Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7, in the Metropolitan Division)
Raleigh, North Carolina; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Hurricanes -228, Canadiens +187; over/under is 5.5
STANLEY CUP SEMIFINALS: Hurricanes lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes host the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Wednesday for the eighth time this season. The Hurricanes won the previous meeting 4-0.
Carolina has a 34-11-2 record at home and a 53-22-7 record overall. The Hurricanes are 56-6-6 when scoring three or more goals.
Montreal is 31-10-10 in road games and 48-24-10 overall. The Canadiens rank fifth in the league serving 10.4 penalty minutes per game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Andrei Svechnikov has 31 goals and 39 assists for the Hurricanes. Logan Stankoven has six goals over the past 10 games.
Nicholas Suzuki has 29 goals and 72 assists for the Canadiens. Alexander Newhook has scored six goals with two assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 9-1-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.9 assists, 5.9 penalties and 15 penalty minutes while giving up 1.7 goals per game.
Canadiens: 5-3-2, averaging 3.5 goals, six assists, 5.8 penalties and 20 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
INJURIES: Hurricanes: None listed.
Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
One week ago, the Colorado Avalanche looked like a team that was inevitable. Today, they're cleaning out their lockers after one of the most stunning collapses in franchise history.
For months, the Avalanche looked destined to lift the Stanley Cup. They won the Presidents' Trophy. They overwhelmed opponents with speed and skill. They entered the Western Conference Final as heavy favorites.
Four games later, they were swept. Not beaten. Swept.
The easy explanation is to point at Vegas and say the Golden Knights got hot at the right time. The better explanation is that Colorado spent an entire season flirting with problems that eventually became impossible to ignore.
And no, this has nothing to do with some mythical Presidents' Trophy curse.
The Presidents' Trophy isn't cursed. It's a trophy. You make your own destiny. And the Avalanche made theirs.
Throughout the season, there were warning signs hiding beneath the wins. If you've watched our interviews all year long, you've heard the same phrases repeated over and over: poor puck management, defensive-zone turnovers, sloppy play, unforced mistakes.
The difference was that those mistakes usually came with a safety net. Scott Wedgewood would make a ridiculous save. Mackenzie Blackwood would erase a defensive breakdown. Nathan MacKinnon would score a goal and suddenly nobody cared about the turnover that happened three shifts earlier.
Winning has a way of covering up flaws. Until it doesn't.
Against Vegas, it was like pneumonia and sepsis hit at the exact same time. The offense stopped scoring. The goaltending advantage disappeared. The power play went silent. The injuries mounted. Every issue that had been masked by elite talent and timely saves suddenly stood naked under a spotlight.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong.
Nathan MacKinnon didn't score a goal in the series. Think about that for a second. The most dominant even-strength player in hockey went four games without scoring. That's never happened before, and the Avalanche had no answer.
When The Punches Started Landing
Watching Colorado during the final three games of this series reminded me of Oscar De La Hoya's fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
On paper, it looked like a massive showdown between two stars.
What people forget is what De La Hoya had to go through just to get there. He hadn't fought at that weight class in years and spent his training camp draining his body to make weight. By fight night, he looked depleted, dehydrated, and physically empty. When the fight started, Pacquiao immediately took over, and De La Hoya had no ability to change the momentum.
At one point, the late Emmanuel Steward — one of the greatest trainers in boxing history and a former coach of De La Hoya himself — watched the fight unfold and delivered a brutally honest assessment:
"He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what to do at all."
Watching Colorado against Vegas, it was hard not to think about that quote.
The Golden Knights kept punching. The Avalanche kept absorbing. And no adjustment ever came.
Vegas clogged the middle of the ice and dared Colorado to beat them from the perimeter. Colorado kept trying anyway.
Vegas erased a third-period lead in Game 2. Colorado looked stunned. Vegas stormed back in Game 3. Colorado looked stunned again.
For a team that entered the third period with a lead and won 41 consecutive regular-season games, plus four playoff games, the inability to respond was shocking.
"I think we let Games 2 and 3 slip away from us," Logan O’Connor said. "Super uncharacteristic from our group to give up the leads like that, especially in consecutive games."
The scary part wasn't just that Colorado lost those games. It was how they reacted afterward. The confidence disappeared. The swagger disappeared. By Game 4, they looked like a team waiting for something bad to happen.
Then it did.
The Offense Never Showed Up
A lot of attention will naturally fall on Nathan MacKinnon, because that’s what happens when superstars go quiet on the biggest stage.
But he wasn't alone.
Martin Necas, Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin combined for 88 regular-season goals. In this series, they combined for four. Only two came against goaltenders.
Necas was supposed to be the connector, the secondary engine who punished teams for overloading on MacKinnon. Instead, Vegas forced him to the perimeter and took away his ability to attack the middle of the ice.
Nelson generated chances but couldn't finish them. At times, he looked like a player pressing for offense that never arrived. In 20 playoff games with Colorado, he has just two goals, both empty-netters.
Nichushkin’s story was more physical than statistical. His offense had already faded late in the regular season, and it never returned in the playoffs. A lower-body injury eventually ended his series after Game 4.
Now the Avalanche face difficult questions about his future, with four years remaining on his contract and a modified no-trade clause attached.
But regardless of the individual cases, the result is the same: Colorado’s depth scoring vanished.
And when MacKinnon stopped scoring, there was nothing left to catch the slack.
The Details That Decided Everything
There’s a temptation to frame this as a collapse defined by one issue.
It wasn’t.
It was everything at once.
The power play struggled for most of the season and carried that problem straight into the postseason. Puck management issues that showed up in November were still there in May. Defensive-zone breakdowns never fully disappeared.
The Avalanche often survived those flaws because they had enough elite talent to erase the consequences.
Vegas removed that safety net.
The Golden Knights defended with structure and patience. They clogged the middle of the ice, forced Colorado to the outside, and waited for mistakes.
And Colorado kept giving them.
You can point to injuries. You can point to goaltending swings. You can point to luck.
All of it matters.
But great teams are eventually defined by what they repeatedly are, not what they occasionally become.
For months, Colorado’s flaws were survivable.
Against Vegas, they were decisive.
Even the goaltending story fits that pattern. Scott Wedgewood earned his role with a strong season, but Carter Hart consistently outplayed Colorado’s netminders throughout the series. When Mackenzie Blackwood finally delivered Colorado’s best performance in Game 4, it came too late, with too little support in front of him.
By then, the series had already slipped away.
Meanwhile, Vegas only got stronger. Health returned. Execution tightened. Confidence grew.
That’s how a sweep happens in a series that was supposed to be competitive.
Not because of fate.
Not because of a curse.
But because one team adapted — and the other didn’t.
And once the punches started landing, Colorado never found a way to answer them.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got their Eastern Conference Final series against the Toronto Marlies started on Wednesday night, but it didn't go very well.
WBS got out to a 1-0 lead in the first period before losing 4-2 and is now down 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. This is the first best-of-seven series for WBS after playing two best-of-five series in the Atlantic Division Semifinals and the Atlantic Division Final.
Alexander Alexeyev opened the scoring in the first period before the Marlies took a 2-1 lead in the second period. Rutger McGroarty tied the game in the third period, and it looked like the game was about to go to overtime, but Michael Pezzetta had other ideas, scoring the game-winning goal with 1:36 left in regulation.
The Marlies later added an empty-net goal after WBS tried to tie the game in the final minute.
Here are three takeaways from this game:
1. Special teams need to be better
Both the power play and the penalty kill were simply not good enough for WBS in this one. The Penguins had multiple opportunities to cash in on the power play, but couldn't make any of them count. To make matters worse, they gave up a goal to the Marlies power play in the second period, giving them a 2-1 lead.
Special teams are a big part of short playoff series and can swing momentum in an instant. That will be a huge key heading into Game 2 on Friday.
2. Rutger McGroarty played very well
I thought this was one of McGroarty's best games of the playoffs. I've really liked the chemistry he's had with Avery Hayes, but in this game, it was all McGroarty. The goal he scored to tie the game in the third period was awesome.
Tristan Broz stole the puck and fed it to McGroarty, who went forehand, backhand, but was denied. However, he got the loose puck and banked it in.
He was everywhere in this game and had some other good chances that didn't go in. If he can continue to have a solid AHL playoff run, it will only help his chances of cracking the NHL roster next season.
3. More net-front traffic
WBS may have outshot Toronto 36-16, but I felt that the team didn't get enough traffic in front of Toronto goaltender Artur Akhtyamov. The team understood the assignment on Alexeyev's goal with traffic in front of him, but didn't do a good enough job with that for the rest of the game.
Akhtyamov has been really good for Toronto in these playoffs, and WBS needs to do a better job of taking his eyes away when he's in the crease.
Game 2 of this series is set for Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET. If WBS wins, the series would be tied at one heading back to Toronto for three games.
Now they're waiting to find out whether they will face the Carolina Hurricanes or the Montreal Canadiens in the championship round. The Hurricanes took a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-0 win on Wednesday, May 27.
But when will the Stanley Cup Final begin?
Generally, the NHL will move up the Final if the conference finals wrap up in five games. Here are opening dates that make sense if that happens or if the Canadiens extend the series.
If Eastern Conference finals end in five games
June 2 would be the ideal starting date.
That's already set aside for Game 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Game 5 would be May 29 in North Carolina, so there's plenty of time for the Golden Knights to fly to Raleigh and for the NHL to hold media days.
If Eastern Conference finals end in six or seven games
How about June 4?
ABC is showing both the Stanley Cup Final and the NBA Finals, so there aren't a lot of open dates. June 4 would fall between Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals.
And nothing is going on at the Lenovo Center (Hurricanes) and Bell Centre (Canadiens) that day. The Stanley Cup Final will begin at the home of the East champion, regardless of who wins.
If there is a Game 7, it might be a tight turnaround for the Golden Knights to fly to the winning team's city and take part in media days, but it can be done.
The series isn't over yet by any means, but the way they Carolina Hurricanes handled the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final certainly makes it seem like it already may be.
The Hurricanes stomped the Canadiens in a 4-0 beatdown at Centre Bell on Wednesday in one of their more complete games of the postseason.
From the drop of the puck to the end, Carolina was far and away the better team.
They piled on the chances, outshooting the Canadiens 43-18 overall, and that was bookended by a hot start and a dominant finish.
The Hurricanes didn't allow a shot on goal through the first eight minutes of the game and then in the final period, they outshot the Habs 19-3.
Despite the Canadiens needing their best possible push in that third period, they didn't manage to put any rubber on Frederik Andersen until the final three minutes of the game, a testament to the Canes' defensive clinic.
The game looked much like the last two, where the Hurricanes held Montreal to 12 and 13 shots respectively, but the difference tonight is that they finally found a little more finish.
Carolina blew the game open midway through the first period, putting three past Jakub Dobes in less than three minutes.
Sebastian Aho got the party started with the team's first power play goal of the series, rifling home a Nikolaj Ehlers feed.
Just over a minute later, the Canes' third line got the cycle going and after a long o-zone shift, K'Andre Miller activated down from the blueline and fed a perfect pass to Jordan Staal in front.
And then a minute and a half later, Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven were sprung on a 2-on-1 thanks to a monster Shayne Gostisbehere block and the former fed the latter for his team leading eighth goal of the playoffs.
From there, the Hurricanes just put the pressure on the Canadiens and even though the Habs had a few pushes, Andersen was there, stopping all 18 shots he faced for his third shutout of the postseason (Andrei Svechnikov scored an empty netter at the end too).
Again, the series isn't over by any means, but it's hard to see the Canadiens finding a way from here.
Outside of Carolina's disastrous Game 1 start, where they gave up four goals in the opening 14 minutes following 11 straight days off, there really hasn't been any portion of games where you can say Montreal was better.
Yes, they've gotten strong goaltending and they've certainly been opportunistic with their chances, but that's not a sustainable method.
Carolina has been better in every matchup, their defense has been dominant on both ends of the ice, they're more physical, they're quicker to pucks, they're more decisive.
I mean, the Hurricanes had as many shots on Wednesday as the Canadiens have had combined over the last three games, even despite playing at home and being able to dictate their matchups in the last two.
The Hurricanes are a machine and the Habs so far just don't have an answer.
That's been the story of the playoffs so far, as Carolina handled the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in back-to-back sweeps and now they sit just one win away from the Stanley Cup Final.
It's been a long road to get to this point, but the job is certainly not done.
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MONTREAL — Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes moved within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Wednesday night.
Frederik Andersen made 18 saves for his third shutout in 12 postseason games this year to help the Hurricanes take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final.
Game 5 is Friday night in North Carolina, with the series winner facing the Vegas Golden Knights.
Carolina’s Jordan Staal (11) scores on goalie Jakub Dobes during the Canadiens’ 4-0 Game 4 win over the Canadiens on May 27, 2026 in Montreal. The Canadian Press via AP
“We have better,” Stankoven said. “It’s great to come out like a team like this and perform like that, but I think at this time of the year you can’t bring your ‘B’ game. You have to bring your ‘A’ game every night.”
Nikolaj Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere each had two assists for the Hurricanes. They are the seventh NHL team to win six or more road games to start a postseason.
“Definitely excited,” Gostisbehere said. “Have to take care of business.”
Anderson and the Hurricanes are 11-1 in the first three rounds. They put it away early in Game 4 after winning the previous two games in overtime.
The Hurricanes scored first for the fourth straight game when Aho beat Jakub Dobes with a one-timer from the right circle on a power play with 5:02 left in the first.
Sebastian Aho (right) celebrates his goal with Carolina teammates Andrei Svechnikov (37), Nikolaj Ehlers (27) and Shayne Gostisbehere (4) during the first period of the Hurricanes’ Game 4 win over the Canadiens. The Canadian Press via AP
Staal followed with 3:53 to go, tipping in K’Andre Miller’s centering pass. Stankoven then finished off a two-on-one with Jason Blake with 2:14 remaining in the period.
“The game’s going to humble you,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “Whenever you get humbled, you stand tall.”
Andrei Svechnikov had an empty-net goal in the third.
Frederik Andersen, who had 17 saves, stops a Cole Caufield shot during the Hurricanes’ Game 4 win over the Canadiens. The Canadian Press via AP
Carolina had a 19-3 shots-on-goal advantage in the third period for a 43-18 overall edge.
“It seemed like the only guy that showed up was Doby,” Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson said. “Wasn’t good enough. Didn’t answer the bell.”
May 27, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) shoots on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during the second period in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
MONTREAL (AP) — Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes moved within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Wednesday night.
Frederik Andersen made 18 saves for his third shutout in 12 postseason games this year to help the Hurricanes take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 5 is Friday night in North Carolina, with the series winner facing the Vegas Golden Knights.
Anderson and the Hurricanes are 11-1 in the first three rounds. They put it away early in Game 4 after winning the previous two games in overtime.
The Hurricanes scored first for the fourth straight game when Aho beat Jakub Dobes with a one-timer from the right circle on a power play with 5:02 left in the first.
Staal followed with 3:53 to go, tipping in K’Andre Miller’s centering pass. Stankoven then finished off a two-on-one with Jason Blake with 2:14 remaining in the period.
Andrei Svechnikov had an empty-net goal in the third.
Carolina had a 19-3 shots-on-goal advantage in the third period for a 43-18 overall edge.
MONTREAL, CANADA - MAY 25: Taylor Hall #71 of the Carolina Hurricanes scores a goal past Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montréal Canadiens during the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre on May 25, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from their first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since 2006.
A convincing win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 series lead over the young, upstart Habs.
Carolina came out of the gate on fire, recording the first six shots on goal of the game while dominating the puck and pushing Montreal around.
An abbreviated power play gave the Canes their first lead, as Sebastian Aho hammered home a one-timer off a nice feed from Nikolaj Ehlers for his first goal since Game 4 of the first round against the Senators.
Just moments later, Carolina doubled the advantage, as K’Andre Miller made a strong play with the puck to attack toward the goal before feeding a pass to the net front, where Jordan Staal beat out Josh Anderson for positioning to deflect the puck in behind Jakub Dobes.
A gutsy blocked shot by Shayne Gostisbehere set up a two-on-one for Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven, and the former fed the latter who sent it home to a yawning cage to make it 3-0 with a trio of goals in just 2:47 of game time.
The Canadiens came out with a better push in the second, showcasing some rare ability to generate shots on goal, but Frederik Andersen was up to the task, holding Montreal off the scoresheet for another 20 minutes that featured. pair of embarrassingly futile power pays for the Canes, including a 1:44-long 5-on-3 in which they did not even attempt a shot.
But more importantly, the three-goal lead was intact heading into the third, keeping the Canadiens in a hole they would not be able to dig their way out of.
Montreal could not break through in the third period either, as Svechnikov added an empty-net goal to make it 4-0 and Andersen finished the night with an 18-save shutout for his third of this postseason.
Game 5 is set for an 8:00 PM EST puck drop from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh on a night that could prove special for this team and fan base.
The Hockey News recently revealed players 71 to 80 on their Top 100 NHL Player Rankings for the 2025-26 season. Among the names listed was Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight.
Knight was given the No. 76 spot on The Hockey News' rankings, and when looking at the season he just had, it is entirely understandable.
On a struggling Blackhawks team, Knight stood out and took a nice step forward with his play. In 55 games, the 25-year-old goaltender posted a .902 save percentage, a 2.82 goals-against average, and a career-high three shutouts. With numbers like these, it is clear that Knight had himself a solid 2025-26 season.
The Blackhawks will now be hoping that Knight can continue to improve as he gains more experience. The 2019 first-round pick showed this season that he can be an impactful starting goalie in the NHL. This is undoubtedly huge for a rebuilding Blackhawks squad that sees Knight as their future between the pipes.
It will now be interesting to see what kind of campaign Knight has for the Blackhawks next season. If the Blackhawks build a stronger roster in front of him, it would not be surprising in the slightest if he had even better numbers in 2026-27.
After appearing in four games for the San Jose Barracuda at the end of the 2025-26 season following the completion of his collegiate career at Clarkson University, Tristan Sarsland will be returning to the Bay Area for the 2026-27 season.
On Tuesday afternoon, the San Jose Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate announced that they had come to terms with Sarsland on a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season. The Wayzata, MN native is a right-handed defenseman, which will help fill a major organizational need for the coming season.
Sarsland was initially eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft, but ended up going undrafted. There was some hype around him potentially getting selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, but he again went undrafted.
"Projecting Sarsland to the NHL as an everyday contributor, but not outside the realm of possibility," Elite Prospects wrote in their 2024 Draft Guide. "The lack of any standout, truly elite dimension paired with good-not-great tools doesn’t usually work. He’s a late-bloomer, though, and he may be able to establish himself as a do-everything depth defenceman in time."
During his four seasons at Clarkson University, Sarsland scored 20 goals, 56 points, and registered 76 penalty minutes in 138 games.
Jason York is heading to the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
The honour recognizes York's long NHL career that included five memorable seasons with the Ottawa Senators during the rise of the franchise in the late 1990s.
"Yorkie's" run began 30 years ago this fall when he was traded from Anaheim to Ottawa, and in his first season playing in his hometown, the Senators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time.
York played 380 games wearing the centurion crest and made the playoffs every year he was here. In 2001, he became an unrestricted free agent and signed back in Anaheim.
In all, York played 757 games in the NHL and scored 42 goals, 187 assists, and 229 points.
His last NHL game came in 2007 with the Boston Bruins, and fittingly, it was against the Ottawa Senators, the team he spent more than half of his NHL career with. It figures that Daniel Alfredsson, Yorkie's ex-teammate and old captain, would lead the way with a three-point evening in a 6-3 Ottawa win.
The Senators were pretty good back then. A few months later, Alfie led the Senators to their only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
After his playing days, York took a multi-year turn at TSN 1200 radio in Ottawa, where I also happened to hang my work hat for a couple of decades. He did the show right after mine, and in the studio changeover and chit-chat, I can't recall him ever being in a bad mood. The guy always seemed to be in mid-chuckle.
These days, York does NHL colour commentary for regional TV broadcasts of the Calgary Flames, and he also has a Senators podcast, Coming in Hot. He says he's excited that he's going to have his people around him on Wednesday night.
“It’s a great honour," York told Andrew Wilimek on the Senators website. "I’m going to have a lot of friends and family there, which is going to be special for me, because that’s what it’s all about,” said York.
York will be honoured along with the 1976 Rockland Nationals, who also have a strong Senators connection. A 33-year-old Bryan Murray was that team's head coach. York played for the Shawville native in 2001, the year he moved back to Anaheim.
Also being honoured Wednesday night:
Keith Brown (Builder – Community)
Rachel Homan & Emma Miskew (Athletes – Curling)
Val St. Germain (Athlete – Football)
Legacy Category:
Joe Barber (boxing), Paul Barber (horse racing), Vera Charlebois (golf), Bud Clark (skiing), Françoise Desbiens (speed skating), Joe Lamb (hockey), Allan Shields (hockey), and the 1906 Capital Lacrosse Club.
Quite frankly, the list of guys from Ottawa who played more than 750 games in the NHL is extremely small, so it's a little surprising that it's taken 19 years for York to get the call.
But for honours like these, it's always better late than never.
The Los Angeles Kings have been busy at the start of the offseason as they prepare to hire their next franchise head coach. There have been plenty of rumors and options LA has been considering since the offseason, with names like Bruce Cassidy and Peter Laviolette at the top of the list.
But Wednesday afternoon, a new report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli stated that Jay Woodcroft, who reportedly interviewed with Los Angeles last week, is also expected to interview with the Toronto Maple Leafs later this week.
#Leafs coaching search update, per sources: - #FlyTogether Jay Woodcroft scheduled to interview this week. Interviewed with #LAKings last week. Handicapped as “one of the front runners” for the Toronto job. Either spot, solid bet to be an NHL HC again next season. - Wide swath of…
Seravalli also reported that Woodcroft is viewed as a "strong candidate" for Toronto's coaching vacancy and remains a strong candidate to return behind an NHL bench next season.
Woodcroft becomes the second confirmed candidate connected to the Los Angeles Kings coaching search this offseason, after reports earlier this week also linked former New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette to interviewing for the Kings coaching job.
Woodcroft and Laviolette are the only confirmed coaches with whom LA has been granted an interview. Additionally, Bruce Cassidy is a name that the Kings are still keeping a strong eye on, but the Vegas Golden Knights have not yet granted permission for Los Angeles to speak with him.
Here's why Woodcroft makes sense as a potential head coach for the Kings. The former Oilers head coach took over Edmonton as an interim in the 2022 season and led the team to a 26-9-3 finish and a berth in the Western Conference Final.
In the 2022–23 season, his first full season as head coach, he led Edmonton to a 50-23-9 record and set an NHL record for the most efficient power play (32.4%).
Woodcroft has experience leading young, talented players and elevating their play, including Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and has consistently operated one of the league’s most dangerous power plays.
The same style of play can appeal to the Kings' young talent, who struggled to generate offense consistently around Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke, something that can change moving forward with Woodcroft behind the bench.
This past season, he helped lead the Anaheim Ducks to the playoffs as an assistant coach under head coach Joel Quenneville for the first time since the 2017-18 season, and the Ducks defeated his former team in the first round.
Woodcroft's fresh and young, offensive-minded approach brings something new and interesting to the Kings' coaching position compared to some of the veteran candidates linked to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles may view him as a long-term coach who can help elevate their young talent into stars.
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LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights weren't the only ones who needed to relearn about themselves when John Tortorella took over as coach on March 29.
Turns out, the grizzled veteran coach who's been known to ruffle some feathers with an abrasive approach became a student, too.
"In the short time I've been with them, I watched them and listened to them," Tortorella said Tuesday night after the Golden Knights clinched a berth into the Stanley Cup Final. "I've learned a ton from them. I've learned ... I think coaches overcoach. I think we overcoach, and I think we get in the way sometimes.
"This group here, especially after me being with younger teams prior to this, I hope to be a better coach and learned more to have some listening skills when you're dealing with veteran players."
The Golden Knights were on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention after losing 19 of 27 when former coach Bruce Cassidy was fired and Tortorella was brought in to spark life into the team.
Vegas closed the regular season on a 7-0-1 run, won the Pacific Division, won 12 of 16 in the playoffs - including their last six - and now return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in the team's nine-year existence.
Vegas beat the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche in four games, taking Games 1 and 2 in Denver and then sealing things at home in Games 3 and 4, including Tuesday's 2-1 clincher at T-Mobile Arena.
"I think it's just the way that he communicates with us on a day-to-day basis, his message, his demeanor," Vegas star center Jack Eichel said. "I think it's definitely felt like a group effort, and he's constantly coming to us for feedback, and I think his message has been received really well."
Eichel said it's been the cohesiveness between Tortorella and the players that made the transition from Cassidy, who led the team to its first Stanley Cup title in 2023, seamless with eight games left in the campaign.
"I think the guys have a lot of confidence in him, and really believe in what he's saying," Eichel said. "And I think he's done a good job of getting the most out of the group, so it's definitely been a collective group effort."
Tortorella also said coaching an elite group with playoff experience and great chemistry allowed him to differentiate between two coaching philosophies.
"I think in the regular season, I wasn't here much during the regular season, sometimes you coach at them," Tortorella said. "During the playoffs, you coach with them. So it gave me an opportunity to be with them and understand what they see. And with such a veteran group, I learned a ton.
"Hopefully, we play a few more games and continue to learn more and succeed together."
The Knights await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes, who lead the series 2-1.
Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler, and Max Bultman released their latest 2026 NHL mock draft for The Athletic.
For the Montreal Canadiens, Bultman predicted that the Habs would select defenseman William Hakansson with their first-round pick.
Hakansson is certainly an intriguing prospect in this year's draft. The 6-foot-4 blueliner would have the potential to be a nice addition to the Canadiens' prospect pool, as he has the tools to emerge as an impactful shutdown defenseman at the NHL level.
Hakansson appeared in 22 games this season with Lulea HF of the Swedish Hockey League, where he had two assists and a plus-1 rating. He also played for Almtuna IS of HockeyAllsvenskan on a loan, where he had two goals, four assists, and 39 penalty minutes in 16 games.
If the Canadiens selected Hakansson in the first round, they would be bringing in a big defenseman with good upside. While he is not the flashiest of players when it comes to his offense, his steady defensive play could make him a nice pickup for a Canadiens club on the rise.
The Carolina Hurricanes face the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1 after winning Game 3 in overtime. Carolina is favored with a -146 moneyline compared to the Canadiens' +123.
How to watch Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens
