Author: NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Posted on

PWHL expanding to Las Vegas and Hamilton next season

The PWHL is officially expanding to Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ont., for the 2026-27 season, the league announced Wednesday.

The Las Vegas franchise, which The Athleticreported on Tuesday, will play its home games at T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The rink has a capacity of 17,500 for hockey and boasts one of the best atmospheres in the NHL. Hamilton will play at TD Coliseum, which recently underwent a $300 million renovation.

Vegas and Hamilton follow Detroit as part of the PWHL’s second wave of expansion, which could include a fourth franchise. The three new teams will join the league’s eight current markets in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Minnesota, New York and Seattle.

The PWHL hosted a successful neutral-site game in Hamilton in January, with 16,012 fans at TD Coliseum — the third-largest “Takeover Tour” crowd of the season. There is a school of thought that a team in Hamilton could siphon support from the league’s Toronto franchise, which plays just 40 miles from TD Coliseum. However, according to the league’s press release, over 70 percent of Hamilton’s “Takeover Tour” ticket buyers purchased their first-time PWHL game ticket, “underscoring the league’s opportunity to reach a distinct audience,” even with two other teams located in Ontario.

There’s a chance Hamilton could draw some Toronto Sceptres fans from the Greater Toronto Area, but the city is also within commuting distance from southern Ontario cities such as St. Catharines, Kitchener, Waterloo and London.

“The response we saw during our Takeover Tour game at TD Coliseum made it clear that fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations.

Hamilton’s expansion effort was made in partnership with Oak View Group, which operates TD Coliseum, and the city of Hamilton. The league will continue to operate under its single-entity ownership model, where Mark Walter — the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers — and his wife, Kimbra, own the PWHL and all of its teams.

Expanding to Las Vegas is somewhat of a departure from the norm for the PWHL, which launched its first three expansion teams in markets that were part of the “Takeover Tour.” Still, according to Amy Scheer, the league’s executive vice president of business operations, “Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own.”

Las Vegas has rapidly become a hub for major professional sports. According to the PWHL’s press release, since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season in 2017, youth hockey participation in Nevada has surged, particularly among girls and women, by 600 percent.

“From the staggering growth of youth hockey participation to the passionate support for the Golden Knights and Aces,” said Scheer, “the Las Vegas community has enthusiastically embraced both hockey and women’s sports.”

The PWHL’s expansion to Vegas also widens the league’s footprint to the American Southwest. According to the release, the city’s accessibility, hospitality infrastructure and world-class facilities make Vegas a “strong long-term fit for the PWHL.” The Golden Knights and MGM Resorts International, which is a part owner of T-Mobile Arena, supported the league’s expansion efforts to Vegas.

“The arrival of the PWHL in Vegas is a milestone for women’s hockey and our entire community,” said John Penhollow, the Vegas Golden Knights president of business operations. “We’re proud of how far youth hockey has come locally, and even more excited about the path forward and opportunities ahead for future generations.”

As part of Wednesday’s announcement, the league revealed each team’s official colors and said team names and logos will be announced at a later date. Hamilton’s team colors will be gold, maroon and cream; Vegas will wear green and gold.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, Vancouver Goldeneyes, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, Sports Business, Women's Hockey, NHL, women's sports

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Posted on

Maple Leafs fire coach Craig Berube after two seasons

The Toronto Maple Leafs brought Craig Berube in as coach in 2024 because of his championship pedigree.

But he was fired after his second season in Toronto with the Maple Leafs missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

"Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person," new GM John Chayka said in a statement. "This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward."

The May 13 move follows the March 30 firing of general manager Brad Treliving and gives whoever's hired a clean slate at coach.

Berube, who won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, got the Maple Leafs to the second round last season before losing to the Panthers in a Game 7 rout at home.

This season was always going to be tough because they lost free agent Mitch Marner in a sign and trade. But the Maple Leafs hovered around .500 before getting to eight games over in mid-January.

The Leafs had eight consecutive losses coming out of the Olympic break. After a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators in which the Leafs were badly outshot on Feb. 28, Berube pointed to his heart and to his head and said of the players, "They've got to bring the heart and the competitiveness that's needed."

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube looks on from the bench during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Arena.

The Maple Leafs were sellers ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Scott Laughton was moved to the Los Angeles Kings, and Bobby McMann went to the Seattle Kraken. Nicolas Roy was moved to the Colorado Avalanche a day earlier.

Captain Auston Matthews was limited to 60 games, including having his season end on a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim's Radko Gudas.

But the team's biggest problem was defensive play as the Maple Leafs gave up the second most goals in the league.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Craig Berube fired as Maple Leafs coach after not making playoffs

Posted on

AHL Playoff Update: Bill Zonnon’s electric debut

Yesterday started with Kyle Dubas praising Bill Zonnon as the 2025 first round draft pick was about to turn pro full time. To say Penguin management is impressed with Zonnon’s habits would be an understatement after the player showed he was going above and beyond to watch and learn the system before even joining the team.

Zonnon put that preparation to good use when he scored the go-ahead goal that stood as the game winner in Wilkes-Barre’s 2-0 Game 1 victory over Springfield.

Needless to say the Atlantic Division Finals were not too big of a stage for the 19-year old to make his AHL debut. The Penguins took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series against Springfield.

Here was the Pens’ lineup for the night.

Sergei Murashov only needed to stop 24 shots, the quantity not sounding like much but it doesn’t tell the whole tale of how good the goaltending was and needed to be. Murashov was deservedly named the number one star of the game and was the best player on the ice all night long, especially during a critical juncture in the second period when he had to be extremely sharp to keep the puck out of the net. What he lacked in total saves that needed to be made was more than made up for by the quality of stops required.

Harrison Brunicke wasn’t too far behind Murashov as far as top-performing players on the night. It has certainly been an unconventional and path-less-traveled type of season for Brunicke. Rocky at times even, in a year that spanned playing games across different leagues, levels and tournaments fromthe NHL. AHL, WHL to the WJC. Based on his play in the AHL playoffs, Brunicke has come out of the storm just fine. His defensive play looks much more confident and steady. His reads and stopping ability have increased, he uses his stick effectively. Overall he just looks like a stronger player whether it’s been boxing guys out in front of the net, tossing them aside from the goalies after whistles or using his body to shield pucks as he carries them. Maybe it was going back to junior and getting the chance to play huge minutes and grow. Maybe a light just went of and he would have been fine by now no matter what happened. No matter how the particulars, Brunicke looks like a different and better version of himself compared to the one who had an AHL conditioning stint early in the regular season.

Tanner Howe scored a third period insurance goal to boost the lead to 2-0.

In the end, Game 1 will be remembered as the Zonnon debut. Springfield’s goalie, Georgi Romanov has arguably been the early player of the playoffs so far in the AHL. Romanov’s 5-1 record and .954 save% in the first two rounds of the playoffs were a leading reason why the Thunderbirds pulled off upsets over Charlotte and Providence. Romanov had the Pens blanked too until Zonnon made it happen with his goal.

The Pittsburgh organization has to continue to be pleased with how this playoff run is going. Murashov has been stellar, Brunicke is showing out and seemingly growing by the game and now their latest player to join the fray in Zonnon has made an immediate impact to show why they were so excited to get him into their organization. Vibes are strong, all signs pointing in the right direction as Wilkes heads into Game 2 tomorrow night.

Posted on

New York Islanders Alumni Josh Bailey To Be Inducted Into New York State Hockey Hall of Fame

During the second intermission of the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabers' Game 4 matchup, it was shared that New York Islanders alumnus Josh Bailey will be enshrined in the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame this summer. 

The announcement came as ESPN announced broadcaster Steve Levy will be a part of this year's class. Sharing the announcement on the air, Bailey was named one of eight inductees in this year's class. 

Bailey, a lifetime Islander, was drafted with the 9th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. The forward became a mainstay after his debut on Nov. 11, 2008, playing in 1,057 games with the franchise. He is one of only three players to reach the milestone with the team. 

He recorded 184 goals and 396 assists for 580 points in 15 seasons on Long Island. He sits in fourth and seventh in Islanders history in assists and points, respectively. 

However, the playoffs were where Bailey truly made his mark. In 71 games, he recorded 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points, helping New York to a pair of third-round appearances in his career. He also added a pair of overtime winners, both against the Pittsburgh Penguins, including his iconic Game 1 goal in the team's first postseason game back at Nassau Coliseum in 2019. 

His Islanders career came to a close on June 29, 2023, when he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with a second-round pick for future considerations. His contract was brought out later that afternoon, and Bailey didn't play another NHL game despite signing a pro tryout with the Ottawa Senators the following preseason. 

Today, Bailey can be found in the broadcast booth, working alongside Alan Fuehring on Islanders broadcasts on the New York Islanders Radio Network. 

He will become the fifth Islanders player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Forward John Tonelli was enshrined in 2023, and legends Ken Morrow, Denis Potvin and Ed Westfall joined him one year later. Hall of Fame journalist Stan Fischler was also inducted in 2023. 

The 2026 Induction Ceremony will take place on July 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy. More information is available here. 

Posted on

Flyers Captains Go To Bat For Matvei Michkov

Understandably, Matvei Michkov is going to be the talk of the Philadelphia Flyers world this summer, but the team's captains all took moments to stand up for the sophomore forward after a challenging second season in the NHL.

Flyers captain Sean Couturier, as well as alternate captains Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim, commendably offered words on Michkov's unique situation while being able to put themselves in his shoes, defending a young player who's been in the spotlight non-stop.

Michkov, 21, ended his 2025-26 season on the bench with the Flyers losing 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and whether we believe it to be right or wrong, it was what the coaching staff and team decided.

The Russian phenom still scored 51 points this season, though, and now knows what is expected of him and his game in the postseason.

This is all while barely being able to communicate with teammates and staff effectively, living in North America for not even two years.

"I remember when I was his age, trying to find my way. It's not easy, and I couldn't imagine with the language barrier. But he's a guy that's always putting in the work," Konecny said of Michkov at his exit interview Tuesday.

NHL Insider Cautions Flyers Against Matvei Michkov Trade: 'You Can't Find Guys Like This'NHL Insider Cautions Flyers Against Matvei Michkov Trade: 'You Can't Find Guys Like This'NHL insider Elliotte Friedman likens the current Philadelphia Flyers saga with Matvei Michkov to the controversial Cutter Gauthier debacle from just a few years ago.

It was just last year that we would come out with stories of Michkov coming home from an afternoon game and going back to the rink, coming out for practice early, staying for practice late, so on and so forth.

He's still the same kid he was.

"He's always in the shooting room, he's always on the ice doing extra stuff. So that part of it's there. It's just trying to find where he's comfortable, at dinner, or wherever it is, to help him get to that next step," Konecny continued. "

I couldn't imagine going over and trying to understand Russian for two years. I'd be pretty lost at times, too. But when he's doing good things and he's scoring goals and he's making good plays, you just make sure you're there to pat him on the back, 'Hey, this is the good stuff. You do this over and over, you'll be a heck of a player.'"

Couturier, who broke in to the NHL himself as a teenager, shared Konecny's sentiment.

"I can't imagine the language barrier at a young age, coming overseas," Couturier said. "It's only his second year in the league, and I'm sure he's going to learn from this past year. Knowing him, knowing his character, I know he's going to be super motivated to prove everyone wrong next year. That's what you want to see."

NHL Mock Draft: Flyers Need to Avoid Repeating This MistakeNHL Mock Draft: Flyers Need to Avoid Repeating This MistakeThe Philadelphia Flyers have no reason to continue reaching in the NHL draft as the latest mock draft suggests they will.

"The pressure that's been put on him is a lot higher than anyone else has had. He's just like anyone else: we've all been through struggles and good times," added Sanheim. "Obviously, it's been difficult with the language barrier the last couple years. I think he's gotten better and understands a lot more. So, you can start to have more conversations with him, and better conversations... ones that feel like you're getting somewhere."

So, that about sums it up for the Flyers and Michkov through two seasons. The common denominators are age and inexperience, as well as the language barrier. This was anticipated well in advance, but it's something everyone has to work towards to collectively benefit the Flyers in the long term.

Michkov's KHL contract would have originally expired this summer, but the timeline for his arrival was instead sped up by two years by his own accord.

Going into 2026-27, Michkov will have two years of the NHL and North American life under his belt to build on and reference, which should only help him as the Flyers and his teammates learn to better work with him, and vice versa.

Posted on

On this date in Penguins history: Pittsburgh blows by Caps in Game 7

WASHINGTON - MAY 13: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals is stopped by Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during first period action in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center May 13, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Seventeen years ago today, the Penguins blew past the Washington Capitals in a series-deciding game on the road, sending Pittsburgh to the Eastern Conference Final for a second straight season.

It was 2009. The Penguins and the Capitals were putting on a show for the hockey world with six games of what felt like uncontrolled chaos where no lead was safe.

From dueling hat tricks to overtime thrillers, Pittsburgh and Washington were facing off in a Game 7that would help define the legacy of their team — and the pressure was intense.

Three of the six games in the series had gone to overtime and this night in D.C., it was win or go home.

Alex Ovechkin had scored seven goals in six games, so who better else to have an early breakaway with a chance to ignite the home crowd?

Marc-Andre Fleury thought otherwise.

Fleury’s save may have been a wakeup call for the Penguins, who responded with two hectic periods of hockey as they coasted to victory.

Two goals eight seconds apart from Sidney Crosby and Craig Adams broke the scoreless tie in the first period.

Three goals in quick succession from Bill Guerin, Kris Letang, and Jordan Staal made things 5-0 and put the game on cruise control.

Posted on

DitD & Open Post – 5/13/26: Fingerprints Edition

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MARCH 14: Arseny Gritsyuk #81 of the New Jersey Devils skates off the ice after a NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Prudential Center on March 14, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

A new name in the front office:

“It’s hard to view this addition as anything but a big positive. Birch served as the director of hockey operations and salary cap management for the league’s most successful team in recent years. As noted when rumors first surfaced, his fingerprints were all over a lot of crafty contract work with the Florida Panthers.” [Infernal Access]

“After nearly five seasons in the KHL, Arseny Gritsyuk made his way to North America and played his first NHL season with the New Jersey Devils in 2025-26. His counting totals weren’t overly impressive, but a peek underneath the hood shows Gritsyuk was one of the Devils’ best forwards. Since he signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Devils for 2025-26, he will need a new deal as a restricted free agent this offseason. What could the Devils pay Gritsyuk? And does it make sense to go long-term?” [Devils on the Rush]

“With a new regime underway in New Jersey, one run by a progressive-thinking, analytics-fluent individual in Sunny Mehta, we can anticipate quite a few changes to philosophies with the Devils. One such area in which the Devils will need to shift the paradigm to have more success is in drafting.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links

A six-game suspension for Charlie McAvoy:

An interesting little tiff:

Charlie Coyle gets a six-year deal:

On the potential Stanley Cup Final matchups we could see: “Let’s look ahead to what June could bring, ranked from the least to the most enticing, based purely on the narratives that people like me will beat into the ground.” [The Athletic ($)]

“Owen Tippett did not play for the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Second Round because of an internal bleeding issue, the forward said Tuesday. Tippett sustained the injury during the Flyers’ six-game series win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.” [NHL.com]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Posted on

Canadiens Fall 3-2 To Sabres As Bad Bounce Proves Key

After two emphatic wins over the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens were hosting the fourth game of the series on Tuesday night with an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series with a 3-1 win. Despite telling the press that the loss wasn’t on Alex Lyon on Tuesday, Lindy Ruff opted to bring Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back between the posts, despite his last game dating back to April 21 and the fact that he allowed seven goals on 40 shots against the Boston Bruins.

Clearly looking for both a spark and some experience, Ruff also scratched Logan Stanley for Luke Schenn and Sam Carrick (who might still have been feeling the effects of that Xhekaj punch) for Konsta Helenius. Meanwhile, Martin St-Louis opted to stay the course, which was hardly surprising given his team’s performance in the last two games.

Canadiens: It Doesn’t Happen To Every Guy, And It Is A Big Deal
Canadiens’ Dach Has Flipped The Script
Xhekaj And Malenstyn Fined, Expect More Bad Blood

After the last game, Tage Thompson told the media that the crowd noise made it hard to communicate, and those words didn’t fall on deaf ears, judging by how electric the atmosphere once more was in the Bell Centre. This time around, though, it didn’t make a difference as the Sabres got a 3-2 win to regain home-ice advantage.

Weathering The Storm

Unsurprisingly, the Sabres came out with the energy of a team that doesn’t want to go down 3-1 in a series. They looked like the faster side and completely dominated the start of the game, scoring within the first 7 minutes. They then thought they had a second goal less than two minutes later when Jakub Dobes gloved a shot in the net, but the goal was eventually waved off for goaltender interference on an astute challenge by St-Louis.

That 10-minute video review break helped the Canadiens shake off the Sabres’ dominant start, and they found their way back into the game from there. Alex Newhook scored the equalizer before Cole Caufield, who still can’t score at even strength, found the back of the net on the power play with seconds left in the period. A real gut-punch to the Sabres, who had just played their best period of hockey and still went back to the room trailing 2-1.

After the game, St-Louis spoke about his team’s start:

Our start was not good, but I feel like after the goal was disallowed, you know, the challenge? I feel like we took the game over from that point on. Lots of good stuff from that point on. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but I liked our game.
-

Slafkovsky’s Bad Habits

Occasionally, Juraj Slafkovsky has games in which he tries to do too much and sprinkles no-look back passes into his play. That was the case on Tuesday night; there was no harm done, but he really needs to take unnecessary risks outside of his game, especially when there’s a better and easier play available.

He also struggled to maintain puck possession on the power play a few times. He was either getting pinned on the boards or skating too close to the blue line, being forced to take the puck out. That forced the Canadiens to retreat to the defensive zone and eased the pressure on the Sabres a few times, while also killing the momentum the man-advantage was building.

A Game Of Inches

It’s often said that hockey is a game of inches, and that certainly rang true tonight. Buffalo got a big break when Tage Thompson was able to score the equalizer by bouncing the puck off the Zamboni exit door before it bounced off Dobes and in. A couple of inches further up on the boards, and that puck doesn’t go to the net the way it did. When the coach was asked about that play and his team’s reaction to it, he said:

We played a darn good second frame, so I can’t say that the bounce shook us up. […] We talk about it [the risk of bounces in that corner], but it’s funny, we talked about it, and once he [Dobes] got caught because he came out of his net, so he doesn’t go out anymore, but I think tonight, if he had gone out, he wouldn’t have been caught.

The Gamble Paid Off

Ruff’s decision to give the net to Luukkonen paid off in the end. The Finnish netminder was on point tonight; he made quite a few big saves, including a pair on the penalty kill off Caufield's one-timers. In the final frame, as the Habs were attacking relentlessly to try and find an equalizer, he stopped all 12 shots he faced. There’s no doubt that he will be back in the net for Game 5.

Despite the loss, St-Louis didn’t seem worried at all:

We’re really confident; we had our chances. I think we had 75 attempts on net. If people watch the Canadiens, they’ll know it’s rare that we get that kind of number. As I said, aside from the start, it’s hard not to like that game.
-

The Canadiens find themselves in familiar territory since they also failed to capitalize on their 2-1 lead in the first round. The series will now return to Buffalo, where Game 5 will be played on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. 

Posted on

Islanders & Playoff News: Super Schaefer, tight series

Looking out for the kids. | NHLI via Getty Images

Colorado has a chance to clinch their spot in the conference final tonight, but the other two remaining series continue to provide good drama.

Islanders News

  • Mat Barzal has withdrawn from the Worlds due to precautionary pre-existing “minor” injury reasons, so Canada has to settle for some Sidney Crosby guy instead. [Isles | TSN] Andrew Gross says Barzal is expected to have a normal offseason and training camp.
  • Matthew Schaefer has a new partnership to help families dealing with cancer, a cause that’s obviously close to his heart. [Newsday | Isles]
  • Prospect Report: Luca Romano is winning the battle, but Kashawn Aitcheson has done his part in forcing OT in consecutive games. [Isles]

Elsewhere

  • Vegas pulled back ahead of the Ducks with an OT win in Game 5. [NHL]
  • The Sabres looked like they were screwed by a dubious goalie interference call, but they got an insanely fortunate Tage Thompson carom off the glass to tie it on their way to a win to even the series, 2-2. [NHL]
  • Vegas is also in the news because they apparently will not allow Edmonton — who still have a head coach they haven’t fired — to speak with fired coach Bruce Cassidy. [Sportsnet]
  • It’s not me, it’s you (Toronto): Apparently Mitch Marner is having his best playoff evah. [NHL]
  • Injuries continue to haunt the Wild as they try to stave off the inevitable. [NHL]
  • Making sense of the big decision facing the Stars and Jason Robertson this summer. [Stars]
  • The NHL took its sweet time to announce a six-game suspension for Charlie McAvoy after his wild slash on Zach Benson in the first round. [TSN]
  • Columbus signs Charlie Coyle to a six-year extension at age 34. [NHL]
  • And Son of Manson, Apple Not Far From Tree, was fined $5,000 for butt-ending, his latest dirty move. [TSN]
  • Matvei Michkov exit interview on his trying season and hopes for better next year. [Crossing Broad]
  • The Penguins “would love” to have Evgeni Malkin back, says Kyle Dubas. [TSN | NHL]
Posted on

2025-26 Season in Review: Rickard Rakell

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 27: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Five of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 27, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Vitals

Player: Rickard Rakell
Born: May 5, 1993 (33 years old)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 194 pounds
Hometown: Sundbyberg, Sweden
Shoots: Right
Draft: 2011 first round (30th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks
2025-26 Statistics: 60 games played, 24 goals, 24 assists, 48 points
Contract Status: Rakell has two seasons remaining on his contract with a $5 million AAV through 2027-28.
History: 2024-25; 2023-24; 2022-23; 2021-22

Monthly Splits

via Yahoo!

Story of the Season

Rickard Rakell entered 2025-26 coming off the best season of his professional career, and the biggest question was whether he could sustain it. The answer ended up being mostly yes.

While he did not quite replicate the career highs he posted during the previous season, Rakell remained a major offensive piece for Pittsburgh and continued to thrive alongside Sidney Crosby. Even through stretches where the Penguins battled injuries and inconsistency, Rakell found ways to produce offense.

Early on, Rakell looked like a perfect fit on Sidney Crosby’s wing once again, registering eight points through nine October games and building on the chemistry previously established alongside Bryan Rust on the opposite wing.

By midseason, things became more complicated. A hand injury that required surgery cost Rakell several weeks and disrupted some of the momentum he had built.

Rakell and fellow Swede Erik Karlsson became two of the biggest drivers of play post-Olympic break, however. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

His March surge became one of the biggest reasons Pittsburgh stayed competitive late in the year. Rakell piled up 19 points in 17 games, generating offense at five-on-five, and even filled in at center while Crosby was rehabbing an injury, despite being a natural winger.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 18 forwards on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.

Corsi For%: 49.91 (9th)
Goals For%: 55.00 (10th)
xGF%: 42.97 (6th)
Scoring Chance %: 49.32 (12th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 52.43 (7th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 11.43 (11th)
On-ice save%: 90.32 (7th)
Goals/60: 0.94
Assist/60: 0.94
Points/60: 1.87

Rakell’s underlying numbers continued to paint the picture of a strong offensive winger, even if his defensive impacts fluctuated. Then again, the 2025-26 Penguins weren’t exactly known for their defensive prowess.

Playing major minutes with Crosby naturally inflated some offensive opportunities, but his ability to finish and complement Crosby makes him difficult to replace.

Charts n’at

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

Rakell followed up a career-best year in 2024-25 by having an almost identical season in 2025-26 via a lot of the WAR-driven outlooks. That’s very impressive for a 30+ year old player to string together quality, especially considering Rakell was asked to play a variety of roles between being on the Sidney Crosby line as a winger and at times having to center his own line- despite not playing that position in many years. Rakell handled anything asked of him in what looked like an effortless fashion and excelled.

Rakell’s microstats are those of an offensively gifted player. Once the puck gets into the offensive zone, he is going to create a lot via his in-zone shots, chances, and goals. At this point in his career, he is not going to add much in the neutral zone via exiting or entering zones. That’s what makes him more of a complementary support player, which is a valuable role that he can maximize with his offensive talent.

If a player is on a line with Sidney Crosby frequently, he’d better be comfortable and successful at getting to the net and getting shots away. Rakell did that in spades. Ninety shots from high danger spots on the ice (in just the 60 games) is a great stat to see, demonstrating effectiveness in that area. Rakell is going to work his way in close, and when that happens, the offense will follow from a player with good hands.

When Rakell needs to get on his horse, it’s still there as far as the burst goes. Part of the reason why he is aging well and able to put up some of the best seasons of his career this deep into it is due to his skating ability remaining strong. The two years remaining on his contract don’t look very daunting as far as how his legs are holding up to this point.

Highlights

Questions to ponder

Questions swirled last summer (as they might again in 2026) about whether Rakell, now 33, has a future in Pittsburgh as the team still aims to get younger.

The Penguins have to decide how aggressively they want to reshape the roster around younger talent over the next two years.

This season showed the Penguins are not yet in the same tier as the Hurricanes or the Avalanche; the rebuild is far from over. Those contenders will always value a productive top-six winger at $5 million, especially because the salary cap continues to rise.

After another strong season, moving him now would not be about freeing up cap space. Put the tinfoil hat on and throw Rakell into a hypothetical trade proposal for, say, Chicago’s fourth overall pick?

Kyle Dubas has no problem taking a few big swings to improve his team. Trading up in this draft to further accelerate the rebuild and also get younger might be too good of an opportunity to pass up if it presents itself.

But it would mean giving up one of the few reliable finishers on the roster.

Ideal 2026-27

Assuming Rakell remains a Penguin, he most likely continues to see time as a top-line winger. The Penguins don’t have any wingers in the system (in the short-term) that Rakell would be blocking with his presence.

You can pretty comfortably pencil 6-7 in for 20 goals and 50 points, assuming he’s healthy and deployed as he has been in the past.

Bottom line

Rakell followed up his breakout 2024-25 campaign with another highly productive season and further solidified himself as a valuable piece of Pittsburgh’s core.

After the uncertainty surrounding him in 2024, that represents a massive turnaround, a win for the player and team.

Final Grade: B

Equalling or surpassing the career marks he had in 2024-25 would have been the dream scenario, and even though he had 22 fewer points this go-around, Rakell remains a dependable top-six veteran.

What did you think of Rakell’s season? Share your thoughts below.

Posted on

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: 3 Takeaways from Golden Knights Game 5 Win

LAS VEGAS, May 13th, 2026– Nothing came easy for the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime during the regular season. They set a franchise record by going past regulation 26 times, and they lost 17 of those contests. 

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

Now, overtime is played at 5-on-5. After tonight’s 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, the Golden Knights are a perfect 3-0 in overtime this postseason.

The Golden Knights hold a 3-2 edge as the series shifts back to Anaheim. Game 6 is scheduled for 6:52 p.m. PST at the Honda Center.

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. Man Down!

Brayden McNabb, the Golden Knights’ best stay-at-home defenseman, was ejected from the game just nine minutes into the first period for a hit on Ryan Poehling. He played only 3:17; just like that, the Golden Knights were down to only five defensemen for 55 minutes.

Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella refused to comment on the call postgame.

“It’s just no sense talking about it… I just don’t get it,” said Tortorella following the 3-2 win. “High marks for the whole team tonight. I’m proud of the team tonight. Getting down, losing Nabber, one of our top D, losing him– I think he played three minutes– and still finding a way to get things done, to get a win, I’m really proud of the hockey club.

Poehling did not return to the contest.

2. Mr. Game 5

Can we start calling Pavel Dorofeyev ‘Mr. Game 5’ yet? His Game 5 hat trick in the First Round against the Utah Mammoth sent his team to overtime. Tonight, scored the Golden Knights’ first goal in addition to the overtime game-winner. 

But that’s not all. In the second period, Dorofeyev was hobbled after taking a heavy shot from Jackson LaCombe to the right knee. He was slow to get up, and after being attended to by the trainer, he headed down the tunnel. 

Needless to say, he returned.

“Just a blocked shot,” said Dorofeyev following the win. “It’s a s— part of my job, but it hurts more when I miss it. I just got myself together and got back on the ice.”

3. Holding Out for a Hero

By now, everyone’s heard the intimidating, yet oddly specific, statistic: the Golden Knights have never lost a series after winning Game 5 to go up 3-2. And now, they’ve won another Game 5 and can end this series in Anaheim on Thursday. But in all those Game 6s of old, there was one consistent factor: Mark Stone. 

Stone has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, and there’s a very good chance that he doesn’t play in Thursday’s Game 6. And that means that the Golden Knights will close this series out without their Captain.

Teams that go up 3-2 in a series have historically won 79.8% of the time. Even without Stone, I like the Golden Knights’ chances against a young and relatively inexperienced Ducks team. But the Captain is watching from the sidelines, and someone else will have to step up and answer the call when the lights are brightest.

Posted on

‘No Moment Too Big’ for Golden Knights in Critical Game 5 Overtime Win

LAS VEGAS, May 12th, 2026– Rasmus Andersson said it best: there’s a feeling that no moment is too big for the Vegas Golden Knights. They conceded the tying goal late, rebounded quickly, and came out flying to start overtime. They scored the game-winner in the first five minutes of overtime and edged out the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 3-2.

“Big moments, right? It’s overtime– the easy answer is, the next goal wins,” said defenseman Rasmus Andersson following the 3-2 overtime win. “I think we’re a pretty comfortable group in [that situation]. There’s a lot of players in [the locker room] who’ve been through it and had a lot of success and won, and they usually lead the charge. 

“We’re an older team,” Andersson acknowledged. “And there’s a feeling that no moment is too big. We’re very confident when we go to overtime. I think we keep our composure and just try to simplify stuff, honestly. Usually, overtime goals aren’t the prettiest, and it’s the rebounds, or the tips, or the screened shots from the blue line. 

“But we just try to stay calm in there and work shift by shift,” Andersson finished.

In the first period, the teams played fast and loose. For every 2-on-1 the Ducks had, the Golden Knights went back the other way on a breakaway. Anaheim ended the period with six high-danger chances; the Golden Knights generated seven and controlled 57.19% of the expected goal share.

The Golden Knights lost Brayden McNabb just nine minutes into the first period. The defenseman threw a late hit on Ducks center Ryan Poehling, and after Poehling was slow to get up, the officials gave McNabb a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct.

The Ducks broke the ice at 12:36 in the first on the ensuing five-minute power play. Carter Hart kicked out Cutter Gauthier’s wrister from the right circle, but he left the rebound in the blue paint. Hart lunged for the loose puck, but Beckett Sennecke got there first and banged it home.

The Golden Knights found the equalizer on a power play opportunity of their own at 16:13 in the first. Pavel Dorofeyev stripped the puck from Chris Kreider, danced into the slot, and ripped off a wrister that beat Lukáš Dostál top-shelf.

In the second period, the run-and-gun play from the first period was nowhere to be found. The teams combined for just 12 scoring chances, and for the first time this series, the Golden Knights and the Ducks entered the third period tied. 

It didn’t stay that way for long.

The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night at 4:48 in the third. Brandon Saad got a piece of Rasmus Andersson’s shot from the point, but Lukáš Dostál made the save. Tomáš Hertl got to the loose puck and backhanded it home for his first five-on-five goal since February 1st. 

“Every game, I tried not to think about a goal because, especially in the playoffs, winning games is all that matters,” said Hertl postgame. “I’ve tried so many different things over the last two months– it was almost impossible not to think about it. Hopefully this is behind me, and this stretch never happens again, because, honestly, it was way too long.”

After a period of sustained pressure, the Ducks finally broke through and found the equalizer at 16:55 in the third. Mason McTavish found Cutter Gauthier below the right circle, and Gauthier one-touched a cross-ice pass to Olen Zellweger at the left dot. Zellweger received the pass, picked his shot, and beat Carter Hart far-side. 

It was all Golden Knights in overtime. As Rasmus Andersson said, they simply rise to the occasion. They outshot the Ducks 5-0 and generated three scoring chances while not allowing Anaheim a single one.

The Golden Knights struck just 4:10 into overtime. Jack Eichel pick-pocketed Troy Terry, protected the puck from Leo Carlsson, and circled lower into the zone. He danced around Olen Zellweger and threaded a pass to Pavel Dorofeyev at the goal line; Dorofeyev knocked the puck down and batted it home.

“To be honest with you, I can’t even tell you what happened there,” laughed Dorofeyev after the 3-2 overtime win. “I just saw a puck, whipped my stick on it, and thankfully got it in.”

The series shifts back to Anaheim on Thursday, where the Golden Knights will have an opportunity to close it out. Game 6 is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. PST.

Read More: 3 Takeaways from Golden Knights Game 5 Win

Posted on

Takeaways from the Ducks' 3-2 Overtime Loss to the Golden Knights, Vegas Leads Series 3-2

Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville speaks to the media after their Game 5 overtime loss (2-3) to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights entered Game 5 with a 2-2 series tie after the teams split the first four games, with each team winning one home game and one road game.

The Ducks had a better approach in Game 4 after going down early in Game 3 and never being able to properly recover. They scored first and, despite the Golden Knights tying the game twice, never relinquished the lead the entire game. Their power play also broke through in Game 4 after going 0-for-11 through the first three games of the series.

Takeaways from the Ducks' 4-3 Win over the Golden Knights, Series Tied 2-2

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2, Game 5 - Ducks vs. Golden Knights Gameday Preview (05/12/26)

Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella said after Game 4 that he felt his team took too many penalties (they took four minor penalties). The Ducks have had 15 power play opportunities compared to the Golden Knights' 12 power play opportunities through four games. The Ducks have scored twice on the power play this series (both in Game 4) while the Golden Knights have scored thrice.

Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger and Ian Moore were inserted into the Game 4 lineup in favor of Jansen Harkins and Tyson Hinds, who were healthy scratches, and Drew Helleson, who missed Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. Captain Radko Gudas was a game-time decision for Game 4, but did not play. He was ruled out for Game 5 by head coach Joel Quenneville following Tuesday's morning skate.

Here's how the Ducks lined up to start Game 5:

Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke
McTavish-Poehling-Gauthier
Johnston-Washe-Viel

LaCombe-Trouba
Mintyukov-Carlson
Zellweger-Moore

Lukáš Dostál and Carter Hart faced one another for the fifth consecutive game, unsurprisingly. Dostál stopped 29 of 32 shots in the game, while Hart stopped 34 of 36 shots in the game.

Ryan Poehling suffered an injury nine minutes into the game due to a hit from Brayden McNabb, who was assessed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. Poehling did not return to the game.

Game Notes

A helter-skelter first period led to several scoring chances off the rush for both teams. Both Dostál and Hart gave up a couple of big rebounds, which neither team was able to capitalize on in the first. Despite being on the penalty kill for five minutes, the Golden Knights generated more chances at 5v5 in the first.

Game 5 featured more low-event hockey (for the most part), but featured plenty of chances off the rush for both teams. The Golden Knights began to take control once they gained the lead in the third, with the Ducks struggling to negate their cycle at times. Both teams made the most of their power play opportunities in a game that didn't feature many penalties.

Physicality continues to play a big role as this series progresses, with plenty of post-whistle scrums. Both teams are trying to play as close to the edge as they can without taking penalties.

Mason McTavish/Cutter Gauthier-While McTavish and Gauthier lost their linemate early in the game, they continued to build off their Game 4 performance and created chances alongside whoever their pivot was. While usually more of a goalscorer, Gauthier has been utilizing his vision more in the last couple of games to find teammates in good scoring positions.

McTavish found himself in prime scoring positions by simply being around the slot and the crease, the beneficiary of Gauthier's playmaking. His presence around Hart caused several rebounds to pop out in front of the crease, leading to several scoring opportunities. Both McTavish and Gauthier's vision and passing were vital in setting up Zellweger's game-tying goal in the third period.

Chris Kreider/Troy Terry-Terry has missed almost every morning skate since mid-March as he continues to manage his workload, surely due to a lingering injury. He's giving it his all, but it's beginning to show a bit more as this series has progressed, as he is beginning to overhandle the puck and appears to have a lack of jump in his skating.

Similarly, Kreider has not impacted the game on a consistent basis and was guilty of not getting the puck out of the defensive zone on Vegas' first goal. Both he and Terry were unable to get the puck out in overtime, which eventually led to Dorofeyev's game-winning goal. With Poehling likely out for Game 6, Quenneville will have to shuffle the lines around, which may lead to one or both of Kreider and Terry coming off the top line.

Fourth line-Quenneville seems intent on matching his fourth line against Mitch Marner's line, much like he did in the Oilers series to slow down Connor McDavid. While that may have worked to an extent, it's not quite having the same effects with Ross Johnston on that line instead of Ian Moore. The lack of foot speed on that line has been noticeable in defensive coverage, as they are a bit slow to get out and take away the perimeter at times.

Lukáš Dostál-It was a mostly solid night from Dostál, who kept the Ducks in the game for most of it and had some big saves down the stretch. His rebound control was a bit shoddy on Vegas' second goal, but Ian Moore was more at fault for not tying up Tomáš Hertl and icing the puck on the previous play. Dostál can't be faulted for either of Pavel Dorofeyev's goals, with the first being an absolute snipe and the second a baseball whack into the top part of the net. If not for Dostál, Vegas likely would have scored more than three goals.

Olen Zellweger-Zellweger didn't get a ton of ice time in his playoff debut in Game 4, but picked up a point on Moore's game-winning goal. He looked more engaged in this one, choosing the right times to activate offensively and creating effective breakouts with his skating. He received more ice time down the stretch for his efforts. More activation from the defensemen is something that Quenneville wanted going into Game 4, which Zellweger provided in both Games 4 and 5.

The series now returns to Anaheim, with the Golden Knights holding a 3-2 lead and a chance to end the series in six games. Game 6 will be Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. PT at Honda Center.

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 Win over the Golden Knights, Series Tied 2-2

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek Finalist for General Manager of the Year

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-2 Loss to the Golden Knights, Vegas Leads Series 2-1

Posted on

The Sabres Survived Absolute Chaos To Save Their Season

One minute the Buffalo Sabres were getting booed, reviewed and rattled inside Bell Centre — three hours later, they were walking out with their season very much alive.

The Buffalo Sabres responded to mounting pressure Tuesday night with arguably their grittiest performance of the postseason, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in a chaotic, emotionally draining Game 4 that somehow felt longer and heavier than the final score suggested.

There were bizarre bounces. Endless penalties. Controversial reviews. Momentum swings violent enough to flip the building in seconds. And in the middle of all of it stood Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who hadn’t started a game in nearly three weeks and suddenly looked like a man refusing to let Buffalo’s season spiral away.

By the end of the night, the series was tied 2-2 — and the Sabres had rediscovered something that looked a lot like themselves.

“Our belief never wavered,” Zach Benson told NHL.com.

“I don’t think there’s ever been wavering confidence in our group all season,” echoed Tage Thompson. “From Day 1, we had people doubting us and counting us out. It’s all these guys inside this room, our staff, that’s the only opinions that matter in here, and we all believe in each other.”

Chaos Nearly Buried Buffalo Early

The opening period felt less like playoff hockey and more like survival.

Buffalo stormed out of the gate with the urgency of a desperate team. Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring after the Sabres overwhelmed Montreal early, silencing the Bell Centre crowd before it fully settled into the game.

Moments later, it appeared Buffalo had grabbed complete control.

A lengthy video review confirmed that Jack Quinn had extended the lead after jamming the puck through goaltender Jakub Dobes near the crease. The Sabres celebrated. The Canadiens challenged. Then came another review — one that drained nearly all the oxygen from the building.

The goal was overturned for goalie interference.

The delay stretched endlessly. Buffalo’s momentum evaporated. The Bell Centre came roaring back to life. And suddenly, the game flipped.

Alex Newhook capitalized shortly after to tie the game before Cole Caufield buried a late power-play goal to send Montreal into intermission ahead 2-1 despite Buffalo controlling large stretches of play.

For a team that lost composure badly in Game 3, the situation felt dangerous.

Instead, the Sabres steadied themselves.

“We learned our lesson,” said Thompson, “and in a similar situation coming into the first intermission, did a way better job regrouping, just calming ourselves back down. I thought we played a great game.”

“There was a lot of elements that went the other way,” added coach Lindy Ruff. “The review where we get the goal, the review where they take it away. Which I totally disagree with, just for the fact that Dobes always is swinging his stick. He initiated the contact with (Konsta) Helenius with his stick coming across the crease.”

Luukkonen Slammed The Door Shut

The equalizer arrived in the strangest possible fashion.

During a second-period power play, Thompson dumped the puck into the offensive zone from near center ice. The puck ricocheted violently off the end boards, bounced directly toward the crease and somehow slipped past Dobes inside the post.

Bell Centre groaned. Thompson could barely believe it himself.

The bizarre goal tied the game, but it also reignited Buffalo’s confidence.

From there, the Sabres began playing with conviction again. Their power play — lifeless for most of the opening round — suddenly looked dangerous. Early in the third period, Peyton Krebs drew a penalty that opened the door for Benson, who calmly found soft ice in the slot before finishing off a slick passing sequence for the eventual game winner on his 21st birthday.

“We’ve talked about our power play being good in key moments. That’s what we did: We went out there, we executed,” said Benson, who turned 21 on Tuesday and is up to four goals these playoffs. “Heck of a slip pass by [Josh Doan], and my job was pretty easy from there, just putting it in the net.”

Joked Thompson: “I don’t know if being 21 makes him an adult, but it’s exciting. … No better way to celebrate Benny’s birthday than getting the game winner.”

What followed was pure desperation hockey.

Buffalo blocked everything.

Shots ricocheted off legs, gloves, hips and sticks as the Sabres collapsed around their net in waves during the final minutes. Samuelsson was everywhere, finishing with six blocked shots, six hits and massive minutes against Montreal’s top players.

“He was a beast,” Ruff said.

“Those are things that don’t look pretty on TV or to fans watching,” Thompson said of the blocks, “but that stuff on the bench gets us just as jacked as scoring a goal.”

And whenever Montreal managed to break through the layers in front, Luukkonen erased the chance.

The Finnish goaltender turned aside 28 shots overall and was especially brilliant late, surviving a furious Canadiens push that threatened to overwhelm Buffalo’s defense. His sprawling saves on Caufield midway through the game may have ultimately preserved the entire night.

“He’s a dog,” Benson said. “We had all the confidence in the world in him – all of our goalies. Upie made so many big saves tonight that we really needed in key moments. All the credit goes to him. He was the biggest reason why we walked out of this building with a win.”

After getting embarrassed in Games 2 and 3, the Sabres could have unraveled completely inside one of hockey’s loudest buildings.

Instead, they absorbed every punch, survived every bounce and dragged this series back to even.

And suddenly, all the pressure has shifted again.

Image
Posted on

The Mammoth Learned A Brutal Playoff Lesson Against Vegas

The Utah Mammoth had the talent to skate with the Vegas Golden Knights, but when the series turned into a war of attrition, experience, structure and sheer force won out.

Playoff hockey finally arrived in Salt Lake City with genuine electricity behind it. The Delta Center shook on May 1 as fans draped in Mammoth colors believed they were about to witness a Game 7 push from one of the NHL’s fastest-rising teams. Instead, the night became a harsh lesson in what separates an exciting young contender from a battle-tested postseason machine.

The Utah Mammoth were dismantled 5-1 by the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6, ending a fiercely contested series that had largely been defined by razor-thin margins and overtime drama. For most of the matchup, Utah looked capable of pulling off the upset. The skill was undeniable. The speed was real. But over six games, the cracks that often haunt inexperienced playoff teams slowly widened.

Strength Alone Shifted The Series

Coming into the series, the stylistic contrast was obvious. Utah wanted pace, transition offense and open ice. Vegas wanted to suffocate the game, lean on its size and grind every shift into exhaustion.

Eventually, the Golden Knights imposed their identity.

Vegas controlled extended stretches simply by overpowering Utah along the boards and below the circles. Their offensive-zone possession became relentless. Shift after shift, Utah defenders were pinned in their own zone while Vegas cycled the puck with patience and physical authority.

The Mammoth never completely backed down physically. In fact, they finished the series with more hits. But there is a difference between throwing hits and controlling a game through physical play. Vegas used its strength economically and strategically. Utah often looked like a team expending enormous energy simply trying to survive the next wave.

That distinction became more visible as the series wore on.

By Game 4 and Game 5, Utah’s legs appeared heavier. Breakouts became sloppier. Defensive recoveries slowed. The quick-strike attack that helped fuel early wins started disappearing beneath the pressure Vegas created shift after shift.

The Golden Knights didn’t just outmuscle Utah physically — they dictated the emotional pace of the series.

Experience Became The Deciding Factor

The moments that ultimately buried Utah were not necessarily failures of talent. They were failures of composure.

Game 4 offered the clearest warning sign. After taking the lead, the Mammoth drifted into a conservative shell, protecting the advantage instead of continuing to attack. Vegas recognized it immediately and gradually tilted the ice until the equalizer arrived. Once overtime began, the momentum had already shifted.

Game 5 became even crueler.

Utah stood seconds away from seizing complete control of the series before one defensive breakdown unraveled everything. The Golden Knights exploited a single moment of hesitation, drawing coverage away and creating just enough space for the tying goal that silenced the building and psychologically flipped the series.

Those are the situations veteran teams survive because they’ve lived through them repeatedly. Vegas remained calm while Utah looked overwhelmed by the weight of the moment.

That gap in experience surfaced constantly throughout the series. The Golden Knights rarely panicked. Their structure remained intact under pressure. Utah, meanwhile, occasionally chased hits, overcommitted defensively or lost its shape during chaotic sequences.

For a young team making its first real playoff push, those mistakes are common. Against a veteran contender, they become fatal.

Injuries only magnified the problem.

The absence of players like Jack McBain and Barrett Hayton quietly altered the complexion of the series. Utah lost depth, faceoff reliability and some of the grit necessary to withstand Vegas’ relentless style. Their replacements competed hard, but the lineup lacked the same edge once the series became increasingly punishing.

Still, despite the disappointment, this postseason likely marked the beginning of something far more important in Utah.

The city embraced playoff hockey completely. The atmosphere inside the Delta Center evolved from curiosity into genuine passion. Every massive goal, every thunderous hit and every overtime sequence felt like another step in cementing Salt Lake City as a legitimate NHL market.

More importantly, the foundation appears legitimate.

Logan Cooley continued to flash star potential. Dylan Guenther looks poised to become a centerpiece scorer. The anticipated arrival of Tij Iginla only strengthens the belief that Utah’s competitive window is just beginning to open.

The Mammoth may have lacked the maturity, depth and muscle needed to survive this postseason. What they did not lack was promise.

And after a spring that transformed the Delta Center into one of hockey’s loudest stages, expectations around Utah are no longer about simply arriving. Now they are about what comes next.

Image