Category: Ice Hockey

Ottawa Senators host Toronto Maple Leafs, who look to complete a series sweep with a 3-0 series lead heading into Game 4 on Saturday

Sunday night is the ultimate opportunity for NHL fans, with a loaded slate of thrilling matchups of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The game that sticks out is the Battle of Ontario between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, which promises to be a physical war of attrition.

The Buds look to close out the series and complete their first series sweep since 2001 when they disposed of the same Ottawa Senators in the first round.

For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 25-12 record on our last 37 picks, including a 5-0 night during Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario.

More NHL: Battle of Ontario Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Futures for Maple Leafs versus Senators

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators Best Bets:

• Senators ML (-115)
• Over 5.5 goals (-118)
• Tim Stutzle Under 0.5 points (+122)
• Brady Tkachuk Over 0.5 points (-158)
• William Nylander Over 0.5 points (-162)

The Sens are staring down the barrel of five straight playoff losses with their last victory in the postseason being in 2017 when they lost in the Conference Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Toronto's last sweep in the playoffs was 2001 when they beat the Senators in the first round, which could point to history repeating itself on Saturday.Ottawa has been within reach of every game with two straight overtimes not going their way.

More NHL: Bolts, Golden Knights Present Last Call For Massive Betting Values

They're receiving little help on offence as captain Brady Tkachuk and veteran winger Claude Giroux have been forced to do the heavy lifting. Senators' regular season point leader Tim Stutzle hasn't been seen with just one point through three games. The assist he recorded was a touch along to a defenceman who fired off a shot that was tipped in front of the net, basically meaning he hasn't production virtually any offence at all.

The under for Stutzle has been really effective this series and we will continue to go to the well as the pick is still listed at plus money. However, I expect his linemate in Tkachuk to cause some damage. One of the biggest headlines of the series heading in was seeing how Tkachuk was going to adapt to the playoff environment after thriving at the Four Nations Face-Off yet he hasn't had a multi-point game so far.

We were expecting more of a performance similar to Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov, who has seven points through three playoff games. It should finally boil over Saturday as Brady will be giving it his all to prevent his team from being eliminated.

Despite the over not hitting for us in game three, I think we go back to it as the numbers are hard to go against with six or more goals in 18 of their last 25 matchups at Canadian Tire Centre. The Buds should give a lot of push back and I expect it to come from Leafs leading goal scorer, Williiam Nylander.

People have forgotten cause of the team's success that Nylander has just one goal in this series in the opener. The Swedish winger entered the series with nine goals and six assists for 15 points in his last 16 games against the Senators. He also recorded 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points over his last 26 games.

More Hockey: Top NHL Prospect Expected to Join Michigan Wolverines Next Season

The streets of Edmonton were awash in blue and orange, the colors of the city’s hockey team, on Friday.

From the Southgate Centre, on the city’s southern edge, to the downtown financial district, it seemed as if everyone, from students and shopkeepers to cabbies and the cable guy, were wearing Oilers sweaters. And with reason: Their team, a Stanley Cup finalist a season ago, was fighting for its playoff life against a Kings team it had dispatched with ease each of the last three postseasons.

The Kings won the first two games in the best-of-seven series, so Edmonton desperately needed a victory at home. It got that in uncommon fashion, scoring four unanswered goals in the final seven minutes of a 7-4 win.

But the Oilers didn’t do it alone. The atmosphere, said winger Evander Kane, who scored the goal that started the final rally, played a big part.

“It was nice to get in front of our own fans,” he said. “You come back to Edmonton, there’s some buzz in the city. There’s some buzz in the morning. We kind of got reenergized a little bit.”

The Kings still lead the first-round series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Sunday in Edmonton. Both teams then will return to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday. A fifth game was looking unlikely until a bizarre sequence that began with 6:42 to play erased a 4-3 Kings lead and changed the complexion of the series.

Read more:Kings rally to take lead, only to collapse in third period of Game 3 loss to Oilers

It started with Kane scoring on a scramble in front of the Kings’ net to tie the score, although the goal took time to sort out since it appeared Kane, playing for just the second time this season, kicked the puck under Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper.

After a lengthy video review determined Kane used his stick to score, the Kings called a timeout and rather than playing it safe, they challenged the goal, claiming Kane interfered with Kuemper. When they lost that challenge, Edmonton was awarded a two-minute power play and needed only 10 seconds of it with Evan Bouchard scoring what proved to be the winner on a tip-in from the crease.

The Oilers, blanked on the power play in the first two games, had two goals, both by Bouchard, with the man advantage Friday. The Kings also had two power-play goals and are now seven for 12 with the man advantage in the series while the teams have combined for 30 goals in three games.

So much for the conservative nature of playoff hockey. And this series might have turned on Jim Hiller’s challenge, which was the furthest thing from playing it safe.

“We take a timeout. We understand the situation. We don’t want to give them a power play but clearly we felt that that challenge was in our favor. The league disagreed,” the Kings' coach said. “The next step would have been for us to kill a penalty and that didn’t happen either. It’s a tough stretch for us, there’s no question. That’s hockey. That’s playoff hockey, especially.”

Connor McDavid and Connor Brown each scored into an empty net in the final 1:40 to account for the final score. It was the second time in three games that Edmonton scored four times in the final period to erase a deficit, although the Kings came back to win the first time.

“I'm pretty happy that we're playing the game well enough that we're leading them in the third period,” Hiller said. “So I'll take that. That's the way I look at that.”

Another way to look at that is the Kings have collapsed twice, failing to close out games they led handily. Friday they erased a two-goal deficit and twice broke ties to take the lead, only to give it all back.

“Yeah, it sucks,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “But we're still in a good place. You get to come back in two nights and get another stab at it, which is the best part.”

Be careful what you wish for because the next stab at it also will be on the Oilers’ ice, in one of the loudest buildings in the NHL.

Hockey in Edmonton is special, more a religion than a game. And any night the Oilers play in the postseason is church night.

Rogers Place was again a raucous cacophony of noise Friday while outside thousands of people who couldn’t get a seat in the temple — some carrying signs that read “We Believe” — began lining up more than three hours before game time for a spot in the “Moss Pit,” an open-air fan zone named after Joey Moss, a longtime club employee.

Their prayers were answered with a comeback that fed off the size and fervor of the crowd, which inspired the home team while intimidating the visitors.

“The crowd was emotional,” Hiller said. “The crowd was great. The energy, we expected. I would have wished that we did a better job of just weathering that.”

Anderson agreed.

“We knew they were going to come out hard. It's their home rink,” he said.

The Oilers finished strong as well, climbing back into a series that appeared all but over until the final seven minutes Friday.

Afterward Edmonton’s ICE District, a town square centered around the hockey arena, continued buzzing until well after midnight. A pickup truck with a faux oil derrick flanked by two large Oilers flags drove laps around the area while fans in the de rigueur orange and blue team sweaters milled about, too excited to leave but too exhausted to do much more than blow on horns and block the sidewalks.

“What a game,” one young man repeated aloud to no one in particular.

The Oilers will play again Sunday, the traditional Christian Sabbath, and the faithful once again will file into Rogers Place to offer hosannas at decibel levels loud enough to make your ears bleed. If their prayers are answered, the series will return to L.A. even at two games apiece.

If not, Friday’s game might prove to be a false miracle, unworthy of either praise or condemnation.

“It feels good right now to get that win,” said Leon Draisaitl, who had two assists, including the pass that set up Bouchard’s winner. “But it’s not going to do much if we don’t follow it up, right? We’ve got to follow it and take this back to L.A. 2-2.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

As time passed after Simon Benoit's overtime-winner for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, his phone continued filling up with messages cheering him on.

The 26-year-old has played an integral role in Toronto's last two overtime goals. In Game 2, the defenseman intercepted a puck in the Maple Leafs' end before jumping up in the rush and finding Max Domi, whose goal gave Toronto a 2-0 series lead.

48 hours later, Benoit found himself in an identical position: on the ice during a decisive moment in overtime.

Auston Matthews won the faceoff back to Benoit, who fired a shot through an assemblage of players in front of Ottawa's net. Benoit's shot found its way to the net, beating Linus Ullmark and putting Toronto up 3-0 in the series.

SIMON BENOIT! OVERTIME WINNER! 🚨

THE LEAFS ARE UP 3-0! pic.twitter.com/fCxQ7iSlBS

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 25, 2025

"I don't score much goals, so I would say yeah," said Benoit after Game 3, when asked if it's the biggest goal of his life. The second-biggest goal of his life? "Probably peewee or something," he added with a smile.

"It's fun. In the playoffs, it's not always the same guys. It's fun when other guys get a good goal because it's so hard to score in the playoffs, so getting that goal was pretty exciting."

'I Don't Score A Lot Of Goals': Leafs Take 3-0 Series Lead As Simon Benoit's Heroics Put Senators on the RopesKANATA, Ont. — After scoring the Toronto Maple Leafs' game-winning overtime goal against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Simon Benoit took the news conference podium and was asked if it was the biggest goal of his life?

What's it been like for Benoit — and his phone — throughout the days following his overtime-winning goal?

"A couple [messages], that's for sure," he laughed on Saturday morning.

"A lot of people support me, which I really appreciate, and it means a lot to me. It’s fun to see that old teammates, old coach, old friends, they still keep track of what you’re doing out there, so it’s fun."

When asked if he had a favorite message from the loads that he received, Benoit said, "They’re all good. It’s all good. All love."

Nick Cousins, Senators Issued Fines For ‘Unsportsmanlike Conduct’ In Game 3 Warmups Against Maple LeafsThe NHL has officially handed out disciplinary fines following a pre-game incident in Game 3 of the Battle of Ontario first-round playoff series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators.

The defenseman has had an interesting year, to say the least. It began with him and his girlfriend welcoming a baby daughter during training camp. A new list of responsibilities arrived, including a new sleep schedule.

Benoit's play at the beginning of this season wasn't as strong as the previous year, which helped him earn a three-year extension. However, Toronto's trust in Benoit never wavered.

"I think for me it was a long process this season. I struggled a bit at the beginning of the season. My game wasn't quite there yet, and management was good enough to just let me take my sleep back and work my way through it," said Benoit.

"And after Christmas, I think I managed all the things that were happening at home and it's the best thing that could happen for me. My baby's just fantastic, and I have a wonderful girlfriend who's at home, so it's fun."

‘She Just Looks At You, Not Really A Word For It, It’s Just Exceptional’: Maple Leafs Defenseman Simon Benoit on Having a Baby Girl, Returning To Training Camp, and Thoughts on New Oreo PartnershipBenoit returned to training camp on Friday after he and his girlfriend, Alice, welcomed their firstborn child, a little girl, into the world on Thursday.

While the biggest storyline entering Game 4 against Ottawa is Toronto having the chance to sweep the Battle of Ontario, the micro story of Benoit has been refreshing. In the playoffs, different players come up big for their team in dire moments.

For Benoit, his back-to-back overtime contributions came with some attention of the good kind.

"I’m not used to it, that’s for sure," he smiled. "But no, it’s fun. We have the greatest fans out there, so you just have to embrace it."

Game 4 goes down Saturday night inside the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Let's see if the Maple Leafs pounce on the chance to sweep the Senators in four games, and if there'll be another unsung hero for Toronto.

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The Vegas Golden Knights are in search of any positive outcome tonight in Game 4, looking to regain their footing and take back the momentum the Minnesota Wild have built.

In Games 2 and 3, the Golden Knights have performed considerably lower than the expectations they've set for themselves. They've allowed far too many quality chances in front of their goal, and Adin Hill has not done a good enough job of bailing them out. 

In the series, Hill has posted a .825 SV% and a 3.77 GAA, simply not good enough.

Hill isn't the only Golden Knight who's underperforming in the first round. Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, two forwards who've shown on several occasions they elevate their game in the playoffs, have not recorded a point, combined for just 10 shots, and they both have a +/- rating of -5. If the duo continue to ghost through games, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy will continue to run all over the Golden Knights and make quick work of the series.

A win today maintains home ice advantage for the Golden Knights, something they desperately need. The Wild's atmosphere is lively. 

"The series isn’t over. It’s 2-1. Would you like to be up 2-1 or 3-0? Of course. Who wouldn’t? But it’s never a bad thing to go through a little adversity and work a little bit harder to get what you want. What we want is Game 4," said the Golden Knights captain.

With the experience they possess, the Golden Knights know how important the mental side of the playoffs can be. HC Bruce Cassidy has attempted to rest his players during the opening round, looking to keep their minds away from hockey. He also believes that drastically shaking up the lines would indicate panic, and at the moment, he and the Golden Knights are in the belief that there is nothing to panic over. 

If the Golden Knights can be more attentive on the defensive side of the puck, get contributions from their best players, and get better performances from their No.1 goaltender, they should be heading back to Vegas with the series tied.

If they don't, Kaprizov and Boldy will continue to run rampant and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.  

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

EXCLUSIVE: Former Golden Knight Marc-Andre Fleury Soaking Up Final Moments In The NHL As Wild Aim For CupLAS VEGAS -- "And now, the end is near. And so I'll face the final curtain. ... I've lived, a life that's full ... I've traveled each and every highway. And more, much more than this, I did it My Way."Limiting Turnovers and Production From Star Players The Key To Game 3 For Golden KnightsGame 2 was an uncharacteristically bad showing for the Vegas Golden Knights, losing 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild, and they'll be looking to turn things around as they head out onto the road for Game 3.

The Florida Panthers will have a full roster for Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov was on the ice for pregame warmups and will be in the lineup after being deemed a game-time decision by Head Coach Paul Maurice.

Barkov left Game 2 in Tampa midway through the third period after taking an illegal hit from Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, who was given a five-minute major for interference.

Hagel has since been suspended for Game 3 by the NHL Department of Player Safety as a result of the hit, and it was unknown whether Barkov would be able to play.

Well, now we know that Barkov is good to go.

He'll skate on the Panthers top line, flanked by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart.

Florida will also welcome defenseman Aaron Ekbald back into the lineup after the top pairing defenseman finished serving a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Here is how the Panthers lined up during pregame warmups:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

Jesper Boqvist – Nico Sturm – Mackie Samoskevich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov

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Home-ice advantage is a powerful force in the National Hockey League, and no home rink holds more magic than the Bell Centre. So, even though the Montreal Canadiens are locked into a tough 1-vs-8 matchup against the Washington Capitals, it should be no surprise that their first playoff game on home ice since the 2021 Stanley Cup Final was a well-earned 6-3 win.

The Habs will have the opportunity to tie their best-of-seven series 2-2 in Game 4 on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET).

But on Friday, the fans, as always, brought it. 

MONTREAL WENT WILD AFTER SUZUKI’S GOAL 🔊 pic.twitter.com/LfR7k1lrlR

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2025

On the ice, Montreal held a 40-21 edge in shots, won 53.7 percent of the face-offs, out-hit the Capitals 45-26, went 2-for-5 on the power play, perfect on the penalty kill and controlled 66.15 percent of expected goals at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. 

The Canadiens didn’t even get rattled when Sam Montembeault, who was arguably their MVP through the first two games of the series, departed abruptly just after the midpoint of the game, with the score tied 2-2.

Cole Caufield put Montreal back in the lead with nine seconds left in the middle frame, and after Alex Ovechkin drew the Capitals level early in the third, the Canadiens scored three more times to salt away the win. Christian Dvorak’s second of the series stood up as the game-winner, and Juraj Slafkovsky’s first-ever playoff goal came on the same play that forced Logan Thompson to leave the Washington crease after he was run into by his teammate, Dylan Strome.

The Capitals have had a storybook season of their own, and Ovechkin has his own unique superpowers. But the seed of doubt has now been planted in this series.

Early in Ovechkin’s career, the Capitals had a reputation for failing to rise to the occasion. While that narrative disappeared when they broke through with their Stanley Cup win in 2018, the Canadiens have a knack for winning, even when they have no business doing so. 

The Canadiens’ 23 Cups in the NHL era since 1917 dwarf every other franchise. The Toronto Maple Leafs are second with 13, and the Detroit Red Wings are the only other team in double digits (11). 

And while their dynasties from 1956-1960 and 1976-1979 loom the largest in their history, today’s Habs share more DNA with the group that won Canada’s last Stanley Cup, in 1993, and the one that went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. 

That team earned a strong 102 points in 84 games, in the era before overtime, but still finished third in the top-heavy Adams division behind the Boston Bruins and Quebec Nordiques. 

The Canadiens started the playoffs on the road in Quebec City and needed two overtime wins to take the Battle of Quebec in six games. Regaining home ice for the division final, they won three more games in sudden death to sweep the Buffalo Sabres.

Then, against the New York Islanders, they added two more overtime wins — including one in double OT — to claim the Prince of Wales Trophy. Finally, they took down Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in five games to claim the Cup on home ice at the Montreal Forum, winning three more overtime games along the way. 

It takes a certain swagger to win 10 of your 16 playoff victories in extra time, and that record still stands today. No other team has ever had more than seven.

But the 2020-21 Canadiens had six — and also manufactured a run to the Stanley Cup Final seemingly out of nowhere. 

It feels like way more than four years have passed since the shortened 56-game campaign, when the Canadiens replaced Claude Julien with Dominique Ducharme one-third of the way through, then rode a fourth-place finish in the Scotia North Division past the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Today’s Canadiens are a young group. But Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Joel Armia, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson were all part of that run in 2021. They would have learned plenty along the way.

The Canadiens also have a history of unproven netminders stepping up at playoff time — whether that was Ken Dryden in 1971, fresh out of college, or 21-year-old rookie Patrick Roy in 1986. 

Will that turn out to be Montembeault, a native son like Roy? Or will upstart Jakub Dobes seize the reins and stir up 50-year-old memories of Dryden’s early heroics?

The ghosts may have rattled their chains louder at the old Montreal Forum, but they’re still watching over the Habs at the Bell Centre. With their support and with the Canadiens’ true-blue fans in full voice, don’t be surprised if the team delivers another magical memory on Sunday. 

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From the end of the 2023–24 regular season to now, nine Vancouver Canucks have departed the team’s lineup whether by trade, free agency, or otherwise. With the 2024–25 regular season now wrapped up, let’s take a look at how some of these ex-Canucks from last season performed with their new clubs. 

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Carson Soucy

New York Rangers

1G, 2A in 16GP 

The most recent Canucks departure compared to the rest of this list, Soucy was moved the day before the 2025 Trade Deadline. Notably, he scored goals in both his last game with the Canucks on March 5 and his first game with the Rangers on March 8. In his first 16 games with the Rangers, Soucy notably gave the puck away 13 times. He faced the same issue of being able to hold onto the puck in Vancouver as well, as he had 65 giveaways in the 59 games he played with the Canucks this season as well. Soucy will enter the final year of his three-year contract in 2025–26 — whether he remains with the Rangers for the rest of it or not is yet to be determined. 

Casey DeSmith

Dallas Stars

2.59 GAA, .915 SV%

14–8–2 

As a member of De Stars, DeSmith has done well as a reliable backup to Jake Oettinger. He nabbed two shutouts during the regular season and even had an assist in the team’s 4–2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on December 31. Interestingly, in the 10 losses he started in both in regulation and in overtime, the lowest amount of shots he faced was 24. In his last three losses of the regular season, he stopped 34, 32, and 39 shots against, giving up five, six, and four goals respectively. One of these losses was Vancouver’s 6–5 overtime comeback win on April 8. DeSmith has two more years left on his contract and will be 35 when it expires. 

Elias Lindholm

Boston Bruins

17G, 30A in 82GP 

Many fans were upset when two of the team’s biggest free agents from 2023–24 walked for nothing. Elias Lindholm, who was brought into the Canucks organization at the end of January 2024, ultimately signed a seven-year, $7.75M AAV deal with the Bruins during the 2024 free agency period. The start of his first season with Boston got off to a rocky start, as he had seven goals and 13 assists in the first half of 2024–25. While he experienced a couple of slow stretches after this point, Lindholm managed to slightly pick up his pace offensively speaking, adding another 10 goals and 17 assists to his season total. He finished the final 10 games of the season with four goals and six assists. 

Ian Cole

Utah Hockey Club

1G, 16A in 82GP 

While Vancouver seemed to have found their replacement for Cole in Derek Forbort, the current Utah defender had the kind of season that would make a team regret letting him go. A shot-blocking machine, Cole led the NHL in blocked shots this season with 211. The Canuck with the closest amount to this was Tyler Myers with 125. One caveat on Cole’s season was that, like Soucy, he was prone to giveaways. He surrendered the puck to the opposition 118 times this season, which ties him with David Pastrnak and Thomas Harley at 11th in the league. On March 5, he signed a one-year contract extension with Utah that will pay him $2.8M.     

Ilya Mikheyev 

Chicago Blackhawks 

20G, 14A in 80GP 

Vancouver let Mikheyev go via trade after a disappointing 2023–24 season that saw him go goalless for 34 games. It was fitting, of course, that he scored a goal in his first visit back to Rogers Arena after being traded. Mikheyev registered his first point with the Blackhawks in his 10th game with the team. He had 10 rush attempts on the season with Chicago, which would have tied him with Brock Boeser for third on the Canucks. His four-year, $4.75M AAV contract expires after the 2025–26 season. 

J.T. Miller 

New York Rangers

13G, 22A in 32GP 

Miller’s time with the Canucks officially ended on January 31 when he was traded to the Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 2025 1st Round Pick. As many Vancouver fans heard, Miller’s first game back with New York resulted in the forward scoring two goals. After competing for Team USA at the 4 Nations Faceoff, Miller returned to the Rangers and put up five goals and five assists in six games. In his final six games of 2024–25, he registered three goals and six assists. While some have pointed out that the defensive woes in Miller’s game seem to have surfaced in New York, offensively speaking, it looks as though the ex-Canuck has continued to perform at the level many know he is capable of. Miller’s current deal expires in 2030, during which he’ll be 37.  

Nikita Zadorov

Boston Bruins 

4G, 18A in 81GP

For Canucks fans, Zadorov’s departure may have been one of the most upsetting of players who left Vancouver during the 2024 free agency period. The hulking defenseman endeared himself to Canucks fans with his on-ice toughness and off-ice humour. While not known for his offensive prowess, Zadorov still had 22 points with the Bruins this season, finishing third on his team in points by a defenseman behind Charlie McAvoy and Mason Lohrei. Unsurprisingly, Zadorov led the NHL in penalty minutes with 145. After this season, Zadorov has five years left on his contract with Boston. 

Sam Lafferty

Buffalo Sabres

4G, 3A in 60GP 

Lafferty had a career year with the Canucks last season, setting new personal records in goals (13) and points (24). He tied his season assist record with 11 in 79 games played. The speedy forward was due to hit free agency in July 2024, but was dealt to the Blackhawks by the Canucks as part of the Mikheyev trade. He went on to sign a two-year contract with Buffalo, where he missed a month of play in the fall due to a lower body injury. He also sustained a groin injury in March that kept him out of the lineup for four games. Lafferty faced a bit of offensive regression with the Sabres, as he didn’t score his first point of the season until November 7. After the 2025–26 season, Lafferty will be a free agent. 

Vasily Podkolzin 

Edmonton Oilers

8G, 16A in 82GP 

When Podkolzin was picked 10th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, some Canucks fans were confused. His KHL contract made it so he wouldn’t be able to join Vancouver until two years after he was drafted. The forward joined the Canucks in the 2021–22 season, putting up 14 goals and 12 assists in 79 games played. After a couple of disappointing seasons that ultimately resulted in him being sent down to the Abbotsford Canucks, Podkolzin was traded to the Oilers for a fourth-round pick. Since joining Edmonton, Podkolzin has earned himself a roster spot by putting his hard work on display. As well, he has provided Edmonton with more of a physical presence in their bottom six, as he quietly led his team with 210 hits during the regular season. Podkolzin, who is still an RFA, will need to sign a new deal with the Oilers after the 2025–26 season. 

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, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

If I were the Montreal Canadiens I would not go with the best player available. It’s a generic term that sounds good in the NFL but has no real practical application in hockey. You have a draft board for a reason. You have team needs for a reason. Not today’s needs, organizational needs and that’s for 3-5 years down the road. 

According to Puck Pedia, the Canadiens have two picks at 16 and 17. I’ll go with that but we know that can change. The #17 picks are from Calgary and that has conditions. They are explained here. 

I think the odds of getting a potential second line player is better than a second-pairing defenseman. This isn’t a very deep draft. There will be a fair amount of players that play in the NHL for a period of time. But sticking for 200 games or more is a smaller field than usual in my estimation. That could change after the U18s but right now, that’s how I feel.

I think they should target a forward with some size. If nothing else, just don’t take a smaller forward here. Size and speed is something they need to get. There will be time to get defenseman in this draft and certainly another goalie is always something to think about in every draft. 

The Canadiens have a lot of picks. 12 in total. I normally say get two every draft. In this draft, I still think you might be able to get three. That would be my goal. Anything more than that is gravy.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings are two of the best power-play teams in the playoffs, so far. 

The Kings are sitting atop the league in power-play percentage (58.3 percent), and they are also first in the NHL in power-play goals with seven.

Toronto sits just behind the Kings in power-play percentage at 55.6 percent over three games. They are also third in total power-play goals with five, narrowly behind the St. Louis Blues, who scored three in their 7-2 win in Game 3, bringing their total to six.

Other than having similar success and statistics with the extra man, Toronto and L.A. have one more thing in common with their top power-play units – they are made up of five forwards and no defenseman.

The majority of teams in the NHL use four forwards, with their most offensive defenseman quarterbacking the power play. That’s not the case for the Leafs and Kings.

For the most part, Los Angeles uses Adrian Kempe at the point with Anze Kopitar occasionally coming short to receive the puck. The Kings do have the choice to put a D-man on the top unit with Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke on the roster, but coach Jim Hiller has decided to put them on the second unit.

Toronto has Mitch Marner at the blueline dictating the play with his elite playmaking and ability to walk the line. In seasons past, Morgan Rielly would be the quarterback, but coach Craig Berube has found success with the five-man unit.

Former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau spoke about the Maple Leafs’ five-forward power-play unit in the latest episode of The Hockey News’ Big Show.

“The Leaf five, I find amazing. All five of them are so good,” Boudreau said. He further complimented Toronto’s top unit and highlighted how important Marner is to the formation.

“Marner, I think, is the best distributor this side of Connor McDavid of the puck, and he can defend when needed.”

While the five-man forward unit is a relatively new concept and not many teams use it, the NHL is a copycat league. Maybe next season, teams that don’t have an offensive defenseman will put this idea into consideration.

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Near the end of January of this year, general manager Kyle Davidson mentioned six prospects playing outside of the NHL/AHL that caught his eye and stood out. This list of talented young players in the Chicago Blackhawks' organization included Nick Lardis, Sacha Boisvert, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Roman Kantserov, and Ryan Greene.

Three of these players made the jump right to the NHL at the end of the season in order for the Blackhawks to see what they can do. Davidson had said, That's where we are building this thing and they are showing up. Their play and development are showing us we're on the right track."

Moore and Rinzel played nine games to end the season with the Blackhawks while Greene joined later and played two. Lardis is in his fourth and final year in the OHL, Kantserov is still in the KHL, and Boisvert is switching schools and is remaining in the NCAA for at least another season.

I think Rinzel has the best shot at not playing an AHL game in his career as he fits right in on the top pairing in the NHL. Moore might spend a little time at the start of the season in the minors like Frank Nazar did and then force the hand of the Blackhawks, but Greene will benefit from a full season in the AHL. Lardis can score as he put up 71 goals in 65 games, but the room might not be available on Chicago just yet.

If the Blackhawks can bring Kantserov over in a couple of years, that would be ideal. Allow him to play the minutes against top KHL talent to see him grow before entering right into the NHL. As for Boisvert, he is tracking well and will make a stop in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHLer.

There is great reason to be excited and next season will bring more talent to watch for in the Blackhawks' organization.

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

Brock Boeser has been quoted saying "it's unlikely at this point" that he will be returning to the Vancouver Canucks next season, and the free-agent market for the 28-year-old will be large and competitive.

Boeser recorded 25 goals and 50 points this season in 75 games, following a 2023-24 season where he set a career-high of 40 goals and 73 points. The former 2015 first-round pick is one of the more efficient scorers in the NHL, owning a 17.2 shooting percentage this season – the 41st highest percentage in the league among players with 70 or more games played 

With his impending exit from Vancouver, here are five possible free-agency destinations for Boeser.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs could be entering an offseason where major change is needed if they fall short of their playoff goals. Mitch Marner and John Tavares are pending UFAs, and the team needs to re-sign pending RFA Matthew Knies. If they decide to let Marner walk in free agency or he elects to seek a new opportunity, rumours have already swirled about the possibility of the Maple Leafs using Boeser and the Jets' Nikolaj Ehlers as replacements. 

Boeser is quite different in terms of play style compared to Marner. Marner is a pure playmaker, looking to pass as his first option, while Boeser is known as a shooter. The styles might be different, but the skill the Maple Leafs currently have should allow everyone to gel quite quickly.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are an obvious choice for the Burnsville, Minn. native. They’ll have over $20 million in cap space this off-season and will be looking to add another scoring winger to complement the likes of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marco Rossi.

With prospects such as Liam Ohgren, Danila Yurov, Zeev Buium, David Jiricek and Jesper Wallstedt all expected to be key contributors sometime soon, Boeser would fit nicely in the Wild's lineup. 

When Boeser is at his best, he’s one of the league's most efficient scorers. Pairing him with a playmaker who generates chances at an extremely high rate, as Kaprizov does, it’s not far-fetched to envision Boeser possibly recording multiple 40-goal seasons. 

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have been attempting to put the final touches on their rebuild for quite some time. In the Atlantic Division, they’ve been compared to the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres. Missing the playoffs this season and watching the Senators and Canadiens make it has upset some of the players.

"It was hard that we didn't do anything, and I felt the group kinda — we didn't gain any momentum from the trade deadline, and guys were kinda down about it," said captain Dylan Larkin during the team's exit interviews.  "So it'd be nice to add something and bring a little bit of a spark on the ice and maybe a morale boost as well."

Although adding Boeser to the fold wouldn’t solve every problem they have or instantly make them into a playoff team, it would be a good start. They’ll also need to sure up their goaltending and continue to integrate more of their top-end prospects to compete with the other wild-card teams. 

Carolina Hurricanes

GM Eric Tulsky showed the NHL world that he’s not afraid to make a big move after he traded for and then traded away Mikko Rantanen. Moving Rantanen and Martin Necas has opened up a lot of cap space for the Hurricanes, and it’s expected that they’ll be pursuing many of the top free agents this summer. 

The Hurricanes will likely prioritize a second-line center before looking for additional help on the wing, but if they do, Boeser could be a great fit. 

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are in a different position than the other four teams mentioned. They are at the peak of their rebuild, beginning to incorporate many of the players they hope to be key contributors in the future.

Making the playoffs seems quite unlikely for Chicago, but they'll be hoping to be in the race by the time the post-season rolls around in 2026. Pairing Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and possibly a top-two pick with a proven scorer such as Boeser would help them accomplish that, similar to what Tyler Toffoli did for Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund and the San Jose Sharks.

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The Florida Panthers have assigned forward Jesse Puljujarvi to the Charlotte Checkers, it was announced Friday. 

Puljujarvi, who joined the Panthers organization midway through the season, has seen time in both the NHL and AHL this year. In 31 NHL games with the Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, he scored four goals and added six assists for 10 points. Across 26 AHL games with Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he put up six goals and 16 points. 

Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Puljujarvi has played in a total of 387 career NHL regular season games with the Panthers, Penguins, Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes. In that span, he has collected 58 goals and 70 assists for 128 points. 

With Puljujarvi being assigned to the AHL, he will have an opportunity to play a big role for the Checkers as they look to make a run to the Calder Cup. Still a capable depth player on an NHL roster, Puljujarvi has not been able to secure a full-time role over the last couple of seasons but could see another team take a swing at him during the offseason. 

The Edmonton Oilers played like they couldn’t afford to lose Friday. And they didn’t, scoring two goals 10 seconds apart late in the third period to beat the Kings 7-4 in a wild first-round playoff game in which both teams overcame deficits.

The Kings still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Sunday in Edmonton. But the Oilers’ win means the series will return to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown both had two goals for Edmonton, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Evander Kane also scored.

Read more:Why Andrei Kuzmenko has become a 'difference-maker' for the Kings vs. the Oilers

McDavid’s goal and Brown’s second goal were empty-netters after Bouchard scored on a power play to put Edmonton ahead with 6:32 remaining. Edmonton scored four unanswered goals in the final seven minutes.

The Kings’ goals came from Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore, with two coming on the power play.

But the game turned on a decision by Kings coach Jim Hiller to challenge Kane’s tying goal in the third. The unsuccessful challenge gave the Oilers a power play, leading to Bouchard scoring what proved to be the winning goal.

“We understand the situation,” Hiller said. “But clearly we felt that that challenge was in our favor. The next step would have been for us to kill a penalty. That didn't happen either.

“So it's a tough stretch for us, no question. That's hockey. That's playoff hockey.”

The Oilers, desperate to get back in the series, benched goalie Stuart Skinner, who gave up 11 goals in the first two games, in favor of Calvin Pickard. But Pickard hardly fared better, giving up four goals on 28 shots.

Still, Edmonton played with urgency, taking its first lead of the series less than three minutes in when an unguarded Nugent-Hopkins took a Zach Hyman pass directly in front of the net and pushed the puck under Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper.

Bouchard doubled the lead six minutes later, firing a slap shot past Kuemper from the top of the circle three seconds after the Kings’ Andrei Kuzmenko went off for interference. It was Edmonton’s first power-play goal in six tries in the series.

The Kings responded with three unanswered goals.

Kempe started the rally late in the first period, deflecting a left-handed shot off Pickard from the center of the right circle with the teams skating four on four. It was his fourth goal of the playoffs, matching Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy for the NHL lead.

More importantly, it took momentum away from the Oilers, allowing Fiala to even things early in the second period with a power-play goal from nearly the same spot. Doughty’s power-play goal less than five minutes before the second intermission then put the Kings in front for the first time.

The Kings were 0 for 12 with the man advantage in last season’s series loss to Edmonton, their third consecutive to the Oilers. This year against the same team, the Kings have converted seven of 12 power-play opportunities.

After Brown pulled Edmonton even again, Moore scored nine seconds later when he drove to the net and poked the puck past Pickard.

Things got really wild in the third period, with the Oilers scoring four goals in less than seven minutes. Edmonton also scored four goals in the third period of Game 1.

Read more:How Koreatown seniors have become Kings' playoff good luck charm with harmonica national anthem

Kane tied the score again, scoring off a mad scramble in front of the net, then waiting several long minutes for a replay review to confirm he pushed the puck in with his stick, not his skate.

Hiller challenged the goal, arguing there was goaltender interference.

“We got a good look at it. We had plenty of time,” he said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It cost us big-time.”

Bouchard needed just 10 seconds to make the Kings pay, scoring Edmonton’s second power-play goal on a tip-in from Kuemper’s left. Kuemper made 29 saves.

“It sucks,” Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “But again, I look at it, we're still in a good place. You get to come back in two nights and get another stab at it, which is the best part.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Florida Panthers will host their first playoff game on Saturday since Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final.

Florida opened their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a pair of impressive road victories earlier this week.

Now the Cats have returned to South Florida and will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series when they host the Lightning in Game 3 at Amerant Bank Arena.

Exactly how the Panthers roster will look is still a bit of a mystery.

Florida Captain Sasha Barkov was injured during the third period of Thursday’s 2-0 win after an illegal check by Tampa forward Brandon Hagel.

Officials gave Hagel a five-minute major for interference during the game, and he has since been handed a one-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

As for Barkov, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said Friday that he had not been cleared to play but he had not been ruled out either, so it sounds like a game-time decision.

One change that we know is coming to the Panthers roster is the addition of defenseman Aaron Ekblad to the back line.

Ekblad has completed a 20-game suspension that he was handed back in early March or violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

He’s been back skating and practicing with the Panthers for the past couple weeks and it will be interesting to see how quickly he can re-adapt to the intensity and speed of not just the NHL, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“It’s a very unusual situation, normally, a player that’s out 20 games has a significant injury and that really effects their rehab,” said Maurice. “We’ll put him right back with his partner and we’ll put him right back in all the situations. It’s about getting him up to speed as fast as we can. There’s going to be about a 10-minute adjustment to playoff hockey, because it’s just different. He’ll make that adjustment and away he goes.”

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 3 against Tampa:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

Evan Rodrigues – Nico Sturm – Jesper Boqvist

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Dmitry Kulikov – Nate Schmidt

Scratches: A.J. Greer, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek, Jaycob Megna, Uvis Balinskis

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Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights offer unforeseen value heading into back half of first round series that shouldn't go ignored

The Stanley Cup Playoffs offer many twists and turns with come-from-behind wins, unforeseen upsets and plenty of opportunities to cash in on some massive values.

We see many already listed on sportsbooks after most series enter their fourth games. It happens often where teams can go down 2-0 or 2-1 early in the series and sportsbooks completely write teams off, which we can look to exploit.

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

More NHL: Battle of Ontario Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Futures for Maple Leafs versus Senators

Tampa Bay Lightning - Eastern Conference Champions (+2000)

Winning four of their next five games is a tough challenge for the Bolts, especially with four of those matchups on the road. Still, it's far from impossible — just last season, the Dallas Stars bounced back after losing the first two games of their series at home, reeling off four straight wins to clinch and move on to the second round.

If anyone could do it, it's the Bolts as they have the league's top scorer this season in Nikita Kucherov and are long overdue for a swing in their direction when it comes to this matchup. They've dropped six of their last seven playoff matchups versus Florida, dating back to last season and would like to renew their playoff success that saw them reach three straight Stanley Cup Finals just three seasons ago.

The Lightning will likely be without 35-goal scorer Brandon Hagel after he interfered with Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov for a mean body check that potentially hurt the Finnish centre. Tampa will need their star players to produce as you see around the league, other teams like the Wild feature dominating top lines that could change the outlook of a game.

Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel and Kucherov all sitting with one point each so far while forwards Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde still haven't found the scoresheet. I expect a massive surge of production from this bunch that will need to reclaim some stability in this series with a Game 3 win that will certainly see these odds drop exponentially, so get in while you can. A subtle $10 bet on Tampa would pay out a staggering $200 or 20-to-1 payout.

More NHL: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options

Vegas Golden Knights - Western Conference Champions (+650)

The Golden Knights are most certainly not out of their series with the Wild after dropping two straight games and their odds have dropped to a pretty great place. After being listed as the favourites to win the West following Game 1 of their series, they now sit with the fifth-best odds.

This most certainly is a play as the Golden Knights have proven to be a resilient team with the experience of a Stanley Cup win just two seasons ago. They are only one game down in their series and could even things up and plummet these odds back to Vegas being the favourites at odds somewhere around +300 to +400 by Saturday night.

Minnesota shouldn't be counted out of this series but they are just a wild card team compared to a Vegas team that won the Pacific Division title. We most certainly won't see odds like this again unless the Golden Knights are put in a position where they are truly in trouble and not worth taking a look at anyway. 

More Hockey: Top NHL Prospect Expected to Join Michigan Wolverines Next Season