The wait is over.

For Ottawa Senators fans, Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre won't just be about Game 3 against the rival Maple Leafs, it’ll be all the pregame excitement of the Red Zone, the goosebumps when the lights go down, that explosive roar when the Senators storm the ice, and the sea of rally towels, waving wildly as Lyndon Slewidge (we're hoping) belts out the final notes of our national anthem.

It’s been an eight-year wait, full of frustration, irritation and rebuild attempts — but Thursday's excitement buries it all. For the first time since Game 6 of the 2017 NHL Eastern Conference Final, the Senators will host a Stanley Cup Playoff game.

Thanks to Max Domi’s overtime goal in Game 2 in Toronto on Tuesday, ending a game the Senators played so well in, the series looks much different than it could have. So the Leafs are in control at the moment, holding a 2–0 series lead, which leaves the Senators little room for error in a pivotal Game 3.

If you’ll recall that game in 2017, the Senators were under even more pressure that night—they had just lost Game 5 by a score of 7–0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins and needed to win to stay alive. Craig Anderson played out of his mind that night, making 45 saves to help the Senators defeat the Pens 2–1.

"You know, as far as tonight, you just try to stay in the moment as best you can and focus on the baby steps," Anderson told NHL.com. "One shot at a time, and the big picture takes care of itself when you worry about the details."

That remains a great philosophy for the 2025 Senators, who could also use an Anderson-like playoff performance out of Linus Ullmark.

The Senators also have to solve Anthony Stolarz at the other end. While they played a much better game in Game 2, more often than not, it takes more than two goals to win. That's all the Sens have managed in each of the first two games and there's currently a 12-way tie for the Sens playoff scoring lead at one point.

Stolarz is also 10–0 in his last 10 games, with a .947 save percentage and three shutouts.

What the Senators need most is to get off to a better start. Both losses so far have been accompanied by early 2–0 deficits. The Senators hold the NHL's best record when scoring first in games.

They’re also a substantially better team at home than they are on the road, even better than Toronto, the division winner. The Sens were one game below .500 on the road, but their home record of 27–11–3 was the third-best in the conference, behind only the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sens fans will need to be careful not to tear a rotator cuff. It's been a while since they waved the playoff rally towel. This year, the towels read "Heart over Hype," a perfect motto for a series against the Leafs, who receive the lion's share of the national media's attention, whether they're good or bad.

It will be interesting to see if the Senators' tactics to try and get more playoff tickets into the hands of Sens fans paid off or not. It should be a smaller Leaf fan contingent than we generally see flooding the building in the regular season, but how much smaller, if at all, remains to be seen.

Senators lines at game day skate (No Jensen or Greig again):

Tkachuk – Stützle – Giroux

Zetterlund – Cozens – Batherson

Highmore – Pinto – Amadio

Perron – Gaudette – Cousins

Defense:

Sanderson – Zub

Chabot – Hamonic

Kleven – Matinpalo

Goalies:

Ullmark (starter)

Forsberg

It will be interesting to see if Perron remains in a fourth line role in favour of the faster, younger Zetterlund.

Maple Leafs lines at game day skate:

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Holmberg – Tavares – Nylander

Järnkrok – Laughton – Lorentz

Pacioretty – Domi – McMann

Defense:

McCabe – Tanev

Rielly – Carlo

Benoit – Ekman-Larsson

Goalies:

Stolarz (starter)

Woll

The Senators defence has been prone to getting beaten up the middle so far in this series. That makes Max Pacioretty’s addition for Game 3 one to watch. Going back to his days with the Montreal Canadiens, Pacioretty always seemed to be good for one or two breakaways every game against the Senators. But he’s 36 now and hasn’t played since February 8th.

It's a huge game in the series. But it's just as big for the psyche of the city's long-suffering fan base. 

The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues have swapped the Golden Boy for the Gateway Arch, as the Stanley Cup opening round matchup shifts from Manitoba to Missouri for Game 3 on Thursday night.

After seeing Games 1 and 2 feature puck drops within the early evening hours in the prime-time slot, Thursday's pivotal Game 3 will take place at 8:45 PM central time.

Serving as the Central Division Semifinal, the third game will either see the Jets pull ahead to a commanding 3-0 series lead, or St. Louis find its first win of the best-of-seven to cut Winnipeg's lead to just one game.

Having played two games in three days to open the matchup, it has now been three days since the teams last saw each other on ice. The same will be said between Games 3 and 4 as well as Games 4 and 5.

Winnipeg is not expected to make any line changes from its personnel from the past two meetings, while St. Louis may or may not shift away from the 11/7 forward/defence split it used in the second game. 

Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington will go back at it for the third-straight game.

Winnipeg Jets' expected line combinations for Game 3 at. St. Louis on Thursday, April 24:

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo

Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Perfetti

Tanev-Lowry-Appleton

Gustafsson-Barron-Anderson Dolan

Morrissey-DeMelo

Samberg-Pionk

Stanley-Schenn

Hellebuyck

Injured: Vilardi, Ehlers

Healthy Scratches: Fleury, Miller, Toninato, Kupari, Heinola

St. Louis Blues' expected line combinations for Game 3 vs. Winnipeg on Thursday, April 24:

Buchnevich-Thomas-Snuggerud

Neighbours-Schenn-Kyrou

Texier-Sundqvist-Bolduc

Toropchenko-Faksa-Walker

Fowler-Parayko

Broberg-Faulk

Leddy-Tucker

Binnington

Goaltending can make or break a team.

There are times when it is everything and other times when it doesn’t seem to matter much.

For the Colorado Avalanche, they are on the receiving end of solid goaltending from Mackenzie Blackwood. Despite only winning one of the first three games in the series against the Dallas Stars, Blackwood is keeping the team in every single game.

Bookmark The Hockey News Colorado Avalanche team site so you never miss the latest news, game day coverage, and information on the Avalanche players.

One team that isn’t having the same goaltending luck is the Edmonton Oilers. In fact – it’s been downright rotten.

Case in point, Wednesday night’s 6-2 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. Stuart Skinner is one of many Oilers who need to play better in Game 3, but his game was akin to Patrick Roy compared to what happened with Calvin Pickard.

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Pickard came in to relieve Skinner in the back-half of the third period. The former Avalanche goaltender only stopped two of the three shots that he faced. 

Sadly, it was the first one the Kings threw at him that made it past him.

In case you have forgotten, Pickard was a second-round draft pick of the Avalanche back in 2010. He was selected 49th overall. 

He played three seasons in the NHL for the Avalanche. None were better than the performance that he put up in 2016-17. Pickard played 50 games, posting a record of 15-31-2, to go along with a 2.98 goals against average (GAA), a .904 save percentage (SV%), and two shutouts.

This past season, he set a new career high in wins (22) while boasting a 2.71 GAA and a .900 SV%.

This will be a series for hockey fans everywhere to keep an eye on.

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A new roster update is officially live in NHL 25.

Multiple prospects and college free agents have been added including Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov, Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, and Edmonton Oilers forward Quinn Hutson.

Demidov's first ever EA SPORTS NHL player comes in at 83 overall with elite high potential, a huge rating for a player who has appeared in four career NHL games.

Buium is rated 80 overall with elite medium potential.

Hutson is 75 overall with medium top nine potential. 

Each players stats and player profile are pictured below. All are available to use in every online and offline mode once players download the most recent rosters. 

Check out new HUT Content, Week 3 Team of the Season and brand new Playoff Fantasy Hockey cards.   

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.

EDMONTON – In the words of everyone’s favorite wise monkey, “it is time.”

Time for what, you ask? To talk about goalies, of course.

The Edmonton Oilers have many woes ailing them in their series against the Los Angeles Kings. One of them is their goaltenders' ability to make a timely save.

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

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The Argument For An Oilers Goalie Recall

To say that the Oilers have been getting subpar goaltending to begin the playoffs would be an understatement. But just how bad has it been?

According to NHL Edge data, Stuart Skinner has a .571 save percentage on high-danger shots – the league average is .784. Does this mean they need to have someone else in net?

Maybe.

The Oilers allowed four high-danger shot attempts in Game 2 and scored on two of them. In Game 1, the Kings had one high-danger shot attempt but didn’t score. Instead, they scored on two low-danger and four medium-danger opportunities.

Oilers Goalie Recall Options

If the Oilers want to bring along a third goalie to aid them in their quest to get through the first round of the 2025 playoffs, their options are limited.

Olivier Rodrigue

Olivier Rodrigue came up after Skinner was put on the shelf for a brief time. He was able to get some time in, for the most part, Calvin Pickard was relied on to be between the pipes. The likelihood that they would rely on Rodrigue in the playoffs, especially after not doing so in the regular season, is very low.

Colin Delia

Colin Delia didn’t get an emergency recall after Skinner was injured, which feels like a big enough reason why the Oilers wouldn’t consider bringing him up. Needless to say, his AHL numbers aren’t phenomenal, so it’s tough to rationalize that he would do any better than Pickard.

Connor Ungar

Because his entry level contract started earlier this season, Connor Ungar could be recalled by the Oilers. However, that road is also a dead-end. Ungar’s ECHL numbers are average, so it’s tough to make a case for him to be the guy getting the recall.

No other goalie can be recalled because of their contracts taking effect next year.

There will be no goalie coming in to save the Oilers. They’re just going to have to play better defense.

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that they have recalled Brian Halonen, Mike Hardman, Nathan Legare, Marc McLaughlin, Topias Vilen, Colton White, and Isaac Poulter from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets.

Halonen, 26, played in 62 games this season with the Comets, where he had 27 goals, 40 points, and a plus-9 rating. He also played in two games this campaign with the Devils, posting zero points and a minus-1 rating.

Hardman, 26, had one assist in two regular-season games with the Devils this campaign. Down in the AHL with Utica, he had 18 goals, 35 points, and a plus-11 rating.

Legare, 24, played in his first three career NHL games this campaign with the Devils, where he was held off the scoresheet. In 69 games with Utica, he had 17 goals, 25 points, and 102 penalty minutes.

McLaughlin, 25, played in 50 AHL games this season split between the Providence Bruins and Comets, where he had five goals and 20 points. He also had two goals and an assist in 14 NHL games with the Bruins and Devils this year.

Vilen, 22, spent all of this season with the Comets, where he had one goal, 24 points, and a plus-2 rating in 58 contests. The Devils selected the 6-foot-1 defenseman with the 129th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

White, 27, appeared in 61 games this season with the Comets, where he had four goals, 17 assists, 21 points, and a plus-1 rating. This was after he had eight points in 53 games last season with the San Diego Gulls.

Poulter, 23, had a 16-13-6 record, a .898 save percentage, a 2.86 goals-against average, and one shutout in 36 games for the Comets this season.

Recent Devils News 

3 New Jersey Devils Who Must Shine In Game 3 The New Jersey Devils are set to play a crucial Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 25. After losing each of their first two games of the series, the  Devils desperately need a win to keep their hopes alive. Going down 3-0 would be brutal for New Jersey. Devils Need To Give Jacob Markstrom More OffenseThe start of the New Jersey Devils' first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes has been the exact opposite of what the team had hoped for. The Devils have lost each of their first two games of the series and are now just two more losses away from being knocked out of the first round. New Jersey Devils Facing Must-Win Game 3After losing Game 1 to the Carolina Hurricanes by a 4-1 final score, the New Jersey Devils looked to bounce back on April 22 for Game 2. Unfortunately, they did not get the result they had hoped for, as they fell to the Hurricanes by a 3-1 final score. With this, the Devils are now heading back to New Jersey, being down 2-0 in the series. Former Devils Goalie Has Big Game For New TeamEarlier this season, former New Jersey Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was traded to the Colorado Avalanche by the San Jose Sharks. The move was understandable, as the Avalanche desperately needed help between the pipes, while the Sharks were willing to move Blackwood because of his then-pending unrestricted free agent status. 

If there’s one thing that has held about Juraj Slafkovsky since the start of his career, it’s that he’s always his harshest critic. On Wednesday night, it was still the case after the Montreal Canadiens dropped game two of their first-round series against the Washington Capitals 3-1.

It was a visibly emotional Slafkovsky who spoke to the media, providing a tough assessment not only of himself, but of the whole team:

Everyone here has to be better, starting with me and then everyone else. We’ve got to show a different kind of energy and a different kind of game on Friday at home.

- Juraj Slafkovsky on the need to be better

The Capitals play a tough physical game, but it’s not beyond what the 21-year-old power forward expected. After the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, the former first overall pick said he needed to play a more physical game to succeed in the NHL and would like to bring the kind of game Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk brings, and at times, he has done it. Still, he has yet to find that kind of game consistently, and he knows it:

I just got to play more physical myself, got to be better.

- Slafkovsky on the need to be more physical

In game two, the big Slovak landed three hits and sent seven shots to the net, although only five made it there. Still, he committed giveaways attributed to a lack of concentration or execution. The no-look back passes can fly in exhibition games or scrimmages, but they have no place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he’s learning it the hard way.

Asked if the fact that they knew they didn’t play their best the whole way through was something the Canadiens could build on, Slafkovsky indicated that it was often the case:

You know, there’s always something lacking. We always talk about, "Oh, today was this, tomorrow it’s something else." We have to have an almost perfect game to win.

-

Visibly, the youngster had had enough of the team’s and his own uneven effort. The Canadiens showed a knack for coming from behind in the third period this season, but only providing your best effort in the last frame will rarely be enough come playoff time. Coach Martin St-Louis will preach to the converted the next time he tells his players they must play better earlier.

The Canadiens slept in Washington last night and will fly back to Montreal this morning. There will be a media availability early, before the flight, but no practice is scheduled. This isn’t surprising as St-Louis appreciates the value of a rest day, but when the Canadiens hit the ice for morning skate on Friday, the bench boss will have some adjustments to make.

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Day 5 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs involved some big returns. 

Gabriel Landeskog led the headlines, making his first appearance in nearly three years for the Colorado Avalanche. 

The Edmonton Oilers got a couple of veterans back in their lineup, and the popular harmonica group returned for a second straight performance of the American national anthem at Crypto.com Arena.

Here are the storylines from the three games from Wednesday.

Washington Capitals Defeat Montreal Canadiens 3-1 (WSH Leads Series 2-0)

Aside from the Battle of Florida series, every Eastern Conference matchup has a standout goaltender. The Carolina Hurricanes have Frederik Andersen, the Toronto Maple Leafs have Anthony Stolarz, and the Washington Capitals have Logan Thompson.

The 28-year-old had a solid outing in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, but because of the Habs’ late push to force overtime, he was overlooked. However, it was impossible to miss his performance in Game 2.

In this contest, the undrafted netminder posted a .962 save percentage, stopping 25 of 26 shots on goal. He was forced to make some outstanding saves, but was there for the Capitals when they needed him.

It wasn’t a one-man effort, as Washington’s defense played a role in only allowing one goal. The Canadiens went through nine minutes in the second period without registering a shot attempt.

When talking about his game, Thompson couldn’t wait to get the classic hockey cliche answers to the reporters. 

“Luckily, things went my way tonight, and we got the two points." 

Capitals center Dylan Strome quickly reminded him there are no two points to earn in the playoffs.

Dallas Stars Defeat Colorado Avalanche 2-1 OT (DAL Leads Series 2-1)

It wasn’t difficult to find a storyline to highlight from Game 3 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars. Gabriel Landeskog played his first NHL game since he hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022, 1,033 days ago.

Colorado’s captain received plenty of cheers, chants, and salutes from the home fans at Ball Arena. He also had a friendly exchange with former teammate Mikko Rantanen at the opening faceoff. Not long after, Landeskog knocked over Rantanen and was immediately involved in the game.

Landeskog took 18 shifts and had 13:16 of ice time, adding six hits and one block to his name. “It felt great in all areas tonight, in terms of just being back,” he said. 

He recalled how special a moment it was for him in his family. “That was as close as I got to losing it during warmup, when I looked over at that and seeing their big, smiling faces,” he said. “They’ve probably been thinking that I’ve been lying this whole time that I play hockey.”

Despite his return, the Stars took Game 3 in overtime for the second straight game. This time, the hero was Tyler Seguin, giving Dallas a 2-1 series lead.

Skinner Or Pickard: Who Should The Oilers Start In Game 3?Do the Edmonton Oilers have the worst goaltending so far in the playoffs?

Los Angeles Kings Defeat Edmonton Oilers 6-2 (LA Leads Series 2-0)

After gaining plenty of attention from Game 1, the Harmonica Class from the Koreatown Senior and Community Center returned for another performance of The Star-Spangled Banner before Game 2, this time wearing Los Angeles Kings jerseys. 

However, the harmonica players weren’t the only ones who returned for this contest. The Edmonton Oilers got two players back: left winger Evander Kane and defenseman John Klingberg.

Kane was out for the entire regular season with a sports hernia and a knee injury. Klingberg, who picked up an assist against the Kings, has been absent from the Oilers' lineup since March 28 with an undisclosed injury.

Despite getting healthier and having Klingberg record an assist, it wasn’t a good night for the Oilers by any stretch. 

Goaltender Stuart Skinner allowed five goals for the second straight game, which resulted in Calvin Pickard switching places with him with just over nine minutes remaining in the third period. 

Oilers right winger Corey Perry stood up for his goaltender, saying it’s not Skinner’s fault. 

“He’s making good saves, playing hard and battling for us,” Perry told reporters. “It's the play in front of him.”

Added Darnell Nurse: “We’ve been hanging our goalie out to dry.”

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Providence Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro has been awarded the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award, it was announced Wednesday. 

The award, voted on by coaches, players and media representing all 32 cities across the AHL, is given annually to the AHL's most outstanding goaltender. 

Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, DiPietro is in third season with the Bruins, having posted a record of 26-8-7 to go along with a 2.05 GAA and a .927 SP in 40 appearances this year. Those numbers placed him second in the AHL in wins and save percentage while putting him third in goals against average. 

Across 145 career AHL regular season games with the Bruins, Utica Comets and the Abbotsford Canucks, DiPietro has posted a statline of 84-42-15, a 2.54 GAA and a .914 SP. He has also made three career NHL appearances, going 0-2-0 along with a 5.28 GAA and a .771 SP. 

Prior to making the jump to the pro game, DiPietro spent parts of four seasons in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires and the Ottawa 67's.

With DiPietro being given this award, it only further solidifies him as the best goalie in the AHL. His play throughout the season was a major factor for Providence's success and he has the chance to be a difference maker for them as they get set for their Calder Cup playoff journey. 

After losing game one of their first-round series 3-2 in overtime, the Montreal Canadiens needed a win on Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals. Despite calls for Arber Xhekaj to be inserted into the lineup, bench boss Martin St-Louis decided to stick with his six defensemen. However, he moved Ivan Demidov away from Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook by swapping him with Joel Armia.

The second line got a defensively responsible player while Demidov got to play with Jake Evans, who’s more of a two-way center than Newhook.

Anderson stepped up

Without Xhekaj in the lineup, Josh Anderson has been one of the Canadiens’ best hitters in the tail end of the season, and that trend continued in the playoffs. In game one, he landed four, and early in game two, he had an opportunity to rock Capitals’ hitman Tom Wilson, and he didn’t miss it.

It earned him a two-minute boarding call and a cross-checking one when Tom Wilson skated up to him to complain, but it was entirely worth it. Washington got a two-minute power play on the play as Wilson was also assessed two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the penalty kill stood tall.

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Anderson's hit put Wilson on notice that the Canadiens were not about to back down and that they, too, could play heavy. Minutes later, Wilson passed on an opportunity to flatten Lane Hutson against the boards.

Have To Be Ready For The Pushback

Early in the second frame, the Canadiens took a 1-0 lead thanks to the tenacity of the Anderson-Christian Dvorak-Brendan Gallagher line. It was the Habs’ first lead of the series, and they weren’t ready for what came next.

Effort de groupe

Teamwork certainly made the dream work #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/6pdbhoKF2W

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 24, 2025

The Capitals attacked with a vengeance and pretty much had the Canadiens in the ropes. As a result, within three and a half minutes, the hosts were ahead 2-1, and any trace of momentum the Habs had vanished. Spencer Carbery’s men were relentless for the rest of the frame. Both teams had twice as many shots in the middle frame, which meant eight for the Canadiens and 18 for the Capitals.

Samuel Montembeault did very well weathering the storm, but he could only help at one end of the ice.

Finding The High Gear Earlier

For a second game in a row, the Canadiens found their high gear in the third period and proved to be a handful for Logan Thompson. Montreal had 12 shots on net through 40 minutes, yet they found the net 14 times in the final frame.

Thompson multiplied the big saves and received some help from his post, but what good goaltender doesn’t? The question is, if the Washington goaltender had been solicited that much in the first two frames, would he have been that efficient in the third? Chances are, he would have been running on empty.

LOGAN THOMPSON IS ON A TEAR 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7SmUUt1bsr

— ESPN (@espn) April 24, 2025

For a second time in as many matches, Brendan Gallagher was hit by a cross-check in the face that went uncalled, just like the one on Cole Caufield later in the game. The Canadiens’ sniper fell to the ice, Nick Suzuki raised his arms in protest, but both referees kept their arms down. While it’s nothing new for fewer calls to be made in the playoffs, it usually takes a couple of rounds for that infraction to go unpunished.

Laine didn’t see a second of action in the third frame; he rode the pine for the full 20 minutes. It has to be said that he struggled through the first 40 minutes. Even though he was often in space on the power play, he elected not to shoot quite a few times, waiting for the picture-perfect pass that never came. It was even worst at even strength, he made hazardous passes and he just couldn't get in the game. Asked about it, the coach said: 

These are decisions you make as a coach. I shortened our bench a lot. Honestly, went with the nine, 10 players I felt could help us

- St-Louis on shortening his bench

As for Armia, he saw a single shift in the same frame. With St-Louis deciding to put Newhook and Evans together with Demidov, he became collateral damage, just like Heineman, who only stepped on the ice twice in the last 20 minutes.

Down 2-0 in the series, the Canadiens do not have much wiggle room left, and changes will have to be made before game three, which will take place on Friday night at the Bell Centre.

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The Rockford IceHogs have a plethora of players who are in the plans of the Chicago Blackhawks. Whether they make it to the NHL on a full-time basis one day remains to be seen for a few of them. 

The AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs are their chance to shine when the stakes are high. Not all of their great young players cracked the lineup for their first game of the postseason, but most should get their chance if the team goes on a run. 

Game One took place at Allstate Arena on Wednesday night against their biggest rival, the Chicago Wolves. It was a physical affair that had good pace to it throughout. 

The first period was scoreless, but there were plenty of disagreements and animosity. That led to a high-octane second period that had a touch more offense. 

First, the Wolves took a 1-0 lead thanks to a power-play goal scored by Juha Jaaska. He redirected a shot on the power play taken by Ty Smith. 

Before the period was over, the Hogs tied the game as Kevin Korchinski threw one off the back boards that went into the net off the paraphernalia of Wolves goaltender Spencer Martin. 

Despite a ferocious effort by the Wolves to win the game in the final minute of regulation, the IceHogs hung on and made sure that the game reached sudden-death overtime. 

In the extra frame, while on a power play that they earned, Artyom Levshunov scored the game-winning goal. The second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft played the role of hero in his first AHL playoff game. 

With GM Kyle Davidson in the building, Levshunov got the job done. Davidson must be content with his decision to select him at this stage. After the game, there was some high praise for Levshunov's game. 

"I liked his intensity level," interim head coach Mark Eaton said about Levshunov following the win. "All the things that made him successful at the NHL level, our expectations [are] that he brings that down here, [and] relishes this playoff opportunity that he's getting. I think he was able to do that." 

When Levshunov made his NHL debut and finished the rest of the season, there were a few rookie mistakes here and there, but he always looked like he belonged. Now that he's down in the AHL for the Calder Cup Playoffs, he has a chance to excel. 

"He's been great," IceHogs captain Brett Seney said of Levshunov. "Since coming down from Chicago, you can tell he's got the confidence. A couple of plays up top, he danced a couple of their forwards; he's just playing confident. He knows he's got the talent to do it at this level. I think there's probably a couple of plays earlier in the game when they blocked some shots he wanted to get through, but you give a player like that enough opportunities, eventually it's going to go in for him."

Seney has been around pro hockey for a long time and that includes playing with some good players. He thinks the world of Levshunov and the kind of talent that he brings to the table. 

Levshunov's overtime winner is the highlight, but it isn't the only impressive part of his evening. He cleared a puck from the blue paint defensively, was a physical presence in tense moments, and never wavered from the big moment. He seems to be a high-character player, which is an asset when you have that much skill. 

The IceHogs now have a 1-0 lead in the series as it shifts back to Rockford for Game 2 on Friday night. If they win, they will move on to face the Milwaukee Admirals in round two. If they lose, a decisive game three will take place on Sunday.  

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The Florida Panthers will look to build on their series-opening victory when they hit the ice on Thursday night in Tampa.

Florida skated to an impressive 6-2 win in Game 1 against the host Tampa Bay Lightning and can return to Sunrise with a commanding 2-0 series lead if they can pull off a repeat performance in Game 2 at Amalie Arena.

Despite finishing the regular season with the third-most shots per game in the NHL at 31.6, Florida mustered only 17 shots on a paltry 35 attempts during Tuesday’s win.

Fortunately, the Cats were incredibly accurate and timely with their shots, beating world class goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy six times, including a stretch during the second period in which Florida scored on three consecutive shots.

The Panthers received a massive boost during Game 1 with the return of Matthew Tkachuk.

After suffering an apparent groin injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Tkachuk had gone over two months since playing in a hockey game and was chomping at the bit to get back out there.

Skating on the Sam Bennett line and receiving his usual reps on the top power play, Tkachuk provided an instant spark both physically and offensively.

He finished the game with two goals and an assist while only playing 11:43 of ice time.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 2 in 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 – Seth Jones

Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov

Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt

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

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The Kings and Edmonton Oilers are old postseason foes, with this first-round matchup marking their 11th meeting in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But with Wednesday’s 6-2 win in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series, the Kings have done something they’d never accomplished.

They’ve taken a 2-0 lead.

The Kings, who have yet to trail in the series, got two goals from Adrian Kempe and scores from Brandt Clarke, Quinton Byfield, Andrei Kuzmenko and Anze Kopitar, with Clarke, Kuzmenko and Kopitar all scoring on the power play.

Leon Draisaitl and former King Viktor Arvidsson got the goals for Edmonton, which has been outscored 12-7 in the two games.

The win was the Kings’ NHL-best 33rd at home, but now they’ll go on the road, where they had a losing record this season. Edmonton will play host to Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday. Game 5, if necessary, will be at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.

After winning a Game 1 shootout in which the teams combined for 11 goals — seven in the final 20 minutes 6 seconds — the Kings went in front to stay in Game 2 on Clarke’s first career playoff goal 8:44 into the first period. And they got help from an unexpected source.

Winger Evander Kane, who was making his season debut for the Oilers, was on the ice just 95 seconds before drawing a cross-checking penalty, giving the Kings the man advantage. And Clarke made the Oilers pay, deflecting in a pass from former Oiler Warren Foegele for the power-play goal.

Byfield then doubled the margin shortly after the first intermission before Kuzmenko made it 3-0 with another power-play goal midway through the second period.

The Kings have scored five times with the man advantage in the two games while holding Edmonton’s power play scoreless in five tries. In last year’s playoff loss to the Oilers, the Kings were 0 for 12 on the power play and killed just 11 of 20 Edmonton power plays.

Draisaitl got Edmonton on the board, scoring on a deflection at 13:54 of the second. It was the second goal of the series for Draisaitl, who led the league with 52 in an injury-shortened season.

Draisaitl’s second-period goal in Game 1 helped the Oilers rally from a 4-0 deficit, only to lose 6-5. His Game 2 goal started another rally, and Arvidsson’s tip-in four minutes into the third period made it a one-goal game.

But the comeback stalled there with Kempe and Kopitar answering with goals less than three minutes apart to restore order. After Kopitar’s power-play goal the Oilers pulled goaltender Stuart Skinner and replaced him with Calvin Pickard, who gave up a goal to Kempe on the first shot he faced.

Kempe had two assists to go with his two goals while Kopitar had three assists.

The Kings and Oilers, who are meeting in the first round for a fourth straight season, split the opening two games each of the last three years before Edmonton went on to win the series. The last time a team won the first two games was in 1990, when Edmonton won four straight.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Wheeling Nailers not only came back home to WesBanco Arena trailing 2-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Norfolk Admirals, but they were starving for a goal after back-to-back shutouts.

On Wednesday, the Nailers snapped the Admirals' shutout streak, but one goal wasn't enough as Wheeling is now on the verge of being eliminated following a 5-1 loss. 

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Neither team scored in the first period before Denis Smirnov put Norfolk on the board at 8:49. Shortly after, Sean Montgomery extended the lead to 2-0 at 11:11. Finally, Nailers' Matt Koopman tallied his team's first of the series at 15:16 on a shorthanded breakaway. 

🚨 THE SEAL HAS BEEN BROKEN 🚨

Matt Koopman ends the Nailers offensive drought with a shorthanded goal to make it a 2-1 game!

🚨 Matt Koopman
🍎 Matthew Quercia #ForTheMomentpic.twitter.com/yYb6WBwYEp

— x - Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) April 24, 2025

However, Ryan Chyzowski restored the Admirals' two-goal lead with a late tally at 17:37. Despite having an advantage on shots, 21-16, the Nailers gave up three second-period goals on only ten shots. 

Meanwhile, Norfolk secured their third win with two goals in the third period on just six shots. First, Colton Young scored at 7:00 before Bryce Brodzinski sealed the deal with a lamplighter at 18:57. 

Only Chyzowski (goal, two assists) and Crone (two assists) had multiple points on Wednesday, with 12 players finding their way on the scoresheet. Between the pipes, Thomas Milic earned his third win, giving up his first goal of the series to see his save percentage (SV%) drop to .989 through nine periods. He's stopped 98 out of 99 shots.

Unfortunately, Sergei Murashov has continued his struggles in the net for the Nailers, making 17 saves on 21 shots for a .809 save percentage. Overall, in the series, he has surrendered 11 goals and made only 66 saves on 77 shots, resulting in a save percentage of .857.

Wheeling will look to avoid elimination in Game 4, which takes place Friday night with puck drop scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. 

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Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog took his first shift in the NHL since winning the 2022 Stanley Cup final.

He predicted before Game 3 of the Avalanche's first-round series against the Dallas Stars that his first shift would be short. It lasted 33 seconds.

During that time, the crowd not only chanted his name but cheered when he touched the puck and popped when he hit his former teammate, Mikko Rantanen, to the ice.

The many Avalanche fans who waved their rally towels during warmups chanted "Landy, Landy, Landy" while the 32-year-old prepared for his first game since June 26, 2022, 1,032 days ago.

His two children held up a sign saying, "So proud of you Daddy!" before the game. Landeskog gifted them both a puck.  

The "Landy" chants returned when Landeskog hit the ice before the American national anthem. When the P.A. announcer revealed Landeskog was in the starting lineup, the crowd roared and chanted his name again.

LANDY 🗣️ LANDY 🗣️ LANDY 🗣️ #GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferentpic.twitter.com/nRZHcNJzN6

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 24, 2025

That shows just part of the significance of the Avalanche's captain returning to the NHL.

He had a right knee injury that involved multiple surgeries, including a cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023. He had multiple setbacks in his recovery.

"I found myself thinking about this moment a lot over the last three years, and now that it's here, it's reversed," Landeskog told Altitude Sports' Kyle Keefe before the game. "I'm thinking a lot about kind of the hard work that's gone into it. Some of the ups, a lot of the downs, the sacrifices and support I've had along the way. Thankful for everybody and all their support."

Landekog's previous game action was on April 11 and 12 with the AHL's Colorado Eagles during a conditioning loan.

"He had every right to pull the plug at any time he wanted to but wanted to see it through," Avalanche teammate Erik Johnson told NHL.com.

Added defenseman Cale Makar: "It's going to be really exciting to have him back in the room, and have the Captain back doing his thing."

Landeskog spoke about how he felt leading up to game time.

"I feel surprisingly calm and in control right now," he said. "I know the butterflies and the nerves will come, I'm sure. But, excited."

His second shift lasted 18 seconds, but his third shift lasted 1:06. The Avalanche will now try to win their second game of the series in front of the Avs and Landeskog faithful.

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