarded the Hobey Baker Award. He debuted against the Vancouver Canucks and scored the Flames’ only goal on his first shot. 

Esa Tikkanen

Tikkanen made his NHL debut during the 1985 playoffs, getting into three games and failing to register a point with three shots on net and two penalty minutes. He was included by Oilers coach Glen Sather in Games 2, 3 and 4 in a 4-1 series victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Tikkanen's brief playoff appearance was enough to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup before his regular-season debut the following year. Tikkanen ended his career with five Stanley Cups.

Jarome Iginla

Iginla became the first 18-year-old to play a game for Calgary since 1983 when he took to the ice against Chicago during the 1996 playoffs.

The morning after Iginla’s Kamloops Blazers were ousted from the WHL playoffs, Iginla flew to Calgary to make his debut. He put up a goal and an assist in his first two games. Iginla made his debut wearing the No. 24, not the iconic No. 12 that hangs from the Saddledome rafters.

Brett Hull

The NHL’s fifth-highest all-time goal-scorer made his debut in the playoffs with Calgary during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final against Montreal in 1986. Hull had just posted a 52-goal, 84-point season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Canadian-born American citizen played two playoff games in 1986 and went pointless. 

Mark Stone

Long before Stone roused debates about the long-term injured reserve being used as a way to subvert the salary cap, he was lighting the WHL on fire with a 41-goal, 123-point season with the Brandon Wheat Kings during in the 2011-12 season.

On April 21, 2012, Stone was added to the Ottawa Senators’ lineup for Game 5 against the New York Rangers in the first round. Stone assisted on Jason Spezza’s game-winning goal. 

Mike Richter

The final inclusion is the only goalie to be featured on this list. Richter played 666 games with the Rangers from 1989-90 to 2002-03. But his maiden voyage in the NHL came in the 1989 playoffs, when New York faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Patrick Division semifinal. Richter allowed four goals on 30 shots in the game, which saw the Penguins come out on top.

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Breaking down the best value bets, futures to take and strategies to look out for ahead of the first round matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings

The Oilers and Kings battle for the fourth straight time in the first round. Edmonton has claimed all three series so far with LA desperately looking to get out of the shadow of their big brother. It's been a long time coming as the Oilers hold an all-time 36-18 playoff record with six straight series wins over the Kings dating back to 1989.

Things will most likely get heated after last year's first round matchup saw one game reach 92 penalty minutes as a flurry of brawls broke out in the third period after the Oilers went up 6-1 in Game three. LA looks like they'll have the best chance yet to get over the Edmonton hump after finishing with four more points and securing home ice advantage that could go far for a Kings team that has the best home record in the NHL at 31-6-4 through 41 games.

 More NHL: The Battle of Ontario Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Futures for Maple Leafs versus Senators

It should make for a thrilling series with some of the best players in the world on display like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Anze Kopitar. It should make for must-see tv and a series of games that any hockey fan won't want to miss. We want to add to your viewing enjoyment by providing a couple betting options that should enhance the viewing experience as you win some money along the way.

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

LA Kings +1.5 (-178)

Edmonton has been plagued by injuries down the final stretch of the season with a 14-13-1 record over their last 28 games which places them behind the likes of the Sabres, Utah Hockey Club and Flames during that span. It's not great to enter the postseason playing worse than some non-playoff teams but the Oilers did manage to win seven of their last ten games with McDavid and Draisaitl battling injuries.

More NHL: Predicting Which Wild Card Team Can Upset Top Divisional Seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Edmonton will also be without forward Evander Kane and possibly Zach Hyman, who is day-to-day with their biggest loss being key blueliner Mattias Ekholm. The Kings certainly don't have the same level of high-end talent that the Oilers have but LA has been playing as a cohesive unit for most of the season with almost no injuries.

Kuemper does his best HOLTBY impression 🤯👑Los Angeles Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper robs Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz with an unbelievable stick save reminiscent of Braden Holtby's miraculous s...

The Kings have also handled the Oilers through their season series with a 3-1-0 record, a 12 to four goal ratio and netminder Darcy Kuemper earning back-to-back shutouts in the final two matchups. This series should feature many under games like most LA Kings games are and it should keep them in this series to the very end.

Betting Strategies: Rely On Elite Goaltending

Under bets have been a regular for us and the Kings as they secured the second-best goals against average this season at 2.48 that improves to 1.98 when playing at home. This should keep almost every one of these games low-scoring with four of their last six Kings-Oilers matchups totalling under six goals.

I expect Kuemper to play the biggest role in this after going on a tear through his final 16 starts of the season with a league-best 13-3-0 record, a 1.27 goals against average and a .946 save percentage. The last time Kuemper was in the postseason was the 2022 Playoffs, where he helped lift the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup with a 10-4-0 record and a 2.57 goals against average. He should be a difference maker for this team but also don't count out the goaltender in the opposing crease.

Many Oiler fans having been doubting Stuart Skinner once again after finishing with a 2.81 goals against average but a .896 save percentage this season. If the Edmonton native can dial back in to what he accomplished last postseason, we should see almost all these games go under as Skinner finished with a 14-9 record and a 2.45 goals against average. 

More NHL: Blues Enter Stanley Cup Playoffs As Dark Horse Contender

The New York Rangers may already have a top coaching candidate in mind with Peter Laviolette officially out of the picture. 

While Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said he’s open to hiring a first-time head coach if the fit is right, he reportedly prefers someone with experience according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today. 

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has already emerged as a potential target for Drury. 

“The guy that I believe that Drury is targeting No. 1 on his list is not technically available, that would be Mike Sullivan, the two-time Stanley Cup winning coach from the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Mercogliano said. “He has two years remaining on his deal with Pittsburgh and said to the media in Pittsburgh on Friday that he plans on continuing to coach the Penguins. 

“I’ve heard that there could be some wiggle room there. I know the Rangers are waiting to find out if there is any chance of prying him away. I do believe Drury thinks highly of Sullivan. They have connections through USA Hockey.”

Pittsburgh’s struggles over the past couple of seasons have led to some rumblings about Sullivan’s future with the team and his potential departure. 

However, when addressing the media after the season on Friday, Sullivan made clear that he intends to remain with the Penguins. 

“My intentions are to be the head coach moving forward,” Sullivan said.

Things could obviously change and words are just words, but given Sullivan’s contract situation and his recent statements, prying him away from his current situation may be difficult.

For the record, the Ottawa Senators' rebuild lasted 2,878 days—that’s 412 weeks, or 7 years, 10 months, and 5 days. Along the way, some moments may have signalled the end, but calling the rebuild officially over always felt subjective.

On Sunday night in Toronto, as the Senators hit the ice to end the NHL’s third-longest active playoff drought, there’s no room for debate: the rebuild is finally, truly over. This is a better team. Better coaching. Better management. Better ownership.

Better everything.

Now the question becomes: Are they better than the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Based on the regular season standings, no. Toronto finished with 52 wins to Ottawa’s 45 and ended up 11 points ahead in the standings. Eleven. Numerologists among the Ottawa fanbase will have a field day with that one.

Assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson and head coach Travis Green are the only remaining bridges to the playoff wars of Ontario from a quarter-century ago. If history matters—and it probably doesn’t—it’s this: the Senators won all three games against Toronto in the regular season.

Sure, it doesn’t count for anything now. But it gives the Sens a little boost of confidence heading into a series where this young core has no reason to believe they can’t beat Toronto.

Since the start of March, following the Four Nations Face-Off, these two teams have been among the NHL’s hottest. And both are expected to be fully healthy for Game 1. Beyond the natural geographical rivalry, history adds some heat. Leafs fans are desperate to see a team that’s won one playoff series in 20 years take another step—and maybe, finally, end a 58-year Stanley Cup drought.

Senators fans, on the other hand, would love nothing more than to get revenge for the franchise’s 0-for-4 playoff record against Toronto and shut up the blue-and-white invasion that floods their building every time the Leafs come to town.

Game 1 Lineup Watch

At Ottawa’s game-day skate, the biggest surprise was seeing Matthew Highmore slotting in on the fourth line at left wing, with agitator Nick Cousins skating as the extra. Unless Cousins has had an injury setback, seeing him in the press box for Game 1 would definitely raise eyebrows.

Projected Senators Lineup:

Interestingly, while Ottawa might leave a Florida Panthers Cup winner out of the lineup, Toronto will lean heavily on two of them.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson returns for Game 1 after missing the final three games of the season with an upper-body injury. And 6'6", 240-pound Anthony Stolarz will make his first NHL playoff start at 31 years old.

And he could be a serious problem for Ottawa.

Stolarz went 21-8-3 this season with a 2.14 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Even scarier? He ended the season on an 8-0-0 tear, posting a 1.37 GAA, a .950 save percentage, and three shutouts.

But again, regular-season numbers just don’t matter anymore.

Projected Maple Leafs Lineup:

Forwards:

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Domi – Tavares – Nylander

McMann – Holmberg – Robertson

Lorentz – Laughton – Järnkrok

Defense:

Rielly – Carlo

McCabe – Tanev

Ekman-Larsson – Benoit

Goalies:

Stolarz
Woll 

Series Schedule:

Game 1: Sunday, April 20 – 7:00 PM ET

Game 2: Tuesday, April 22 – 7:30 PM ET

Game 3: Thursday, April 24 – 7:00 PM ET 

Game 4: Saturday, April 26 – 7:00 PM ET

If necessary:

Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 – Time TBD

Game 6: Thursday, May 1 – Time TBD

Game 7: Saturday, May 3 – Time TBD

The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs have started, this time without an appearance from the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the Canucks not making the postseason, there are still many teams and individual players that fans can cheer for. Here’s a list of who Canucks fans should cheer for during this season’s playoffs. 

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Nate Schmidt and Jonah Gadjovich 

Two former Canucks now on the Florida Panthers, Nate Schmidt and Jonah Gadjovich are two players who Canucks fans could root for throughout the playoffs. Schmidt was traded to the Canucks during the 2020 off-season and played 54 games with Vancouver before requesting a trade elsewhere. He ended up with the Winnipeg Jets for three seasons before moving on to Florida. This season, he had five goals and 14 assists in 78 games played. 

Gadjovich was drafted by the Canucks in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft and remained with the organization until 2021. He played one game for Vancouver. Last season, he won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Panthers organization. 

Anthony Beauvillier 

Another former Canuck with a limited sample size in Vancouver, Anthony Beauvillier and the Washington Capitals are on a quest to win the franchise their second Stanley Cup. Beauvillier was acquired by the Canucks in the 2023 Bo Horvat trade. He played 55 games with the team before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in November of the same year. In his time with Vancouver, he scored 11 goals and 17 assists. 

Jalen Chatfield and Spencer Martin 

The Carolina Hurricanes will also be entering the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with two former Canucks. Jalen Chatfield, now a lineup regular with the Hurricanes, played 18 games with Vancouver and spent four seasons with the Canucks organization. In his time with Vancouver, he potted three assists. He had 18 points in 78 games played this season and averaged nearly 20 minutes a night with Carolina. 

Spencer Martin was a rock for the Canucks when they needed him to be. He faced 218 shots in his first six NHL games with the Canucks and didn’t let in more than two goals in each game. In his second NHL game, he faced 50 shots and carried his team to overtime. He left the Canucks organization after being claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets in September 2023. Another interesting tidbit about him is that Martin and Gadjovich are in-laws. 

Jacob Markström

Most Canucks fans know of Jacob Markström and his time with Vancouver. Acquired as part of the trade that sent Roberto Luongo back to the Panthers, Markström spent seven seasons as a member of the Canucks before he signed with the Calgary Flames in 2020. He made his mark on the Canucks organization in the 2019–20 season, backstopping his team to multiple wins despite facing 1420 shots in 43 games played. Markström is now entering his third career playoff run, this time with the New Jersey Devils. 

The Ottawa Senators 

Who doesn’t love a feel-good postseason story? The Ottawa Senators will play in their first playoff game since their Conference Finals loss in 2017. Not only do they sport a talented crop of young players, their roster also features some former Canucks. Senators Head Coach Travis Green spent almost five seasons with Vancouver, helping the team to their Bubble Playoff run in 2020. Also behind the Senators’ bench are former Canucks Assistant Coaches Nolan Baumgartner (2017–2021) and Mike Yeo (2022–2024). 

Also on the Senators are former Canucks Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Matthew Highmore, and Zack MacEwen. Gaudette was drafted by the Canucks in 2015 and spent three full seasons with Vancouver. Hamonic, a two-year member of the Canucks, spent a good chunk of his playing time with current Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes. Highmore was with the Canucks organization from the 2020–21 season to the 2021–22 season, putting up 17 points in 64 games. Ironically enough, he and Gaudette were traded for one-another in 2021. MacEwen, who played 55 games for Vancouver, is most remembered for standing up for Nils Höglander after he was tossed around by current Canuck Derek Forbort in 2021. 

Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson 

This may be a polarizing take. An original member of the 2011 Stanley Cup-contending team, Chris Tanev should be an easy pick for who Canucks fans should cheer for in the playoffs. However, Tanev also plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that many fans are opposed to cheering for. The toothy veteran spent a decade with the Canucks before joining Markström and signing with the Flames in 2020. This is his first season with the Leafs, a team that he signed a six-year contract with in 2024. 

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the other former Canuck on the Leafs that Canucks fans could cheer for. He wasn’t the most popular player during his tenure on the team, as most people will remember him for his contract that is still impacting Vancouver to this day. However, he did experience a rebound with the Panthers last season and has been a steady defender for his current price. 

The Winnipeg Jets 

Another Canadian team with ties to Vancouver, the Winnipeg Jets are a team Canucks fans could root for while feeling relatively safe in their choice. While Winnipeg has a history of not performing in the playoffs, they have one of the NHL’s best goaltenders in Connor Hellebuyck. They have been the strongest Canadian team during the regular season, finishing the season with 116 points and collecting the President’s Trophy (although, this in itself may be a bad omen). As well, the Jets recently acquired former Canuck fan-favourite Luke Schenn, who will be on the hunt for the third Stanley Cup of his career. Schenn joined the Canucks twice throughout his career — by trade in 2019 and by free-agency in 2021. 

The Montréal Canadiens 

The Montréal Canadiens are this season’s personification of an underdog team. Squeaking into the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Canadiens beat out a number of mid-tier teams to clinch their playoff spot. They are propelled by a youthful core that Canucks fans don’t see enough in one season to have a rivalry with. Another plus to cheering for them is that Canucks Ring of Honour member, Alex Burrows, is still part of their organization. A Canadiens Stanley Cup win would be Burrows’ first. 

Troy Stetcher 

Rooting for the man once known as Tony Stretcher is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the former four-year Canuck would win his first Stanley Cup — on the other hand, the Edmonton Oilers would also win. Given the fact that the Oilers knocked the Canucks out of the playoffs last season, it may not be as joyous to cheer for Stetcher as it would be for other teams. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

To cap off the first day of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche put up five goals to the Dallas Stars' one to take Game 1 in their first-round series against the Dallas Stars.

The Stars have had little luck in their seven past series openers, going 0-8 as of Saturday night. Even the end of their regular season looked bleak, with seven straight losses leading up to Saturday's game. Despite those statistics, Stars Head Coach Pete DeBoer said during his postgame availability that Saturday's loss was "probably the best game we've played in three or four weeks." This was evident, as through the first and most of the second period, the Stars looked like the better team. The Avalanche looked sluggish to start, capitalized by a lackluster 5-on-3 opportunity in the first period that only yielded three shots on goal.

It seems that killing off that opportunity sparked a hefty amount of motivation for the Stars, which started to slowly dwindle as the Avalanche got strange bounces from Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon that both resulted in goals to put them ahead 2-0 going into the third period.

Artturi Lehkonen's playoff magic has been activated 🪄#GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferentpic.twitter.com/8Er7hPYWdu

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 20, 2025

Roope Hintz got the Stars on the board just under seven minutes into the third period, a late power-play goal scored as he tipped a shot ripped by Thomas Harley from the blue line.

From there, the floodgates opened for the Avalanche, and they managed to put three more past Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger before the final buzzer sounded.

Devon Toews buried a back-door goal off a long pass from Josh Manson, #42's first point since returning from an injury that's kept him out of the lineup since March 14th. Oettinger was pulled, and MacKinnon capitalized with an empty-net goal with just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation. Charlie Coyle punctuated the 5-1 win with a snap right in front of Oettinger that started with Parker Kelly winning a board battle and finding Jack Drury, who eventually found Coyle in front of the net.

Goaltending Won Out

Mackenzie Blackwood has been in the NHL since the 2018-19 season when he debuted with the New Jersey Devils. Despite many years of experience, he has not played a single playoff game - that is, until Saturday night. 

With that said, he didn't miss a beat. 

Blackwood put on a Vezina Trophy-worthy performance on Saturday, the only goal allowed being a deflection that not many other goaltenders would have been able to stop even with a stick, which Blackwood was without when the puck got past him.

A recap of Mackenzie Blackwood's first playoff appearance 🧱#GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferentpic.twitter.com/sH6aUpEp0Z

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 20, 2025

Coach Bednar reiterated on Altitude Sports Radio on Wednesday that, while he thinks goaltender Scott Wedgewood has played extremely well lately, Blackwood is their starter. With multiple chances created by Dallas in the first 40 minutes, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native proved exactly why he deserves the role. His performance earned him the player-chosen big hat in the locker room postgame.

With that said, and despite the three-goal onslaught in the third period, Oettinger also showed why he commands as much respect as he does in the league through the first 40 minutes of the game.

Excellent puck tracking here by Oettinger following this puck through traffic and off his body.

Look at how locked in his eyes are on the puck following both shots, and how quickly he gets reset for the next shot. pic.twitter.com/FPOz8kGIYQ

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) April 20, 2025

Both goaltenders forced their opposition to create more challenging opportunities, whether it was a greasy goal like Lehkonen's, a deflection like Hintz's, or making the right pass at the right time like Manson to Toews.

Ross Colton Left During the Third

The Colorado Avalanche went into Saturday's game with five healthy scratches - or five options, as Head Coach Jared Bednar alluded to following morning skate.

One of those options may be stepping up in Monday's Game 2 as forward Ross Colton left Saturday's game in the third period with a lower-body injury. Coach Bednar said further updates can be expected on Sunday.

Forward scratches include Jimmy Vesey, Miles Wood, and captain Gabriel Landeskog, who made his return to professional hockey on April 11th in a game with the Colorado Eagles (Avalanche AHL affiliate).

Matt Stienburg was also called up from the Eagles, per the playing roster posted on the NHL media site. Stienburg earned a 2-game suspension early in the regular season after a dangerous hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Erik Cernak. He served the first game on Saturday, so he will not be an option until after Game 2 on Monday.

What's Next?

The Avalanche look to continue their push in Dallas as they gear up for Game 2 on Monday, April 21st at 7:30 pm MT/8:30 pm CT.

Games 3 and 4 will be played at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday, April 23rd, and Saturday, April 26th.

The Vegas Golden Knights begin their quest for their second Stanley Cup with a first-round battle against the Minnesota Wild. 

The Golden Knights finished the season as the two seed in the Western Conference, while the Wild finished as the seventh seed. Despite that, the series is highly anticipated and will be increasingly difficult with the recent returns of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jared Spurgeon.

Like the Wild, the Golden Knights step into the playoffs at full health, with depth aplenty. Jack Eichel recently returned from an upper-body injury, Alex Pietrangelo was able to nurse a lingering ailment, and Adin Hill was given ample rest.

Although HC Bruce Cassidy hasn't confirmed what his lineup will look like, he mentioned recently that he'd like to continue to use what's been successful in the regular season. 

The Golden Knights projected lines:

Barbashev-Eichel-Stone
Saad-Hertl-Dorofeyev
Smith-Karlsson-Olofsson
Howden-Roy-Kolsear

Hanifin-Pietrangelo
McNabb-Theodore
Hague-Whitecloud

Hill
Samsonov

Extras: Pearson, Holtz, Schwindt, Rondbjerg, Korczak, Hutton and Schmid

The Golden Knights are statistically better offensively and defensively than the Wild and hold a large advantage on the power play. The Golden Knights ranked second on the power play during the regular season, and the Wild ranked 30th on the penalty kill. Special teams are important to playoff success and the Golden Knights hold the early advantage. 

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM PST at T-Mobile Arena. 

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.  "I think he is one of the most under appreciated defensemen in the league," Golden Knights Head Coach Hands Out High Praise For Defensive DefensemanVegas 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.

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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