PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 22: Head Coach of the New Jersey Devils Sheldon Keefe looks on from his bench during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on November 22, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
Coaching news:
Devils also confirm that Sheldon Keefe will be returning as HC. He has two years left on his contract. New GM Sunny Mehta had evaluated the HC position and has decided to bring Keefe back. https://t.co/W8aTCWYV5w
“Jordan Kyrou’s name has been a constant in trade rumors over the past year and change. If the St. Louis Blues put him back on the market this summer, the New Jersey Devils should make him a priority target. Let’s get into some of the many reasons why.” [Infernal Access ($)]
“The Vegas Golden Knights appealed their NHL-imposed sanctions in New York on Tuesday morning and it was determined shortly afterward that the punishment will remain as assessed, sources told ESPN. The league fined coach John Tortorella $100,000 and stripped the team of its 2026 second-round draft pick for ‘flagrant violations’ of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoff media regulations.” [ESPN]
More Golden Knights drama:
Following the Golden Knights reportedly denying the Edmonton Oilers an opportunity to speak to Bruce Cassidy, the NHLCA releases a statement. pic.twitter.com/7XG2Kjjhhc
General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that Head Coach Adam Foote and Assistant Coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean and Brett McLean have been relieved of their duties.
Almost as soon as the playoffs started, there was some chatter around the Montreal Canadiens about Jakub Dobes being the second coming of Jaroslav Halak. Not because they have a similar style or build, but rather because neither was seen as the team’s number one goaltender before being catapulted into the NHL playoffs in the starting role.
While Halak started the 2010 playoffs for the Canadiens, he didn’t play all the games. In the first round against the Washington Capitals, he had to make way for Carey Price for a game-and-change before coming back with a vengeance and eliminating both the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins in consecutive Game 7s. Just like Dobes, he was spectacular in big games, making phenomenal saves. Meanwhile, Price, who was already tagged as the Habs’ goaltender of the future, was riding the pine.
Fast forward 16 years, and Dobes finds himself right where Halak was. He has eliminated two great teams in two series that went the distance, with the organization’s goaltender of the future, Jacob Fowler, riding the pine. Even Zachary Bolduc did his best to take everyone back to 2010 on Monday night, scoring a goal as Mike Cammalleri did during that special run with one knee on the ice.
Fans, however, will hope this marks the end of the striking resemblance between the two playoff campaigns. Back in 2010, the Canadiens bowed out in the third round, losing the Conference Final to the Philadelphia Flyers in just five games after Halak ran out of gas.
After eliminating the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night, Dobes dismissed the idea that he could be tired after playing 14 intense playoff games, stating he could play another 40 games. However, those are only words, and we’ll see in the third round if he still has some gas left in the tank.
Those who lived through the Halak spring will also remember that not long after the Canadiens’ elimination, the netminder, who was just about to become an unrestricted free agent, was unceremoniously traded to the St. Louis Blues as the organization elected to stick with Price, who had been the organization’s fifth overall pick at the 2005 draft.
Unlike Halak, Dobes still has a year left on his contract before becoming a UFA, meaning the Canadiens won’t be in a rush to decide when it comes to their goaltenders, at least not for a while. Unless, of course, the team is tempted to sacrifice a goaltender to fill another organizational need (such as a second-line center), but I’d be surprised if that were the case. The Habs still have other exciting prospects coming up through the ranks who could potentially help them complete their top six.
In Dobes and Fowler, the Canadiens have a great goaltending tandem at a very low cost, and neither of them should be on their way out of town anytime soon. Kent Hughes will tread carefully before moving on from one of the two keepers. Besides, he has shown in the past that he can be very persuasive when it’s time to sign players to a team-friendly contract. Who’s to say he couldn’t do just that with Dobes and Fowler? There seems to be something special brewing in Montreal, and who’s to say the duo won’t be interested in sticking around?
It’s becoming increasingly frequent that teams really rely on a tandem of goaltenders around the league these days, and would it be such a terrible thing if the Canadiens found themselves in the same situation as the Boston Bruins were with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark? For now, the only goaltender the Canadiens should be looking to move is Samuel Montembeault. It’s a shame for the Becancour native, but at this stage, it does look like he would benefit from a new start somewhere else.
There have been a lot of names reported as candidates for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ head coaching position. So it’s no surprise to learn that at least one internal candidate will be considered for the position of Toronto bench boss.
Sources tell The Hockey News that Maple Leafs assistant coach Derek Lalonde will interview for the job.
Lalonde joined the Maple Leafs last summer after associate coach Lane Lambert departed Toronto to become the new head coach of the Seattle Kraken. While Lalonde led the club’s penalty kill, Toronto finished eighth in the NHL with an 81.2 percent efficiency. But defensively, the Leafs struggled all season long, and defense fell under his purview as well.
Lalonde had a successful first stint in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning under Jon Cooper. There he won Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, while going to the Stanley Cup Final again in 2022. From there, Lalonde earned his first NHL head coaching position, becoming bench boss of the Detroit Red Wings at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. In his second season, the Red Wings narrowly missed the playoffs despite a 41-32-9 record. He was fired midway through the 2024-25 season and replaced by veteran head coach Todd McLellan.
It’s not a real surprise that the Leafs would talk to Lalonde, as Chayka mentioned the process to find a new bench boss would be extensive. The Leafs talked to well over 20 people for the role Chayka occupies now, so this could take some time.
From a public standpoint, Lalonde has proven to be quite insightful. Who could ever forget his time on the panel during Hockey Night In Canada back in 2023, when he was working during the intermission of the Maple Leafs and Lightning first-round series? It was there where he mentioned that the Lightning had done an internal study showing that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was one of the lower-percentage goalies in finding the puck from the point.
Lalonde’s future is up in the air along with the rest of the Maple Leafs assistants, as a new head coach will likely want to bring a new staff. But he could be a good candidate to stick around in any kind of coaching capacity.
How do the teams rank heading into what are sure to be intriguing series? USA TODAY Sports offers power rankings of the four conference finals teams, plus two Conn Smythe candidates per team in the race for playoff MVP.
4. Vegas Golden Knights
Mitch Marner is leading the playoffs in scoring, Pavel Dorofeyev is leading in goals and coach John Tortorella has Vegas playing the right way. But the Golden Knights' next opponent, the Avalanche, is formidable and it will be hard to advance, especially with Mark Stone out.
Conn Smythe candidates: Marner, Dorofeyev
3. Montreal Canadiens
They're more than an upstart team. They're a 100-point team that beat two other 100-point teams. Top players Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov are getting going and Alex Newhook has seven goals, including two Game 7 winners.
Conn Smythe candidates: Newhook, Jakub Dobes
2. Carolina Hurricanes
They have won eight in a row, the first team to sweep the first two series since the first round went to best of seven in 1987. Goalie Frederik Andersen has rediscovered his game and the line of Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake has been dangerous. The Hurricanes haven't made it to the Stanley Cup Final under coach Rod Brind'Amour. Is this the year?
Conn Smythe candidates: Andersen, Stankoven
1. Colorado Avalanche
They were the best team in the regular season and get the nod in the playoffs because they beat the high-powered Minnesota Wild in five games. Colorado was the best offensive and defensive team in the regular season and is averaging 4.11 goals per game in the playoffs. Cale Makar appears to be favoring his shoulder, which could hurt the Avalanche in the long run.
Conn Smythe candidates: Nathan MacKinnon, Scott Wedgewood
The No. 1 overall Colorado Avalanche will start the Western Conference finals on Wednesday, May 20, against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
There are four possibilities for the Stanley Cup Final matchup. Which one would be the most appealing championship series? USA TODAY Sports ranks the potential matchups:
4. Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Plenty of talent on both sides, but the season series was a mismatch with the Golden Knights winning 4-1 and 6-3. Pavel Dorofeyev, who's leading the playoffs with nine goals, had three against Carolina during the regular season.
3. Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens
Martin St. Louis, a relative newcomer as an NHL coach, hasn't won a Stanley Cup while behind the bench. But he did win one as a player with the Lightning in 2004. His coach then: John Tortorella, the coach on the other bench in this series. St. Louis was league MVP that season. Montreal beat the Golden Knights in the COVID-shortened 2021 season playoffs and Vegas fans remember that.
2. Colorado Avalanche vs. Montreal Canadiens
The 1993 Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup. Could the franchise end the country's drought? Alex Newhook is the lone Canadiens player with a Stanley Cup ring. He did it with the 2022 Avalanche, and Montreal gave up a first-round pick to land him. That has paid off with Newhook scoring the Game 7 winning goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres.
1. Colorado Avalanche vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The league powerhouses have combined for one loss (Colorado's) in the first two rounds and would be fun hockey to watch, provided they don't wear their World Hockey Association jerseys. It will be strength against strength. The Avalanche are averaging a league-best 4.11 goals per game and the Hurricanes lead with a 1.25 goals-against average. During the regular season, the Avalanche led in both categories, and the Hurricanes ranked second in offense.
It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes' relentless pressure can disrupt the Avalanche's attack of Nathan MacKinnon, former Hurricane Martin Necas and Cale Makar. Brent Burns also had played for Carolina. The two-game season series was high scoring with the winner getting five goals.
Also to be answered: Will the Avalanche become the first Presidents' Trophy winner to win the Stanley Cup since 2013 or will the Hurricanes' Rod Brind'Amour get to lift the Stanley Cup as a coach 20 years after he did as Carolina's captain?
DENVER — Chris MacFarland doesn't overcomplicate the mission.
"We're trying to win, right?" the Colorado Avalanche general manager said Tuesday at a news conference previewing their Western Conference finals matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. Simple enough — but the way he's gone about building this team is anything but.
A Roster Built on Trades, Not Tradition
Of the players on Colorado's active roster, only three — Gabe Landeskog, Cale Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon — were drafted by the organization. Everyone else arrived via trade or free agency, which makes the Avalanche's sustained success a quiet testament to MacFarland's eye for talent and his willingness to spend organizational capital to get it. It's also a big reason he's one of three finalists for the NHL's GM of the year award.
"We're sacrificing some of that youth. Some of those picks and prospects. So, you've got to delve into (free agency)," MacFarland said. "Our scouts have done a great job supplementing the moving out of the (draft) picks. We've got high, high-end drafted players that are still with us. … But the cycle that it's kind of been building on over the last 7-8 years — that's just part of the beast."
A Masterclass in Roster Construction
MacFarland got to work last offseason, signing Brent Burns and retaining Brock Nelson. He kept building as the season progressed, adding Nazem Kadri, Brett Kulak, Nicolas Roy, and Nick Blankenburg through trades. The moves paid off — Colorado led the overall NHL standings from early November through year's end, finishing with a franchise-record 121 points.
Brent Burns was another signing that was initially criticized, but it's turned out to be another CMac masterpiece. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing - Imagn Images
Head coach Jared Bednar didn't mince words about his GM's recognition. "I think it's probably a couple of years coming. But oftentimes with the work you put in — and the blood, sweat, and tears — there's a delayed reaction," Bednar said. "This team for me wasn't just built in this year. It was built over the last couple of years with the guys that have remained, with some of the new guys we got last year. … I've known and worked with (MacFarland) for a long time. No one's going to outwork him and no one's going to watch more games."
MacFarland, never one to let a moment pass without a little levity, cut in: "Easy. Easy."
Bednar pressed on: "I shouldn't say nobody. … A lot of the tough (decisions) that we've made over the years, especially in the last couple of years, they all seem to be turning out and working out pretty well for us again this year."
From the Hot Seat to the Conference Finals
Not everyone was ready to give MacFarland that kind of credit — not after January 2025. When he dealt star winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, the backlash was swift and loud. Rantanen was subsequently traded again, this time to the Dallas Stars, and the Stars made Colorado pay for it — eliminating the Avalanche in a bruising seven-game first-round series. Calls for MacFarland's head, and even Bednar's, weren't hard to find in the aftermath.
I'm guilty of it too. I wrote a piece for Mile High Hockey calling for both of them to be fired. I was wrong — and to my credit, I admitted it well before many others did. We're all human. As for Bednar specifically, losing to Pete DeBoer again just left a sour taste. But sometimes that's exactly the point. Defeat, when it stings badly enough, has a way of forging something stronger on the other side.
Bednar knows this better than most — and DeBoer has been the recurring source of that education. Colorado blew a 2-0 series lead to DeBoer's Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, eventually falling in six games. It was a gut punch, the kind that ends coaching careers in other markets. Bednar has now lost three playoff series to DeBoer alone. And yet, the very next season, the Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup. The losses didn't break the program. They sharpened it.
Floyd Mayweather weighs-in for his May 2007 bout against Oscar De La Hoya. Credit: Ed Mulholland - Imagn Images
Sports history is full of those moments, and since Colorado is once again staring across the ice at a Vegas team, it's only fitting to reach for another Vegas example. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought the defining bouts of his boxing career in that city — and the fuel for all of it traces back to a single, devastating loss. When Mayweather dropped the gold medal final at the 1996 Olympics, he was inconsolable. No words, just tears. Pain and embarrassment, raw and public. He made himself a promise that night: it would never happen again. It didn't. That Olympic bout stands as the last defeat of his competitive career — an unblemished professional record built entirely on the back of one crushing setback.
His financial record, on the other hand — the IRS disputes, the curious loan arrangements overseas — that's a separate conversation entirely. The man can box. Budgeting is a different discipline.
But back to hockey — because that's where Bednar and MacFarland have always let their work do the talking. The firings that never came. The rebuild that wasn't really a rebuild. The trade that looked like a disaster and may yet prove to be the final piece. Colorado has been counted out before, and they've responded by winning a championship. Now they're back in the conference finals, one round from another shot at the Cup, with the same coach, the same GM, and a roster assembled with the kind of quiet confidence that doesn't need to announce itself.
MacFarland said it best at the top: they're trying to win. Turns out, they're pretty good at it.
It's a painful thing to watch a city hold its breath, believe for just a split second that the moment has finally arrived, and then have it snatched away before the celebration even starts.
That's exactly what happened to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, and for a fanbase that has been waiting longer than most for something to cheer about, it landed like a gut punch.
Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. Everything on the line. And a puck that crossed the goal line — that genuinely, physically crossed the goal line — that didn't count.
The Sabres THOUGHT they scored the go-ahead goal but Wes McCauley's whistle was blown a SPLIT second before it went in 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/DoORVtzlqu
The Sabres had dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole to tie the game in the third period and were pressing hard, playing some of their best hockey of the series when defenseman Bowen Byram unleashed a shot from the point on Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobeš. The save was made, but the puck didn't stay buried. Buffalo players swarmed the crease, jabbing at it relentlessly until it squeaked free and slid across the goal line. The Sabres erupted. The building erupted. And then the referee's hand went up, the goal was waved off, and the noise turned into something much harder to describe.
What Actually Happened — and Why the Call Stands
Here's the part that stings most: the officials weren't wrong.
A referee had already blown the whistle before the puck crossed the line, killing the play dead in real time. It was audible on ESPN's broadcast — clearly, unambiguously audible — and it came just ahead of the puck crossing. Infuriating as it was to witness, the call had a rulebook to lean on.
NHL Rule 31.2 exists precisely for moments like this one, and it reads in a way that gives referees significant cover:
"As there is a human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening."
In plain terms, the rulebook acknowledges that referees are human, that their reaction time isn't perfect, and that the moment they decide in their mind to stop play — not the moment the whistle sounds — is when the play is officially over. It's a rule that has cost teams goals before, and it cost Buffalo one on Monday night.
A Tough Break in the Worst Possible Moment
Was it a quick whistle? Sure. The kind that makes you wince regardless of which team you're rooting for, because there's something instinctively wrong about a puck crossing a goal line and nothing counting for it. Sabres fans have every right to be furious, and that frustration isn't irrational — it's a completely human response to watching something that looked like a goal not be treated as one. However, it wasn't an egregious call.
The bottom line is that the letter of the law was followed. The referee made a judgment call in a fraction of a second, blew the whistle with intent, and the rulebook backed him up. Buffalo wasn't robbed by a bad call. They were burned by a fast one — and in a Game 7, in the third period, with a season hanging on every shift, fast is sometimes all it takes.
But Sabres fans should be proud one way or another. This team fought valiantly and they'll certainly be back next season stronger than ever.
Forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, the first round (15th overall) pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2024 NHL Draft, demonstrated a flair for the dramatic on Tuesday evening.
Brandsegg-Nygård came through for the Griffins in a do-or-die Game 3 against the Chicago Wolves, scoring the overtime game-winning goal in dramatic fashion.
He took the puck in the neutral zone, skated over the blue line and then dangled around Wolves defenseman Ronan Steely before beating goaltender Cayden Primeau with a backhand shot, giving Grand Rapids the 4-3 win.
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) May 20, 2026
It was his fourth tally of the playoffs.
The Griffins are now 1/3 of the way toward winning the series, and they have no choice but to win two more consecutive games to remain alive in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Brandsegg-Nygård was one of three rookies to make the Red Wings' roster out of Training Camp and the pre-season in 2025-26, along with Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Emmitt Finnie; he played in 12 games and registered an assist before being returned to the Griffins.
Both Carter Mazur and John Leonard, both of whom played multiple games this season with the Red Wings, gave Grand Rapids a 2-0 lead in the first period. However, Chicago would knot the score courtesy of goals from Domenick Fensore and Justin Robidas before taking the lead in the second period after a tally from Felix Unger Sorum.
But Tyler Angle responded less than two minutes later with his first goal of the postseason, re-tying the game.
Picking up the win in net was Michal Postava, who made 17 saves and also picked up a secondary assist on Mazur's goal. Meanwhile, Primeau was strong for Chicago, making 42 saves.
Game 4 between the Griffins and Wolves is scheduled for Thursday evening at Allstate Arena.
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There are going to be a lot of interesting storylines surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2026.
For one, the NHL Draft is a little more than a month away, and that means draft boards and predictions are already making their rounds. The trade market will also be an intriguing point of emphasis, especially after Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas's comments during his season-ending press conference. Also, Evgeni Malkin is still without a contract, meaning his future in Pittsburgh is still up-in-the-air.
But one of the quieter topics of discussion that is bound to surface at some point or another is the one involving extension talks with, arguably, the team's two best players.
Dubas did confirm in his presser that talks with extension-eligible players Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson are on the back-burner a bit as of now since the Penguins' priority is on the draft.
“They’re not eligible until Jul. 1, so it’s not been a front-burner topic for us," Dubas said. "I think with both of them, [it may be] something later in the summer as we get back in the fall.
"Sid is in a different category. I think most players start to get into their late 30s, and it tends to become a year-to-year thing. I don’t know if that’s how each of them will handle it. That’s just how most players handle it. We’ll discuss that as we get through the summer and into the fall, for sure. In Karl’s case, obviously, players voted him Team MVP. We’re very happy with him. And Sid is Sid.”
While a Crosby extension seems like a given as long as he wants to keep playing, a Karlsson extension is certainly no guarantee.
Karlsson, who turns 36 at the end of May, has one year remaining on his contract that pays him $11.5 million annually, with $10 million being paid out by the Penguins. He is coming off his best season in Pittsburgh, as he thrived under Dan Muse and the new coaching staff on both sides of the puck and wound up with 15 goals and 66 points in 75 regular season games.
Of course, teams should always tread carefully when it comes to extensions to players who will be 37 years old when the new deal would kick in. Even if the Penguins made tangible progress toward becoming a contender in 2025-26 by making the playoffs, Dubas admitted during his press conference that the team is still a "long way off" from being a contender the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and more.
So, it's fair to wonder whether or not a Karlsson extension would fit their timeline. The Penguins could probably trade him for a pretty nice return this summer and use those assets to help acquire someone younger in the trade market.
However, there are a few things worth considering here:
This is the biggest point of emphasis. Karlsson entirely controls if he goes and where he goes, so any possibility of a potential trade would need to be cleared by him and his camp first.
In addition, the Penguins and Karlsson need to be aligned. If the Penguins want to trade Karlsson, that doesn't mean he wants to go, and if the Penguins want to keep Karlsson, that doesn't mean he wants to stay. He has expressed how much he likes playing in Pittsburgh, but the reality is that he'll be 36 years old and, still, without a Stanley Cup.
Would Karlsson want to go to a more surefire contender? Or do he and the Penguins mutually agree that they'll be able to legitimately contend if he signs on for another couple of seasons?
Apr 9, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) passes the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Luther Schlaifer-Imagn Images
2. The Penguins do not have the right-side depth to effectively replace him
Yes, Harrison Brunicke is an intriguing prospect. He's an elite skater, but there is still a lot of rawness to his game that he needs to harness and refine a bit before hitting his stride in the NHL.
And he certainly won't be ready for top-four minutes at the start of next season, let alone top-pairing minutes. Kris Letang's game is declining, as he is not really an option on the top pairing, either, and is more than three years Karlsson's senior.
Beyond them? Well, Jack St. Ivany, who hasn't shown much promise in the last couple of years between a plethora of injuries, too, is the next guy on the depth chart, followed by Finn Harding - playing in his first full professional season in WBS - who is not only not quite NHL-ready but also someone with a pretty low NHL ceiling.
Even though the Penguins are almost certainly not tanking next season, even if they wanted to remove Karlsson and "tank," they can't even do that because they literally do not have the personnel who can take on his minutes as of now.
So, if Karlsson isn't extended, the Penguins need an immediate plan to replace him.
3. If the Penguins "go for it" on the trade market this summer, it makes sense to keep him around in the short-term
There's no way around it: The Penguins are a much better hockey team with Karlsson on it, and he was the single-most crucial player to their playoff berth this season.
It's becoming clearer that the Penguins intend to compete with Crosby still around. They plan to compete post-Crosby, too - hence why they're rebuliding the way they are - but if there is a real chance at building a true contender within the next two years because of bigger swings in the trade market, savvy drafting, good asset management, and smart free agent signings, then extending a bona fide No. 1 defenseman who played some of the best hockey of his NHL career last season seems like a worthwhile gamble.
Plus, it would give Brunicke - and, potentially, another young blueliner acquired in the trade market or in free agency - the opportunity to learn and grow under Karlsson and in roles that won't demand too much of them too quickly. So, really, a shorter-term Karlsson extension beyond next season does actually make a lot of sense for the Penguins, especially if they plan to improve, not regress.
While folks may have to wait a bit for an answer to the Karlsson extension conundrum - possibly even through the 2027 NHL trade deadline - it's clear that Dubas and the Penguins still see a lot of value in the three-time Norris Trophy winner, regardless of how they ultimately decide to channel that value.
The long break paid dividends for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday night after blowing a three-goal lead in Game 2 of their Atlantic Division Final series against the Springfield Thunderbirds last Thursday.
They were refreshed and ready to go from the opening puck drop, and were the better team in all three periods in Game 3. They had to hold on to their 2-1 win at the end of the third period, but they got the job done and are now one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.
Rutger McGroarty got things started with a shorthanded goal in the first period. He took a beautiful feed from Avery Hayes, who was everywhere in the game, and buried the puck blocker side with 19 seconds left in the opening frame.
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 19, 2026
WBS kept that 1-0 lead for the entire second period before Bill Zonnon made it 2-0 at 5:58 of the third period. Zonnon took a nice pass from Boko Imama and also ripped the puck blocker side. It's Zonnon's third playoff goal in his third AHL game.
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 20, 2026
The Thunderbirds got one back late in the third period, but weren't able to tie the game in the final seconds.
WBS goaltender Sergei Murashov had another outrageous performance, finishing with 27 saves on 28 shots. He now has a .942 save percentage in seven playoff games this season.
The Penguins can clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Final with a win in Game 4 on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
DENVER, May 19th, 2026— The Vegas Golden Knights have been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the last few days. On Thursday, they beat the Anaheim Ducks in six games, punching their ticket to the Western Conference Finals for the fifth time in nine seasons. That’s what should have been the story– the decisive victory, and the unparalleled level of success marked by their 76th postseason win in nine years.
On Friday, the NHL released a statement announcing that the Golden Knights would forfeit a second-round pick in the upcoming draft, in addition to Tortorella being fined $100,00, for “flagrant violations of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Media Regulations.”
“The imposition of these penalties comes after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Relations and other associated policies,” the league wrote in its statement.
The Golden Knights were given the opportunity to appeal the decision in person in the Commissioner’s Office in New York, and they did so on Tuesday ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The league decided to uphold the penalties.
“There is possibility if Vegas is compliant with rules, there could be some addressing of this in the future… but it doesn’t sound like there’s room for draft penalty to be revoked,” wrote Elliotte Friedman following the announcement.
When Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media ahead of the start of the Western Conference Finals, he addressed all of this in his opening statement.
“We were, today, in New York, where we had a hearing with the National Hockey League regarding the events following Game 6,” McCrimmon began. “We missed a great opportunity that night to connect with our fans and share with them the victory of a playoff series. I've always felt, when you win a series, you galvanize the bond with your fan base.
“We missed that opportunity by not having John available to do postgame,” continued McCrimmon. “That’s on John for failing to do that; that’s on me as the general manager of the hockey club. That’s not at the feet of our comms people, who made other arrangements with each of you to accommodate the tight quarters in and around our dressing room postgame. We have no explanation other than to say we were wrong and to assure you that it will not happen again.
“ The league has spoken on the matter,” McCrimmon finished. “We have spoken on the matter. Neither John nor I will be taking any questions on this.”
Make no mistake: the Avalanche are the best team in the league, and on paper they’re the better team in the series. The Golden Knights have a steep hill to climb if they don’t want to get caught in the snowdrift. Here are the three biggest challenges they’ll face as they try to topple the big bad Avs.
1. Center Depth
The Golden Knights are a much stronger team with William Karlsson back in the lineup. However, there’s no denying that the Avalanche have some of, if not the, best center depth in the league. They made a buzzer-beater move for Nazem Kadri at the deadline, which took them from exceptional to elite. Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, and Jack Drury round out the rest of the center corps— they’re so deep down the middle, Nic Roy is slotting in on the wing.
The Avalanche centermen are all 200-foot players who are just as strong on the defensive side of the puck as they are offensively. Brock Nelson was a Selke finalist, and Nathan MacKinnon is no slouch defensively.
2. Offense from Defensemen
Shea Theodore has played like a man possessed through 12 postseason games with four goals, one an overtime game-winner, and nine points. Noah Hanifin, too, has six assists in 12 games. Otherwise, the Golden Knights haven’t gotten much from their defenseman in terms of offense this postseason. Rasmus Andersson has three assists in 12 games, and Kaedan Korczak has one in nine.
Cale Makar is the best defenseman in the world, but he’s far from the only offensively gifted defenseman on the Avalanche roster. Devon Toews, Makar’s Olympic teammate and perpetual d partner, is having himself a postseason with two goals and eight points in nine games.
It’s not just the usual suspects producing for the Avalanche. Sam Malinski, a 27-year-old undrafted free agent out of Lakeville, Minnesota, continues to impress in his elevated role and has a goal and three points in nine games. Brett Kulak is known more for his steady defensive play, but he brings quite a bit to the table offensively… and that’s before his overtime series-clinching goal against the Minnesota Wild.
3. Nathan MacKinnon
I know, I know, I already brushed on MacKinnon when discussing the Avalanche’s center depth. But what he’s doing this postseason is nothing short of remarkable, even by his standards. MacKinnon has seven goals and six assists– all primary– in nine games. He drives the offense both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, as he’s scored three of his seven goals on the man advantage.
But, as it often is with great players, it’s not just the goals and assists that matter when looking at MacKinnon. He’s also drawn six penalties and is 53.7% in the face-off dot. The Avalanche are a force of nature this year, and MacKinnon is more than doing his part to try and help his team get across the finish line. If the Golden Knights can’t contain him, or at least limit his impact, this could be a short series.
Among the top priorities for the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason is going to be finding a competent complement to starting goalie Dan Vladar.
The book is not necessarily closed on incumbent backup goalie Sam Ersson, who is a pending RFA in need of a new contract, but his performances and consistency have only gotten progressively worse during his three years in the NHL with the Flyers.
So, if the Flyers move on from Ersson and let him pursue other opportunities elsewhere, they have two options: sign a goalie from an underwhelming crop of free agents, or trade for one.
Their best choice, for all intents and purposes, is going to be the latter.
One of the first places the Flyers should consider looking is, perhaps surprisingly, Buffalo, where the Sabres have four goalies who could conceivably be NHL regulars, all of whom are under contract for next season.
Established veterans Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon lead the way there, and Colten Ellis, a waiver claim from the St. Louis Blues, made his NHL debut this season, going 8-4-2 in 12 games for the Sabres with a 2.90 GAA, a .903 save percentage, and one shutout.
And then there's Devon Levi, the critically acclaimed but undersized goalie prospect who has yet to gain a foothold on an NHL roster spot for an extended period of time.
The 24-year-old has played 39 NHL games across three seasons, going a modest 17-17-2 with a 3.29 GAA and .894 save percentage.
Comparatively, Ersson, 26, has a 3.01 GAA and a .884 save percentage to go with his 65-50-17 career record.
It's worth noting, too, that Levi's numbers are dragged down by a nine-game stint last season that saw him go 2-7-0 with a 4.12 GAA and .872 save percentage.
And, in fairness to Levi, the Sabres were never particularly good during his time in the NHL and only had things click this season after general manager Kevyn Adams was fired and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen.
So, heading into his age-25 season, Levi has no path to a roster spot in Buffalo despite having already played 175 professional games in the Sabres organization.
This is where the Flyers step in.
Behind Vladar, the Flyers currently have Aleksei Kolosov, who recently re-signed with the club for one year, and Carson Bjarnason.
It's possible that Kolosov could step in and play a full NHL season as a backup, but the idea of him taking over as the starter in the event of an injury to Vladar is a rather uncomfortable one.
Bjarnason, of course, is still just 20 years old and finished his first professional season, which came with an ECHL stint with the Reading Royals.
Longtime NHL media maven Jeff Marek recently claimed that things are "over" between Levi and the Sabres, so, all things considered, a huge opportunity would be waiting for him in Philadelphia.
The price to acquire the goalie prospect can't be that high, given that the Sabres have no leverage with three goalies clearly ahead of him in the pecking order, and Levi comes with only a one-year commitment at an $812.5k cap hit if things don't work out.
Plus, the Flyers could always insure themselves with lower-tier free agent options with experience, such as Matt Murray, Vitek Vanecek, and even old friend Cam Talbot, heading into training camp and the preseason.
If things really do work out for the Flyers and the franchise finally catches a break, Levi will have realized his potential as a starting-caliber NHL goalie, which would help form a robust tandem with Vladar.
The time is now for Levi, who is running out of runway to crack an NHL roster after a promising start to his pro career.
We can be certain that the 24-year-old will be extra motivated heading into a contract year after being cast aside, and the Flyers have had great success targeting such players in the recent past, including Vladar himself.
The Grand Rapids Griffins have no choice but to win three straight games against the Chicago Wolves, who lead the AHL Central Division Finals two games to none and can close things out on Tuesday night.
And the physical intensity has picked up in the first period of play, culminating in an on-ice melee following a dirty hit from behind on forward Amadeus Lombardi, who was already down in a vulnerable position, by Wolves defenseman Charles Legault.
Immediately, forward Carter Mazur, who scored for the Griffins earlier in the period, stepped in and began doling out some physical punishment to Legault as a scrum ensued.
Meanwhile, Lombardi was clearly shaken up and very slow to recover.
Insanely dangerous and dirty play. Hitting Lombardi as he’s already down sliding into the boards mazur steps up for him nice to see. #LGRWpic.twitter.com/J4OZZgoSu6
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) May 20, 2026
Lombardi, who was taken by the Detroit Red Wings with the 113th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has three assists in seven AHL postseason games this spring after having tallied 16 goals with 26 assists in 47 regular season contests this season.
Mazur, who got in several games of NHL experience under his belt in Detroit this season, has scored five goals for the Griffins in the postseason so far.
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The team confirmed Tuesday that Keefe will be back, while goaltending coach Dave Rogalski has been fired and assistant Sergei Brylin is being reassigned to another position.
Keefe recently completed his second season behind the bench for New Jersey, which parted ways with longtime GM Tom Fitzgerald and missed the playoffs. The Devils made it last year, losing in the first round to Carolina without top player Jack Hughes, who was sidelined by shoulder surgery.
Mehta is sticking with Keefe and making coaching staff changes while also overhauling the front office. He hired Braden Birch to be one of his assistants after they worked together with Florida and were part of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. He decided not to renew the contracts of executives Chuck Fletcher and Dan MacKinnon.
