For the second time in three years, pending free agent Lassi Thomson has parted ways with the Senators and signed with a European team.

HC Lugano announced this week that the Senators' 2019 first-round draft pick has signed a two-year deal to play in Switzerland's National League.

As a 25-year-old who hasn't played at least 80 career NHL games, Thomson was scheduled to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent on July 1st, and seemed to be working his way back onto the NHL radar, if not in Ottawa, then maybe somewhere else in the league.  

With the ridiculous amount of injuries on Ottawa's blue line, Thomson was one of the men who helped backfill during the Senators' impressive run to nail down a playoff spot. He got into 11 regular-season games with the Sens, and when Artem Zub was hurt in Game 1 of the playoffs, it was Thomson who subbed in for Game 2.

Thomson left the organization to play one season for Malmo in the Swedish League in 2024-25, but returned to the Senators last summer, hoping there might be an opportunity. However, he signed back here before the Sens traded for Jordan Spence and before anyone knew that Nick Jensen would recover in time for the 2025-26 season. 

So that set Thomson up for another season of playing mostly in Belleville, and rumours popped up back in January that Thomson was planning to move back to Europe again at season's end. Clearly, the late-season NHL work wasn't enough to sway him from his plan.

“Obviously, it is kind of frustrating seeing your teammates from Belleville are getting called up, and you're not getting that chance,” Thomson said last month. “But obviously, you have to try to think about it the other way and try to be positive, rather than worry if (a recall) is going to be coming or if it's not coming.

“So, I tried not to get too frustrated. I will say, I just tried to enjoy the hockey. That was the biggest thing for me this year. Just come here and enjoy the hockey. Whatever is going to happen, it's gonna happen.”

GM Janick Steinmann says his team is thrilled to have him.

"Lassi is an offensive D-man who played on the highest level the past years," said in a translated club statement. "He was one of the best D-men in the SHL during the 2024/25 season. He is very creative, has a great shot and can skate very well.

"He will help us on the power play and driving our game, 5 on 5. He has a lot of natural leadership qualities and is in the prime of his career."

Steinmann had a field day with Ottawa's organizational depth this week. He also signed Belleville forward Olle Lycksell, who started this season in Ottawa and appeared in seven games for the NHL club.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Batherson Wide Open To Signing Extension: 'Ottawa Feels Like Home'
Dylan Cozens Will Represent Canada At World Championships Next Week
Will The Senators Re-Sign 38-Year-old UFA Claude Giroux?
Halliday Reacts To New Deal With Ottawa: 'Super Excited I Got A Chance'
Another NHL Chance For Former Senators GM Pierre Dorion?

The Carolina Hurricanes have the opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

If they can do it, they would become the first team since the NHL moved to having the postseason comprised entirely of best-of-7 series to open with two sweeps to start a playoff run.

Game 3 on Thursday was a close one until the Hurricanes’ advantage on special teams came up big, as a shorthanded goal from Jalen Chatfield gave Carolina a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish before Andrei Svechnikov buried his first of the postseason on a one-timer on the power play to make it 3-1.

Now, an overmatched (and banged up) Flyers team with its backs against the wall will take its best shot at forcing the series back to Raleigh.

Rick Tocchet’s crew will still be without key defensive forward Noah Cates, but it remains to be seen whether speedy winger Owen Tippett will be ready to draw back into the lineup for the first time this series or not. He’s been participating in morning skates, but has not been ready to go.

The Hurricanes announced on Friday that they would not hold a morning skate in advance of Saturday’s game, but that head coach Rod Brind’Amour would be available to the media a few hours prior to puck drop.

In terms of the lineup, Philadelphia’s attempt to mix things up after Game 3 was well out of hand could force Brind’Amour’s hand to dress Nic Deslauriers to serve as a deterrent against his former teammates.

When the Hurricanes were in a similar spot against a chippy Ottawa team in Game 4 last round, Deslauriers drew in for a banged up Nikolaj Ehlers, and it certainly didn’t hurt to have the veteran enforcer’s presence in the lineup on that day.

Frederik Andersen will most certainly get the nod between the pipes again today. The Great Dane leads the NHL in the postseason with a .957 save percentage and 1.02 goals against average.

A win today would make for a guaranteed lengthy rest ahead of the Eastern Conference Final. The Montreal Canadiens’ win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night means that series will last at least until next Thursday, and it seems unlikely that one of those teams is going to rattle off three straight wins over the other now.

---

Here’s how to check out the action…

Time: 6:00 PM EST

Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

TV: TNT, TruTV with Alex Faust and Colby Armstrong on the call.

Radio: 99.9 FM the Fan will carry the broadcast from Hurricanes TV voice Mike Maniscalco and color commentator Tripp Tracy on the call.

Streaming: HBO Max app

Odds: Hurricanes -188/Flyers +155 Moneyline, Hurricanes -1.5 +134/Flyers +1.5 -164 Puckline, Total Goals O5.5 +118/U5.5 -144, all per FanDuel Sportsbook.

After losing Game 1 4-2 on Wednesday night, the Montreal Canadiens needed a bounce-back effort to even out their series with the Buffalo Sabres, and they got it. If the Habs looked like their gear stick was stuck in Tampa speed in Game 1, that wasn’t the case in Game 2. Martin St-Louis’ men were ready straight from puck drop, and the hosts looked somewhat surprised.

Montreal took a 2-0 lead with less than five minutes played, and they never looked back. While Cole Caufield failed to find the back of the net, he was much more visible on the night. He had two shots on net, three missed shots, and rang one off the crossbar for six attempts on net, which is a very good sign.

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Back In The Right Lane

Lane Hutson blamed himself after Game 1, saying everyone was ready to play that night except him. That was a harsh criticism from the blueliner, but he’s always been his own toughest critic. But as he always does after a tougher game, he bounced right back. He has three shots on net in the first frame alone, drew a penalty and got an assist on the first goal of the game.

Public Enemy Number One

Two games into this series, Zach Benson has made no friends, on or off the ice. Both the Canadiens players and their fans have had enough of the diminutive winger. He was the first star in Game 1 with two assists, and in Game 2, he got Buffalo on the scoreboard, on top of throwing a lot of hits.

40 minutes in, he had four hits, double his total from Game 1, and he never missed a chance to chirp the opponents. Even after he scored a goal, his immediate reaction was to skate at Jakub Dobes to rub it in. The lineman stopped him, but you can tell he loves stirring the pot.

ur done number 6. pic.twitter.com/NoXzXenOiH

— x - ava (@teapottoffoIi) May 8, 2026

Seizing Opportunities

During the second frame, the Canadiens had two power-play opportunities but failed to score on either. They still built momentum from them, because they had some good puck possession and passing, a lot of passing, but there comes a time when you have to at least capitalize on those opportunities.

In one of those man-advantage situations, a Sabres player had no stick. You have to take advantage of that; that’s essentially playing against three and a half men. Furthermore, during the same power play, Juraj Slafkovsky made two soft no-look back passes and very nearly gave away possession. On one of those occurrences, the puck exited the zone, forcing everyone to come out. There’s a time and a place for that kind of play, and it’s not when your team is in full control, pressuring an out-of-breath opponent.

New Look Newhook

It went under the radar this year with so many Habs setting important milestones and Alex Newhook missing a lot of time with an injury, but the Newfoundlander had a very good season. He put up 25 points in just 42 games playing alongside a pair of rookies.

Before Game 2, he only had two points in the playoffs, but one of them was the series-winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s really engaged out there and making a difference for the Habs.

On a night where the Canadiens needed to bounce back, he scored the first goal of the game and added a beauty on a two-on-one with Jake Evans at the end of a penalty kill. He still has another year on his contract, but if he keeps it up, he could earn himself a new one in Montreal after next season.

With the Canadiens having a commanding lead late in the third, both teams started setting the table for Game 3. There were plenty of uncalled shoves, stick hits, and other extracurricular activities until the referee had had enough and sent Benson to the box for two minutes. If these two teams didn’t hate each other before the start of the series, they absolutely do now.

The Bell Centre crowd should be treated to a spirited battle on Sunday night as the Sabres will be keen to get back the home-ice advantage they lost on Friday night.

Sam Carrick “On The Cusp” Of Being Available To Return Against Montreal

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While the Detroit Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, their American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids is halfway to capturing its third Calder Cup championship.

The Griffins closed out their series against the Manitoba Moose with a 5-2 victory at Van Andel Arena, powered by a pair of goals from Carter Mazur and a highlight-reel tally from Axel Sandin-Pellikka.

SURVIVED & ADVANCE 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ewJIHfAv5F

— y-Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) May 9, 2026

With the win, Grand Rapids advanced to the Central Division Finals, where they will battle the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Mazur, Detroit's third-round selection (70th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, upped his playoff goal total to four with his second straight two-goal performance for the Griffins.

This season with the Red Wings, he appeared in eight games but didn't register a point. 

Sandin-Pellikka, who made the Red Wings' roster out of Training Camp, scored a highlight-reel second-period goal for the Griffins, who also got goals from Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Eduards Tralmaks.

It was Tralmaks who opened the scoring in the first period on the power-play for Grand Rapids. While Manitoba knotted the score, Sandin-Pellikka restored the lead, and Brandsegg-Nygård added an early third-period tally.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka Scores Filthy Goal For Griffins Detroit Red Wings defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who has his first year in the NHL under his belt, will be on highlight reels everywhere.

Like Sandin-Pellikka, Brandsegg-Nygård also made Detroit's roster out of Training Camp, but was returned to the Griffins after registering an assist in 12 NHL games. 

After making it 4-1, Mazur added his second goal of the evening into the vacated Moose net with goaltender Thomas Milic, who was making his first start of the series, on the bench for an extra attacker 

Griffins goaltender Michal Postava continues to author an impressive stretch of play in his first season in North America, making 19 saves. 

Game 1 between the Griffins and Wolves is scheduled for Thursday in Grand Rapids. 

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Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division)

Montreal, Quebec; Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Canadiens -125, Sabres +105; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Series tied 1-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres are in a 1-1 series tie in the second round of the NHL Playoffs. The teams meet Friday for the seventh time this season. The Canadiens won the last meeting 5-1. Alexander Newhook scored two goals in the win.

Montreal has gone 48-24-10 overall with a 21-11-3 record in Atlantic Division games. The Canadiens have scored 279 total goals (3.4 per game) to rank seventh in league play.

Buffalo is 21-8-5 against the Atlantic Division and 50-23-9 overall. The Sabres have a +43 scoring differential, with 283 total goals scored and 240 given up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Nicholas Suzuki has three goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

Rasmus Dahlin has 19 goals and 55 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has scored six goals and added four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 5-3-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.3 assists, 5.7 penalties and 12.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Sabres: 6-2-2, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.3 assists, 4.8 penalties and 11.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.

INJURIES: Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen).

Sabres: Noah Ostlund: out (lower body), Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Sam Carrick: day to day (arm), Justin Danforth: out for season (kneecap).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division) vs. Anaheim Ducks (43-33-6, in the Pacific Division)

Anaheim, California; Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Golden Knights -119, Ducks -101; over/under is 6.5

NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Golden Knights lead series 2-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights visit the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Friday for the seventh time this season. The Golden Knights won 6-2 in the last matchup. Mitchell Marner led the Golden Knights with three goals.

Anaheim has gone 43-33-6 overall with a 20-14-1 record against the Pacific Division. The Ducks are sixth in league play with 323 total penalties (averaging 3.9 per game).

Vegas has a 17-6-6 record in Pacific Division games and a 39-26-17 record overall. The Golden Knights have allowed 242 goals while scoring 264 for a +22 scoring differential.

TOP PERFORMERS: Cutter Gauthier has scored 41 goals with 28 assists for the Ducks. Jackson LaCombe has two goals and nine assists over the last 10 games.

Marner has 24 goals and 56 assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has one goal and 12 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Ducks: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.3 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

Golden Knights: 7-3-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.6 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Ducks: Radko Gudas: day to day (lower body), Petr Mrazek: out for season (lower-body).

Golden Knights: Jeremy Lauzon: out (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

After splitting Games 1 and 2 in Las Vegas to open their second-round series vs the Vegas Golden Knights, the Anaheim Ducks returned to Orange County for Game 3 on Friday.

The feeling around the Ducks locker room is that, with the way they played in Vegas, they could have easily entered Friday with a 2-0 series lead, as they earned to build off of that heading into Games 3 and 4 at home.

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Ducks Won Game 2 vs Golden Knights with a lot of Money Sitting in the Press Box, Future of Key Players in Question

Vegas felt they had more to offer in this series than what they showed in the two opening games, and aimed to turn that corner on the road. 

Knights head coach John Tortorella made some lineup adjustments at the end of Game 2 and stuck to them for Game 3. Former Duck William Karlsson lined up between Brett Howden and Mitch Marner, while Hertl slid to the middle between Pavel Dorofeyev and Keegan Kolesar. Mark Stone started on Vegas’ top line. Dylan Coghlan made his series debut on the third pair.

Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville made a dramatic lineup change in the moments leading up to Game 2, swapping out Mason McTavish and Ian Moore from the Ducks forward group and inserting Jansen Harkins and Ross Johnston. With no changes from Wednesday, here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:

Kreider-Carlsson-Terry

Gauthier-Granlund-Killorn

Viel-Poehling-Sennecke

Johnston-Washe-Harkins

LaCombe-Trouba

Mintyukov-Carlson

Hinds-Helleson

Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks and saved just five of eight shots before he was pulled after the first period. Ville Husso was inserted in Dostal’s spot and saved 17 of 19. In Vegas’ net, Carter Hart got the nod and stopped 31 of 33 shots.

Game Notes

This game opened poorly for the Ducks and didn’t get any better for the duration. Possession numbers were fairly even, but defensive lapses, stale offense, and sub-optimal goaltending sent the Ducks into too great a hole to climb out of.

The Ducks continue to struggle on the power play and have now given up more goals while on the man-advantage than they’ve scored. Carter Hart is establishing himself as a capable big game goaltender, but the Ducks and his team’s defensive structure are also making his life easy.

“We certainly knew they were going to come play their best game, and they were better,” Quenneville said after the game. “They had the puck way more in the offensive zone; they spent some time in our end. I didn’t mind the start til they scored, and we lost some momentum there. Getting that third one at the end of the period certainly was a killer, and that was basically the game.”

Lukas Dostal-The numbers will illustrate that Dostal ended the first period with a .625 SV% and -1.82 goals saved above expected. Of the three goals he let in, the only one that could be considered soft was the second, a shorthanded shot from the left dot by Knights’ defenseman Brayden McNabb. The shot was unscreened and didn’t appear to be tipped. It was, however, unconventional, as it was a pre-composite stick style drag wrist shot, and McNabb didn’t fully follow through: a change-up of sorts and an awkward shot for Dostal to stop. It’s one he needed to stop, nonetheless.

The first goal was completely screened by Ducks center Ryan Poehling, and the third pinballed around and off of Dostal, leaving him scrambling and attempting to react before Mitch Marner buried from the left post.

Cycle-The Ducks generated a fair amount of shots (33) and shot attempts (55), but the majority of them were from the perimeter, blocked, didn’t produce rebounds, or were seen by Hart the whole way. The Ducks insisted on feeding pucks low to high and funneling them toward the crease. The success they found late in the game came when they were generating shots from below the dots and/or finding soft ice in the mid-slot, away from the crease.

While possession time wasn’t discouraging, the Ducks may look to add wrinkles of forward movement, skating with the puck from low to high and activating defensemen down the wall, involving more offensive talent while drawing Vegas’ Goliath defenders away from the net front.

Lineup-The Ducks played disciplined and detailed with this lineup in Game 2, but the offensive limitations were apparent when they were desperate to get back into the game and craved different ways to generate offense. Mason McTavish is a highly-paid, highly-skilled, offensive player who very probably doesn’t win the Ducks this hockey game, but having him in the lineup wouldn’t have made them worse defensively.

The Ducks will look to even the series on Sunday and avoid a 3-1 deficit to a Vegas team that appears as confident as they are talented from the net out.

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Takeaways from the Ducks 3-1 Win over the Golden Knights, Series Tied 1-1

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Most of the time, hockey is a game of momentum– both teams control play in stretches and chase the game in others, and whoever handles those swings best goes on to win the game. But sometimes, a team grabs the bull by the horns and doesn’t let go until the game is completely out of reach.

That’s exactly what the Vegas Golden Knights did on Friday night. They rolled into Honda Center, scored 66 seconds in, and made the Anaheim Ducks look like a beer league club for two periods of hockey. The Ducks broke Hart’s shutout bid, but it was too little too late, and the Golden Knights won Game 3 6-2.

The Golden Knights broke the ice just 66 seconds into the first period. Mark Stone entered the zone, rolled away from John Carlson’s check, and worked the puck deeper for Jack Eichel. Eichel found Shea Theodore in the slot, and the defenseman snuck a wrister past Lukáš Dostál for his third goal of the postseason.

Jack Eichel finds Shea Theodore in the slot, and the Duck hunter does his part to silence the crowd early.

1-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/uw97aeyBsZ

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

The Golden Knights doubled their lead at 12:13 in the first while shorthanded. Mikael Granlund turned the puck over, and Mitch Marner took it back the other way. Marner entered the zone, pulled up, and left the puck for Brayden McNabb, who rolled around John Carlson and beat Lukáš Dostál far-side.

The VGK penalty kill continued to outscore the opposing power play. Brayden McNabb gets in on the fun.

2-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/uBXBYfKLDq

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

Hertl drew a penalty late in the first period, and the Golden Knights extended their lead on the ensuing power play. Jacob Trouba blocked Mitch Marner’s shot point-blank; Lukáš Dostál denied Pavel Dorofeyev on the rebound, and Marner finally got it to go on the third attempt.

Mitch Marner says thanks for coming. Gets his own rebound on the power play and this is getting ugly.

3-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/vNEeJDSgpw

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

Joel Quenneville made a goaltending change to start the second period, swapping Lukáš Dostál for Ville Husso. Unfortunately for the Ducks, the Golden Knights were even better in the second, and this change did little to spark a comeback. They generated nine high-danger scoring chances while holding Anaheim to two.

The Golden Knights added to their lead at 9:19 in the second. Jack Eichel led an odd-man rush up ice, entered the zone, and found Brett Howden at the point. Howden one-touched a pass to Shea Theodore in the middle of the ice, and the defenseman rolled into the slot. Theodore avoided the stick of Alex Killorn and threaded a pass to Mitch Marner, who crashed the net and tucked the puck in.

Mitch Marner shows off his hands in tight, tucks in a second… and waves to the Ducks fans.

4-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/c06XKhEMFq

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

The Golden Knights made it a five-spot at 17:56 in the second. Ivan Barbashev won a board battle, and William Karlsson got to the loose puck. Karlsson protected the puck, circled behind the net, and dropped a pass back for Mitch Marner. Marner slammed on the brakes, rolled out towards the left circle, and snuck a shot past Ville Husso short-side.

So, I think Karlsson and Marner might stick together for a bit. Mitch completes the hatty and registers his fourth point of the night!

5-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/5trSs71JH4

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

In the third period, the Golden Knights appeared to take their foot off the gas. The Ducks are a young, dangerous team, and they used their speed to take advantage of a team trying to coast to the finish line.

The Ducks got on the board at 6:30 in the third. Beckett Sennecke prevented Noc Dowd from flying the zone, held the puck in, and zipped a cross-ice pass to Alex Killorn. Killorn snapped it to Granlund at the point, who rolled deeper into the zone. Granlund passed it back to Killorn, who fired a one-timer that squeaked through Carter Hart. Rasmus Andersson and Colton Sissons tried to clear, but Sennecke dove for the loose puck and chipped it home.

A blast from Alex Killorn squeaks by Carter Hart, and Beckett Sennecke dives to punch in the loose puck.

5-1, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/teI0ESY0OY

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

The Ducks added another at 15:09 in the third. Leo Carlsson raced up ice with the puck, entered the zone, and flew around Pavel Dorofeyev and avoided Jack Eichel’s poke check. Carlsson worked it deeper for Troy Terry; Terry drifted behind the net and found Chris Kreider all alone in the slot.

Leo Carlsson does Leo Carlsson things, and Terry and Kreider connect on a bang-bang play.

5-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/010obd5iH6

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) May 9, 2026

Down by three, the Ducks pulled Ville Husso for the extra attacker with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. They generated a few good looks and managed four shots on goal, but the mountain proved to be too steep to climb. Brett Howden hit the empty net at 18:04 in the third, and the Golden Knights rolled to a 6-2 win. 

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. Don’t look now– Mitch Marner is the postseason leader in points and tied for the lead in goals. In his last four games, Marner has six goals and nine points.

“I try to always be an energizer guy, a guy that goes out there and brings a lot of passion and energy to games,” said Marner following the win. “It’s always nice to contribute, but at the end of the day, you just want to win games.”

Marner, of course, remained humble after his four-point performance. Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella, however, had no issue singing his praises.

“I think he’s a hell of a hockey player,” said Tortorella postgame. “I think he’s very cerebral and very confident in what he brings. You know, people give him s— all the time about playoffs and this and that, and I don’t think it bothers him a lick. He just plays.”

2. Another day, another perfect penalty kill. The Golden Knights have killed off 26 of the last 27 penalties, and haven’t allowed a power play goal since Game 3 against the Utah Mammoth. Thanks to Brayden McNabb’s shorthanded tally, the Golden Knights’ penalty kill has outscored their opponents’ power plays 3-to-1 this postseason.

3. A concerning loss overshadows the dominant 6-2 win. Mark Stone was not on the bench to start the second period, and, despite returning for a brief time, didn’t play another shift. Before exiting the game, Stone recorded an assist and finished the night with 4:24 TOI.

As this is the postseason, John Tortorella was tight-lipped postgame and provided no update on the Golden Knights’ captain.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Alex Newhook had two goals, again providing Montreal with some much-needed secondary scoring, and the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 on Friday night to even their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.

Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier and Nick Suzuki, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Canadiens. Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes made 27 saves, and Montreal extended its trend of alternating wins and losses after doing so in a seven-game first-round series win over Tampa Bay.

Montreal advanced to the second round on Newhook’s game-winner 11:07 into the third period of a 2-1 series-clinching win on Sunday. Meantime, the Canadiens’ top offensive threats continue to struggle. Cole Caufield extended his point drought to five games, while Juraj Slafkovsky has one assist in his past eight outings.

Zach Benson scored for Buffalo, but Alex Lyon allowed four goals on 27 shots. He previously allowed seven goals in six-plus appearances since replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was was pulled after two periods in a 4-2 loss to Boston in Game 2 of their first-round series.

The series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Sunday night.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 6, DUCKS 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mitch Marner had three goals and an assist in his first career playoff hat trick, and Vegas routed Anaheim to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series.

Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist and Brayden McNabb scored a short-handed goal as the Golden Knights stormed to a 5-0 lead after two periods, silencing a sellout crowd in Orange County and erasing memories of their rough offensive outing in Game 2.

Carter Hart made 30 saves as Vegas moved halfway to the Western Conference finals while sending the upstart Ducks to the worst loss of their first postseason in eight years.

Game 4 is Sunday night in Anaheim.

Marner got his natural hat trick in the first two periods, giving him six goals in the past four games of his first playoff run with his new team. The longtime Maple Leafs forward delivered Vegas’ first four-point playoff performance since 2019 and prompted a few hats to be thrown onto the ice when he slipped his third goal under Ville Husso with 2:04 left in the second.

Marner’s three goals were more than he scored in last spring’s entire 13-game playoff run with Toronto, where the Ontario native frequently got criticism for not delivering in the postseason.

How do you stop a flock of high-flying Ducks? You clip their wings.

Also, unleash Mitch Marner.

At least that was the remedy the Vegas Golden Knights used Friday to rout the Ducks 6-2 in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, which continues Sunday at Honda Center.

Half the goals came from Marner, who also had an assist. Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb and winger Brett Howden had the other goals — with Howden’s coming into an empty net — handing the Ducks their first loss in four games at home this postseason.

Read more:'We kept the momentum.' Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson power Ducks to Game 2 win over Vegas

Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider scored in the third period for the Ducks. But by then the game was all but decided, with Vegas scoring three first-period goals — on just eight shots — and never looking back.

“It wasn't a great start,” Alex Killorn said. “It's tough to win a game when you put yourself in spots like that. The kind of mistakes that we made are not typical of our team.

“But it’s a seven-game series.”

The fast start followed two games in which the plodding Golden Knights watched the Ducks skate rings around them. So they got physical Friday, using an aggressive forecheck to ground the speedy young Ducks. Vegas also did a good job in the first two periods of limiting the Ducks’ possession time in the offensive zone.

“They're a bigger team, and that's how they play,” Jackson LaCombe said. “They’re experienced too. They played well tonight and we just have to match that the next game.”

Vegas, which never led in Game 2, went in front 66 seconds into Game 3 when Theodore, who started his NHL career in Anaheim, got past Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier to the puck on the inside edge of the right circle and beat Lukas Dostal cleanly on the first shot of the night.

Jack Eichel got an assist on the goal, his 10th of the postseason.

With Eichel in the penalty box for hooking, McNabb, a former King, doubled the lead with a shorthanded goal less than eight minutes before the first intermission, banging a shot from the center of the left circle just inside the far post.

The Golden Knights killed two penalties on the night and have killed all 11 Ducks power plays in the series.

Marner took advantage of a fortunate bounce to make it 3-0 on a power-play goal with five seconds left in the first period. A shot from Colton Sissons on the right wing ricocheted off Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba and went straight to Marner, who was charging into the slot.

Marner took a couple of whacks at the puck before finally getting it past Dostal.

“That goal certainly was the killer,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “They were desperate. They were hungry.”

Dostal wouldn’t see another shot, with Ville Husso taking over in goal to start the second period. It seemed like a quick hook for Dostal, who came within a few seconds of the Ducks’ first shutout of the season in a 3-1 win in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The change didn’t work, with Marner extending the lead on his next shot midway through the second period.

Marner then completed the hat trick with 2:04 left in the second period, taking a backhand pass from William Karlsson behind the net and skating untouched toward the left circle before beating Husso with a quick snap shot.

A chorus of boos from the sellout crowd at Honda Center chased the Ducks to the locker room after the second period. Sennecke responded, diving headfirst between two defenders and into the crease to knock in the rebound of a Killorn shot from the far edge of the right circle for the Ducks’ first goal 6:30 into the third.

Kreider scored with less than five minutes left.

“I think that there's a lesson to take out of today's game: it's only going to get harder,” Quenneville said. “Every single game, it’s not going to get any easier. So let's get ready to go to war.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Minnesota Frost avoided elimination with a 3-1 comeback win against the Montreal Victoire on Friday night in Game 4 of the PWHL’s semifinals.

Montreal forward Maureen Murphy opened the scoring 41 minutes into another tight contest. No stranger to the pressures of playoffs, however, the Frost stormed back, scoring three goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation to force a deciding Game 5 back in Montreal.

Defender Sidney Morin continued her torrid playoff scoring pace, netting two goals in under four minutes to help the Frost force a deciding Game 5 back in Montreal. Morin’s second goal of the night — scored on the power play after Laura Stacey was called for roughing — would prove to be the game-winner. It also broke Minnesota’s uncharacteristic streak of failing to score on 10 straight power-play opportunities. The Frost had the league’s best power play (23 percent) in the regular season.

Kelly Pannek — who led the regular season in both goals (16) and points (33) — scored her first of the playoffs with the Montreal net empty to seal the win. Maddie Rooney, playing on back-to-back nights, was stellar again for the Frost, making 29 saves on 30 shots. Montreal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 28 of 30.

The Minnesota Frost are now 5-0 when facing elimination in the playoffs.

Sidney Morin plays hero (again)

After Minnesota lost four critical pieces to its blue line in the offseason — Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques and Mellissa Channell-Watkins signed with expansion Vancouver; Maggie Flaherty signed in Montreal — the Frost went out and signed Morin from the Boston Fleet.

“Our staff had identified Sidney Morin as a top target heading into the signing period,” said general manager Melissa Caruso back in June. “She’s a reliable defender whose work ethic and offensive abilities will complement our D-core perfectly.”

Morin played a consistent role on the Frost blue line, but failed to score in her first regular season in Minnesota. The playoffs have been a different story. Morin’s four goals through four games tie her career goal total through 84 regular-season games and now lead the postseason.

She has now scored three of Minnesota’s last four goals in a rare playoff back-to-back and scored a critical goal in Minnesota’s 5-4 overtime victory in Game 1.

Much of Minnesota’s regular season was about its stars. The Frost had the best offense (91 goals) and the best group of five forwards in the league all regular season. Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Britta Curl-Salemme combined for 65 goals this season, which is more than three entire teams — Toronto, New York and Seattle — scored all season.

But it’s their depth getting it done in the postseason so far.

Maddie Rooney stands tall

It was somewhat surprising to see Rooney start four straight games for Minnesota, including on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday. Minnesota coach Ken Klee has typically rotated his goalies, and with three games in four nights — including travel from Montreal to Minnesota — it would have made sense to see Nicole Hensley in at least one of Games 3 or 4.

If Hensley was going to get into a game, it likely would have been Game 3, to give Rooney a rest for a high-stakes Game 4. However, Rooney has been exceptional in the series and has earned every bit of the net she’s gotten.

That much shouldn’t come as a shock. Rooney, like the Frost in general, is a proven playoff performer. She went a perfect 5-0 in last year’s championship run and posted an absurd 1.12 goals against average and .948 save percentage in Minnesota’s first Walter Cup championship.

This year’s playoffs have been no different, save for Game 1, where Rooney and Montreal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens allowed a combined nine against in the second-highest scoring game in PWHL postseason history.

Rooney followed that game up with a 51-save performance in Minnesota’s 1-0 triple overtime loss and has been the most important player on the ice for the Frost on a nightly basis.

She now has an incredible .937 save percentage through four starts and a 1.68 goals against average.

“She’s a top goalie in the league there’s no question,” Klee said on Thursday. “She’s really on her game. I think it gives all our players a real confidence boost.”

The playoff schedule

While the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet had a six-day break in the league’s other semifinal, the schedule for Montreal and Minnesota has proved challenging.

Game 3 on Tuesday went to triple overtime and did not end until 11:29 p.m. ET. Both teams then traveled from Montreal to St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday and have since played games on back-to-back nights.

“I think it’s a little inappropriate, honestly,” Heise said after Minnesota’s loss in Game 3. “Both teams are going through it. The other teams (Boston and Ottawa) had six days in between games and we didn’t, and that’s just the reality of what the league wanted.”

There are scheduling conflicts at play at Grand Casino Arena, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Colorado Avalanche for Games 3 and 4 in the second round of the NHL playoffs on Saturday and Monday. In Montreal, the Victoire have also had to schedule games around the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Still, it’s hard to argue with Heise’s assessment. At least now both teams should have one true day off – and another day of travel – before Game 5 on Monday night back in Montreal.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, NHL, Women's Hockey

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The Grand Rapids Griffins are hoping to gain the upper hand by eliminating the Manitoba Moose in the Calder Cup Playoffs, currently enjoying a two games to one series lead after rebounding from their Game 1 loss.

And it was defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka who scored what was nothing short of a highlight-reel worthy goal to try and help them make that quest a reality.

Sandin-Pellikka took a pass in the neutral zone and proceeded to dangle through a pair of Manitoba defenders before slipping the puck through the pads of goaltender Thomas Milic into the back of the net, sending the crowd at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids into a frenzy.

AXEL SANDIN PELLIKKA 🚨 what a move !#LGRWpic.twitter.com/6DDC4hKRvU

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) May 9, 2026

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The goal gave the Griffins a 2-1 lead over the Moose with 5:10 left in the second period. 

The Swedish defenseman, who was Detroit’s first round pick (17th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, was one of several rookies to make the Red Wings roster this past fall thanks to a strong showing in Training Camp and the preseason.

Red Wings Defenseman Moritz Seider Snubbed For Norris TrophyDespite enjoying his best season and putting up Norris Trophy-worthy numbers, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider was overlooked for the annual award.

He ultimately appeared in 68 games, scoring seven goals with 14 assists while averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time per outing.

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Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn appeared to take a skate to the hand in Friday's Game 2 but stayed on the ice against the Montreal Canadiens while killing a penalty.

The incident happened in the second period of Friday's game while the Sabres were killing the leftover time on a first-period penalty to Josh Doan.

Jordan Greenway leveled Canadiens rookie of the year finalist Ivan Demidov with a big hit in the defensive end. Demidov's skate came up and appeared to clip Malenstyn. His glove came off and he shook his hand.

Demidov got up and skated to the Canadiens dressing room, but Malenstyn couldn't leave because the Sabres were still killing the penalty.

Replay of Greenway hit on Demidov #LetsGoBuffalo#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/UKmqBJeXDl

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) May 9, 2026

Playing with one glove, he eventually dived to clear the puck and then skated immediately to the dressing room.

BECK MALENSTYN

He heads to the tunnel, but we are praying it's just to get a new glove pic.twitter.com/DFqaJSeBjZ

— y - Crossing Swords ⚔️ (@CrossSwordsPod) May 9, 2026

The Sabres were trailing 2-0 at the time and later fell behind 3-0 and then 4-1.

Malenstyn returned to the ice in the third period.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sabres' Beck Malenstyn hit by skate, continues killing penalty