Category: NHL

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins took a significant step forward this season, returning to the playoffs after a three-year absence.

To go deeper than the first round will require another leap. Whether Evgeni Malkin gets a chance to be a part of it is anyone's guess. Malkin's included.

The Russian star, who is set to become a free agent in July, would like to return to the Penguins for a 21st and almost certainly final season. Yet Malkin also understands general manager Kyle Dubas is trying to build a roster that will make Pittsburgh a perennial contender, and having a future Hall of Fame forward who will turn 40 in August might not be part of that plan.

“It’s not easy for Kyle, maybe he wants new blood here,” Malkin said on Friday, less than 48 hours after the Penguins' bounce-back season ended with a Game 6 loss to rival Philadelphia. “I understand business. I understand he wants maybe new team, see new faces here.”

Dubas, who has spent months being polite but noncommittal while discussing Malkin's status, enters the offseason with over $45 million in salary cap space. Whether he wants to spend a portion of it on a three-time Stanley Cup winner who is beloved in Pittsburgh but also missed 20 games this season due to injury is uncertain.

What's not is Malkin's commitment to playing next year, even if it's outside of the only NHL organization he's ever known. Malkin finished with 61 points in 56 games after moving from center to wing. He added a pair of goals against the Flyers in a season he described as “not bad."

“It’s a little bit tough,” he said. “But I feel I can play next year for sure.”

Malkin, captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang just finished up their 20th season together, the longest run by a trio of teammates in major North American professional sports. Letang is under contract for two more seasons, while Crosby is eligible for another contract extension this summer.

Crosby, the only player in NHL history to average a point a game in 21 straight years, made it very clear his preference would be to run it back one last time with his good friend.

“For as long as (Malkin's) played here I think he’s been part of setting the standard,” Crosby said. "And just on top of all the experiences we’ve shared, you build that belief and trust and bond and that’s something you’ve had over the course of time.”

Malkin's future is hardly the only uncertainty the Penguins face. While first-year coach Dan Muse — a finalist for the Jack Adams award as the NHL's Coach of the Year — won raves for his positivity and meticulous preparation, the league's third-highest scoring team also sputtered while falling into a 3-0 hole to the Flyers.

Though Pittsburgh carried play as the series wore on, it was far too late as Philadelphia's younger legs won out in the end, though Crosby doesn't want the bitterness of the way the season ended to blot out all the good things that came along the way.

“A lot of guys had career years, I think that’s a reflection of guys’ individual play but also as a group," he said.

The list of players who enjoyed breakout seasons included forward Anthony Mantha, who poured in a career-best 33 goals, and forward Egor Chinakov, who had 18 goals in 43 games after being acquired from Columbus in December.

Mantha will be a free agent and figures to be in line for a raise over the $2.5 million he made this season. Chinakov is a restricted free agent, and Pittsburgh would likely match any offer the 25-year-old would receive.

Rookie Ben Kindel, all of 18, scored 17 goals and massive 6-foot-7 forward Elmer Soderblom made an impact after arriving from Detroit.

At the NHL level, the goalie situation is unsettled. Stuart Skinner, brought over in a swap with Edmonton in December, will be a free agent and Arturs Silovs — who backstopped both of Pittsburgh's playoff wins and nearly stole Game 6 in Philadelphia — will be a restricted free agent.

The Penguins have 22-year-old Sergei Murashov waiting in the wings and he will almost certainly receive every opportunity to claim the starting job when training camp begins in September.

It will be four long and likely eventful months until Pittsburgh reconvenes. The club showed tangible proof this year that Dubas' painstaking organizational overhaul is starting to pay off.

The gap between the Penguins and the teams that will take the ice when the second round begins next week is smaller than it was a year ago. Yet it still exists.

Malkin would like to be part of the process of narrowing it even further alongside the two men who have become like brothers.

“I hope we play together one more year,” he said. "If not, we have great 20 years together and never forget.”

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Nostalgia is addictive. It's fun to remember the good times and try to recreate those memories in the present. 

However, that's exactly why they are memories. 

The Nashville Predators have been clinging to the past for a while, for better and worse. Maintaining the Smashville identity is integral to this organization, but the faces behind that vision need to change. 

Bringing back the team's first and most successful head coach, Barry Trotz, to lead the front office as a first-time general manager wasn't an awful decision. 

His strength has been in drafting and setting the table for the future. Trotz brought in star players like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O'Reilly and kept a handful of key players in Nashville, including Luke Evangelista, Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen. 

However, the corps could not make a deep playoff run, making the postseason just once in the last three seasons and posting one of the franchise's worst records during the 2024-25 campaign. 

Trotz set this team up for success from 1998 to 2014, but could not replicate that magic in a new decade in a new position. 

That nostalgic energy played a part in hiring a new head coach back in 2023, when Andrew Brunette, who played for Trotz and the Predators in their inaugural season, was hired as a first-year head coach. 

In his third season, while he showed growth, it wasn't enough to get Nashville into the playoffs for a second straight season. 

With Trotz stepping away from the GM chair, the Predators have a chance to bring an outsider in, start a new chapter in their history and try something different. This is their opportunity to prove that were a team of today and tomorrow, and no longer yesterday. 

It is rumored that the Predators are still leaning toward the past, "leaning toward" ousted New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, who served as the Predators' first captain for four seasons from 1998 to 2002. 

NHL insider David Pagnotta said on the DFO Rundown podcast on April 29 that he believes the Predators are leaning toward going down the Tom Fitzgerald route as their new GM. 

David Pagnotta: Re Predators GM search: I think Nashville might be leaning towards the Tom Fitzgerald route - DFO Rundown (4/29)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) April 30, 2026

Pagnotta's observation is just one of many from NHL insiders over the last month that have said Fitzgerald is a leading candidate for the Predators' top front office job. 

On Friday, Elliotte Friedman added that the Vancouver Canucks have asked to talk to Fitzgerald, but even he is focused on becoming the Predators' GM. 

Fitzgerald has won a Stanley Cup in a front office role with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 as the team's Director of Player Development, but has had a really lackluster stint when in the GM role.

He was named the New Jersey Devils general manager after Ray Shero was fired in 2020. Fitzgerald served as the team's assistant GM from 2015 to 2020. 

In his time as the organization's GM, the Devils qualified for the playoffs just twice in 2023 and 2025, making it beyond the first round just once. Both years, the Devils' season ended at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. 

With top talent like Nico Heischer, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, along with role players filtering in and out, the Devils have failed to put together a successful corps and after posting a 42-37-8 record in the regular season, they are flirting with a full rebuild. 

It's a similar situation to the Predators, where a successful corps has been put together, and it's just not clicking. 

Unlike the Predators, the Devils have had three head coaches in the last five years and fired their GM after nothing had changed. 

Instead of going after experienced candidates with a successful track record and seeking to bring in outside voices, the Nashville Predators are once again opting to hire one of their "buddies." 

It's fun to remember what these players and coaches did for your organization back then, but trying to zombify that moment and duplicate its success now isn't going to work. 

Take out the fact that he had played for the Predators, and Fitzgerald's candidacy for this committee is not impressive.

This search committee needs to take off its golden-shaded goggles and find a GM who will bring real change and new ideas to this organization. 

The Predators need a GM who is established and has a track record of winning, and, in their case, an assistant GM who has a track record of building a championship-contending team. 

No more former coaches. No more former players. Hire on the basis of proven success and how they can bring a Stanley Cup to Music City. 

VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) — Cam York threw his stick into the stands after he scored a playoff winner for the Flyers and, almost like a boomerang, it came back to him at practice.

York's overtime goal beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 in Game 6 of their first-round series and helped the Flyers advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

York was caught up in the moment — “definitely don’t want a lawsuit,” he cracked after the long toss — and hoped the Flyers fan who retrieved the valuable piece of equipment would return the souvenir.

“I figured even if it did hit him, that he was going to still enjoy the moment and be happy,” York said Friday.

Longtime Flyers fan Jack Brod, who grabbed the stick around Section 113 in the lower level, had planned to gift the stick to a family friend. Once he learned that York wanted the stick back, Brod graciously returned it. Wearing the same Flyers sweatshirt he did in Game 6, Brod was a guest Friday at Flyers practice and got to meet York.

York said right after the game he thought, “why did I do that?”

“When my career is done and over with, I want to have some things to look back on, remember and cherish,” York said on Friday. “This was obviously a special moment for me. Super nice guy. Just met him. For me to just give it back for kind of nothing, I really appreciate that. That's one of the best things about Philly fans is, they love their players and they want their players to perform at the highest level they can.”

Brod didn't go home empty-handed. He received a new stick and a signed York No. 8 jersey. York hoped to frame the stick.

The Flyers open their second-round series Saturday at Carolina.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers, exiting the playoffs early this season after two marathon runs to the Stanley Cup Final, were a dented and depleted team.

The 5-2 loss to Anahiem in Thursday’s Game 6 ended Edmonton’s season in the first round. The Oilers were outclassed and outworked by a Ducks team that won its first playoff series since 2017 with a roster that included a dozen players under the age of 25 and 14 who were making their NHL playoff debuts.

The Oilers lost to Florida in each of the last two Cup finals in series that lasted seven and six games, respectively. Some Oilers hinted at the beginning of this year’s playoffs that the regular season felt like a chore at times, and that they were relieved to start the postseason again with a shot at finishing the job and hoisting the Cup.

They didn’t get close.

“We’ve been searching for consistency all year and we didn’t find it here in the playoffs,” said captain Connor McDavid, who signed a short-term contract extension before the season. “It’s tough. We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed.”

McDavid’s ankle, Leon Draisaitl’s knee, Jason Dickinson’s lower-body injury and penalty-kill specialist Adam Henrique’s undisclosed series-ending injury in Game 1 weakened Edmonton up the middle. Draisaitl missed the last 14 games of the regular season.

McDavid and Draisaitl spent the last two games of the series as linemates instead of centring separate lines. They battled, but weren’t able to will their team into a higher gear.

“Too hurt too soon,” McDavid told The Canadian Press. “The first round is always tough. It’s always chaotic. It’s tough to play through things so early on, as many guys did in here. Credit to our staff for making guys available and making sure they were as comfortable as possible. That being said, it’s not an excuse either. We expected to have a longer run than we did.”

Draisaitl had three goals and seven assists in six games. McDavid, who was held off the scoresheet with the first two games of the series, finished with a goal and five assists.

Defense was Edmonton’s downfall, allowing 26 goals in six games. The penalty kill gave up eight goals on Anaheim’s 15 chances. Edmonton’s power play started 0-for-6 in the first two games before finishing 4-for-14.

“We struggled on the PK all year too. We’ve been searching for consistency there,” McDavid said. “The power-play could have been better to start the series.”

Edmonton’s offense compensated for a bottom-tier ranking in the NHL in goals-against in the regular season. A leaky defense was magnified in the playoffs. Edmonton scored the first goal in the first five games, yet won just two of them.

“Pretty much the story for most of the year. We just didn’t defend well enough,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “You usually win or lose on your defensive play. It wasn’t good enough.”

Down 3-1 after the first period in Game 6, the Oilers had time but the Ducks turned a neutral-zone turnover by Evan Bouchard into an odd-man rush and a 4-1 lead before the end of the second period.

“As much as it hurts, I think they’re just a better team,” Draisaitl said.

Did the wear and tear of two long seasons factor into Edmonton’s earliest playoff exit in five years? Players weren't interested in discussing it.

“It’s not an excuse,” said forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “We just didn’t get the job done.”

William Karlsson, who hasn’t seen game action in nearly seven months, skated with the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of a potentially series-clinching Game 6. He took the ice for morning skate and participated in 2-on-1 drills, but did not take part in line rushes or slot in on either special teams unit.

“He’s just with the team,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella on Friday. “He’s been skating, and we want him around the team… He’s one of the boys, right? He’s been here a while, he’s won, and it’s good for him, too, to be around the guys.”

Karlsson played just 14 games during the regular season. He sustained a lower-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks on November 8th and was placed on Injured Reserve just a few days later. He participated in a practice with the team in December, but was subsequently placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve shortly thereafter.

Since then, updates have been few and far between. When general manager Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media on March 30th following the coaching change, he shared that Karlsson would only be available to return this season if the Golden Knights made a deep postseason run.

“If we have a certain level of success in the playoffs, he’ll be able to play,” McCrimmon said when asked about Karlsson’s status.

Tortorella did not provide an updated timeline for Karlsson’s return, instead highlighting the morale boost that the Original Misfit’s presence provides to the Golden Knights and to Karlsson himself.

“This has nothing to do with Bill being close,” Tortorella said. “He’s gone through his progression, he’s been working out. We just wanted him to travel.”

Before the Montreal Canadiens’ series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, everyone was expecting their top line to cause trouble for Jon Cooper’s men. However, five games in, the Floridians have managed to tame the beast, at least at even strength. What they haven’t found a way to do yet, though, is find an answer to Martin’s St-Louis’ new line formed of Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach, and Zachary Bolduc.

In 22 minutes and 19 seconds on ice at five-on-five, the line has been dominant. They’ve had three inner-slot shots, while the Bolts have had only one; their expected goals stand at 63.4%, while Tampa’s at 36.6%, and they’ve scored six goals while allowing none.

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In Game 5, when St-Louis elected to make a slew of changes to his lines, it was the only one that wasn’t affected. These three players, deployed as a fourth line with limited ice time, are giving Cooper headaches. Why? Simply because the Bolts do not have the same depth as the Canadiens have.

Furthermore, they are playing a tough game, with both Dach and Bolduc throwing three hits in Game 5. At the same time, Texier has demonstrated a knack for being in the right place at the right time with plenty of space, something that has been hard to come by for the Canadiens’ usual top producers. In two of the last three games, that line has scored the Habs’ first goal, giving the team momentum. It wasn’t always a pretty goal, but whichever way the puck gets in the net doesn’t matter; the goal still counts. They didn’t get the first goal in Game 5, but they topped that, scoring the goal that would stand as the game-winner just over a minute into the third period.

When St-Louis elected to put them together, he found something most suspected the Canadiens didn’t have: offensive depth. With their backs to the wall, will Cooper try to adapt and make life tougher for those three players? He could, but then life might get much easier for the likes of Caufield, Suzuki, and Slafkovsky, who are working their hardest to find an opportunity. Can Cooper gamble and give them one? That seems highly unlikely.

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The Edmonton Oilers will not be returning to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season. 

In what may go down as one of the more surprising upsets of the first round, the Oilers dropped a must-win Game 6 by a score of 5–2, allowing the Anaheim Ducks to advance to the second round for the first time since 2017. This is Anaheim’s first time back in the post-season since 2018. 

With Edmonton’s elimination, three former Vancouver Canucks have seen their post-season campaigns get cut short. Vasily Podkolzin, who had a strong stint in the playoffs, finished the series with two goals and three assists in five games played. The forward is coming off a career-best season that saw him score 19 goals and 18 assists in a full 82 games with the Oilers. In Game 6, he even spent some time skating on a line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. 

Another former Canuck whose post-season ended on Thursday night was Jason Dickinson. Acquired by the Oilers at the 2026 Trade Deadline, Dickinson played in a total of four games during this series, missing two due to injury concerns. This was not the only injury concern for Dickinson in recent play, however, as the forward missed the final three games of the regular season due to ailments. In his first playoff game with the Oilers, he scored two goals. 

The final former Canuck to have his playoff stint cut short was Curtis Lazar. In-and-out of the lineup throughout the regular season due to various injuries, the forward made his Oilers playoff debut on April 22 and skated in five of Edmonton’s six post-season matches. He did not register a point in any of these games. 

With Edmonton’s loss on Thursday night, Canada’s hopes of winning a Stanley Cup fall on the Montréal Canadiens — the final Canadian team still in the post-season. Last week, the Ottawa Senators were eliminated from the post-season by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canucks, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs all missed the post-season and will instead be eyeing the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.

Muse was named one of the three finalists for the award, which is the NHL’s annual “Coach of the Year” award, alongside Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff.

Well earned 👏

Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, presented annually "to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success".

Details: https://t.co/5c6idObGQWpic.twitter.com/FvwJMaPNT8

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 1, 2026

The Penguins were a surprise success story this past season under Muse, who was a first-year head coach in the NHL, leading the team to the postseason for the first time since 2022 after being predicted by many to be among the bottom teams in the league this past season.

The 41 wins the team amassed under Muse tied for the third-most in franchise history for a coach in his first year with the Penguins.

Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson was among those voicing their support for Muse, saying that he was a big part of the team’s success this past year.

EK65 with some high praise for Coach Muse. pic.twitter.com/Y6kgI8lKM2

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 1, 2026

While the Penguins’ exit from the postseason may have been a disappointment, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, it’s not a reach to say that the Penguins outperformed their expectations this past season and it seems as if the team made a good choice when hiring Muse as the leader of the franchise in the post-Mike Sullivan era.

Before we get to NHL news and notes, a few Islanders links:

Enjoy this highlight reel for Vezina finalist Ilya Sorokin.

Offseason analysis from Andrew Gross: The management. [Newsday]

What was it like to suffer through the ups and mostly downs of being a diehard Whalers fan? A special Weird Islanders episode. [LHH]

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Elsewhere

Depending on how things go with three series at 3-2, the entire first round of the NHL playoffs could be completed Friday night. The Canadiens, Sabres and Knights have the Lightning, Bruins and Mammoth on the ropes, respectively.

No matter how those series go, they won’t prompt the postseason reckoning that has no begun for the disappointing Oilers, the stuck-between-era Penguins, and the Sisyphusian Stars, who once again entered the playoffs with a top-contending squad hobbled by injuries.

To the post-mortems:

• The Oilers lost to the Ducks, a team that can’t play defense and thus should not be able to knock off anyone in the postseason. How has it come to this for Edmonton, with the Connor McDoomsday Clock ticking? [Athletic | TSN]
• The Penguins, eliminated by the Flyers, had a surprising season but with nothing to show for it, stuck in their nostalgia-and-rebuild-resistance mode. [Athletic]
• “Was this Jamie Benn’s last game as a Dallas Star? If so, it ended with Glen Gulutzan giving him a chance to do one last bit of heroism. Instead, Benn ended the night by losing a puck under extreme pressure, with sticks battering his body high and low until he went down to a knee, unable to stay on his feet under the onslaught.” [Stars Thoughts]
• The Wild broke the curse and knocked off the Stars with another great performance from Quinn Hughes, who was on the ice for 10 goals for and one against in the series. [Athletic]
• Mikko Rantanen, the guy who ended Alex Romanov’s season with a dangerous hit from behind but just isn’t that kind of player, was fined for crosschecking Kirill Kaprizov in the face. [TSN]
• Someone has let it be known that the Leafs asked the Lightning for permission to talk to GM Julien BriseBois, and of course were rejected. [Sportsnet]

No matter what happens in the three series on Friday night, the second round begins Saturday with the Hurricanes hosting the Flyers.

The NHL fined Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen $5,000 on Friday for cross-checking the Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.

Rantanen cross-checked Kaprizov early in the third period on Thursday night and was assessed a minor roughing penalty. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

It was the Stars' second cross-checking fine of the series. Captain Jamie Benn was fined $2,604.17 on Wednesday for a check on Ryan Hartman in Game 5.

The Wild beat the Stars 5-2 in Game 6 to advance to the second round against the Colorado Avalanche.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Jack Adams Award for the NHL's coach of the year has an Eastern Conference flair in 2025-26.

The three finalists are the Tampa Bay Lightning's Jon Cooper, Pittsburgh Penguins' Dan Muse and Buffalo Sabres' Lindy Ruff. The award is voted on by NHL broadcasters and the winner will be announced at a later date.

Cooper and Ruff are veteran coaches and Muse is a first-year NHL head coach. Cooper extended the Lightning's playoff streak amid trying circumstances and Muse and Ruff ended their teams' playoff droughts, 14 seasons in Ruff's case.

Here's what to know about the Jack Adams Award finalists and the rollout for announcements for the NHL's major awards.

Jack Adams Award finalists

• Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning: Cooper led Tampa Bay (106 points) to its ninth consecutive playoff berth.. He became the second-fastest head coach in league history to reach 600 career wins (1,005 games), behind only Scotty Bowman (1,002). Cooper, 58, a three-time finalist has never won.
• Dan Muse, Pittsburgh Penguins: Muse led Pittsburgh (98 points) to second-place in the Metropolitan Division and its first playoff berth since 2021-22. His 41 wins were tied for the third-most by a Penguins head coach in their first season with the team. Muse, 43, is vying to become the first rookie head coach to win the trophy since Patrick Roy in 2013-14.
• Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres: Ruff, in the second season of his second stint behind the Buffalo bench, guided the Sabres (109 points) to their first playoff berth since 2010-11 and first division title since 2009-10. Buffalo posted a 30-point improvement over 2024-25 to rise from 26th to fourth in the overall league standings. Ruff, 66, is a Jack Adams Award finalist for the fifth time and won in 2005-06.

Who will win the Jack Adams Award?

Cooper has never won before, so that might have worked in his favor, especially since the Lightning's Victor Hedman, Brayden Point and Ryan McDonagh missed significant time.

Jack Adams snub

No quibbling with the three finalists, but Marco Sturm could also make the list. He helped the Bruins quickly get back to the playoffs in his first season in Boston. The team finished with 100 points.

NHL awards finalists announcement schedule

• Tuesday, April 28: Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player): Macklin Celebrini, Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid.
• Wednesday, April 29: Vezina Trophy (goaltender): Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman, Andrei Vasilevskiy
• Thursday, April 30: Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship): Cole Caufield, Anze Kopitar, Jake Sanderson
• Friday, May 1: Jack Adams Award (coach): Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, Lindy Ruff
• Monday, May 4: Masterton Trophy (perseverance)
• Tuesday, May 5: Calder Trophy (rookie)
• Wednesday, May 6: Selke Trophy (defensive forward)
• Thursday, May 7: Norris Trophy (defenseman)
• Friday, May 8: Hart Trophy (MVP)
• Monday, May 11: Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award (impact on community, culture or society)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Adams Awards finalists announced. Who will be NHL coach of year?

The finalists for the Jack Adams Award were announced on Friday afternoon. 

The award is given annually to the NHL coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, and Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse were named finalists for the award.

Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, and Lindy Ruff are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award! 👏 #NHLAwards

The Jack Adams Award is presented annually to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success. pic.twitter.com/cBmlUO184C

— NHL (@NHL) May 1, 2026

Cooper led the Lightning back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and is one of the best coaches in the NHL. He's also never won the award before. 

Ruff guided the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Sabres had a dreadful start to this season, but caught fire in December and kept it going into the playoffs. They're one of the best teams in the league. 

Muse took over a Penguins' team that had very low expectations for this season and guided them to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Several players also had career seasons under Muse, including Anthony Mantha, who finished the season with 33 goals and 64 points. 

Erik Karlsson also had his best season as a Penguin under Muse, compiling 15 goals and 66 points in 75 games. 

It's a well-deserved honor for Muse and time will tell if he wins it. 

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After enjoying a day off on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be back on the ice tonight, and the Habs will have the opportunity to advance to the second round with a win. Since moving to the Bell Centre in 1996, the Sainte-Flanelle has eliminated its rivals only four times in front of a capacity-filled building. A 3-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1998, a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins in 2002, a 5-0 win against those same Bruins in 2008, and a 4-3 win against the Lightning in 2014, a sweep.  Then, twice in front of a limited number of fans during its magical run to the Cup final in 2021, a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets to finish the sweep and another 3-2 win, this time against the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime on St-Jean-Baptiste day in Game 6.

Can the Canadiens do it once more on Friday night? Time will tell. Historically, the Bolts have an 11-10 record in Game 6 of a series for a .524 winning percentage. When the game is played at home, they are 6-6, and when it’s on the road, they are 5-4. However, when they trail 3-2 in the series, they are 4-6 for a .400 winning percentage. When the series started at home, and Game 6 was played on the road, they have a 2-1 record (.667 winning percentage).

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Meanwhile, the Canadiens have a 36-27 record in Game 6 of a series for a .571 winning percentage. When that game is played on the road, they are 17-18, but at home they are 19-9 for a .679 winning percentage. When they have a 3-2 series lead, they have a 27-3 record for a stunning .900 winning percentage, and when the series started on the road and Game 6 is played at home, they are 7-1 (.875 win percentage).

If for many of the young Habs this will be a first game in which they can eliminate their rival, for a couple of veterans with the Lightning, facing elimination is just another day at the office. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, a former Canadiens first-round pick from the 2007 draft who was traded to acquire Scott Gomez, will be playing his 31st game facing elimination; his team has come out on top 20 times. As for forward Corey Perry, he’s faced that situation 35 times, and his team has won 19 of those games.

All eyes will be on Martin St-Louis once more tonight to see if he makes any lineup changes or lines adjustments. Will Brendan Gallagher play a second game in a row? He has certainly proven that he can still make an impact on proceedings, even with limited ice time. Will Josh Anderson still be with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield? Will the Lady Bing finalist finally break through at even strength? Or will the Canadiens’ depth scoring finish the job it started so well? Can the Canadiens manage to keep Hagel off the scoresheet for a second game in a row? It would certainly be a step in the right direction…

The Canadiens will hold a morning skate at the Bell Centre at 10:30 AM, but by now we know that St-Louis is unlikely to reveal much ahead of puck drop. The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN2, and The Spot. Francis Charron and Jon McIsaac are set to officiate, while Jesse Marquis and Andrew Smith will be the linemen. If you're attending the game, be sure to be in your seat for the pump-up video, it yet another strong offering by the Canadiens. It will also be interesting to see who will carry the torch tonight. Cournoyer did it for Game 1, Savard did it for Game 3, who's next? Larry Robinson? Patrick Roy? 

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