One thing that Montreal Canadiens’ fans have to be noticing is the magical year that Washington Capitals star, Alex Ovechkin is having. I’m afraid his two-goal game is just the tip of the iceberg.

That playoff overtime goal was the first of his illustrious career. That’s hard to believe since he’s played for so long and he has a Stanley Cup ring - - but here we are. Now, I think the Canadiens have to game plan more for stopping Ovechkin.

You have to try and keep Ovechkin on the outside. His stamina isn’t what it used to be so make him skate more. The Canadiens’ best defense might be holding on to the puck more than they did. That’s a total team effort that could pay dividends.

After looking at NHL Edge stats, I would boost Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier’s minutes and pull back a lot of Jayden Struble and some from Lane Hutson. And use David Savard less at the beginning of games and more from the second period on. There may be a way to give him a few more minutes but have him out there in key spots for his experience even though he has slowed down.

The Canadiens’ are playing with house money but that doesn’t mean that they can’t put a scare into the Capitals while gaining valuable playoff experience. Ovechkin is the Capitals best player once again and Montreal needs to play him tighter. I felt like he was able to roam free at times and that’s just dangerous.

It all comes down to this: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Every team either suffers immense heartbreak or incredible joy.

The Colorado Avalanche knows about the incredible joy, after all, they recently won the Cup in 2022. However, this is a different year, marked by distinct challenges and new personnel.

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One of those new faces is going to be a key piece for the Avalanche’s success.

Martin Necas was the big piece coming back in the Mikko Rantanen trade. To say that things have gone well since his acquisition is certainly an understatement.

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A Round One Schedule for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is HereNHL Public Relations announced the full schedule for games 1-4 of round one for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday morning. Dates for games 5-7 were also announced with times listed as TBD, meaning they will be announced once or if they become necessary.

After the trade, the Czech forward scored 28 points in 30 games while playing 20:30 a night. Necas found a home alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen. That line was able to dominate the fancy stats (63.1 Corsi For Percent) and out-score the opposition whenever they were on the ice (13-4).

The Avalanche will need that magic in the postseason.

This is why Necas is the Avalanche’s X-Factor for this playoff run. MacKinnon has been his usual self through two games, amassing three goals and one assist for four points total. But, the Avalanche are going to need more than their (assumed) Hart Trophy Finalist to win the Stanley Cup. They definitely need more to make it past the Dallas Stars in the opening playoff round.

Necas currently has one assist in two playoff games. Jack Drury, Ryan Lindgren, and Logan O’Connor all have more points than he does. He’s going to have to step up his game on the offensive side of the puck to become an X-Factor for the Avalanche.

With Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday night, fans will see if tonight is the night that Necas kicks things into high gear for the Avalanche.

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This campaign had no shortage of surprises. Not many people would have accurately predicted that the Rangers and Bruins would both miss the playoffs after finishing 2023-24 with 114 and 109 points, respectively. Nor was Mikko Rantanen being traded -- twice -- on many people's bingo cards. Lane Hutson tying for the fifth-most points (66) in NHL history among rookie defensemen, surpassing greats like Ray Bourque (65), Chris Chelios (64) and Nicklas Lidstrom (60), was also something to behold.

NHL 2025-26: Bold Predictions and Surprises in the Upcoming Season

Although the regular season only just ended, let's have some fun by making bold predictions about what 2025-26 might feature.

Minnesota Wild Poised for Western Conference Dominance

The Wild squeaked into the playoffs this season with a 45-30-7 record, which is quite the accomplishment given that the centerpiece of their offense, Kirill Kaprizov, missed half the campaign, and they had a significantly smaller usable cap ceiling than the rest of the league due to the lingering impact of buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

A healthy Kaprizov alone would go a long way towards changing their fortunes. He played in 34 of Minnesota's first 35 games, and over that span, the Wild went 21-10-4 while generating an acceptable 2.94 goals per game. By contrast, when Kaprizov played in just three of 43 matches from Dec. 27-April 6, Minnesota went 21-19-3 and managed only 2.47 goals per game.

Of course, being that dependent on one player is a problem, but the Wild should be able to give him some significant help over the summer. Suter and Parise's buyouts combined to cost the Wild $14.74 million in dead cap space in 2024-25. Next season, that will dip to just $1.67 million. Combine that with the projected increase in the cap, and the Wild should have about $20.6 million in additional cap space to play this summer, per PuckPedia. Minnesota will need to lock up RFA Marco Rossi, who had 24 goals and 60 points across 82 appearances in the 2024-25 regular season, but outside of that, the Wild don't have any major players on expiring contracts, so they can afford to be aggressive on the trade and UFA markets.

The timing of this newfound wealth is also ideal. The team's core forwards of Kaprizov, Rossi and Matt Boldy, as well as starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson, are all in or approaching their prime. Meanwhile, key defenseman Brock Faber will be entering his third full NHL campaign. That combination suggests that the Wild are beginning a window of serious contention, and a big move or two over the offseason could be what pushes them over the edge.

Offensive Surge: Predicting Two 100-Point Defensemen in NHL

In the history of the league, there have been only 15 examples of a defenseman recording at least 100 points, with the most recent being Erik Karlsson in 2022-23. There has never been a time when two blueliners achieved that feat in the same campaign -- not even in the high-scoring 1980s and early 1990s.

Still, we're witnessing something of a golden age for offensive defensemen. Cale Makar is one of the best blueliners to ever play in terms of scoring production, so although he hasn't hit the 100-point mark in the past, no one would be shocked if he reached that mark in his upcoming age-27 season.

He's not the only one who has a shot of reaching that milestone, though. If Quinn Hughes can stay healthy, he's also a serious candidate to do it.

Having Hughes and Makar both achieve that feat is by far the most likely path to getting two 100-point defensemen in the same campaign -- although, when talking about a scenario as extreme as this, the word "likely" is being used generously -- but there are a few other defensemen who have a chance of picking up the slack with a career year if one of the two falls short.

If the Rangers rebound and Adam Fox stays healthy, then he has a chance of finding another level after surpassing the 70-point mark three times. Although Evan Bouchard took a step back in the 2024-25 regular season with 67 points compared to his previous 82, the Oilers blueliner has the potential to hit a new personal best in his age-26 campaign, especially if Edmonton's power play is kicked up a notch after finishing 12th (23.7 percent) this season.

Roman Josi and Victor Hedman seem less likely to have that kind of historic season given that they're in their mid-30s, but both are still high-end blueliners, so you never know.

Ultimately, that's what drives my fascination with this particular scenario: There are just a lot of candidates right now who, while not probable to hit the 100-point mark, are at least within the realm of possibility, so to have two of them accomplish it in the same campaign is far from impossible.

The Nashville Predators Will Finish With 100+ Points

Although a Predators rebound is far from a safe bet, it does feel meaningfully tamer than my previous pick. Still, I couldn't help myself. Nashville was one of the most interesting stories of 2024-25, adding two talented scorers over the offseason in Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, only to see the team's offense completely collapse -- the Predators scored just 2.59 goals per game in 2024-25, down from 3.24 in the previous regular season -- resulting in a 30-44-8 record. There is reason for some cautious optimism, though. Per Moneypuck, Nashville finished with a goals-for above expected of -52.11. What that suggests is that part of the Predators' problem might have been exceptionally bad puck luck. Their goals-for above expected was by far the worst in the league, and the worst of any team since the 2015-16 Maple Leafs, which finished at -62.52. In terms of xGoals, the Predators finished 2024-25 with 264.11, which was good for 10th place.

Even taking a step back from that, it's not unreasonable to believe this core is capable of rebounding. Stamkos and Marchessault each recorded 13 points across Nashville's opening 28 games, and those slow starts from two important players are part of what snowballed the Predators into such a bad campaign. However, that duo was adjusting to a new environment after long stints with their previous teams -- that's especially true for Stamkos, who spent his first 16 seasons with Tampa Bay -- and that might have impacted those early-season results. At this point, they've settled in, though, so when given the opportunity for a clean slate in 2025-26, they're likely to perform better.

It's also reasonable to believe that we could see better from goaltender Juuse Saros, who finished 2024-25 with a 20-31-6 record, 2.98 GAA and .895 save percentage. While there is some cause for concern here -- Saros' 2023-24 regular season was better, but also a mixed bag -- he has shown in the past that he can be an elite netminder. Goaltenders also tend to have more extreme ups and downs than skaters -- just look at Sergei Bobrovsky's career -- and while that can be frustrating, it also gives room for cautious optimism after rough times.

Cautious optimism is a good phrase in general for the Predators because when you combine those factors with the hope of a healthier Roman Josi, there is certainly a path available to a bounce-back campaign.

The End of the Penguins' Greatest Era

Your mileage may vary on whether you view this as unlikely enough to be considered bold. After all, Evgeni Malkin will turn 39 in July and is entering the final season of his contract, so his retirement in the summer of 2026 wouldn't stun many. Still, I can't help but make special note of it after the trio of Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have played together for the better part of two decades.

I'll make things a little bit bolder by adding some meat to the scenario: All three of them open 2025-26 together, meaning that none were traded over the summer. Pittsburgh does fine, but not quite good enough to be anything more than a wild-card hopeful. By the trade deadline, the first domino falls: Letang, having been asked to waive his no-trade clause, is moved. Crosby won't be happy, but he'll press forward with the Penguins. Malkin, who is a little older than Crosby and has shown his age more -- although that's not much of a knock given that almost everyone shows their age more than Crosby -- will opt to either call it a career or conclude his playing days in the KHL after he finishes 2025-26 with Pittsburgh.

Crosby will still be with the team for 2026-27 as one of the final remnants of an amazing era of Penguins hockey. That campaign, a younger Penguins team, through a combination of fresh signings brought on by expired contracts and prospects making an increasing impact, will see some great progress. On the point of prospects: Pittsburgh has six picks in the top three rounds for the 2025 NHL Draft and already possesses an additional five for 2026, so the Penguins have a lot to work with going forward.

Barring a storybook turn of events, Crosby has won his final Stanley Cup as a player with Pittsburgh, but before his career ends, he'll likely see the promising start of a new era for the franchise.

The Ottawa Senators are heading back to the nation's capital empty-handed, and it figures that Tie Domi’s son would eventually emerge as a factor in the Battle of Ontario.

3:09 into overtime, Max Domi's shot from the high slot went off the goalpost and in, beating Linus Ullmark and the Senators, 3-2. With the victory, Toronto takes a strong 2-0 series lead.

Ullmark stopped 18 of 21 Toronto shots on the night, while Anthony Stolarz made 26 of 28 saves. Ottawa got goals from Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette. John Tavares had a goal and an assist for the Leafs, while Morgan Rielly had the other goal.

It was a much more disciplined effort from the Senators, who gave the Leafs only one power play on the night.

In regulation, the two clubs each swapped goals that weren't exactly the highlight reel variety.

For the second straight game, the Leafs grabbed a 2-0 first-period lead. The first goal came off a nice pass off the half-boards from William Nylander. Nylander out-hustled Thomas Chabot to find a passing lane, then hit Morgan Rielly at the far post. Drake Batherson was able to take Rielly's stick away, but Rielly redirected the puck into the net with his skate to make it 1-0.

Tavares made it 2-0 on the power play. His shot was stopped by Ullmark, but the puck then banked in off Nick Jensen and into the net. 

The Sens did seem to get their feet under them after that and played an excellent second period, where they outshot the Leafs 13-3 and led in shot attempts 33-7. Tkachuk got the only goal of the second period when his centering pass deflected in off of Brandon Carlo’s skate to cut Toronto's lead in half.

While the Senators launched a shooting gallery at Stolarz in the second period, their first shot of the third period didn't come until just over 5 minutes left in regulation. It was a goal by Adam Gaudette, who tipped home a shot from the point over the right shoulder of Stolarz. The Leafs bench feverishly reviewed their replay monitors in hopes of challenging the goal for a missed offside. No luck.

That took the game to overtime, where it was decided just over 3 minutes in. On one ill-fated shift, the Senators' poise went right out the window.

Toronto's Simon Benoit grabbed the puck inside his own blue line and sprinted up the right wing on what turned out to be a 2-on-4 rush as the rest of the Leafs made a line change. Max Domi came along for the ride and accepted a drop pass from Benoit. Domi went right through Dylan Cozens and then right through Batherson, who both overcommitted and failed to take the body.

Then, with Chabot backing up too far to cover anyone, he and Benoit appeared to serve as the perfect screen. Domi then put one in off the post to win it.

Despite being down 0-2 now in the series, Senators head coach Travis Green was deadly calm in his post game availability, which set a fine example for his troops. He says there is no reason to panic.

"I think first of all, a lot of our guys haven't played a lot of playoff hockey,” Green said. “They haven't lost a playoff game in that way either. We talked about that quickly. I talked about earlier today that we had to play better. I really like the way we played tonight. A big step as a group. Looking forward to the next game.

“We came on the road, played two road games. Like someone said earlier, we probably deserved a better fate tonight. But that's part of playoff hockey, and we've said it all year: we don't get too far ahead of ourselves. We don't look behind. We worry about the next game, and if you do that, good things happen."

The Senators now face a near must-win situation on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre as the series shifts to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4.

Max Domi scored the overtime winner as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series on Tuesday. 

For a while, it looked like the Leafs were going to steamroll the Senators after scoring twice on their first four shots on goal for the second consecutive game. However, the Senators hung on and dominated the second period, which led to their first goal of the game from Brady Tkachuk.

The third period saw the Leafs play tighter defensively as they tried to hand on to the one-goal lead. But Senators forward Adam Gaudette deflected a shot past Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz to tie the game and force overtime.

It didn't take long before Max Domi scored the winner at 3:09. Toronto is 10-0 all-time in the best-of-seven series, where they won the first two games at home.

After the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube broke down the flow of the game.

"Yeah, it was great to see that goal by Max. Obviously a great play. (Simon) Benoit made a great play on it," Berube said. "But first period was really good. I liked our start a lot, came out playing on our toes, and got through our forecheck. We were aggressive. We got a good lead, our power play came through again. Second period I thought that they were the better team. We didn't make plays, we kind of looked like we were just protecting the lead a little bit and didn't make enough plays. Didn't advance and get to the offensive zone enough. Took a couple of penalties. And third period was fine. We were in good shape. The goal was the first shot we gave up in the third period. We were playing the right way and doing the right thing. It was a mistake and mistakes happen. We stayed with it and ended up getting the win."

In addition, Berube addressed:

* The change in Morgan Rielly's game (he scored Toronto's first goal of the game).

* Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz' performance (26-save performance)

* Why the Leafs elected not to challenge the Gaudette goal after mulling it over.

* The impact of Pontus Holmberg and his ability to draw penalties (leading to John Tavares' power-play goal that made it 2-0 Toronto)

Q: What have you seen different from Morgan Rielly that has allowed him to perform in the way he has? (one goal t

I don't think it's different in the playoffs than the last 20 games, I would say, or so, where he is up in the play more like I talked about. Playing with (Brandon) Carlo, I think he feels very comfortable with his partner. They got a good chemistry together and I think that he's freed up a little bit to do his thing offensively.

Q: Max looks like he's been putting in extra work. Good to see a goal like that pay off for him?

Yeah, he still works hard. I mean, he's always trying to improve and get better and work with people, skill guys, and practice and stuff like that. And I feel very good. I feel very happy for him to get a goal. It's a big goal, obviously, and it's a great feeling to score one of those. I've got a couple. *laughs* I'm very happy for him. He's a hard worker. I thought he had a good game tonight overall. You know, he was skating. I always say when Max skates and attacks, he's on his game.

Q: You've know Anthony his whole career. What are the lessons for a goalie who has waited this long to get his shot and see it pay off?

Yeah, I had him at the start of his career in Philly. He's just getting going in pro. You go through your career, how he went through it. Kind of always was like the backup, but, you know, not a starter. And still a valuable position. Ge's coming off a very good season last year and won him a Stanley Cup and he came in this year, wanting to be a starter. And I know it was a shared net for the most of the year. I think, you know, a lot of the reason for that was we had two guys that have not played a significant amount of games throughout the season. So I like the combination of both of them, but, you know, he's been excellent all year. I mean he got injured there, coming back from the injury, he took him a bit to establish himself again. But he's doing the job for us now.

'He Made Big Saves': How Anthony Stolarz Won Game 1 Of The Goalie Battle Against Senators' Linus UllmarkAnthony Stolarz showed up and showed out against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario, which the Toronto Maple Leafs won commandingly, 6-2.

Q: What did you make of Anthony sticking up for himself and take a roughing penalty?

I mean, I think it gets annoying after a while, right? And I've seen that with goalies before. I really don't have a problem with it.

Q: What was the conversation on the bench like of Ottawa's second goal?

Oh the tying goal? Well Stutzle's coming in, you know, he's not over the blue (line) the other way yet. And the puck just fired in and it looks like it hit him. We couldn't really identify that immediately, so call timeout so our video guys can take a little bit more time to look at it, but we made the decision that it did not hit him.

Q: Pontus draws a penalty. Can you talk about the little things he's done in this series?

He draws a lot of penalties. He's very good at that. One of the best. I think, like I said, I talked about Pontus and to me his game has gone to another level in the last 20 or so where he's way more aggressive. He has the ability to hang on to pucks and keep pucks and win battles and things like that. But for me, the skating part of it has gotten to another level where he's not waiting to be safe or, you know, he's just going now. Skating. I thought he had a real good game tonight. He was strong on things in the corner, helping out, battling, doing a lot of good things. He was at the net most of the night too for that line, which is important.

Q: You've been through a lot as a coach. How frustrating does it get when you go through stretches where it looks like your team stops playing?

Yeah, and I thought in a second, like I said, we stopped skating and watched a little bit and stopped making plays. It is frustrating, but at the same time as a coach, you've got to, you know, we're asking our players to be composed. I've got to be composed too. Talk to them about things, try to motivate them a little bit on the bench and get them going again, get them skating again. It was a funny period because it was a lot of different matchups going on and whistles and penalties. We had a couple penalties, so, you know, there's certain guys that don't hit the ice and they get out of rhythm a little bit. So we definitely got to play better in the second period.

'I Don't Know How Much Of A Wrestling Match It Was': Maple Leafs React to Brad Marchand and Pontus Holmberg's Scuffle in Game 5 Against BruinsHolmberg and Marchand got into a scuffle during the third period of Game 5 before the Bruins' forward was taken down by one of the officials.

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There were plenty of fireworks during Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Receiving a boost from the return of Matthew Tkachuk to the lineup, Florida scored early and often, taking down the Lightning 6-2 Tuesday night at Amalie Arena.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to get things going.

Sam Bennett picked up the puck in Florida’s zone and quickly moved it up the ice, where Mackie Samoskevich eventually poked it into Tampa’s zone along the boards.

The rookie quickly collected the puck and sent a saucer pass toward the net, where Bennett was quickly heading, and the veteran deflected the pass from the rookie to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 3:44 mark.

Playing in his first Panthers game since early February, Matthew Tkahcuk took the game’s first penalty. It was a roughing call on a hit on Nikita Kucherov that was more than questionable, especially during the playoffs.

Florida nearly killed it off but a late faceoff led to Jake Guentzel plucking a Kucherov rebound from the side of the net and quickly dangling it behind Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the game at one.

Another deflection goal would give the Panthers their second lead of the game. This time it was Dmitry Kulikov sending a wrist shot toward the net that Sam Reinhart redirected past Andrei Vasilevskiy with just 44 seconds left in the opening period.

A great shift by the Anton Lundell line led to Florida’s third goal of the game.

Pinning the Lightning deep in their zone, Bennett came flying off the bench and forced a turnover along the boards. The puck was picked up by Brad Marchand, and after his shot was stopped by Vasilevskiy, Nate Schmidt came barreling down the slot and poked in the loose puck.

Tampa Head Coach Jon Cooper challenged the play for goalie interference, but after a quick review the goal was deemed good, and Florida was given a power play for the failed challenge.

It took only 14 seconds for the Panthers to make Tampa pay.

Reinhart found Tkachuk all alone in front of the net, and he showed off his soft hands, dangling around Vasilevskiy to give Florida a sudden and commanding 4-1 lead.

A questionable hit by Emil Lilleberg on Anton Lundell put the Panthers back on the power play, and once again it was Tkachuk beating Vasilevskly to pump Florida’s lead to four.

Just over three minutes later, Brayden Point one-timed a nice pass from Ryan McDonagh past Bobrovsky’s blocker to trim Florida’s lead by one.

Florida’s third power play of the game would lead to their third power play goal.

A perfectly placed wrist shot by Schmidt from the point beat Vasilevskiy over the glove, restoring the Cats’ four-goal lead just over five minutes into the final frame.

On to Game 2.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Two goals and an assist for Tkachuk in his first game in over two months. The three points match his playoff career high.

Bennett’s goal was his first since March 28 against Utah.

Reinhart picked up where he left off after finishing the regular season with seven goals in 12 games.

Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves, including on six of Tampa’s seven high danger shots.

Florida’s two goals in 14 seconds during the second period were the fastest two goals scored in Panthers playoff history.

Schmidt’s goals were the eighth and ninth he’s scored during the Stanley Cup Playoffs over 77 postseason games.

The Panthers improved to 20-0 when leading after two periods during the playoffs under Paul Maurice.

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The Nashville Predators reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals Monday. The pair started the 2024-25 season in Milwaukee and now return to aid the Admirals in their quest for the Calder Cup.

Milwaukee won the AHL’s Central Division for the second consecutive season with a record of 40-21-5-6 (91 points), earning their fifth straight trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Central Division semifinals begin May 1, when the Admirals will take on on the winner of the best-of-three Central Division first round series between Chicago and Rockford.

Svechkov is coming off his first season of NHL action, in which he recorded 17 points in 52 games for the Predators. Nashville's first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Svechkov was thrust into a larger role once the team traded Tommy Novak to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline.

Del Gaizo was eligible for reassignment after clearing waivers last week. He appeared in 46 games for Nashville this season, and brief demotion to the Admirals in early March made him eligible to play for them in the postseason.

Del Gaizo is eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer as a player with at least three professional seasons and fewer than 80 career NHL games while also being 25 years old. It's unclear whether he will be back with the Predators next season, but the team's recent signing of Andreas Englund to a one-year, $775,000 contract makes it seem unlikely.

Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Ryan Kennedy and Avry Lewis-McDougall react to Game 2 between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Playoff Frenzy - April 22, 2025 | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

They also discuss what's going on around the NHL on Tuesday night, including Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Check out the show right now and share your opinions in the live chat and in our comment section.  

The Oshawa Generals defeated the Brantford Bulldogs 4-1 in game six to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive year.  

Brantford took the opening two games of the series, scoring a total of 13 goals across the two games. Oshawa took over on home ice and built up momentum as they won the next four games to take the series. 

The lack of Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis starting in game four certainly played a role in the outcome of the series. There are very few teams that could recover after scoring a 70-plus goal scorer. 

Lardis was injured late in game three on a hit delivered by Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson. The big defender, who represented Canada at the World Junior Championship this winter, received a two-game suspension for the hit. 

Without Lardis, the Brantford offense felt lost at times during the series. After game two, the Bulldogs never scored more than two goals in a game. Credit for shutting down the potent Brantford offense should go to the Oshawa defense and Jacob Oster, who looked fantastic between the pipes for Oshawa throughout the series.

Rangers' Head Coach Named OHL Coach Of The YearYesterday, the OHL announced that Kitchener Rangers' Head Coach Jussi Ahokas is the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy, which is presented to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by General Managers across the OHL.

The win on the road in game five gave the Generals the opportunity to finish the second-round series on home ice. They didn't take the opportunity for granted, outshooting the Bulldogs 15-4 in the opening period.

Luca Marrelli's thunderous one-timer on the power play brought Oshawa fans to their feet early in the game. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect fed Winnipeg Jets prospect Colby Barlow for a tap-in to make it 2-0 before the end of the first. 

Knights Sweep Otters To Advance To Western Conference FinalsThe seemingly unstoppable London Knights defeated the Erie Otters in overtime to sweep their second-round series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Bulldogs outshot the Generals 18-14 for the rest of the game, however, the damage was already done. Owen Griffin and Marek Vanacker exchanged goals that came thirty seconds apart early in the second period to make the score 3-1 in favour of Oshawa. 

Griffin, who is one of the top scorers for Oshawa in the postseason, scored a second goal in the dying moments of the series to seal the victory for Oshawa. He's eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, and his performance in the playoffs is certainly raising his draft stock.

The Generals return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. Last season, they made it to the Finals before losing to the London Knights. This year, Oshawa has a deeper and more experienced roster than they did the last time they were in this position. 

They will await the victor of game seven between Barrie and Kitchener. 

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The Seattle Kraken hope a former Buffalo Sabres GM will help them reach perennial playoff status.

This week, the Kraken fired coach Dan Bylsma, promoted executive Ron Francis to president of hockey operations and promoted Jason Botterill to GM. 

The Kraken finished with the NHL’s sixth-worst record at 35-41-6, placing them seventh in the relatively weak Pacific Division – and a drop from sixth place in the Pacific in the 2023-24 campaign. That’s not nearly good enough for a Seattle team that wants to emulate the Vegas Golden Knights as a young franchise that can have great Stanley Cup playoff success right away.

For one thing, with Francis now promoted upward – in the role of a Brendan Shanahan in Toronto, a Jim Rutherford in Vancouver and a Joe Sakic in Colorado – Francis will have more years to stick the landing as an overseer of Botterill and his incoming management group. 

But Botterill has massive pressure on him and a slew of areas to address in his second chance at general managing an NHL club. He has some successes to replicate and mistakes to avoid from his time as the Sabres’ GM from 2017 to 2020.

Certainly, having more success in the NHL draft will be a priority, which Botterill did well at in Buffalo. He did have an easy pick when he landed star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018, but Botterill's draft team also selected centers Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson. 

The Kraken need more from their first-ever draft pick, Matty Beniers, and another step up from Shane Wright. But Botterill must fill the organization’s cupboard with prospects they can turn into reliable NHLers.

They’re going to get a top-10 draft pick this summer. While they can’t necessarily expect the player they select with that pick to play in the NHL immediately, they should add an asset that will be a core component of the team for many years to come.

NHL Sour Rankings: What Lies Ahead For Every Non-Playoff TeamThe NHL is so often focused, for good reason, on the races at the top of the standings, but the NHL Sour Rankings looks at the bottom. 

Botterill should also buy out the contract of veteran goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who currently has two seasons remaining on a contract worth $5.9 million annually. 

The 33-year-old Grubauer put up career-worst totals in goals-against average (3.49) and save percentage (.875) last season, and with veteran Joey Daccord the clear No. 1 option in net, Grubauer can’t be kept around at that cap hit. 

Buying out Grubauer will free about $3.92 million next season and $2.82 million in 2026-27, while the $1.68-million buyout cost in 2027-28 and ’28-29 is minimal when the salary cap rises significantly.

That brings us to the Kraken’s huge amount of cap space to use to improve the roster. As it stands, Seattle has $21.75 million in cap space next season with 14 active players under contract. With a Grubauer buyout, that cap space would rise to $25.66 million. That means the Kraken can be major players on the free-agent market while having five first-round picks over the next three seasons to set up the team for long-term success.

Botterill has to make more tough decisions – including who will be the next coach of the team – to push the Kraken back into the playoff mix. They have two pending UFAs, and RFAs Kaapo Kakko, Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans need new deals as well. 

Kraken Retaining Jessica Campbell Shows Faith In Early Positive SignsThe Seattle Kraken parted ways with Dan Bylsma after just one season as the head coach, and while many thought Jessica Campbell may have followed, the organization is rewarding her with another season after some early positive returns.

Not long ago, Seattle fans were expecting to make the playoffs consistently, but Sabres fans have been waiting to get back into the post-season for seven times the length of Seattle’s two-year drought. Botterill is one of four men to hold the Sabres’ GM role since their last playoff appearance in 2011, and Buffalo’s best finish under him was 25th in the NHL. With Vegas joining the league in 2017-18, the Sabres actually became the first team in NHL history to finish 31st under Botterill.

Kraken fans will obviously hope Botterill won’t have the same results in Seattle, but the organization trusts him to make the most of this huge opportunity. He has a mandate to remove the stench of regular-season failure as they chart a course that will be more reliably successful.

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The Buffalo Sabres aren't a big-market team, but a look at the projected amount of salary cap space next season -- via the indispensable Puck Pedia -- has the Sabres smack-dab in the middle of the league's teams, with approximately $21.43-million in cap space for the 2025-26 campaign. And if you break down Buffalo's players who are going to be in need of new contracts, you'll see that the Sabres will be spending much, if not all of their cap space to stay competitive.

For one thing, the Sabres have seven restricted free agents, including defensemen Bowen Byram and Jacob Bernard-Docker, goalie Devon Levi, and forwards Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Byram -- who made $3.85-million this past season -- and Peterka ($855,834) are going to get considerable raises, even with them both being under team control. As well, Levi and Quinn are long-term pieces of the puzzle in Buffalo, so Sabres GM Kevyn Adams will have to make them happy, perhaps with bridge contracts that keep their raises at a reasonable level.

Still, when you factor in all the variables here, you see that Buffalo's cap space is gong to dry up in a hurry. And although cap flexibility is a good thing, locking up your core talents is also a good thing. And the alternative -- trading away up-and-coming players just to keep your spending at an internally-decided-on level -- would incense Sabres fans who want Buffalo to spend to its limit. 

The other factor here, of course, is trades. Buffalo may choose to acquire talent via trades, and that will almost assuredly lead to the Sabres' cap space disapperaing rapidly. Buffalo may decide that they need experienced hands to get them into the playoffs next year, and that type of help won't come cheaply. Thus, Adams will have a balancing act to perform, keeping his core of young talent intact while also bringing in new faces to alter his team's chemistry.

All things considered, then, we're almost assuredly going to see Buffalo spend at or near the salary cap ceiling next season. We'll get an immediate sense of their spending intentions at the start of July, when unrestricted free agency begins. But trades will also take place relatively soon, and Adams will have to strike early to prevent other teams from swooping in and acquiring talent the Sabres have targeted.

Lamoriello's Cold-Blooded Legacy A Good Lesson For Rebuilding SabresThe New York Islanders parted ways with GM and team president Lou Lamoriello Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to the 82-year-old icon's Hockey Hall-of-Fame career running NHL teams. But there's always something to learn from brilliant people, even when they're removed from power -- and Lamoriello's legacy could and should be a vital lesson for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

When you think of more than $21 million, you rightfully think that's a lot of money, and it certainly is. However, at a time when the salary cap ceiling is rising exponentially -- and remember, the cap ceiling is going to rise even further, to $104-million, in 2026-27 -- player salaries are going to expand to fill that space.

So while it's on Sabres brass to spend wisely, they're almost certainly going to have to loosen the purse strings and spend to the cap limit each and every season. The cost of doing business in the NHL is going to continue to rise, and that has to be reflected in Buffalo's spending habits.

When you’ve reached the pinnacle of the hockey management world, like now-former New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello did, you have to know you’re always working on borrowed time. 

At any moment in a zero-sum industry, if you’re not putting up wins or improving in virtually every metric, the team can go in a different direction.

There’s a constant pressure on you to succeed or part ways, and that was true Tuesday when the Islanders announced they’re not renewing the contract of GM-president Lamoriello.

The team gave no immediate reason for the decision or whether it was mutual or not, but the Islanders missed the playoffs this season, and at 82 years old, Lamoriello has nothing to prove to anyone. He may have reached the end of what long ago qualified as a Hockey Hall of Fame career.

Without question, Lamoriello is one of the most successful NHL movers-and-shakers of all-time.

In his first year as GM and president of the New Jersey Devils, Lamoriello guided the team to an Eastern Conference final appearance. And throughout 27 seasons running the Devils, Lamoriello won three Stanley Cups, qualified for five Cup finals and made the playoffs 21 times. Only the Detroit Red Wings came near New Jersey when it came to consistent success, and the cult of personality that Lamoriello created resulted in a culture that was the envy of most, if not all, NHL organizations.

Unfortunately, time eventually caught up to Lamoriello. 

After leaving New Jersey in 2015, he shifted to running the Toronto Maple Leafs for three years before leaving again, this time to serve as Islanders GM and president of hockey operations. 

Say what you will about Lamoriello’s competitive tactics, but you can’t say he ever lacked confidence in himself. Although there were blips of success during Lamoriello’s seven years as Isles GM – including two playoff semifinal appearances – there just wasn’t enough consistent success to keep him employed as GM.

In some ways, you have to appreciate Lamorello’s belief in his players and coaches. 

Lamoriello doubled down on mid-tier veterans, including left winger Pierre Engvall, center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and defenseman Scott Mayfield. But with due respect to forwards Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee, blueliner Noah Dobson and goaltender Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders lacked the true superstar players that were the engine behind rival teams’ successes. There was no Hart Trophy-winner on Long Island, no Art Ross Trophy or Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy-winners.

Islanders John Collins Brings Massive NHL Experience To General Manager Search When the news broke that the New York Islanders had moved on from Lou Lamoriello, we were told that John Collins would be leading the search for the next general manager.

With Lamoriello out of the picture, his successor will have a golden opportunity to commit to a full roster rebuild – something that could finally deliver the generational talent the Islanders have lacked since star center John Tavares left for the Leafs in 2018, the same year Lamoriello took the Isles’ job. It always felt like Lamoriello was hunting for big fish in the NHL talent pool – even getting Horvat in 2023 – yet he often came away with consolation prizes.

Even toward the end of his tenure, when Lamoriello hired icon Patrick Roy as Isles coach in January 2024 – there was a sense Lamoriello had lost his fastball. No longer could Lamoriello impose his will on a team in the way he did in his heyday. It was a different league Lamoriello was working in, and he didn’t have the foundation he had when superstars Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens and Patrik Elias were his dressing room and on-ice leaders in New Jersey.

So yes, while Islanders ownership is grateful to Lamoriello, it’s clear that it’s now time to tear things down to the studs and build a long-term winner by adding top-end talent through the draft. That’s the best way the Islanders will acquire foundational pieces to build a core with. No more half-measures for this franchise. 

Lamoriello’s days running a team might be over. But the learning tree around him will last for generations. We’re not suggesting all of Lamoriello’s more famous rules – including his determination to eradicate facial hair now and forever – will continue. But Lamoriello’s relentless pursuit of greatness will linger among everyone he did business with. That dogged determination to win will always be there, even if he winds up being a consultant to a team for the rest of his days.

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The New York Islanders parted ways with GM and team president Lou Lamoriello Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to the 82-year-old icon's Hockey Hall-of-Fame career running NHL teams. But there's always something to learn from brilliant people, even when they're removed from power -- and Lamoriello's legacy could and should be a vital lesson for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

Here's what we mean:  Lamoriello has been known far and wide to be a cold-blooded operator -- someone who would fire his best friend in a heartbeat if he thought it would improve his chances of winning at the highest level of the game. Lamoriello has dismissed people time and again in the pursuit of greatness, and he came away from it with three Stanley Cups, a slew of playoff series wins, and a general greatness with the New Jersey Devils that was matched only by the Detroit Red Wings in the modern NHL era.

All of Lamoriello's quirks -- the loathing of facial hair, the ability to say nothing of consequence in interviews with the press -- all were there because of his burning drive to win. And while it became harder for Lamoriello to win in his post-Devils career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Islanders, there was no mistaking that he was always going to double down on the talent he acquired, as well as the coaches he entrusted his players with. Whether it was Jacques Lemaire in his Devils heyday or Patrick Roy with the Isles at the moment, Lamoriello used every tool in his power in regard to coaches to gain an advantage over opponents. And that relentless focus is something Adams and the Sabres could use more of.

With Lamoriello now a free-agent of sorts, Buffalo ownership could do a lot worse than hire Lamoriello in a consultant's role. Indeed, Adams should be jumping at the chance to bring in someone with Lamoriello's pedigree, and at 82 years old, Lamoriello is probably not going to get another chance at being an NHL GM. If Adams is looking for a sounding board, Lamoriello could be an ideal hire for Buffalo. The opportunity to work with a younger group of players might be right up Lamoriello's alley, and we'd be shocked if no team hired Lamoriello to serve in one role or another.

But even if Lamoriello is hired by another team, the approach he's always taken -- with a willingness to do whatever he can to win hockey games -- should be matched by Adams and the Sabres. Some have called Lamoriello derogatory names for his style of management and the trap-happy style of his teams on the ice, but you can't take away the results that style has generated.

Kraken's Dismissal Of Coach Bylsma Is Another Reason Sabres Should Be Firing Bench Boss Lindy RuffThe NHL's coaching carousel continued spinning like crazy Monday, with the Seattle Kraken firing bench boss Dan Bylsma after only one year on the job. The Kraken/Bylsma news followed the news this past weekend that the New York Rangers dismissed Peter Laviolette, and that the Anaheim Ducks are moving on from Greg Cronin after only two years.

In his generation -- and in many generations -- Lamoriello has done things entirely the way he wanted them done, and that's an approach every team should borrow. Buffalo may not be the right fit for Lamoriello as a consultant, but you'd better believe his everyday approach to building a a winner is something that could help deliver better days to the Sabres. He's been in NHL circles for approaching four decades, and he's a Hall-of-Famer for good reason. And Buffalo could benefit from his unmatched experience.

Lamoriello's aura has always made him feel like the Frank Sinatra of the NHL -- and now that his era is very likely at an end, NHL GMs should be emulating him by doing things their way. The Sabres need to be relentlessly focused on winning, and that could start by bringing Lamoriello aboard. But if it doesn't, Buffalo's approach should still be as determined as Lamoriello was from Day One of his career until his final day. Lamoriello is a kingpin in his own right, and adopting his approach might be a very wise idea for the Sabres.

The Montreal Canadiens need more than a tough guy on defense after being dominated in most of Game 1 against the Washington Capitals on Monday.

The Capitals are better suited to playing playoff-style hockey against the inexperienced Habs, but that didn't prevent Montreal from rallying late in the third and giving Washington a scare in the 3-2 Capitals' overtime victory at Capital One Arena.

Until resorting to desperation hockey in the latter half of the third period, Washington ran roughshod over the Canadiens, focusing on being physically imposing on Montreal’s smaller skilled players, such as rookie defenseman Lane Hutson and sniper Cole Caufield. 

This tactic worked early in the game, as Capitals blueliner Alexander Alexeyev cross-checked Brendan Gallagher to the face, Alex Ovechkin led his club with seven hits and Capitals rookie Ryan Leonard’s face-washing of Hutson along the boards led to a Kaiden Guhle penalty and Ovechkin’s opening power-play goal. 

Short of putting Arber Xhekaj in the lineup for Game 2 or being able to clone Anderson and Gallagher, the Canadiens are not capable of matching up to the Capitals’ peskiness and physicality in this series.  

Here is the cross-check by Alexeyev right to the race of Gallagher, in plain view. No penalty called. pic.twitter.com/AKSJ97cVg2

— NHL Review (@nhl_review) April 21, 2025

“(It was) a start that we knew, we were probably going have to weather the storm and feel what that feels like, the pressure (and) the physicality of the game.” Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis told reporters. “We got better as the game went on, I thought it was a pretty good first game, but unfortunately, you don’t win.”

The Capitals outhit Montreal 42-33 in the contest. Anderson’s shot at Tom Wilson during a line change was one of the few responses that the Habs showed, and the game only remained close because of the goaltending of Samuel Montembeault.

The Canadiens were also caught with rookie Ivan Demidov and right winger Patrik Laine out against Washington’s top line on a defensive zone faceoff, which led to Ovechkin’s game-winner less than three minutes into overtime.

NHL Playoffs: An Engaged, Energized Alex Ovechkin Is A Very Scary ManYou could argue that Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals haven't exactly been playoff beasts the past couple of years.

St-Louis said after the game that he expects his young club to be better prepared for Game 2 on Wednesday, but there was no indication whether the Habs will make any lineup changes, like inserting Xhekaj into the lineup.

Xhekaj played only one game in the last three weeks of the regular season, with St-Louis opting to go with Jayden Struble down the stretch. 

The 24-year-old ranks second on the Canadiens in hits, with 180 in 70 games. Other than that, he has a goal, six assists and 63 blocked shots while averaging 14:37 of ice time.

If the onslaught continues on Wednesday, the Canadiens may consider bringing him in when they return to the Bell Centre for Game 3 on Friday. But that move might not lead to much if the rest of the team can’t withstand the Capitals’ physicality and scoring power.

The X-factor is Montembeault, who stopped 29 of 32 shots in Game 1. If he channels 2010 Jaroslav Halak, who had a .923 save percentage in 18 playoff games, then Montreal will keep the series close. 

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