After the game 4 win over Montreal with a 4-0 score, Carolina Captain Jordan Staal was quoted as saying that his team was “playing like a machine”.

Well, the machine kept on running without so much of a hiccup as they finished off the Eastern Conference Final series with a 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night.

After dropping game one, they finished up with four straight wins to close things out in five games. Their postseason record is now an amazing 12-1. Only three other teams in the modern era have accomplished this.

The Canes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. They outshot the Habs 15-4 and outhit them 10-4 in that key period.

Carolina’s second line continued to do the major damage as Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Logan Stankoven contributed. Stankoven and Hall both had a goal and two assists while Blake chipped in with a goal and an assist.

Goalie Frederik Andersen had 23 saves on 24 shots and earned his 12th win of the postseason. It was an emotional night for Andersen, who considered the late Claude Lemieux like “family”. Lemieux also served as his agent.

The home team got things rolling about midway through the first period when Taylor Hall knocked in a puck from in close. The Canadiens challenged the goal for goaltender interference because Stankoven had taken the puck into the net and brushed Dobes. Apparently, the refs didn’t think there was enough contact to overturn the goal so the score stood.

About six minutes later, Stankoven would snipe one off a pass from Hall and it was 2-0.

Just a minute and change after that, Eric Robinson broke in alone and got another one past Dobes and it was 3-0. It was Robinson’s third goal of the playoffs.

At 7:19 into the second period, Jackson Blake knocked in a rebound off a Hall shot and the pressure was off at 4-0. Media members started making plane reservations to Vegas.

Just before the end of the period, Shayne Gostisbehere scored a powerplay goal when he snuck behind the Montreal defense to tap in a Seth Jarvis pass. At the end of the second, it was 5-0.

At this point, the partisan Carolina crowd was serenading the arena by singing “ole’ ole’ ole’ ” as a (tribute) to Montreal fans.

The Habs ruined Andersen’s shutout bid with a powerplay goal late in the game by Cole Caulfield, but Seth Jarvis would close out the scoring on an empty-netter.

The Canes will take Saturday off before preparing for the next series against the Las Vegas Golden Knights which starts Tuesday night at the Lenovo Center. We will have much more about that coming up.

After the game during interviews, each player to a man was very business like as they knew they had another tough task before them.

Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS030315.HTM

Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES030315.HTM

Interviews – https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0ooz4291rrb3ld5ujaf3d/ACOQahJeYtuujlOBt7OWbRg?rlkey=aa0m2dn4482jqnggu5xbartot&e=1&st=4lsqr73l&dl=0

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was playing with a heavy heart in Game 5 after the death of his agent, four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux.

Andersen came up with one of his better efforts of the Eastern Conference finals, stopping 23 shots in a 6-1 win that sent the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. It's also Andersen's first trip.

"I can't talk enough good things about this team and the way they've supported me," he told TNT. "It's been awesome."

Lemieux died at 60 on Thursday, three days after he took part in the Canadiens' torch-bearing ceremony before Game 3 at Montreal's Bell Centre.

Though Lemieux identified with the Canadiens as the team that drafted him and where he won his first Stanley Cup as a rookie, he had ties with the Hurricanes. In addition to having Andersen as a client, his son Brendan played for Carolina during the 2023-24 season. The Hurricanes paid tribute to Claude Lemieux before Friday's game.

Asked what Lemieux would say if he were still here, Andersen told TNT that his agent would tell him, "Just go get it."

"He's the ultimate competitor and he's got the biggest heart," the goalie said. "He wanted so much for me and this team."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frederik Andersen wins clinching Game 5 while mourning Claude Lemieux

The Hurricanes and Canadiens took a moment to pay respects to the late Claude Lemieux ahead of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Shortly before the Hurricanes clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Final with a 6-1 win over Montreal on Friday, the big screen at the Lenovo Center displayed a picture of Lemieux as players from both teams stood at center ice. Lemieux spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Canadiens.

“The hockey world lost a great champion yesterday with the passing of Claude Lemieux,” Hurricanes public address announcer Wade Minter told the crowd. “Known across the League as a fierce competitor, the winner of four Stanley Cups and known to our organization as a father and advisor.

“Claude left a lasting legacy on our great game. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and every player his life impacted.”

The fans in the stands then applauded as the screen panned to an image of Lemieux at a Canadiens’ playoff game just days before he tragically died at 60 years old by suicide at his family business in Florida on Thursday.

Authorities previously told The Post on Friday that Lemieux hanged himself in the back of the warehouse of the home-design business in Lake Park, Fla.

Lemieux, a Quebec native, was drafted by Montreal in 1983 and won his first cup with the team in 1986.

“Today is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community. I wish to express my most sincere and deepest condolences to Claude’s family and loved ones,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said in a statement. “A fierce competitor who rose to the occasion in big moments, Claude was a relentless, courageous, and tenacious player who led the team to the highest honors.

“He embodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player. Today we mourn the untimely passing of one of our champions. Our thoughts are with his family on this difficult day.”

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The 1993 Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.

The 2026 Canadiens weren't able to repeat that, falling 6-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, and so Canada's championship drought lives on.

Canada's run ended one round earlier this year as Montreal bowed out in the conference finals following back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Final by the Edmonton Oilers.

Montreal pulled off Game 7 wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres and routed a rusty Hurricanes team 6-2 in Game 1.

But Carolina restored its aggressive forechecking in Game 2 and beyond, reeling off four consecutive wins and limiting the Canadiens to 43 shots over the first three wins.

Canadian teams already had a bad start to the postseason with the Toronto Maple Leafs' and Winnipeg Jets' playoff streaks ending. The Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers made it, but they were knocked out in the first round.

The Canadiens are out now after a promising start.

The Canada drought happened after teams north of the border won from 1984-90, including two all-Canada finals. After Montreal won in 1993, the Vancouver Canucks lost in Game 7 of the 1994 final.

Here's a look at Canada's drought:

What led to Canada's Stanley Cup drought?

The poor value of the Canadian dollar, compared with the U.S. dollar, hurt teams north of the border because their revenue was in Canadian dollars but they paid players in U.S. dollars. It made it harder for Canadian teams to hang on to their stars until a salary cap (instituted in 2005) and revenue sharing helped the smaller markets.

At the same time, there was a migration south of the border. Arena issues led the Quebec Nordiques to move to Denver in 1995. The Colorado Avalanche won in their first season there after trading for Patrick Roy. The Winnipeg Jets moved to Arizona in 1996 and became the Coyotes (now Utah Mammoth). Canada got a team back in 2011 when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the current Jets.

Only one team can win the Stanley Cup and the United States has 25 teams to Canada's seven.

Which team could end the drought?

The Canadiens seems like a good candidate, even with their fade in the conference finals.

They're young, but they'll grow together, and Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson are already playing great. Ivan Demidov shows promise and goalie Jakub Dobes showed he carry the team.

The Edmonton Oilers always have a chance with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the team. They took a step back this year, leading to the firing of coach Kris Knoblauch. They'll have to find another solution to their goaltender and get a bump from the new coach. McDavid has two years left on his deal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canadiens fall to Hurricanes, extending Canada's Stanley Cup drought

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have finally broken through their Eastern Conference Final roadblock. Now comes the chance to play for the Stanley Cup for the first time in two decades.

Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Eric Robinson scored in a dominating first period that helped push the Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Friday night, closing a five-game series that sent the Eastern Conference’s top seed on to face Vegas for the Cup.

Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere added second-period goals that pushed the Hurricanes to a 5-0 lead entering the final period, while Seth Jarvis scoring into an empty net with 3:41 left. Frederik Andersen carried a shutout until midway through the third in net.

Carolina swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, then regrouped from a Game 1 loss to the Canadiens after an extended between-rounds break to win four straight. That included a run of 10 straight goals going back to Andrei Svechnikov’s overtime winner in Game 3 before Montreal finally got on the board with Cole Caufield’s power-play score at 10:50 of the third.

That made the Hurricanes the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final with only one loss since 1983, according to SportRadar, and the only team to do so since the league went to best-of-seven series in all four postseason rounds in 1987.

It was a long-awaited moment for the franchise, which is on an eight-year run of postseason appearances under Rod Brind’Amour. The Hurricanes have been a perennial contender in the East, yet they entered this series having gone 1-12 in the Eastern Conference Final under Brind’Amour — falling in sweeps to Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023 before losing in five games to the Panthers in last year’s rematch.

But they were tested, and wounded, from those past postseason failures. Throw in their depth and talent, and the Hurricanes were finally ready to punch through for their third shot at the Cup since the former Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina before the 1997-98 season.

The last time the Hurricanes reached this point? Brind’Amour was the captain on a team that hoisted the Cup in a seven-game series against Edmonton in 2006.

After regrouping from a 6-2 loss in Game 1, the Hurricanes took control of the series from the young and skilled Canadiens — who had arrived at this round ahead of schedule after Game 7 road wins against Tampa Bay and Buffalo through the first two rounds. They won consecutive 3-2 overtime wins, then took Game 4 in a 4-0 road romp Wednesday.

Beyond the score, Carolina was getting to its smothering game in pressuring the Canadiens in their own end or shutting off most high-danger chances they could muster going the other way.

By midway through the second period, festive and rowdy Hurricanes fans were offering mocking “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!” chants with Carolina up 4-0. By the final two minutes, they were chanting “We want the Cup! We want the Cup!” as the Hurricanes closed this one out.

It's time to battle for the greatest trophy in sports.

The Stanley Cup is on the line as the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights meet up in the 2026 Cup Final, which begins Tuesday, June 2 (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Both teams have largely ripped through the playoffs to this point. Carolina is 12-1 in postseason play, its only loss coming in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals, while Vegas is 12-4. After two six-game wins, the Golden Knights swept the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals.

While the conference finals matchups didn't amount to much, the Stanley Cup Final figures to be a different matter with these two teams playing their best. So, who will win?

USA TODAY Sports' NHL experts made their predictions for the Stanley Cup Final matchup between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights:

Stanley Cup Final predictions: Picks for Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights

Mike Brehm: Hurricanes in 6. Is any team going to be able to get a shot? The Golden Knights clog up the middle and the Hurricanes are on you as you try to get out of the zone. The Golden Knights have pure scorers, but the Hurricanes have the Taylor Hall-Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake line and a better defense.

Kevin Skiver: Hurricanes in 6. I've picked against the Golden Knights every step of the way, so I'm giving them one last chance to make me look stupid. Carolina has looked like a juggernaut throughout this postseason, and the 'Canes haven't played down to anyone's level. John Tortorella has done amazing things with this Vegas bunch. But the Knights come up just short due to a timely resurgence of the Hurricanes' top line of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov after a lackluster start to the postseason

Jace Evans:Golden Knights in 6. The Hurricanes enter the Stanley Cup Final an incredible 12-1 in the postseason so perhaps it’s total folly to pick against them and they’re about to complete one of the greatest playoff runs we’ve ever seen. But, I’m doing it. The reason is my faith in the Knights’ top-end talent. They’ve been piling up points this postseason but also possess the defensive ability to stifle Carolina’s best offensive players. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few overtimes in this series. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stanley Cup Final predictions, picks for Hurricanes vs Golden Knights

For the first time since winning it all in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes are once again back in the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Outside of a bad first period in Game 1, the Hurricanes dominated the series in one of the most lopsided conference finals in recent memory.

Even though it wasn't a sweep and two games went to overtime, it just never felt like Montreal actually had a chance.

Carolina dominated offensive zone time, they were more physical, they were more desperate, they piled on the shots while giving the Canadiens virtually nothing.

As the series went on, every sequential game just felt more and more lopsided, culminating in a statement 6-1 Game 5 victory for the Hurricanes.

Much like Game 4, the Canes started the game hot and before the first 20 had expired, they already held a 3-0 lead.

Taylor Hall started the run, popping home a loose puck off of Logan Stankoven power move, and not too long after, he'd return the favor, setting up Stankoven in the right circle to double Carolina's lead.

Before the period was over, Eric Robinson would add another, his third of the series, after outracing Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson for a high-flip clear and going five-hole on Habs netminder Jakub Dobes.

The second period didn't get any easier for the Canadiens either as the Hurricanes would add another pair, with Jackson Blake putting home a rebound off of a Hall partial breakaway and then Shayne Gostisbehere depositing one from the backdoor on the power play.

Just to give you a glimpse of how over it was, before the game was even halfway finished — with Carolina leading 4-0 and nearly tripling Montreal in shots — Lenovo Center erupted into "Ole" chants, the Canadiens faithful's normal spirited tune.

The Hurricanes will now advance to face the Vegas Golden Knights, with both teams looking to win their second ever Stanley Cup.

Game 1 is set for Tuesday, June 2 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh.

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The 2026 Stanley Cup Final is set.

The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL championship series, starting Tuesday, June 2 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Hurricanes, who finished with 113 points in the regular season, will host Game 1 and 2, plus 5 and 7, if necessary

The Golden Knights, who finished with 95 points, will host Games 3 and 4, plus 6, if necessary.

Both teams are 1-1 in the Final. Carolina lost in 2002 and won in 2006, in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers. Vegas lost in 2018 and won in 2023, in five games against the Florida Panthers.

Here is the schedule, dates, times and TV broadcast information for the 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights.

2026 Stanley Cup Final schedule: dates, times, TV information

All times p.m. ET

• Game 1: Tuesday, June 2, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
• Game 2: Thursday, June 4, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
• Game 3: Saturday, June 6, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
• Game 4: Tuesday, June 9, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
• x-Game 5: Thursday, June 11, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
• x-Game 6: Sunday, June 14, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
• x-Game 7: Wednesday, June 17, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes vs Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final schedule, TV info

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes advance to face Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final, beating Montreal 6-1 in Game 5.

With their team up 4-0 and seemingly on the cusp of the Stanley Cup Final, Carolina Hurricanes fans took a playful shot at the struggling visitors.

Fans at Raleigh's Lenovo Center broke out into a boisterous "Olé" chant during the second period — the same chant that is frequently heard during Montreal Canadiens games at the Bell Centre.

Hurricanes fans doing Ole chants with their team up 4-0 in Game 5 🫣 pic.twitter.com/dAgOP4Ien4

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 30, 2026

Carolina fans have plenty to celebrate. Up 3-1 in the series, the Hurricanes appear poised to book their first Stanley Cup Final ticket since they won it all in 2006.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes fans mock Canadiens with Olé chant during Game 5 blowout

Hurricanes roll past Canadiens 6-1 in Eastern Conference Final, earn trip to Stanley Cup Final originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Carolina Hurricanes have finally broken through their Eastern Conference Final roadblock. Now comes the chance to play for the Stanley Cup for the first time in two decades.

Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Eric Robinson scored in a dominating first period that helped push the Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Friday night, closing a five-game series that sent the Eastern Conference’s top seed on to face Vegas for the Cup.

Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere added second-period goals that pushed the Hurricanes to a 5-0 lead entering the final period, while Seth Jarvis scoring into an empty net with 3:41 left. Frederik Andersen carried a shutout until midway through the third in net.

Carolina swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, then regrouped from a Game 1 loss to the Canadiens after an extended between-rounds break to win four straight. That included a run of 10 straight goals going back to Andrei Svechnikov’s overtime winner in Game 3 before Montreal finally got on the board with Cole Caufield’s power-play score at 10:50 of the third.

That made the Hurricanes the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final with only one loss since 1983, according to SportRadar, and the only team to do so since the league went to best-of-seven series in all four postseason rounds in 1987.

It was a long-awaited moment for the franchise, which is on an eight-year run of postseason appearances under Rod Brind’Amour. The Hurricanes have been a perennial contender in the East, yet they entered this series having gone 1-12 in the Eastern Conference Final under Brind’Amour — falling in sweeps to Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023 before losing in five games to the Panthers in last year’s rematch.

But they were tested, and wounded, from those past postseason failures. Throw in their depth and talent, and the Hurricanes were finally ready to punch through for their third shot at the Cup since the former Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina before the 1997-98 season.

The last time the Hurricanes reached this point? Brind’Amour was the captain on a team that hoisted the Cup in a seven-game series against Edmonton in 2006.

After regrouping from a 6-2 loss in Game 1, the Hurricanes took control of the series from the young and skilled Canadiens — who had arrived at this round ahead of schedule after Game 7 road wins against Tampa Bay and Buffalo through the first two rounds. They won consecutive 3-2 overtime wins, then took Game 4 in a 4-0 road romp Wednesday.

Beyond the score, Carolina was getting to its smothering game in pressuring the Canadiens in their own end or shutting off most high-danger chances they could muster going the other way.

By midway through the second period, festive and rowdy Hurricanes fans were offering mocking “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!” chants with Carolina up 4-0. By the final two minutes, they were chanting “We want the Cup! We want the Cup!” as the Hurricanes closed this one out.

Hurricanes roll past Canadiens 6-1 in Eastern Conference Final, earn trip to Stanley Cup Final originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Carolina Hurricanes have finally broken through their Eastern Conference Final roadblock. Now comes the chance to play for the Stanley Cup for the first time in two decades.

Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Eric Robinson scored in a dominating first period that helped push the Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Friday night, closing a five-game series that sent the Eastern Conference’s top seed on to face Vegas for the Cup.

Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere added second-period goals that pushed the Hurricanes to a 5-0 lead entering the final period, while Seth Jarvis scoring into an empty net with 3:41 left. Frederik Andersen carried a shutout until midway through the third in net.

Carolina swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, then regrouped from a Game 1 loss to the Canadiens after an extended between-rounds break to win four straight. That included a run of 10 straight goals going back to Andrei Svechnikov’s overtime winner in Game 3 before Montreal finally got on the board with Cole Caufield’s power-play score at 10:50 of the third.

That made the Hurricanes the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final with only one loss since 1983, according to SportRadar, and the only team to do so since the league went to best-of-seven series in all four postseason rounds in 1987.

It was a long-awaited moment for the franchise, which is on an eight-year run of postseason appearances under Rod Brind’Amour. The Hurricanes have been a perennial contender in the East, yet they entered this series having gone 1-12 in the Eastern Conference Final under Brind’Amour — falling in sweeps to Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023 before losing in five games to the Panthers in last year’s rematch.

But they were tested, and wounded, from those past postseason failures. Throw in their depth and talent, and the Hurricanes were finally ready to punch through for their third shot at the Cup since the former Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina before the 1997-98 season.

The last time the Hurricanes reached this point? Brind’Amour was the captain on a team that hoisted the Cup in a seven-game series against Edmonton in 2006.

After regrouping from a 6-2 loss in Game 1, the Hurricanes took control of the series from the young and skilled Canadiens — who had arrived at this round ahead of schedule after Game 7 road wins against Tampa Bay and Buffalo through the first two rounds. They won consecutive 3-2 overtime wins, then took Game 4 in a 4-0 road romp Wednesday.

Beyond the score, Carolina was getting to its smothering game in pressuring the Canadiens in their own end or shutting off most high-danger chances they could muster going the other way.

By midway through the second period, festive and rowdy Hurricanes fans were offering mocking “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!” chants with Carolina up 4-0. By the final two minutes, they were chanting “We want the Cup! We want the Cup!” as the Hurricanes closed this one out.

The Carolina Hurricanes paid tribute to a legend of the opposing team before their Friday, May 29, NHL playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Hurricanes mentioned the "lasting legacy" of four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux, who died on Thursday at age 60.

Lemieux won his first Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986, scoring 10 goals, including four game-winners, as a rookie. He had taken part in the Canadiens' torch-bearing ceremony before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Lemieux would go on to win three other Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils (twice) and Colorado Avalanche. He was playoff MVP in 1995 with the Devils.

The Hurricanes honour the life of Claude Lemieux ❤️ pic.twitter.com/sgMof2m8VN

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 30, 2026

Lemieux's son, Brendan, had played for the Hurricanes. Lemieux was also the agent for Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen.

The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 with a victory in Game 5. The Vegas Golden Knights, who won the Western Conference finals, await the winner.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes honor Claude Lemieux before NHL playoff game vs Canadiens

Former New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller has stood out for the Carolina Hurricanes throughout their playoff run thus far, as the team is one game away from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. 

After five seasons playing in New York, the Rangers sent Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes last summer in a sign-and-trade deal that included a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NHL Draft, and Scott Morrow.

The Hurricanes went ahead and signed Miller to an eight-year, $60 million contract, which was deemed a risky move at the time, given his inconsistencies and flaws that had held him back with the Blueshirts.

However, Miller has flipped the script, transforming into one of the Hurricanes’ most valuable blueliners on a team filled with top-notch defensemen. 

In 12 playoff games, Miller leads all defensemen on the team with eight points, while his 24:05 minutes per game are the most amongst all Carolina players. 

The 26-year-old defenseman's evolution has caught the attention of many across the hockey world, including The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. 

“Defensively, K'Andre Miller is playing as well as I've ever seen a defenseman play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs,” Gretzky said. “He is just solid offensively, but defensively, nobody can get around him. He's like a brick wall, and when he's not out there, Slavin is.”