Things were looking concerning for the Philadelphia Flyers and Matvei Michkov when head coach Rick Tocchet yanked the Russian phenom from the lineup after a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4.

A 3-2 Game 5 loss to the Penguins was even less inspiring, and Pittburgh played it like they knew they would win if they could stop the Flyers from scoring. It worked.

After one game, Tocchet decided to reinstate Michkov to the Flyers' lineup, making wholesale lineup changes and removing veteran Garnet Hathaway. His faith in the 21-year-old winger was rewarded on Thursday night.

The benching seemed to light a fire under Michkov, who looked his typical self for much of Game 6. Hunting for open space to make an impact offensively, being creative with his passes, and shooting when given an opportunity.

The 2023 No. 7 overall pick probably could have scored two or three times in the contest, notably missing a power-play one timer, being denied by Arturs Silovs on a partial break, and then forcing Silovs into the splits on a rush shot against the grain.

Flyers Boss Rick Tocchet Talks Matvei Michkov, Improved Recent PlayThings were never quite right between <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> head coach Rick Tocchet and phenom forward Matvei Michkov for much of the season, but Michkov's strong finish to the season has all but erased that now.

Still, in a contest that was deadlocked at 0-0 for 77 minutes, Michkov delievered.

After Noah Cates won an offensive zone faceoff to defenseman Cam York, Michkov took a pass from York, evading pressure from Ben Kindel before dealing back to York.

York let a long-range wrister fly, beating Silovs cleanly through loads of traffic in front of the net. It was Michkov's first point of the series and first playoff point of his nascent NHL career, helping York earn his first playoff goal in the tense 1-0 win.

"It was good for him to come back and have an impact, obviously he had some chances. It's playoff hockey, it's hard. For a young kid, it's always tough," Cates said of his linemate.

"Hopefully, he kind of learned. He got his chances and was flying tonight. So, good on him to take it for what it was and come back ready and hungry to help the team."

ESPN Predicts Flyers Will Get Swept By PenguinsAs they head into their first appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2020, it is becoming clear that the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> still don't have many believers out there.

With the lineup changes, Michkov was paired with Cates and Alex Bump, with Denver Barkey moving up to play with Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny.

"Mich is a young kid. Bumper . . . now we got a group of guys, by them being a pack, it might help," Tocchet added. "It's not just we have a couple of young guys. We have a bunch of them. So, maybe that'll help the mental part of the game, too."

The Flyers are now overall 14-3-1 this season when Michkov and Bump are both in the lineup, and it's clear that they thrive off each other and play well.

Of course, the pack Tocchet refers to includes Michkov, Bump, Barkey, and Porter Martone, who all figure to be important parts of the Flyers both now and in the future.

After a rollercoaster six games against the Penguins, they'll get to experience at least four more games of NHL playoff hockey against a daunting Carolina Hurricanes team next week.

It has been a magical run for the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins, who most didn't expect to be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. 

And, unfortunately, their Cup hopes this season have come to an end.

After a hard-fought series in which the Penguins won two straight after a 3-0 series deficit, Pittsburgh was eliminated in Game 6 on an overtime goal by Philadelphia Flyers' defenseman Cam York. The Penguins controlled the majority of play throughout the game - including in overtime - but a lost faceoff and a shot through traffic ended their season in heartbreak.

Pittsburgh outshot Philadelphia, 42-32, and Flyers' goaltender Dan Vladar earned the 42-save shutout for the Flyers. Arturs Silovs was outstanding in goal for the Penguins, stopping 31 of 32 shots in this game and he allowed just five goals on 82 shots in three games this series for a .939 save percentage.

Stay tuned to THN - Pittsburgh Penguins for more coverage later on.

LIVE GAME BLOG: Pittsburgh Penguins V. Philadelphia Flyers, Game 6Follow along with the THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' LIVE game blog for Round 1, Game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alexandre Texier broke a tie 1:06 into the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.

Rookie Jakub Dobes stopped 38 shots to help Montreal move within a victory of advancing for the first time since losing to the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021.

Brendan Gallagher got his first goal in his first game this series and Kirby Dach also scored for the Canadiens.

Dominic James scored his first career playoff goal and Jake Guentzel also connected one for the Lightning. They are one loss from being eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight season.

FLYERS 1, PENGUINS 0, OT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cam York scored 17:32 into overtime and chucked his stick into the crowd in a wild celebration to send Philadelphia into the second round for the first time in six years with a Game 6 win over the Pittsburgh.

The Flyers are set for second round showdown against Carolina.

Dan Vladar was again sensational in the net and stopped all 42 shots and prevented the Penguins from playing for a shot at playoff history.

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins tried to become just the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0. They’ve won two straight games to force Game 6.

The Carolina Hurricanes have finally learned their second round opponent.

In took a bit longer than first expected, but the Philadelphia Flyers finally found that fourth win in a Game 6, 1-0, OT win to advance past the Pittsburgh Penguins after initially holding a 3-0 series lead.

The Hurricanes have already been waiting for four days after sweeping the Ottawa Senators in their first round series and odds are they're going to have a full week of rest before the second round series actually kicks off.

The two clubs have never met in the postseason before.

This year, Carolina went 3-0-1 against Philadelphia, with every game being decided beyond regulation.

However, the Hurricanes are a much deeper team, having more 20+ goal scorers (7-4) and four players who eclipsed 70 points this season (Flyers had zero).

The Canes are also a much more experienced team, having made the playoffs in eight straight seasons, while this is the first time the Flyers have been in the postseason since 2020.

Special teams might be another area where the Hurricanes can pull away as Philly had the league's worst power play this season (15.7%) and a bottom-10 penalty kill (77.6%).

However, what might give the Hurricanes a bit of trouble is the fact that Flyers have gotten a lot better defensively at 5v5, especially following the Olympic break.

They've gotten a Herculean effort from Dan Vladar in net and a hot goalie is always a difficult nut to crack.

It could be another tight series because of that, but I'd expect the Hurricanes to be heavy favorites given their depth, talent and overwhelming wealth of experience.

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Redemption: Jordan Martinook Scores First Career Playoff OT Winner After Penalty Shot Miss; Hurricanes Take 2-0 Series Lead

'I Feel Fresh': Jaccob Slavin's Early Absence May Be Blessing In Disguise For Hurricanes

Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

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The Minnesota Wild (3-2) took a 3-2 series lead with a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars (2-2) in Dallas on Tuesday.

Game 6 is set for Thursday back in Minnesota at 6:30.

In Game 5, Stars' captain Jamie Benn was at it again with his behind-the-play antics.

Benn, 36, has zero points in five games and is a minus-5. He has just one goal in his last 23 playoff games. 

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Wednesday that they have fined Benn $2,604.17, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Wild forward Ryan Hartman during Game 5 of the teams’ First Round series in Dallas

The incident occurred at 14:45 of the third period. Benn was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking.

Here is the NHL DOPS explaining the Auston Matthews suspension decision on the Benn clip... weird how it fits perfectly pic.twitter.com/VUhP2Hjke9

— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) April 29, 2026

Hartman was assessed a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. This is the sixth cross-check Benn has delivered with full force. It was the first one that resulted in a penalty and the first one that resulted in the NHL taking notice.

But that slap on the wrist of $2,604.17 won't stop Benn's antics. He has been fined or suspended in four out of the last five playoffs. He was suspended in 2023 for cross-checking.

Fining him $2,604.17 isn't an acceptable justification for this decision and will only allow him to continue this.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Recent Wild Stories

NHL Must Address Jamie Benn After String of Dangerous, Uncalled PlaysJamie Benn's dangerous, uncalled playoff antics continue. The NHL faces pressure to address a pattern of reckless plays impacting star players.

- Wild's Mats Zuccarello, Yakov Trenin Out With Upper-Body Injuries.

- Stars' Top Center Remains Out Vs Wild For Next Two Games.

- Jesper Wallstedt Rewards Wild's Confidence In Game 1 Win.

- Wild's Vladimir Tarasenko Has Rediscovered His Scoring Prowess.

- Yakov Trenin Breaks Minnesota Wild Single-Season Hits Record.

Pittsburgh Penguins v. Philadelphia Flyers - Game 6 (Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.)  |  Wednesday, Apr. 29, 2026

Puck Drop: 7:40 p.m. ET

Penguins' projected lines and pairings:

Forwards

Rickard Rakell- Sidney Crosby- Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov- Tommy Novak- Evgeni Malkin

Elmer Soderblom- Ben Kindel- Anthony Mantha 

Connor Dewar- Blake Lizotte- Noel Acciari

Defensemen

Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson

Samuel Girard - Kris Letang

Ryan Shea - Ilya Solovyov 

Goaltenders

Arturs Silovs (starter) 

Stuart Skinner (backup)

Flyers' projected lines and pairings:

Forwards

Owen Tippett - Trevor Zegras - Porter Martone

Denver Barkey - Christian Dvorak - Travis Konecny

Alex Bump - Noah Cates - Matvei Michkov

Sean Couturier - Luke Glendening - Tyson Foerster

Defensemen

Travis Sanheim-Rasmus Ristolainen

Cam York-Jamie Drysdale

Nick Seeler-Noah Juulsen

Goaltenders

Dan Vladar (starter) 

Sam Ersson (backup)

First period

- The Penguins are putting EVERYTHING on net in the first five minutes. They're stringing some really good shifts together. 

Arturs Silovs also just made one heck of a save on Owen Tippett. 

- Silovs again comes up huge with a poke check save and then another save a few seconds later. We're still scoreless at the first TV timeout.

- The Penguins got the first power play of the game and...didn't do anything with it. There's still too much perimeter play and not enough of a shoot-first mentality. There's also not enough traffic in front of the net. Now, it's the Flyers' turn on the power play.

- Flyers get nothing on the power play. Penguins' penalty kill continues to be very stingy in this series. 

END OF FIRST PERIOD: Penguins 0, Flyers 0. Both teams had great chances to score, but both goaltenders have been up to the task.

Second period

- The Penguins just had two great shifts in a row early in the period. The fourth line won numerous battles along the boards and started cycling really well. They also got some quality chances before the top line came on, and also got some great chances. They had a few Flyers pinned in their own zone for over two minutes.

- The Penguins got another power play in the period and once again, no dice. Egor Chinakhov had the best chance on it, but he hit the post. That unit is giving them nothing right now. 

- I'm loving the top line right now. Crosby, Rakell, and Rust are grinding the Flyers down and hemming them in their own zone each time that they're out there. 

- Take a bow, Arturs Silovs. Just made a HUGE save on Matvei Michkov before making another huge save from in-tight. He has been fantastic in this game.

END OF SECOND PERIOD: Still scoreless, but the Flyers will get a power play to open the third period after Kris Letang punched Travis Konecny as the buzzer sounded. 

Third period

- The Penguins bailed Letang out and killed the penalty to open the third period. Excellent stuff by the PK. 

- Tommy Novak had a golden opportunity from right in front of the net and,,,tried to pass it. He NEEDS to rip the puck there. 

- You can tell how tense it is. Each team is being so careful with the puck.

- What a save by Silovs on Michkov. Flashed his glove...again!

- Still no score with 5:36 to go in the third period. Silovs had to come up with another huge save after a turnover in the defensive zone. 

Bryan Rust had a glorious chance late in the third period...but couldn't beat Dan Vladar. This has been an insane game.

END OF THIRD PERIOD: We're heading to overtime. Who's going to be the hero?

Overtime

- The Penguins have been the better team in this overtime and are firing everything at Vladar, but no luck. Anthony Mantha just had the best chance, and he still can't find the back of the net.

- The Penguins' fourth line has been fantastic in this one. They're getting chances every time they hop over the bench.

- GOAL: Right after Arturs Silovs made the save of the game, Cam York buried one past him from the point, eliminating the Penguins. Flyers 1, Penguins 0. 

The Penguins' season is now over. 

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to take a series lead over the Utah Mammoth after tying things up at two. They’ll get their chance in Game 5 on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.

Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. PST.

Carter Hart will start in goal for the Golden Knights. Hart has a 2-2 record and a .886 average save percentage in four games this postseason.

Karel Vejmelka will start in goal for the Mammoth. Vejmelka has a 2-2 record and a .899 average save percentage in four games this postseason.

The teams were last in action for Game 4 on Monday at the Delta Center. The Golden Knights quickly jumped out in front, but squandered a 3-0 lead and fell behind 4-3. They found the equalizer with 10 minutes remaining in the third period, and won a 5-4 thriller in overtime off a goal by Shea Theodore.

Golden Knights Lines

Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Brett Howden

Reilly Smith — Mitch Marner — Mark Stone

Pavel Dorofeyev — Tomáš Hertl — Keegan Kolesar

Cole Smith — Nic Dowd — Colton Sissons

Defense

Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson

Jeremy Lauzon — Kaedan Korczak

Goaltenders: Carter Hart / Adin Hill

Mammoth Lines

Clayton Keller — Nick Schmaltz — Lawson Crouse

Kailer Yamamoto — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther

JJ Peterka — Alex Kerfoot — Michael Carcone

Liam O’Brien — Kevin Stenlund — Brandon Tanev

Defense

Mikhail Sergachev — MacKenzie Weegar

Nate Schmidt — John Marino

Ian Cole — Sean Durzi

Goaltenders: Karel Vejmelka / Vitek Vaněček

Special Teams

VGK power play: 15.4%, 9th

VGK penalty kill: 88.9%, 4th

Mammoth power play: 11.1%, 13th

Mammoth penalty kill: 84.6%, 8th

Game Notes

Tonight’s game could very well decide the fate of the Golden Knights’ season. Historically, teams that take a 3-2 series lead go on to win 79.5% of the time.

The Golden Knights are 8-8 in Game 5s in franchise history.

The Golden Knights changed up their power play units after going 0-5 on the man advantage in Game 3. But after going 0-for-4 in Game 4, they’ve shuffled the units once more.

PP1: Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev, Mitch Marner, Shea Theodore

PP2: Tomáš Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin

Shea Theodore’s overtime game-winning goal was the first by any Golden Knights defenseman in postseason franchise history.

How to Watch

TV: Vegas 34, TNT, truTV

Streaming: KnightTime+

Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340, Deportes Vegas 1460

Talk about the game with Pens fans here!

Flyers finish off Penguins with thrilling OT win, head to second round in playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

There will be no Game 7.

The Flyers’ playoff run is headed to the second round.

Rick Tocchet’s club finished off the Penguins in six games with an eke-it-out, 1-0 overtime win Wednesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. In this best-of-seven first-round matchup, the Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead and then fended off Pittsburgh after dropping Games 4 and 5.

Cam York scored the Game 6 winner. It came with 2:30 minutes left in overtime.

Tocchet said the Flyers would have to “stick a fork” in these experienced Penguins. They eventually did.

Dan Vladar played a significant role in that. He was magnificent in closing out Pittsburgh.

The Flyers face the Hurricanes next. The last time the Flyers made the second round was 2020, their previous playoff berth. They lost to the Islanders in seven games.

• After the Game 4 loss, Vladar was adamant that the Flyers would be OK.

The 28-year-old backed up his words with 42 saves Wednesday night.

He turned away Anthony Mantha at the doorstep around the midway mark of overtime. He made a superb stop on Bryan Rust with under four minutes to go in regulation.

Vladar was excellent in the series, allowing just 10 goals and delivering two shutouts.

“He has been our backbone all year,” York said Monday. “When he’s that confident, that poised, it just bleeds through the room. He has been our MVP this year.”

Arturs Silovs, making his third straight start for the Penguins, stopped 31 shots.

The Flyers opened the third period with a power play after Travis Konecny drew a roughing penalty on Kris Letang at the end of the middle stanza. But the Flyers came up empty.

Their last-ranked power play went 2 for 17 in the series. It didn’t cost them.

Christian Dvorak and Travis Sanheim nearly connected for a shorthanded goal in the second period. Silovs, though, turned away Dvorak in close to keep the game scoreless.

Early during the third period, Dvorak made a clutch defensive play in the slot to help prevent a goal.

After being healthy scratched in Game 5, Matvei Michkov had a couple of good looks during the second period. In a span of 29 seconds, he was denied on a semi breakaway and then at the post when he tried to tuck one past Silovs.

Michkov had an assist on York’s winner.

• Give the Flyers credit for tightening things up defensively and really grinding out a win.

Their stinginess is what pushed them into the playoffs.

They needed to get back to that and did. They found a way to close out Pittsburgh despite scoring just five goals over the final three games.

• Sean Couturier oozed with experience in Game 6. He played a true brand of playoff hockey.

The 33-year-old captain led by example all series.

• The Flyers now have a second-round date with the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Carolina swept the Senators in the first round and finished the regular season with 113 points at 53-22-7.

Every matchup between the Flyers and Hurricanes in the regular season went past regulation. The Flyers lost three of the four games.

The schedule for the series has not yet been announced.

The Chicago Blackhawks may have a gem in Anton Frondell, whom they selected third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He came to the NHL in the final few weeks of the season after a wonderful teenage season in Sweden. 

Offensively speaking, Frondell had one of the best rookie years the SHL has ever seen. He was also a catalyst for Team Sweden en route to a Gold Medal at the World Junior Championships. 

In the NHL, he showed no signs of a slow start in that regard either. He had 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 12 games played. For being 18 years old, it's an incredible start to his NHL tenure. The sky is the limit for his point total in his true rookie season, which will be 2026-27. 

When Frondell was first drafted, he made it clear that he emphasized being a two-way forward. He compared his play to that of Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov, who is one of the best two-way forwards in NHL history. 

It's a lofty goal for Frondell, but not one that he can't strive for. Being a multi-time Stanley Cup-winning future Hall of Famer is not easy, but the Blackhawks would certainly like to see him become some fraction of that. 

Frondell's play without the puck was equally impressive in his first 12 NHL games. For most forwards, that is the hardest part in development. For Frondell, he showed signs of greatness in that regard. There will be walls, but if this is his floor, his ceiling is something for the organization to build around. 

"He's strong on his stick, smart, moves well, there's a lot there," head coach Jeff Blashill said of his young forward. "He's going to be a good player." 

It's one thing to be a great hockey player on your own in the NHL; it's another to make others around you better. In his short stint, the latter was the reality for Anton Frondell. 

Part of playing center, which Frondell did for most of the games to end the year after not playing it at all in Sweden, is being strong in all three zones. That is something that he is committed to working on during his summer training. 

"I always want to improve my game, work hard, and get better," Frondell said. "It's the same feeling every year. But of course, now, I feel like I got a couple of games here to know what it feels like and what to work on. I would say playing as a center for a couple of games was new for me, because I didn't play center for the whole year. I feel like if I want to play center next year or whenever, [I have to] keep working on that game."

The Blackhawks have a lot of young, highly skilled forwards on the team and in the pipeline, but none of them are quite like Frondell in this aspect.

Connor Bedard's offensive ceiling is higher than Frondell's, but nobody will ever mistake him for a Selke Trophy candidate. Frondell may be one of those guys based on his current development path. 

"[Frondell] looked great," Bedard said of his newest teammate. "Just how he stepped in, obviously the skill’s there and stuff, but just how strong he is. He was playing pro in Sweden, but he’s beaten most NHL players in battles, winning pucks, just the little things, as well as how talented he is. I think he was almost a point per game, and I think he hit 100 posts as well. Just to see him next year after getting a taste of it and getting a summer to get ready, it’s going to be fun." 

When training camp begins in the fall, a lot of hype will surround Frondell's rookie year as one of the Calder Trophy candidates. Before then, however, there is another chance to watch him play in meaningful games as he is headed to Switzerland to play for Team Sweden in the IIHF World Championships.

There, he will have another opportunity to play against pro hockey players (including NHL players), where he will work on his skills as an offensive and defensive forward. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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In continuation of looking at possible goaltenders who could replace Sergei Bobrovsky if he decides to leave in free agency, we take a look at the evolving situation in the Minnesota Wild.

The Minnesota Wild took an important 3-2 series lead over the Dallas Stars last night, so they won’t be worrying about a trade at the moment, but when the off-season comes around, they could be looking to move a goaltender. Teams may be surprised to learn which of the two is available. 

Throughout the regular season, Filip Gustavsson was the starting netminder, set to guide the Wild through the playoffs. But when Game 1 came around, coach John Hynes turned to the 23-year-old Jesper Wallstedt, the netminder the Wild were considering moving at the trade deadline.

Wallstedt finished his rookie season playing 35 games, recording a .916 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average. In the playoffs, those numbers are up to .926 and 2.05 after five games. 

Gustavsson, on the other hand, played in 50 games, recording a .904 SP and 2.69 GAA, solid numbers. With his 219 games of NHL experience, as well as his experience playing in the post-season on two separate occasions, the expectation was that he would take the crease against the Stars. 

Now that he doesn’t have the starting job, Gustavsson appears upset by the decision, as The Athletic reported that they attempted to interview the 27-year-old, who told them to “speak to the players playing.”

While this doesn’t guarantee that Gustavsson will be made available during the off-season, it raises the question, as the Wild have been very keen on adding another top-six center to improve their roster.

Gustavsson could be a great fit for the Florida Panthers. He’s accumulated a fair bit of NHL experience, participated in the Olympics, and fits the timeline of the players the Panthers currently have on the roster. 

Should The Panthers Target Blues' Jordan Binnington If Sergei Bobrovsky Walks In Free Agency?The Florida Panthers may have a new No. 1 goaltender for the first time since 2019 if Sergei Bobrovsky leaves in free agency. Could St. Louis Blues' Jordan Binnington be the answer for the Panthers?

The issue that lies with Gustavsson and the Wild that the Panthers wouldn’t run into when attempting to trade with the St. Louis Blues and Jordan Binnington, or even the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck, is that the Wild want NHL players, preferably a top-six center, compared to the Blues and Jets, who want prospects and picks. 

Aleksander Barkov is off the table, Sam Bennett, following his eight-year extension, is likely off the table as well, so the only options are Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues. The Panthers think very highly of Lundell, and they are unlikely to move him. Rodrigues probably doesn’t move the needle enough for the Wild. 

They could look to move a winger such as Carter Verhaeghe, Eetu Luostarinen, or Mackie Samoskevich, but the Wild may not be interested.

It will be interesting to see how things play out for the Wild, and if the Panthers are in the market for a goaltender, will they approach GM Bill Guerin?

Time will tell. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

New York Islanders pending unrestricted free agent netminder Marcus Hogberg has signed a three-year deal with Linköping HC of the SHL. 

Working on confirming but it sounds like #Isles pending UFA G Marcus Hogberg is heading back to the SHL, rejoining Linkopings HC.

He started his career with them and spent another three seasons there (2021-2024) before getting another crack at the NHL with NYI.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 29, 2026

This marks his third stint with Linkopings. Hogberg had played a majority of his two seasons with Bridgeport after serving as Ilya Sorokin's backup in 2024-25 when Semyon Varlamov went down.

Hogberg played 31 regular-season games with BRI (12-13-6, 2.92 GAA, .898 SV%) this past season.

Started both playoff games (2 losses), stopping 32 of 35. #Isleshttps://t.co/3XOLTMWZph

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 29, 2026

Here's a touching story from last season on why Hogberg left the NHL to begin with: 

It was a bit of a shock when the New York Islanders announced on May 7 that they had signed goaltender Marcus Hogberg to a two-year deal.

The Islanders needed goaltending depth, but Hogberg had not played in the NHL since the 2020-21 season.

His stats over a three-year period with Linkopings HC in the Swedish Elite League were solid, but the NHL is a different animal. 

What was likely intriguing to the Islanders was that Hogberg did have NHL experience, which does make a difference, playing three seasons with the Ottawa Senators (2018-2021), who drafted him in the third round (No. 78) in the 2013 NHL Draft. 

In 42 games and 35 starts for Ottawa, Hogberg owned a 3.39 GAA with an .894 SV%. 

Hogberg did not make the Islanders out of camp, and behind a shaky Bridgeport Islanders team, his numbers weren't stellar, posting a 3.26 GAA with an .898 SV% in 11 games. 

But at the NHL level this season, Hogberg, the question mark, has turned into Hogberg, the answer, as he's done a magnificent job when called up in the absence of Semyon Varlamov.

Through four appearances this season and two starts, he's turned aside 76 of 80 shots he's faced for a .950 SV% and a 1.56 GAA. 

Per #Isles statistician @ehornick in his latest Skinny:

Hogberg has now played 153 minutes for the Isles, allowing 4 goals on 80 shots for a 1.57 GAA & a .950 SV%. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) January 12, 2025

It makes you wonder. Why did Hogberg, at age 26, decide to return home to Sweden?

“I think it's everything, how I played in Ottawa and everything with my dad," Hogberg told The Hockey News.

Hogberg's father, Peter, had a brain tumor. Despite having surgery to remove it, his father sadly passed away shortly after. 

 "His surgery was right before COVID hit," Hogberg recalled. "I played a game -- I think it was like Detroit at home -- and then the day after, I flew back to Sweden to see my dad before surgery. And then he said, like, a day or two before surgery, ‘go back and play again. I want that'. So, that was nice that he chose what I should do.

"The surgery went well, but they said that it was like a really, really aggressive brain tumor. After that, we knew that my dad was not gonna live, and then Coronavirus came, and, of course, I got sick, so I didn't have time to go back."

After Hogberg left quarantine, he got on the first flight back to Sweden. 

"He passed away the same day I traveled back to Sweden. So, that was tough," Hogberg shared. 

As one can expect, losing his father made playing hockey ultra difficult. 

"To lose my dad was really, really hard, and I was not myself," Hogberg said. "I didn't really talk about the feelings and how everything went. So, I think that's maybe why I didn't play like myself my last year in Ottawa. 

"So we decided as a family to go back home, and I just tried to find myself again, not just on the ice but off the ice. So, I felt like being closer to my friends and my family and building myself up as a goalie again was the right decision. I'm really happy that we made that decision."

One can only imagine how proud his dad would be, seeing him not only get back to the NHL and continue to live his childhood dream but get back in the win column after he turned aside 21 of 22 shots in a spot start against the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night with Ilya Sorokin sick.

"I'm happy that he's always with me," Hogberg said. "I have his name on my helmet."

Hogberg's journey back to the NHL actually wasn't really up to him. 

"I'm really happy that the Islanders reached out to me," Hogberg said. "Because it's just a good organization up here and also in Bridgeport. We get treated well and all that stuff. So, I'm really happy to be here.”

Hogberg also shared that the Islanders were the only team that reached out to him.

On Tuesday night, Hogberg will have a full circle moment. 

With Sorokin still not feeling 100%, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy is turning to the 30-year-old against the team that drafted him.

"It's fun. I'm just going to try to enjoy the moment, be ready, and just have some fun," Hogberg said. "I was there for a couple of years, and I know some guys on that side still on the team, so it should be fun."

The Buffalo Sabres were all set to win a playoff series for the first time in 19 years, leading 3-1 over the Boston Bruins after a 6-1 thrashing in Game 4, but after taking the lead on a Rasmus Dahlin power play goal, the Sabres were unable to add on and allowed Boston to settle into a more defensive duel that suits their style of play. Elias Lindholm tied the game in the second period, and after a scoreless third with a number of scoring chances  thwarted by Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak scored past Alex Lyon midway through the first overtime period to force Game 6 in Boston on Wednesday. 

The win is the fourth of the five games in the series that the visiting team came out on top, and puts the Bruins in position to force a seventh game with a victory on home ice on Friday. The injury bug hit the Sabres up the middle for the second time in the series, as center Noah Ostlund left the game in the first period with a lower body injury. The rookie scored a goal and assist in his playoff debut in Game 3, but according to head coach Lindy Ruff, the injury is expected to keep Ostlund out for the foreseeable future.

"He's gonna miss a period of time," Ruff said to the media on Wednesday. "(The) news wasn't good, don't exactly know how much right now, but he's gonna miss some time."

It is expected that Josh Norris, who sat out the last three games with an undisclosed injury but skated on Tuesday, will be ready to go for Game 6.

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Other questions asked of Ruff:

How do you prepare the club for an elimination game?

The same way we're trying to prepare for for last night's game. We knew there's going to be a desperation level inside the game, and I thought the start to the game,. (with) the power play goal, we got off to a good start. I just sensed the little bit of nerves with our guys. Our puck play wasn't as good as it was in Boston, so just get them to relax, play our game and be ready to go.

What was it about the atmosphere that made the club a bit nervous?

I think you kind of sense we've got this lead, and we, at times, were just a little bit safe with our play, where we needed just to stay on our toes and stay aggressive and (have) more puck pressure that we kind of deferred to playing a safer game in my eyes.

You haven’t had many losing skids since early December, you’ve always bounced back. What do you credit that towards?

Really just focusing on our game. We'll go through parts of the game, and there's two or three areas we can improve for next game that we weren't good enough at. And we'll show two or three areas that we thought we can take advantage of the other team. I just feel now, the pressure kind of reverts back to them, and their building and they haven't played well in their building, and we get to go there and play in a building where we've won two games.

The Sabres were held off the ice on Wednesday, but will practice on Thursday in Buffalo before departing for Boston. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

Ilya Sorokin continues to make Islanders goalie history.

Named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second time in his six-year NHL career Wednesday, Sorokin became the first Isles netminder to receive multiple nominations for the NHL’s annual award for the best goaltender.

He was announced alongside Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.

After finishing as a runner-up following the 2022-23 season, Sorokin has a legitimate chance at winning this year’s award.

This marks the sixth time in franchise history that an Islanders goaltender has been named a finalist for the Vezina, which is selected by the 32 NHL general managers. Sorokin, the Isles’ 78th overall pick in the 2014 draft, was already among Billy Smith (1982), Roland Melanson (1983), Kelly Hrudey (1988) and Robin Lehner (2019) on the list of the Isles goalies to be up for the honor.

Only Smith has actually won.

The 30-year-old Sorokin led the NHL with seven shutouts this season, which also tied a franchise record for the most in a single campaign.

In a 9-0 win over the Devils on Jan. 6, the 44 saves he posted counted as the most by any NHL goalie in a shutout this season and marked his 26th career shutout, breaking an Islanders record that had stood for nearly 50 years.

Among all NHL goaltenders, Sorokin led in road wins (18), ranked eighth in saves (1,386), tied for ninth in wins (29) and games played (55), and finished 10th in total minutes (3,226).

While the Islanders collapsed in the final three-and-a-half weeks of the season to miss the playoffs, the Russian netminder registered a 29-24-2 record, a .906 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against average.

He went 15-5-0 when facing more than 30 shots this season, including a franchise record streak of 13-0-0 in such games to start the 2025-26 season. From March 17-April 12, Sorokin backstopped the Islanders in 14 consecutive games, including nine straight starts and four back-to-back slates.

This season was the second of Sorokin’s eight-year, $66 million deal he signed with the Islanders in July 2023.

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The Battle of Pennsylvania continues tonight, and the Philadelphia Flyers could win its first playoff series in six years.

The Flyers are currently up three games to two in the best-of-seven series against its intrastate rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Flyers won three straight to open the series, but the Penguins came back with wins in games four and five, where the Flyers erased a 2-0 deficit to tie things up, but a fluke bounce led to a bizarre Penguins goal that put them ahead, 3-2.

If the Flyers win tonights game, they’ll advance into the second round of the NHL Playoffs to face the Carolina Hurricanes. A Penguins win would force a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Pittsburgh.

Penguins vs. Flyers Game 6 start time

Tonight’s (April 29) Penguins vs. Flyers game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch Penguins vs. Flyers for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Penguins vs. Flyers game for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching hockey live for free — the five-day free trial of its MySports genre pack has TNT, plus all of the other channels you’ll need for the NHL playoffs. When the trial is over, you’ll pay $44.99/month for your first two months and gain access to 20+ live sports channels.

If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including TNT. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.

Penguins vs. Flyers playoff schedule

• Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2
• Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins 0
• Game 3: Flyers 5, Penguins 2
• Game 4: Penguins 4, Flyers 2
• Game 5: Penguins 3, Flyers 2
• Game 6: Penguins at Flyers | April 29, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
• Game 7: Flyers at Penguins | TBD

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.