Former Columbus Blue Jackets are sprinkled all around the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs; last night, they were showcased in both games. 

In the Carolina vs. Washington series, Columbus-area native Jack Roslovic scored his first goal of the playoffs while on the power play, putting the Canes up 2-0. In the third period, Eric Robinson also would net his first goal of the playoffs to make it 3-0. Roslovic recorded an assist on the Robinson goal as well. The two ex-Jackets had three points on the night. 

Pierre-Luc Dubois was held off of the score sheet for Washington as they were shut out. 

Later in the evening, the Vegas Golden Knights were taking on the Edmonton Oilers. Former Columbus forward William Karlsson would break a 2-2 tie when he scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs in the second period. Karlsson would also add an assist on the game-winning goal that was scored with just .04 seconds on the clock to win the game. 

In the same game, former CBJ draft pick Keegan Kolesar, who was drafted 69th overall in 2015, assisted on VGK's first goal of the night. 

Not a bad night for a group of former Columbus Blue Jackets. 

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Johnny Gaudreau Named As One Of The Best Players Of The Last 25 YearsToday, the great Johnny Gaudreau was named to the NHL's Quarter Century Team, celebrating the best NHL players of the last 25 years.  Worlds Update: How Blue Jackets Players Fared In First Two DaysThe 2025 IIHF World Championships kicked off yesterday, and six members of the Columbus Blue Jackets were in action. Let’s take a look at how they did. 2025 Columbus Blue Jackets Potential Free Agent Targets: Patrick KaneThis summer, Jason Newland and I will continue our series looking at potential free agent targets who could be available on July 1.

When Corey Perry advanced the puck to Connor McDavid to set up Leon Draisaitl’s overtime winner in Vegas on Thursday, that marked the first time in NHL history that three Hart Trophy winners had ever combined for an overtime goal — in the regular season or the playoffs.

DYNAMIC DUO 😤 #LetsGoOilerspic.twitter.com/8aMJcIFwY2

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 9, 2025

In less than a week, on May 16, Perry turns 40. For the last few days, he has had arguably the best job in hockey — riding shotgun on a line with the two Oilers superstars. 

Saturday night, Perry opened the scoring with a first-period goal in Edmonton’s first loss in their last seven playoff games — cruising down Main St. as the finisher on another tic-tac-toe play with McDavid and Draisaitl.

MCDAVID FINDS SCOREY PERRY TO GET THINGS GOING‼️ pic.twitter.com/czWqqSIN2t

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 11, 2025

Four minutes later, parked in his office at the top of the crease on the power play, he tipped an Evan Bouchard shot past Adin Hill for his second of the night and fifth of the playoffs.

Corey Perry with his 2nd of the night pic.twitter.com/wsjiBEPwWh

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) May 11, 2025

If Mikko Rantanen is hell-bent on showing the Colorado Avalanche why they shouldn’t have traded him in January, Perry has been sending a similar message to the Anaheim Ducks for nearly six years since they decided to buy him out.

During Perry’s 14 seasons in Anaheim, the Ducks made the playoffs 11 times and won the Stanley Cup in 2007. But when they got swept in the first round in 2018, then missed entirely one year later, GM Bob Murray decided that some of his veteran core was reaching its expiry date. 

That turned out to be Ryan Kesler’s last season, at age 34, as he couldn’t overcome his hip issues. Perry was the same age and had managed just 10 points in 31 games that year after returning from knee surgery. 

With two years remaining on a contract that carried a cap hit of $8.625 million, Perry was bought out of that deal by the Ducks on June 19, 2019. 

He wasn’t out of work for long. On July 1, he inked a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars and joined fellow Pacific Division castoff Joe Pavelski, who walked in free agency from the San Jose Sharks.

Neither the Ducks nor the Sharks have appeared in a playoff game since. 

But Pavelski appeared in 67 post-season contests over four years with the Stars before hanging up his skates at the end of last year. And Perry, the mercenary, reached the Stanley Cup Final in four of his next five seasons — with the Stars, the Montreal Canadiens, the Tampa Bay Lightning and now the Oilers. 

Over 14 years, he played 118 playoff games with the Ducks. But in just six seasons since he left, he’s now up to 106 games with his late-career teams, for 224 in all. He could eclipse his Ducks total with 13 more games played this year, but yet another trip to the final would be needed.

In these 2025 playoffs, Perry has already passed Mike Keane, Bryan Trottier and Kris Draper to get into the top 10 all-time in playoff game appearances. Ten more games would get him to a tie with Claude Lemieux for fourth place all-time. If he plays another 13, he’d also pass Mark Messier to move into the No. 3 spot — behind only Chris Chelios (266 games) and Nicklas Lidstrom (263 games).

At this stage of his career, Perry is using his smarts to make up for anything that his body might not be able to deliver. During the regular season, he put up 19 goals thanks to a career-best shooting percentage of 19 percent. And don’t talk to him about puck luck and regression: with five goals on 14 shots over nine games, he’s shooting nearly 36 percent in the playoffs.

As Draisaitl said recently, “I honestly think he could play until he’s 50, just because of his brain. We’ll see if the boots keep up there, but, uh, he’s just a gamer.”

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EDMONTON – “Obviously, it stings right now.”

Leon Draisaitl faced his own disappointment when speaking to the media after the Edmonton Oilers' deflating 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

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POST-RAW | Leon Draisaitl 05.10.25Leon speaks to the media as the Oilers lost 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 at Rogers Place.

“It’s an unfortunate way to lose,” Draisaitl said. “But that’s on us.”

The German Gretzky expanded on that idea by addressing two costly mistakes in his game from Saturday night. The first one is on the first Golden Knights goal.

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“On the first one, I get stripped there,” Draisaitl stated. “That puck should probably just go in (to their zone) so that’s obviously, that’s on me.”

“I think the quickness of the two (goals) deflated us a little bit.”

Leon Draisaitl On Reilly Smith's Last-Second Goal

Draisaitl then shared his view of the buzzer-beater goal.

“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot,” Draisaitl revealed. “After that, I think It’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate…It’s just a bad bounce.”

REILLY SMITH SCORES WITH 0.4 SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK 🤯pic.twitter.com/enPYrAB53q

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 11, 2025

“It goes off my stick, I’m just trying to keep it out of the net.”

On the bright side, the Oilers are up 2-1 in the series. They must feel the sting of the loss to harness it as motivation to put the Golden Knights on their heels. Draisaitl knows what they need to do to get the win in Game 4.

“Get back to what we did in the first 10 minutes,” Draisaitl said. “Moving our feet, making plays, just get back to that.” 

“Tomorrow’s a new day, we’ll move on.”

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The Chicago Blackhawks had a handful of players who exceeded expectations during the 2024-25 season.

It is hard for everyone to play well when the team around them isn’t strong you but a few guys found a way. 

3 Blackhawks Who Exceeded Expectations In 2024-25The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t have a winning season in 2024-25. They came in expecting to be much better but they failed to come out of the league’s basement. For a consecutive year, Chicago finished with the second worst record. 

On the flip side, a handful of skaters failed to be the players that the Blackhawks were hoping for when they were brought in.

Some of these men didn’t have bad years necessarily, but they certainly failed to meet expectations. These are the three who will look back at 2024-25 and view it as a lost season:

1. Jason Dickinson

Jason Dickinson was good for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season. He had 22 goals and 13 assists for 35 points in 82 games. Those aren't superstar numbers or anything like that, but a bottom-six forward reaching the 20-goal plateau is always nice. 

Most contending teams have guys playing Dickinson's role who put up numbers like that. The team around Dickinson wasn't great that year, so they had another bottom-three finish. 

It was also his goal-scoring career high by 11, so you can't expect him to do that over and over again. With that said, his drop-off in 2024-25 was significant. He only had 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points in 59 games played. 

There were some injury issues for Dickinson throughout the year as well, but overall, his performance was not what he (or the Blackhawks) wanted it to be. 

Unless he is traded over the summer, Dickinson will be on the Blackhawks in 2025-26 as his contract has one more year on it. If he plays well, he will likely be traded to a contender, which would be good news for both sides. Everyone would benefit from him bouncing back from this below-expectations 2024-25 season. 

2. Lukas Reichel

Lukas Reichel had a career high in goals (8), assists (14), and points (22) in 2024-25. He also played a career-high 70 games. However, that wasn't enough of a jump for him to be happy with his year. 

Reichel was a first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, so the skill and pedigree are there, but he hasn't taken a step into being a true top-six forward. 

If the Blackhawks retain him in the coming years, he likely will have to reverse course and become okay with being a full-time bottom-six player. There is no shame in that, but he will never be a star offensive producer based on what was shown in 2024-25. 

Although he never met the expectations placed on him, there are plenty of players who carved out solid NHL careers despite not being offensive forces as they were drafted to be. 

3. TJ Brodie

TJ Brodie has had a nice NHL career. He spent time with the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs before making his way to Chicago ahead of the 2024-25 season. 

He was brought in to help the young defensemen grow their game, but he did not play well. In 54 games, he contributed two goals and eight assists for ten points.

Brodie has been an offensive contributor in his career, but that is not why he was brought to Chicago in his age-34 season. Being a veteran presence was his role. 

By the end of the year, however, Brodie was a healthy scratch on a nightly basis. Once young studs like Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski, and Nolan Allan started getting regular playing time, Brodie was out. 

Connor Murphy was the only veteran Blackhawks defenseman who was getting regular playing time down the stretch. 

When it came to playing in his own end, Brodie was unable to get it done. The Hawks are going to continue looking to get younger, so he can't expect much more playing time with this team. With one year left on his contract, the Blackhawks may be forced to buy him out.

Can any of these three players mentioned bounce back to help the team be better in 2025-26? Dickinson and Reichel are likely to be given the chance, but Brodie may be forced out. Kyle Davidson has some hard decisions to make as he looks to get this team to take another step. 

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

Forward Reilly Smith's goal with 0.4 seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal against the Edmonton Oilers did more than break a 3-3 tie, it breathed life into the Golden Knights.

After losing the first two games in Vegas, the Golden Knights were in desperation mode with their backs against the wall.

Smith's last-second shot deflected into the net off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl's stick to give Vegas a shocking 4-3 victory on Saturday night, and cut the Oilers' series lead in half.

🎥 Cassidy: You don't see too many finishes like that. Good for us to get one to go in our favor. pic.twitter.com/fUANrX6Zie

— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 11, 2025

"You leave it all out there, and fractions of a second can break your heart or do the opposite," Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, but Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in 54 seconds late in the first period.

Center William Karlsson gave Vegas a 3-2 lead with 2:55 left in the second frame when he beat goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with defenseman Noah Hanifin. Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 left in the game when his centering pass caromed off defender Brayden McNabb's skate and into the net.

Adin Hill stopped 17 shots for Vegas, while Skinner made 20 saves for Edmonton.

Skinner was making his first appearance in the series, as he stepped in for Calvin Pickard, who injured his left leg when Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2. 

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Edmonton.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

IRONMAN MCNABB: Despite being injured during overtime of Game 2, McNabb was a pleasant surprise for the Knights in Game 3. McNabb was considered day-to-day after sustaining a controversial injury in Vegas' 5-4 overtime loss in Vegas. No call was made on what appeared to be tripping, and rather than Vegas skating with a man advantage, Draisaitl ended the game 17 seconds later. McNabb finished with an assist and three hits for the Knights on Saturday night.

STONE INJURED: Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was lost when he left the game with an upper-body injury. Stone, who has been a major contributor for Vegas during the postseason with four goals and eight points, exited in the first period, three shifts after he lost his balance and collided with Corey Perry. Cassidy said he's hoping for better news in the morning, but is considered day-to-day. Cassidy also said Stone has not been ruled out for Monday’s Game 4.

"When (the captain) goes down, everybody’s going to elevate their game and step up," Hanifin said. "We’ve always kind of had that in us. No matter what happens, super high or super low moments, I think we do a good job just staying even-keeled and knowing that we’re never out of it."

HILL'S RESPONSE: It was not only a much-needed win for the Knights, but also Hill, who has been one of the least efficient goaltenders during the postseason. Among netminders that have made at least five appearances, he's tied with the second-worst save percentage (.872) while he has the fourth highest goals-against average (3.14). Hill, who led the Knights to the 2023 Stanley Cup title, will need a big game Monday, as the Oilers have scored the most goals out of any team in the postseason so far with 36. They lead the NHL in total shots on goal this postseason (276) and are leading in most shots on goal by a forward group (190) and defensive corps (86). The team is also first in the league in high-danger shots on goal with 81.

The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the Edmonton Oilers and their fans in the final second of Game 3.

Despite one last opportunity for Vegas, the game looked like it was headed to overtime for the second time this series, with Edmonton having a chance to take a 3-0 series lead. That would not be the case.

Golden Knights right winger Reilly Smith faked a shot and skated toward the left side of the net. Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner dropped to the butterfly position and shuffled out of the crease toward Smith to cut off any last-second opportunity.

Smith just got his stick past Skinner and threw the puck toward the net. The biscuit went off the stick of Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and in the net.

Smith and teammate William Karlsson were the only players celebrating at first, as the green light went on to signal the end of the period.

As they skated toward the bench, however, the rest of the Golden Knights began to celebrate as well. Upon video review, the puck fully crossed the goal line with 0.4 seconds left in the game.

"I was sure it was in, but I saw the ref wave it off, so that gave me some doubt," Karlsson told Sportsnet's Gene Principe post-game. "But then I saw the bench celebrate, so that was a great feeling."

Just like that, the Golden Knights won the game 4-3 in Edmonton to only trail 2-1 in the second-round series. Karlsson called the goal a huge moment.

"Obviously, a 3-0 deficit, it's always hard to come back to; history speaks for itself," Karlsson said. "We've always been 'one game at a time' mentality, and this was one win on the way."

Smith's second goal of the game and third of the playoffs is one of just three game-winning goals in NHL playoff history to be scored in the final second of regulation.

Jussi Jokinen scored for the Carolina Hurricanes with 0.2 seconds left in the first round of the 2009 playoffs. They blew a 3-0 lead to the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 before Jokinen's tip-in tied the series.

In the round-robin of the 2020 COVID-19 bubble post-season, Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri scored with just 0.1 seconds left on the clock. 

Instead of waiting for overtime, both teams now have to reset for Game 4 on Monday, May 12, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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Team Canada really got a roster boost in the days leading up to the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship, as stars like Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat, and Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby joined the fold.

And one young star player - also donning the Canadian maple leaf in Sweden and Denmark, where the tournament will take place - had high praise for the Penguins' future hall-of-fame center.

San Jose Sharks budding superstar Macklin Celebrini - who finished his first NHL season with 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games as well as with a Calder Trophy nomination for Rookie of the Year - shared his thoughts on playing for his home country and getting the opportunity to play with his childhood idol.

"Every time I get a chance to play for Team Canada, it's hard to say no," Celebrini said. "It's a dream come true. [Crosby] was an idol of mine growing up, and to get the opportunity to play with him is surreal."

And not only does Celebrini get to suit up on the same team as Crosby, he also started the tournament playing on the same line as the 37-year-old center, who currently sits ninth all-time in scoring. 

Calder Trophy finalist Macklin Celebrini is ready to face off against @SanJoseSharks teammates in his first IIHF #MensWorlds, and he’ll be doing it alongside his childhood idol, Sidney Crosby: https://t.co/O8AFPl96XFpic.twitter.com/FBz8e1xaQs

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) May 8, 2025

Crosby centered a second line with Celebrini and Columbus Blue Jackets young star Adam Fantilli on Saturday in a 4-0 win over Slovenia.

"He's just such a role model," Celebrini told Penguins' team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "The way he carries himself, the way he plays the game... he plays it complete, and you can use him in every situation. He's the best player for the job in every situation.

"The way he carries himself off the ice, how polite he is as a human... it's amazing to watch. He's been so great to me and to a lot of other guys."

Celebrini Calls Playing With Crosby “Dream Come True”With the 2025 IIHF World Championships starting tomorrow, the NHLPA sat down with San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini.

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The Carolina Hurricanes defended home ice in Game 3, smashing the Washington Capitals 4-0 at Lenovo Center Saturday night.

Frederik Andersen and the Hurricanes' depth scoring proved the difference, in what could have been a game that went the other way fast.

In what was nearly a mirror of Games 1 and 2, the Canes were the worse team in the opening frame, getting outchanced and outshot by the Caps, but Andersen came up huge with save after save.

Perhaps the biggest was on Alex Ovechkin who got loose off of a faceoff win for Washington and found himself all alone in front. 

Andersen made an acrobatic save, kicking the leg out to get a toe on that Ovechkin redirect.

Frederik Andersen has been massive for the #Canes through the first 15 minutes.

Washington's gotten off to a quality start, but thanks to Zilla, they haven't broken through yet. pic.twitter.com/whc31weRsA

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) May 10, 2025

"Clearly that was the key to our win tonight," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "That first period, where clearly they were on their game and we were on our heels. It's what goaltending does. It kept us in the game. I thought we got to it a little bit in the second half of the game, but it could have been a lot different if we're chasing it.

"That might have been one of the better games he's played for us just with the actual magnitude of the game, what it means and how his performance impacted it with the way he played."

But following that same reversed blueprint, it was the Hurricanes who actually struck first despite it all, as Andrei Svechnikov jumped into the dot on a faceoff loss and ripped a quick shot by Logan Thompson.

Andrei Svechnikov opens the scoring for the @Canes! 🚨 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctFpic.twitter.com/VsN1A7bljF

— NHL (@NHL) May 10, 2025

He hit the post earlier in the game, his third of the series, but he wasn't going to be denied this time.

"After every faceoff, we have a plan kind of, but to be honest, that one wasn't planned," Svechnikov said. "I just saw the puck was loose and made the move to get closer to the puck and shot it.

"Just getting the lead, 1-0, I think is huge, especially when it's 0-0 in a tight game."

And once they got that first one, the team got rolling.

"The second half of the game we got rolling a little better, but obviously that Svech goal was huge," Brind'Amour said. "Nothing going on, and obviously a won faceoff for them, but he ends up jumping in and sometimes you need those individual efforts. We had that tonight."

And toward the end of the second period while on the power play, Jack Roslovic got his first goal of the postseason, cleanly beating Thompson shortside from the left circle.

Canes are cooking 🫣

Jack Roslovic's on the board making it 2-0 pic.twitter.com/xnp8O9Donm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 10, 2025

It was a big game for Roslovic, who found himself as a healthy scratch after Game 3 of Round 1.

Not only did he score that second period tally, but he also picked up an assist on Eric Robinson's first of the postseason.

"It's a deep team, a really good team so it's nice to come back and try to help the guys out as best I can," Roslovic said. "I don't really want to get too deep into it. But like I said, just always be ready and try to help the team win."

After Carolina killed off a phantom penalty to Jordan Staal, the team started rolling again and Robinson blew by John Carlson on the left wing and absolutely wired one top corner past Thompson.

"You always want to contribute in the playoffs when moments are bigger so it was nice to get one to go in," Robinson said.

Eric Robinson makes it 3-0 in the third! 😳 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctFpic.twitter.com/XL061aaYRS

— NHL (@NHL) May 11, 2025

From there, the Hurricanes just buried the Capitals as the team begin to forecheck and skate them into the ground. You could tell that Washington just had nothing left in the tank and were playing out the string in that period as the Canes just kept coming.

"That was textbook Hurricanes hockey," Andersen said. "Long shifts in their end, making it tough on them to break out and obviously that sets up the next line to kind of continue to do the same. It's tough to change that momentum when you're kind of in it as the defending team. Obviously huge to protect the lead and build on that."

The lead ballooned to four late in the game as Carolina grabbed a second power play goal, as Blake picked up a missed shot off the end boards and got it to after quickly putting it on net.

The Hurricanes now take a 2-1 series lead with another game in Raleigh slated for Monday night.

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Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories!   

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EDMONTON – It takes a team to win.

Even though the Edmonton Oilers have superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at their disposal, they need a full roster of players pulling on the rope to make a Stanley Cup Championship happen.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. 

So far in the 2025 Playoffs, they are well on their way.

It’s peculiar how much a person can learn in one year. Better yet, it’s incredible how much a team can grow in that same year.

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Experience helps us grow, and it's no different for NHL hockey players. 

The Oilers have learned a lot since last year's playoff run. And in this year's postseason, more Oilers are pushing the team along offensively. 

Their playoff goal differential without their dynamic duo is quite an impressive statistic. When McDavid and Draisaitl aren't on the ice, the Oilers have outscored their opponents 14-8.

oh my god pic.twitter.com/4cK07sS7NK

— Sid 🇨🇦 (@NHL_Sid) May 9, 2025

Every single Oilers forward (except Jeff Skinner) has scored at least one goal in the playoffs. Ty Emberson, John Klingberg, Brett Kulak, and Josh Brown join that list of Oilers who haven't recorded a goal. 

Throughout their entire 2024 postseason, the Oilers only scored 12 goals when McDavid and Draisaitl weren't on the ice. Derek Ryan, Vincent Desharnais, and Sam Carrick were the only players to not score.

Let's see what the rest of the year has in store for this Stanley Cup hopeful team.

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It’s been a lively second-round playoff series between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs so far.

Entering Sunday’s Game 4, the Maple Leafs hold a 2-1 series lead over the Panthers after winning the opening two games in Toronto.

Florida has since battled back, picking up a big overtime win in Game 3 on Friday night.

Going back to last week for a moment, there was a play that occurred during Game 2 that left players, coaches and fans alike all confused and scratching their heads.

The play in question was a hit from behind by Scott Laughton on Evan Rodrigues that left the latter in pain on the ice and immediately led to an on-ice scrum.

After the dust settled, the officials announced the penalties from the whole hullabaloo, and this is where the shock came in.

Among the calls, Rodrigues was penalized for embellishment on the play.

When the announcement was made, Rodrigues was already in Florida’s locker room receiving treatment for the hit.

Eventually, Rodrigues returned to the game.

Afterwards, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said that he received no explanation from any of the officials on the ice.

He has since poked fun at the call, clearly as flabbergasted as the rest of us as to the reasoning behind such a penalty.

On Saturday in South Florida, Rodrigues spoke to the media for the first time since everything went down three days ago at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

“I didn’t find out until after the game, to be honest,” Rodrigues admitted. “I didn’t have a clue. I figured there were coincidental roughing (penalties).”

Embellishment penalties, at least for some, are a sore spot, but for a different reason.

It’s simply because embellishment never seems to be called without a corresponding penalty, so apparently the only time a player embellishes to get a call is when an actual penalty takes place, which seems silly.

That wasn’t the case here, though.

There was no call on Laughton for the hit on Rodrigues, according to the NHL’s official game sheet.

The calls on the play, all minor penalties, were Rodrigues for embellishment, Nate Schmidt for roughing Laughton, and Laughton received two minors for roughing Schmidt.

So not only was Rodrigues called for embellishing a hit that sent him to the locker room with an injury, but the hit itself was never penalized.

By the time the dust had settled from the game, there was nothing to do about the play other than watch the video with your mouth hanging half open wondering what the officials were thinking.

Not that we’ll find out, as the NHL is the only of the four major sports that doesn’t make its officials available to a pool reporter after the game.

And for those wondering, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who met with the media Friday in Sunrise before Game 3, said that he doesn’t see any reason why that should change.

Which means all of us, just like Rodrigues, have to soldier on and wait for the next battle.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Rodrigues said. “My bother texted me and I was shocked, but the game was over at that point, so you just move on and get ready for Game 3.”

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EDMONTON – Keep the pedal to the metal.

The Edmonton Oilers want to put the Vegas Golden Knights on the ropes with another victory on Saturday night. After two come-from-behind victories, they will seek to put a stranglehold on the series as they play their first game in front of a home crowd in the second round.

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Stuart Skinner will be the Oilers' starting goaltender. Olivier Rodrigue will back him up. Once again, Adin Hill is the Golden Knights' starting goalie. 

This is arguably the most crucial game of the series for the Oilers. Without the goalie they have ridden to this position, they will need to tighten up defensively. The Golden Knights will come out like a storm, attempting to avoid putting themselves in a 0-3 hole.

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Oilers Game 3 Recap

The Oilers fought back from a 3-2 deficit to tie the game late. Connor McDavid scored a great goal to tie the game, but ultimately, it was not enough.

Too many mistakes, too many breakdowns to withstand the Golden Knights.

First Period

The crowd is very lively at Rogers Place in the opening minutes of the game.

18:12 - Stuart Skinner stops his first shot of the game and the crowd cheers for him.

16:14 - Draisaitl just turned over the puck in the Golden Knights end with an intercepted pass.

13:36 -Skinner with a quick flurry of saves.

GOAL (12:41) - Corey Perry scores the game's first goal against the Golden Knights. John Klingberg with the breakout pass before the two-on-one rush. 1-0 Oilers.

12:16 - Kane goes off for an "illegal check to the head." 

10:57 - Skinner makes an incredible pad save on the penalty kill.

9:38 -Whitecloud goes off for interference. The Oilers will go on the power play.

Oilers successfully kill off the first penalty of the game. Moments later, Draisaitl rings the puck off the Golden Knights' crossbar.

GOAL (8:48) - Scorey Perry gets another one, this time on the powerplay. He tips a Bouchard shot from the point. 2-0 Oilers.

5:02 - Some pushing and shoving after an offside call. Kane is in the mix for the Oilers.

GOAL (4:43) - Roy scores for the Golden Knights. Roy banged a rebound past Skinner.

GOAL (3:49) - Smith gets a goal past Skinner, and it's a 2-2 game now.

Oilers get a great chance from their second line.

0 - Some pushing and shoving at the final buzzer for the first period.

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Second Period

Back and forth action so far to kick off the first five minutes of the middle period.

12:15 - Golden Knights are getting some zone time and quality chances. Nothing materializes. 

11:49 - Oiler had a great rush chance between Arvidsson and Janmark.

11:04 - Vegas gets a few good looks, then the Oilers get called offside.

10:09 - Skinner comes up with a huge save on Hertl.

8:51 - Slashing penalty against the Golden Knights. Barbashev goes to the penalty box.

6:50 - Bouchard knocks down the puck to get another scoring opportunity. A few shots get on net but it's still 2-2.

5:10 - Diving save by Skinner on a Hertl wraparound.

GOAL (2:55) - Karlsson puts the puck past Skinner on an ill-timed line change. 3-2 Golden Knights.

1:54 - Hyman called for goalie interference. Golden Knights go on the powerplay.

McDavid gets a few shifts on the penalty kill and creates some chances. Golden Knights finish the period with a 3-2 lead.

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Third Period

McDavid, Hyman, and Nugent-Hopkins reunited to start the third period.

17:10 - Bouchard gets a shot on net from the slot. 

16:16 - McDavid was convinced that he beat Pietrangelo to the puck to negate the icing call.

14:30: Golden Knights spending some time in the Oilers end. Draisaitl, Kane, and Perry on the ice as a line.

10:37 - Podkolzin gets his stick on that shot, which deflects out of play.

8:12 - Skinner flashes the leather. Probably the most important save of Skinner's night.

8:00 - Turnover leads to a quick shot by the Golden Knights.

6:55 - Golden opportunity for Draisaitl, who hits the net.

3:18 - Icing on Golden Knights after several glorious opportunities for the Oilers.

GOAL (3:02) - McDavid scores on a ridiculous angle, it deflects off of McNabb's skate and in. 3-3 score.

GOAL (0.4 Seconds) - Puck goes off Draisaitl's stick to get a goal and win 4-3.

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Back again with another NHL 25 Hockey Ultimate Team Fantasy update, this week we have new NHL and PWHL Playoff cards. 

Eight new NHL and four new PWHL Fantasy Hockey cards were added this week and are available to build now, we broke down that release here.

Given there have been less game there have not been many updates, Blayre Turnbull and Shiann Darkangelo both scored in the opening game of PWHL playoffs and are up to 94 overall. 

Adam Lowry and Anton Lundell are now up to 96 overall while Mark Stone is now 95. Sam Bennett, Evander Kane, and Tom Wilson are now 94 overall. 

All upgrades and new cards are pictured in the video above. 

For more NHL 25 news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed. For gaming discussion check out our forum.    

As the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs continue to unfold, the odds of a Canadian team winning it all seem to get better and better.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs are in a strong position against the defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers, leading their second-round series two games to one. In Winnipeg, the Jets have pushed back against the Dallas Stars, evening up their series at one game apiece. And in Edmonton, the Oilers are in firm control of their series with the Vegas Golden Knights, leading it two games to none. 

For the first time in a long time, there’s a very real sense that multiple Canadian teams can get at least as far as their respective conference final – and maybe, just maybe, one of them can be the first Canadian team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did so in 1993. And what a time to achieve that goal. 

Indeed, given recent world events, there’s a soaring sense of national pride among Canadians. We have started to put aside our regional differences in the name of seeing Canada rewarded for our tenaciousness and resilience on the ice, and having a Canadian team win hockey’s ultimate trophy would make Canadians ecstatic. Heck, when Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is an old hockey goalie, you can see how the stars could be lining up to make some memorable magic with the country’s favorite game.

You don’t have to take our word for it – just take a look at a recent poll that investigated the degree of national pride among Canadians. You’ll learn that a growing number of Canadians want to see a Canadian Cup-winner, and the closer we get to seeing one crowned, the more of a sense of excitement there is going to be in hockey’s homeland.

Canada is a vast country with many different people and lifestyles, but when it comes to Canada’s favorite sport, we’re clearly ready, willing and able to support whatever Canadian team gets to the Cup final.

And really, what could be better for Canada at the moment than an all-Canadian-team Cup final? It would take the Leafs winning the Eastern Conference, and either the Oilers or Jets winning the Western Conference. But as it stands, that’s not a pipe dream by any stretch. A Toronto/Winnipeg or Toronto/Edmonton final would more or less shut down the country as Canadians pick sides, but that type of matchup would be one for the ages.

When you think about it, we’re not far away from such an event coming to pass. The Maple Leafs and Oilers are six wins away from the Cup final, and the Jets are seven wins away. A lot will have to go right for the three teams to get to that point, and all three Canadian teams could still be eliminated in Round 2. But the way Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton have performed thus far, it’s far from a longshot to see two of those three teams getting to the final.

There could come a day, sooner than later, when other Canadian teams get to where the Leafs, Oilers and Jets are today. The Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are up-and-coming teams, and the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames may only need a few additions to put them back into the playoff mix. But it should shock no one that any or many of the aforementioned teams could be thriving soon.

If and when one or two of those teams do arrive in the Cup final, Canadian nationalism may not seem as vigorous and widespread as it is right now. Or who knows – maybe it’ll be just as heightened, if not more heightened than it is at the moment. But in the days and weeks immediately ahead, it seems like a perfect meeting between Canadian pride and Canadian team skill that has Canadian hockey fans so stoked. 

The Cup drought in Canada could be coming to a close. And if that happens, the true north strong and free is going to be an especially exciting place to be.

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The Texas Stars defeated the Grand Rapid Griffins in three game and the Abbotsford Canucks knocked off the defending Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds in four games.

The Stars are the first team to advance to the Central Division Finals on the back of six points each from Cameron Hughes and 2025 AHL Rookie of the Year Justin Hryckowian in three games, including an overtime winner in the second overtime of game three from Hughes.

Texas goaltender Remi Poirier stopped 64 of 70 shots against before Magnus Hellberg came in in relief in the third period of game three and stopped all 18 shots against. 

Dallas' AHL affiliate will take on the winner of Milwaukee and Rockford in the next round.

The Canucks eliminated the back-to-back defending Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds in four games after Arturs Silovs made 29 saves and secure a 2-0 game four victory.

Abbotsford were led by Silovs, who has a 5-1 record, two shutouts, and a .935 SP in seven playoff appearances. 

Veterans Sammy Blais and Phil Di Giuseppe lead the Canucks in scoring with eight and seven points respectively. Kirill Kudryavtsev and Akito Hirose have been essential to Abbotsford's solid defensive play and will need to keep it up in the next round. 

Vancouver's AHL affiliate will take on the Colorado Eagles in the next round, with the series set to begin Friday May 16. 

Check out The Hockey News' Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks team sites for more updates on Texas and Abbotsford. 

Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.    

For months now, the notion of NHL expansion hasn’t been on the league’s front burner, but don’t take that to mean expansion won’t be happening in the next few years. Under commissioner Gary Bettman, the league has always been coy when it comes to the movement or creation of teams.

The NHL is very good at keeping high-end secrets, but Bettman’s comments Friday in Sunrise, Florida certainly did nothing to extinguish long-standing rumors that the league would soon-enough be growing, most likely, by two teams.

The favorite to be the first city to land a team remains Houston, but picking up steam of late is the prospect of the NHL returning to Atlanta for the third time in league history. And it’s safe to say the league is on track to eventually expand by two teams, one of which would be an Atlanta team. 

For proof, consider Bettman’s glowing appraisal of Atlanta Friday night.

“It’s a different place than when the Flames and the Thrashers left, in terms of how big the city is, how robust it is, the sporting interest,” Bettman said. “I don't think the prior two (Atlanta teams) have any bearing on whether or not we would go back – if all the other pieces that are referred to were put together.”

When the league looks at a potential expansion team, the pieces they’re looking for are (a) a market that can support another major-league team, (b) well-established and reliable business-people at the helm of ownership, and (c) either a deal in place to develop land into a new arena, or an arena already standing. That’s what gives Houston the edge right now, as they would likely play in the Toyota Center. 

Atlanta doesn’t have an NHL-caliber rink just yet, but Sportsnet spoke to Georgia businessman Vernon Krause, who is leading a group that intends to put a team in Forsyth County, Ga., which is part of metropolitan Atlanta. Krause revealed that his group is close to putting all its financial ducks in a row – including building a new arena – and presenting an expansion pitch to Bettman and the 32 team owners.

“The next step is for us to go up to (NHL headquarters in) New York and meet with the commissioner of the NHL and show them what we have in place with the county in hopes that they vote for expansion,” Krause said. “There’s certain criteria that we have to meet to even apply for an expansion franchise. And that was purchasing land, getting the zoning that we needed. Both of those have been accomplished. Once we got the (Forsyth) county vote, getting definitive documents done, which our lawyers are working on, that we can present to the NHL, talking with our investors that we’ve been talking with over the last couple of years, being able to present what I would call a completed package to the NHL.”

The NHL doesn’t have a firm timetable for expansion, but THN.com believes that when the league does expand again – and to be sure, we don’t have a doubt that expansion is coming – it will expand by two teams and not, say, by one team one year, and another team in a subsequent year. The competitive imbalance that would occur if only one expansion team materialized would give an advantage to the conference that stays at 16 teams while the other conference grows to 17 teams. And players and team owners won’t want to deal with that imbalance.

It makes much more sense, then, that the NHL will expand with its 33rd and 34th teams – Houston in the Western Conference and Atlanta in the Eastern Conference – at the same time. That would leave 17 teams in each conference, and while the league’s playoff process would probably have to be tweaked to guarantee a fair competitive balance, that won’t stop them from adding teams and putting a couple billion dollars per expansion franchise in the league’s coffers.

If expansion were not in the cards for the NHL, Bettman would’ve firmly shot down any and every rumor to the contrary. Instead, he only stoked the fire of expansion speculation with his comments Friday, and those breadcrumbs of information will almost assuredly lead to a path ending with the league growing to 34 teams. 

You may not like the prospects of expansion, but you should get used to it. Because, absent some unlikely development, expansion is on the horizon for the NHL, and it gets closer to reality with every passing day. And Houston and Atlanta are now firmly leading the pack in landing a new team.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.