Throughout a tumultuous 2024–25 season, the Vancouver Canucks saw 18 new players join their lineup via trade, AHL call-up, or free agency. 14 of these players remained with the team until the end of the regular season. During the team’s year-end media availability, some of these players reflected on their experiences with the team. 

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

"I Love Where Our D Core Is At": Canucks Tyler Myers Reflects On The 2024-25 Season & Explains Why He Is Optimistic About The Future

Canucks Conor Garland Heading To 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships

"We've Got To Meet At The 50-Yard Line": Canucks Rick Tocchet And Elias Pettersson Discuss Off-Season Training And Injury Rehab

Jake DeBrusk signed a five-year contract with the Canucks on July 1, 2024. He ended the season as the team’s leading goal scorer with 28 in 82 games. This marks a new career high for him, despite occasionally going through some cold stretches. 

“It was a pretty crazy one,” he said of his first year in Vancouver. “There’s lots of things that happened throughout the whole season. The first year here, these guys used everything there’s some highs and lows. But at the same point, you know, I think that obviously you don’t get to the playoffs. I think that’s my game plan was to try to help win. And, you know, unfortunately, we’re sitting here talking.” 

Another free-agent signing who reached career-highs in his first year with the Canucks was Kiefer Sherwood, who will be a free agent come the end of the 2025–26 season. Sherwood broke both personal, franchise, and league records this season. He scored a career-high of 19 goals, including his first NHL hat trick, and had his first 40-point season. As well, he smashed hit record after hit record, ultimately setting a new NHL high in hits made in one season with 462. 

“Just that it’s been a lot of ups and downs. I think emotionally, spent a lot this season dealing with, you know, all the adversity that our team faced, but I think as players, you just try to go about your business, put one foot in front of the other, and take it day by day. Always just trying to find the next game or next opportunity to kind of grow yourself and build something special here,” he said during his season-ending media availability. 

Despite some of the drama and disappointment of this season, Sherwood is optimistic about what 2025–26 has in store. “We’ve got a lot of things that we’re looking forward to. We faced so much stuff this year and we were right on the brink of playoffs. Overall, I think it sucks to not be in the playoffs, but we’re in a good spot because the fire in our belly is probably gonna get a little bit bigger this summer. And I think everyone can look in the mirror and be a little bit more accountable and figure out where we’re gonna be better moving forward. And I think we’re gonna take a couple steps next year.” 

One of the team’s most important players throughout the season, Kevin Lankinen was signed by the Canucks on September 21, 2024. He went on to play in 51 of the team’s 82 games, posting 25 wins and four shutouts. His impressive play throughout the first half of the season resulted in him signing a five-year contract with Vancouver on February 21 — exactly five months after his first contract was inked. 

“It was a great experience,” Lankinen said of his first season with the Canucks. “I loved my time here and obviously, going back to the summer, my goal was to find a place where I can showcase myself as the number one goalie. I was fortunate to get the opportunity here, and yeah, just really liked how everything worked out, and pretty happy with the season.” 

Elias Pettersson (D) was the first of two new Petterssons to enter the Canucks’ lineup this season. The defender was picked 80th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut on January 25, 2025 against the Washington Capitals. He was one of six Abbotsford Canucks to make their NHL debut this season. 

“Great experience for me. I think I learned a lot this year,” he said. 

The next Pettersson, Marcus Pettersson, ended up in Vancouver following the J.T. Miller trade on January 31. Vancouver shipped two other new Canucks, Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais, back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return. After an impressive couple of games, the elder Pettersson was signed to a six-year, $5.5M AAV contract extension on February 5 — five days after he was acquired.  

“I came into a locker room that wants to win. The care factor from all the guys is right there. Everybody loves each other and wants to push each other. So I think we have a young group, still very young group, and I think we can learn about from this year on and off the ice, and if we can learn and grow from that, but I think we’re in a great spot.” 

Accompanying Pettersson from Pittsburgh was Drew O’Connor, who also impressed with his speed and heavy forecheck early on. Like his Penguins teammate, O’Connor also signed an extension with the Canucks at the beginning of his time with Vancouver. He signed his new two-year, $2.5M AAV deal on February 18, 2025. 

“It’s been good. I’ve enjoyed the group here,” O’Connor said of his first few games with the Canucks. “Obviously, it’s been a little bit up and down the last little while, and we’d obviously like to be in playoffs, so I think we’re all pretty motivated through the summer to make that happen. But it’s been a great little while here that I enjoyed.” 

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.

The Washington Capitals posted an Eastern Conference-best 51-22-9 record this season and enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs as one of the favorites to make the Cup final with Alexander Ovechkin leading the way. They will face the upstart Montreal Canadiens in the first round, just as they did under similar circumstances the last time the two clubs met 15 years ago.    

The Caps won the Presidents' Trophy in 2010, with Ovechkin scoring 50 or more goals for the fourth time in his career to that point, while the Habs clinched a post-season berth in game No. 82, as they did on Thursday against Carolina. Regular season success did not matter in the playoffs, as the Canadiens pulled off the shocking upset, eliminating Washington in seven games. 

If Montreal is to pull off a similar upset in 2025, history will have to repeat itself in a few key areas. The main reason for Montreal's advancement was winning the goaltending battle.

Both clubs used two goaltenders. Washington started the series with former Hab Jose Theodore as their starter, but after losing Game 1 in overtime, the former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner was pulled in the first period of Game 2 in favor of Semyon Varlamov, who went the rest of the way.  

Jaroslav Halak was stellar in the series opener, stopping 45 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory, but after allowing six goals in a Game 2 overtime loss and three goals on 13 shots in Game 3, he was pulled in favor of 23-year-old Carey Price.

The Habs lost Game 3 and started Price in Game 4, but after falling 6-3 and facing elimination, Habs head coach Jacques Martin went back to Halak. That proved to be the difference in the series, as Halak allowed only three goals on 134 shots for the remainder of the series and stopped 41 shots in Game 7 in Washington.

14 years ago on April 26, 2010, Jaroslav Halak stopped 53 of 54 shots vs Washington as the Habs won Game 6 by a score of 4-1.

This forced a Game 7 against the President's trophy-winning Capitals.

The Habs would win that game & advance.pic.twitter.com/5TXssaYCnC

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 27, 2024

Ovechkin was dominant, with five goals and 10 points in the seven-game series, but his offense was matched by Mike Cammalleri, who had five of his 13 post-season goals against the Caps, and Montreal won the special-teams battle by a wide margin, scoring six power play goals and allowing Washington only one goal on the man advantage. 

The Caps this year have question marks between the pipes going into the playoffs, with starter Logan Thompson out injured since the beginning of April. Thompson is skating, but backup Charlie Lindgren will likely start the series.

For Montreal to have any shot, they will need Samuel Montembeault to emulate Halak’s playoff brilliance over the next two weeks.      

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.

 

The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks finished at the bottom of the NHL this season, but both have plenty of great young talent and are working to become contenders for a long time. That isn't going to be a short journey and each needs the right pieces. There seems to be some higher thinking going on ahead of the draft lottery to help the Sharks get there.

Sheng Peng reported that Sharks' GM Mike Grier said he is willing to entertain offers for the first overall pick in the 2025 draft if San Jose were to win it. The Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini last year and could very well move back for a little extra.

If #SJSharks get the No. 1 pick, Grier says he's more willing to entertain offers for it than last year.

Not that he's giving it away, he'd be looking for a Herschel Walker/Ricky Williams-type offer.

"At the top, after Schaefer, it's probably more forward-heavy."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 18, 2025

While moving back a few spots in the draft is a more likely possibility to get some extra value, the Blackhawks, who may pick right behind the Sharks this season in the draft could offer up an interesting trade.

Teams may be focusing on how to move up in this draft with their current picks and players, but the Sharks may be intrigued by an offer that includes the Blackhawks' unprotected first round pick next season. Chicago isn't expected to be much better next season, so they should still have a shot at winning the draft lottery again next year.

This would give the Blackhawks two assumed top-4 picks in the 2025 draft to progress the rebuild quicker and the Sharks would get two shots at Gavin McKenna next year. The Blackhawks would of course love to draft McKenna as well, but it's a percentage game and nothing is for certain.

The only problem I potentially see with the Blackhawks having the first and possibly second overall picks this season is that Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman, is widely regarded as the best player in the draft. Chicago doesn't need any more defensemen with Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Wyatt Kaiser, and even Louis Crevier.

While it wouldn't make a ton of sense to draft Schaefer, it is best to draft the best player available and work things out later. I think it could be a possibility since Michael Misa and James Hagens are there, but also a shot at McKenna next year for the Blackhawks may just be too good to pass up. A 1-2 punch of McKenna and Connor Bedard would more than likely lead to a Stanley Cup down the line.

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

The Montreal Canadiens will return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2021 final when their first-round series against the Washington Capitals kicks off on Monday.

Canadiens: Feels Like 2010?
Canadiens Veteran Defenseman Confirms Retirement At Playoffs’ End
Protas and Thompson Progressing But Playoff Ready?

While the objective was only to be in the mix this season for the rebuilding Canadiens, they’ve exceeded it and are now playing with house money as one of the biggest underdogs of the first round. Standing in their way are the Eastern Conference and Metropolitan Division champions, the Capitals.

The Regular Season

There is a 20-point difference in the standings between the two sides, but the Canadiens were in the best shape in the final 10 games of the season, going 7-1-2 down the stretch while Washington went 4-6-0. The D.C. outfit lost four of the six games played after sniper extraordinaire and team captain Alexander Ovechkin beat Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record. Some feared the Gr8 Chase would be a distraction during the regular season, but it became a motivator for the whole team. Still, since the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Canadiens put up 36 points on the board while the Capitals put up 31. 

The teams crossed paths three times this season, and Spencer Carbery’s men came out on top twice, but Martin St-Louis’ charges won the most recent duel 3-2 in January. The Caps’ wins came in October (6-3) and December (4-2), which means they outscored Montreal 12-8 in the season series. It’s worth noting that both of the Caps' wins came before the Canadiens turned a corner in their progression and went on a couple of impressive winning streaks.

The Attack

Throughout the season series, Cole Caufield has been the Canadiens’ top scorer with five points in three games, followed by Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson, who both have four. Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, David Savard, Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle had a single point while everyone else was kept off the scoresheet.

If the Canadiens hope to win this series, the attack must be spread around, starting with the second line. Kirby Dach is still out of action, so rookie Ivan Demidov has landed in the top six, skating alongside Newhook and Patrik Laine. If they can find a way to be a real threat to the Capitals’ defence, it will ease the pressure on the Suzuki line and cause Carbery headaches.

The attack was much more spread out for Washington, with gritty winger Tom Wilson and youngster Aliaksei Protas (who is currently sidelined with an injury) leading the way with four points apiece in three games. Ovechkin, center Dylan Strome, and right winger Taylor Raddysh all had three points, but the captain did it in two games, missing one of the duels.

Connor McMichael, Pierre-Luc Dubois, John Carlson, Jacob Chychrun, and Trevor Van Riemsdyk all scored two points in the season series, demonstrating that the Capitals have more offensive contributors.

While Ovechkin will be one of the guys to watch for the Canadiens, they can’t afford to let Wilson get too comfortable. The rugged winger has a very physical game that Montreal would do well to tame quickly. With Arber Xhekaj sitting out the last five games of the season, it’s hard to imagine St. Louis deploying him to start the series, and Guhle might have to handle the 225-pound, six-foot-four ball of hate, even though Xhekaj would have had a weight advantage on him.

The Goaltending

In net, St-Louis will go with Samuel Montembeault, the Becancour native, who had the best season of his career with 31 wins, a 2.80 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. The number one netminder has played six times against the first-round foe and has a 2-3-0 record against them, alongside a 3.49 GAA and a .893 SP. This series will be his baptism of fire; he’s among the numerous Canadiens players who have never tasted playoff hockey.

Should he struggle, Jakub Dobes will be waiting in the wings. The young netminder was in the net for the Canadiens’ only win against the Capitals this season. The Czech keeper has a 7-4-3 record this season with a 2.74 GAA and a .909 SP. Needless to say he has no NHL playoffs experience.

The situation is a bit trickier for the Capitals, Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren shared goaltending duties this season, with the former playing in 43 games and the latter 39. Thompson had the better record; he was 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .910 SP, while Lindgren was 20-14-3- with a 2.73 GAA and a .910 SP. The problem is, though, Thompson is currently dealing with an injury, and there’s no word about his availability for the start of the series.

Thompson is 1-0-1 against the Canadiens with a 3.04 GAA and a .889 SP, while Lindgren, a former Hab, is 3-1-0 against them with a 2.51 GAA and a .899 SP. Goaltenders Clay Stevenson and Hunter Sheppard have each played a game for the Caps this season, with the former allowing five goals and the latter seven. One can safely assume Carbery would likely prefer not to go there.

The Experience

If Montreal wants to come out on top, they need to find a way to stop Oveckin on the power play, something every teams in the league has been trying to do for 20 years now. It's the play you know its coming and yet seem to be unable to do anything about it. It's similar to the Hutson-Laine combination on the power play, except it seems to work every time. 

The Capitals are the far older and more experienced team, having won the Stanley Cup in 2017-18, and according to St-Louis himself, the Canadiens’ goal this season was to learn to win and handle the pressure that comes with it. It wasn’t easy, and it took them four games to secure their playoff berth under pressure. In the postseason, there is nothing but pressure, and you can’t afford to need four tries to win a game. School is in session, and the Habs must be on their best behavior to pass the next lesson, they can’t afford to sleep through the first period either.

---

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. 

Several Seattle Kraken prospects made their mark on Friday night as the Western Hockey League playoff semi-finals continued with high-stakes battles and standout performances.

Lethbridge at Calgary – Game 5 - Hurricanes Lead Series 3-2

Caden Price and the Lethbridge Hurricanes were on the verge of a clean sweep, heading into Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead over the Calgary Hitmen. But Calgary had other plans. In a thrilling overtime finish, the Hitmen edged out the Hurricanes 6-5, extending the series. Game 6 is set for Saturday, April 19th in Lethbridge, where Price and the Hurricanes will look to close it out on home ice.

Spokane at Victoria – Game 4 - Series Tied 2-2

Spokane Chiefs captain Berkly Catton delivered a statement performance in a wild 9-6 win over the Victoria Royals. Catton notched three points with two assists and a goal—his sixth of the postseason—helping his team even the series. Game 5 shifts to Victoria on Saturday. Catton, the 8th overall pick by Seattle in 2024, is Spokane’s highest NHL draft pick since Pat Falloon went 2nd in 1991. He was also recently named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending April 6, 2025.

Portland at Everett – Game 5 - Winterhawks Lead Series 3-2

It was a battle of wills between the top-seeded Everett Silvertips and the red-hot Portland Winterhawks. Kaden Hammell scored his fourth playoff goal, tying the game 2-2 late in the second. Teammate Julius Miettinen followed suit with his fifth goal of the postseason, once again leveling the score at 3-3 in the third. But Portland’s Hudson Darby broke the deadlock late, securing a 4-3 win and giving the Winterhawks their third straight victory in the series. Game 6 will take place Saturday in Portland, with Everett needing a win to force a decisive Game 7.

Related

67 WHLers Featured On NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings For The 2025 NHL Entry DraftNHL Central Scouting has released its final rankings for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. As projected, the list features plenty of WHLers, with 67 players currently in the 'Dub listed. Below are the 67 players and their final rankings
Kraken Will Have Sixth-Best Odds In 2025 Draft LotteryThe Seattle Kraken will have the sixth-best odds (7.5%) of landing the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Kraken stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News or Join the discussion with others in your hockey community on the Seattle Kraken Forum.

The day has arrived.

Saturday is the official start of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It’s a bit of a slow open, as only four of the 16 teams that qualified for the postseason will begin their respective quests for the Cup on day one.

First, the Presidents’ Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets will host the St. Louis Blues at 6 p.m. ET before the Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche at 8:30 p.m. in the nightcap.

Both games will air on TNT, with full studio coverage for pregame, intermission and postgame discussions.

Six teams will get started on Sunday, and four more on Monday before the Florida Panthers will finally get to play their playoff opener on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It’ll be the fourth time in the past five postseasons that the Cats and Bolts will face off in a best-of-7.

Tampa Bay won the first two series’ back in 2020-21 and 2021-22 while the Panthers took down the Lightning in five games last season.

This year’s series should be an extremely entertaining spectacle as both teams are loaded with talent, very well coached and full of experience.

Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said he expects the Panthers to have everyone on the active roster healthy and available for Game 1 on Tuesday.

Whether or not that ends up including injured forward Matthew Tkachuk remains to be seen.

That’s actually an area where Florida’s late series start could benefit them, as it gives Tkachuk more time to ramp up his workload and eventually rejoin the lineup.

The Panthers will be back on the ice Saturday. We’ll see whether Tkachuk is out there with his teammates, or whether he skates on his own.

Stay tuned.

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

The Hockey Show: Stanley Cup Playoffs preview, Panthers ready to push for repeat

Maurice: Decision on Tkachuk coming Monday, everyone else 'possible for Game 1'

Schedule released for Panthers playoff series against Tampa Bay

'Hopefully very, very soon': Matthew Tkachuk teases return to Panthers lineup ahead of Game 1 against Tampa Bay

Three takeaways: Some Panthers earn praise after loss in Tampa, Cats ready to focus on playoffs

It has been a whirlwind year for Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect Vasily Ponomarev.

The 23-year-old Russian forward was brought to Pittsburgh from the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2024 trade deadline as part of the blockbuster Jake Guentzel trade, and it hasn't all been smooth-sailing since.

"There’s a huge difference between Carolina hockey and here," Ponomarev said. 

And he struggled with that transition a bit, especially in the earlygoing this season. Carolina's man-to-man, defense-heavy system lies in stark contrast to Pittsburgh's offense-oriented, zone-style defensive system, and it's something that even Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) assistant general manager Amanda Kessel acknowledged that Ponomarev has needed some time to fully grasp.

"I think that he's grown a ton," Kessel said. "At the beginning of the year, some of his, kind of, coming from a different organization and playing lots of man-on-man... some of the d-zone was, at times, a bit challenging.

"But, he's responded super well and come up with huge goals for us. His two-way game is really developing. He's somebody that gives it everything he has every single night."

And Ponomarev realized he needed to make some adjustments, too. Some of it involved tweaking his playing style in relation to learning the new system, and some of it involved the mental side of the game.

 “I think right now it’s much better than it was earlier in the year," Ponomarev said. "I changed my mind mentally more, and I felt like I’ve become stronger. But my game mentality became a little bit different, and I don’t want to talk about it too much. It’s very personal.

"Nothing crazy, but I just understood that I have to play a little bit different way than I did earlier in the year. And, right now, I feel perfectly on the ice when I’m at the NHL level... and I think it’s a good point to start growing up.”

'I Have No Doubt This Thing's Going To Be Turned Around Quickly': After Lost Season, Penguins Optimistic About FutureFor one final time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins gathered at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. - this, time, for locker cleanout day.

Ponomarev mentioned some areas of that growth in his game - and in the system - during locker cleanout day on Friday. He feels that his three NHL games at the end of the season were good ones, and he will look to build off of it as the WBS Penguins head into the Calder Cup playoffs. 

He has played a huge role on that team, registering 15 goals and 40 points in 54 games. He plays a large role on both special teams units, and he had found chemistry on a line with Avery Hayes - who recently signed his entry-level contract - and Rutger McGroarty, who will likely miss the beginning of the AHL playoffs with a lower-body injury sustained at the NHL level. 

The trio has mostly been kept intact since the Prospects Challenge in August, and a lot of that chemistry has been built because of their off-ice relationship.

“I think we found our game in the middle half of this year around December," Ponomarev said. "And those are great dudes. I love them not only on the ice... off the ice, we are huge friends. I think I’m going to be missing 'Rut' in the first round, and I hope he’s joining us in the future rounds to go help us win a Calder Cup because it’s the most important achievement in our league right now.

"And that’s what we want. I think the whole team is passionate about the Calder Cup right now.”

And a Calder Cup run is something Ponomarev believes the team can achieve. He mentioned that the team's second half and more recent play has given them a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs, but - just like many others - the closeness of the team is perhaps the biggest factor.

 “I think one of the most important things is that we are really close as a team," Ponomarev said. "Together we are like a family inside the room and outside as well, because I know we love each other and I feel that everyone’s got the same passion."

And passion is certainly something that shows in Ponomarev's own game, too. His effort and energy are things that have earned him the respect of the coaching staff, and his contributions aren't going unnoticed.

WBS Penguins Fall 3-2 To Bruins, Slip In StandingsThe Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (39-23-7-1) played their 70th game of the season on Wednesday night, dropping a tightly contested 3-2 affair to the Providence Bruins, who broke a tie in the standings between the two clubs.

"I think he's an effort-driven guy," Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think he's a guy who can bring energy and help us gain momentum. He's a conscientious player defensively, he can help us on the penalty kill with his conscientious play there... but he's a momentum guy, he's an energy guy, and I think he's one of those guys who can make us harder to play against with his tenacity."

Effort is always the biggest part of the equation for Ponomarev, who is a pending-restricted free agent this summer. While signing a new contract is his top priority, he knows he needs to be both physically and mentally prepared to take a run at an NHL roster spot if given the chance with Pittsburgh next season. 

He plans to work as hard as he ever has to make that happen. But he knows he needs to make time for some other passions, too.

"I know we’ll spend some time on our go-karts this summer," Ponomarev said. "We’ll drive every day as fast as possible.”

Which RFAs Should The Penguins Keep?It should be quite the summer for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the free agent market.

---

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

LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights are set to face the Minnesota Wild in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, continuing what's been an awfully close series since Vegas entered the league in 2017.

In the 35 meetings, both in the regular season and the playoffs, Vegas has won 20 times, with a 20-14-1 mark to show for it.

This will mark the second playoff series after the teams met during the postseason of the abbreviated campaign in 2021.

Here is our top five all-time meetings between the Wild and Golden Knights:

5. Feb. 9, 2023: Vegas 5, Minnesota 1 - Though Marc-Andre Fleury had already faced the Golden Knights as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, this would be the first time Vegas would see its former netminder as a member of the Wild. The Knights arrived in St. Paul at the right time, as the Wild had lost two straight and five of seven. It was the start of a seven-game homestand for Minnesota, while Vegas was looking to build momentum at the end of a six-game road trip that saw them lose four of the first five. Vegas opened a 2-0 lead before Kirill Kaprizov scored a power-play goal in the second period to cut the Knights' lead in half. But Vegas would respond later in the period with three goals over a span of 2:26 to provide the final margin.

4. March 25, 2025: Vegas 5, Minnesota 1 - After the Knights struggled through a rough patch in January and early February, they muddled their way into late March, having lost 16 of 27 (11-11-5). But a three-game homestand sweep sent them on the road for three games, beginning in St. Paul. Vegas would maintain its momentum thanks to Jack Eichel's hat trick - all three coming against former Knight Marc-Andre Fleury. Just like two years earlier against Fleury, in the same arena, the Knights took a 2-0 lead before the Wild cut the deficit in half. But three late third-period goals in a span of 2:31 gave the Knights a four-goal advantage and extended their win streak to four games. Vegas would go on to win its next two on the road and return home with a six-game win streak.

absolutely beautiful 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/58BWxf5D7k

— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 26, 2025

3. Oct. 6, 2018: Vegas 2, Minnesota 1 - The Knights lost their first three meetings with the Wild, all in an inaugural season that saw Vegas land in the Stanley Cup Final. Minnesota was one of only two teams in the NHL that the Knights didn't beat in their first-ever season. After opening their second-ever season with a home loss to Philadelphia, the Knights started a five-game road trip in St. Paul, and the teams would end up in overtime. And after a combined five unsuccessful attempts from both teams, Erik Haula beat Devan Dubnyk in the sixth overall attempt of the shootout to give Vegas its first win of the season and first-ever victory over the Wild.

Walking off with our first win of the season 🤗 pic.twitter.com/12DEjQTy8N

— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 7, 2018

2. May 26, 2021: Minnesota 3, Vegas 0 - The Knights took a 3-1 series lead in the opening round of their seven-game series, which featured partially filled arenas due to the pandemic that shut down America a year prior. But after losing Game 5 at home, 4-2, the Knights hoped to close things out in St. Paul and avoid their third-ever Game 7. The Wild had other plans, however. Ryan Hartman, Kevin Fiala and Nick Bjugstad scored third-period goals on Fleury, while Cam Talbot would stop all 23 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the series to force a decisive Game 7.

1. May 28, 2021: Vegas 6, Minnesota 2 - After blowing their 3-1 series lead, the last thing the Knights wanted to do was lose Game 7 at home. The teams fought to a 1-1 tie after one period. Nic Hague gave the Knights a 2-1 lead just 2:05 into the second period, but Kaprizov's power-play goal at the 4:35 mark tied the game again. Unfortunately for the Wild, it would be their last goal of the season. Vegas got goals from Max Pacioretty and Zach Whitecloud to close the second, while Mattias Janmark scored two more in the third to complete the hat trick and give the Knights a 6-2 win and the series.

What. A. BARN!!!! #KnightUppic.twitter.com/nu7LQ82IOb

— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 29, 2021

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.  

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us!

This week on The Hockey Show, hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork got into the end of the playoff chases and the upcoming fun of the first round.

Joining the show were the co-hosts of the What Chaos show, DJ Bean and Pete Blackburn, who are apparently bigger fans of THS producer Rose than they are of Roy and Dave.

The boys all got into the Mikko Rantanen Bowl between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, whether the Washington Capitals can build on their amazing regular season during the playoffs, the latest edition of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers and why the Kings can possibly pull off the victory this time.

Roy and Dave also got into the upcoming series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, which could end up being one of the best of the first round.

Additionally, this week’s wins and fails included a couple ridiculous goals from top NHL prospect Gavin McKenna that he scored during the WHL Playoffs, a historic trio of playoff misses, another cell phone ending up on the ice and the amazing comeback of Gabriel Landeskog.

You can check out the full show in the video below: 

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Maurice: Decision on Tkachuk coming Monday, everyone else 'possible for Game 1'

Schedule released for Panthers playoff series against Tampa Bay

'Hopefully very, very soon': Matthew Tkachuk teases return to Panthers lineup ahead of Game 1 against Tampa Bay

Three takeaways: Some Panthers earn praise after loss in Tampa, Cats ready to focus on playoffs

Panthers end regular season with 5-1 defeat in Tampa Bay

The Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks have more in common than their lackluster seasons.

All three teams fired their coach during the season and named an interim bench boss.

Of the trio, only the Flyers’ Brad Shaw managed a (mini) revival of sorts, but that was in a small sample size: nine games.

That at least gives Shaw an outside chance at landing a spot as the team’s permanent coach.

The other two replacements coaches, Chicago’s Anders Sorensen and Boston’s Joe Sacco, are also hopeful. And one of them appears to have a better chance than Shaw to remain as the No. 1 guy.

Here’s a look at the three interim coaches and their pluses and minuses:

Brad Shaw, Philadelphia Flyers

Pluses

·      Shaw, who turns 61 later this month, directed the team to a 5-3-1 record, and young players like Tyson Foerster (nine goals in nine games), Matvei Michkov (six goals, 12 points in nine games) and Bobby Brink (eight points in nine games) excelled under him.

·      The players sang Shaw’s praises and played much looser – and scored more – under Shaw than they did for his predecessor, John Tortorella.

·      He is familiar with the organization, having coached with the Flyers for three seasons.

Minuses

·      Fair or not, he’s associated with the fired Tortorella.

·      The Flyers will probably go with a younger coach who has experience developing up-and-coming players. That said, the performances of Michkov, Foerster and Brink may give the Flyers’ brass reason to pause.

·      Philadelphia has missed the playoffs in all three years Shaw has been on the staff. This season, they had just 76 points – 11 fewer than last year.

Joe Sacco, Boston Bruins

Pluses

·      Bruins GM Don Sweeney praised Sacco, saying he did well, even though he had to coach “completely different teams” because of several in-season moves that were made.

·      Sacco is extremely familiar with the organization (including some very productive years), having been on the staff for 11 years.

·      Cam Neely, the team’s president, said Sacco would be considered for the full-time position. Lip service or an indication he liked Sacco’s work?

Minuses

·      He failed to lead the Bruins, which dealt away key players at the trade deadline, into the playoffs.

·      Boston went just 25-30-7 since Sacco replaced Jim Montgomery in mid-November.

·      As mentioned, the Massachusetts native was a longtime Boston assistant before getting the “interim” tag, and the Bruins seem to be leaning toward someone outside the organization.

Anders Sorensen, Chicago Blackhawks

Pluses

·      Though he inherited a weak roster, Sorensen’s team was competitive, and it’s noteworthy that the struggling Connor Bedard got untracked under him.

·      Sorensen, 49, is respected for his teaching ability – a mandatory trait for someone coaching a young team. In addition, his engaging personality seemed to click with his players.

·      His last three AHL teams made the playoffs.

Minuses

·      Chicago went 17-30-9 after Sorensen replaced the fired Luke Richardson in December, finishing with the NHL’s second-worst record. Sorensen called it a “rollercoaster,” but he feels the team will be better for it in the long run.

·      The Blackhawks finished 31st in goals allowed (3.56 per game) and 26th in scoring (2.73 per game), though that can be seen as more of an indictment on the roster than Sorensen’s coaching ability.

·      Shortly after Sorensen took over, the Blackhawks lost five straight and were a defensive disaster, cementing their hold on last place in the Central.

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.

This is the final edition of the Calder Tracker for the 2024-25 season. That means it’s time to put together my unofficial ballot for the NHL’s rookie of the year award. 

In each of the last two years of doing the monthly Calder Tracker, I identified each of the finalists and the winner, nailing the order of all three last year. With that said, let’s get to the top five on my unofficial ballot for the Calder. 

1. Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens

Lane Hutson was a machine for the Montreal Canadiens, transforming the way they played. Not only did he lead all NHL rookies in scoring, but he finished sixth in scoring among all defenseman and tied for second in assists with Quinn Hughes, behind just Cale Makar. 

Hutson’s 60 assists tied Larry Murphy for the NHL’s all-time rookie record for a defenseman. His ability to push the pace and drive offense from the back end is special. Although the conversation about Hutson getting into the Norris Trophy conversation seems a bit premature, that is the level of difference he’s making. 

The debate between Hutson and Celebrini raged on virtually all year. Michkov and Wolf both presented challenges to the duo atop the Calder race every month, but it always seemed to come down to the dynamic defender and the cerebral center. 

Ultimately, Hutson’s historic seasons and his pivotal role in helping the Habs into the playoffs were the edge in the race at the end of the season. Both are deserving candidates, though. 

2. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks

There wasn’t much more that Celebrini could have done this season. 

The 2024 first-overall pick was dynamite in his first NHL season, seamlessly stepping into the San Jose lineup and asserting himself as the No. 1 center. He put up 25 goals and 63 points as a rookie on a team that struggled all year long. What was most impressive, though, was that although he missed a dozen games after making his NHL debut in the season opener, he was able to consistently keep the Sharks' vibes high.

If Celebrini wins the award, it would be well deserved. Although the points were impressive, his ability to excel at the finer details of the game, from winning puck battles to positioning himself on zone exits to providing an outlet when he wasn’t the primary puck carrier, Celebrini stepped into the NHL with the poise and steadiness of a 10-year veteran. 

3. Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames

Although he fell out of the race down the stretch, Wolf’s season with the Flames was incredible. 

He was the team’s clear MVP despite it being his first season. Wolf came into the year and took hold of the starter job in the Flames crease. He was truly impressive from start to finish. 

At one point, the Flames couldn’t get a win without their rookie goaltender in net. 

His poise, battle and proficiency were all part of what made him a dark horse for Vezina votes at points in the season. Wolf belongs in the conversation for rookie of the year, and he more than deserves a finalist nod. In most seasons, what he did would likely earn him the honor, as he was one of the best rookie netminders we’ve seen in a long time. 

4. Matvei Michkov, RW, Philadelphia Flyers

He’s had some ups and downs this year, as most rookies do, but Michkov wound up with 63 points on the season, finishing second in scoring and first in goals. 

Michkov finished the year strong, really taking off after coach John Tortorella was let go. Michkov brought dynamism and skill to a Flyers lineup that desperately needed an injection of it, and with the trades of many key players throughout this season, you could see Michkov taking on a bigger role. He finished second in team scoring behind just Travis Konecny but well ahead of the rest of the pack.  

5. Will Smith, C/W, San Jose Sharks

Smith was one of the hottest rookies down the stretch. He adapted to the NHL's pace and really brought together his skills and playmaking to impact the game. 

He made a late surge up the scoring list among rookies and showcased his highlight-reel dangles and pristine passing ability throughout the final couple of months this season. He wound up finishing fourth in rookie scoring on a team that needed him to be the catalyst when Celebrini wasn’t on the ice. 

Honorable Mentions: Cutter Gauthier (ANA), Marco Kasper (DET), Logan Stankoven (CAR), Maxim Tsyplakov (NYI)

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.

The Vegas Golden Knights are heading into the playoffs with an abundance of confidence, winning the Pacific Division and ranking second in the Western Conference. Although most of the team is under contract beyond this season, some are not, and that could bode well for the Golden Knights. 

Throughout the season, GM Kelly McCrimmon has handed out contracts to Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar and Adin Hill, ensuring they remain with the team beyond this season. Despite signing five pending UFAs, the Golden Knights still head into the playoffs with players not under contract for next season.

Those players include UFAs Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Saad, Tanner Pearson, Ilya Samsonov and Group-6 UFA Jonas Rondbjerg. The pending RFAs include Nicolas Hague, Alexander Holtz and Cole Schwindt. 

Contract talks can be a distraction for some players, thinking they have to be perfect to maximize the money they can earn on their next contract. For some, it's motivation to work hard and play better, and for others, it has no effect on their performance as they believe everything will work out. 

For RFAs the pressure is lighter, the team has more control of what happens with them, and they are more than likely to work something out. For UFAs, they have more control over where they end up, but if a contending team isn't interested, they could find themselves on a bottom-feeder playing meaningless hockey. 

Playoff performances can earn players extra money on their contracts, as it's done with Chandler Stephenson or Michael Amadio. If the Golden Knights are going to go on a long run, they'll need contributions from these players. 

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.

Five Golden Knights Players Return To PracticeJack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Nicolas Hague, Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov all returned to the Vegas Golden Knights' practice today.

Breaking down which wild card team has best odds to advance to second round in NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the most unpredictable in sports with constant upsets, thrilling come-from-behind wins and stellar individual performances. The unpredictability is something that every better looks to exploit heading into the playoffs as a Stanley Cup contender usually goes down early.

Since 2014, when the NHL switched to the Divisional setup instead of the one-through-eight conference ranking setup, a wild card team has managed to take down a one seed in seven of the last ten seasons with the 2019 postseason, featuring a rare sight where all one seeds were downed.

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

Wild Card History in First Round of Stanley Cup Playoffs:

• 2024 - All #1 Seeds Advance
• 2023 - WC1 Seattle Kraken beat #1 Colorado Avalanche, WC2 Florida Panthers beat Boston Bruins
• 2022 - All #1 Seeds Advance
• 2021 - D4 Montreal Canadiens Beat #1 Toronto Maple Leafs, D4 New York Islanders beat #1 Pittsburgh Penguins
• 2020 - #7 Vancouver Canucks Beat #1 St. Louis Blues
• 2019 - All Four #1 Seeds lost
• 2018 - All #1 Seeds Advance
• 2017 - WC2 Nashville Predators Swept #1 Chicago Blackhawks, WC1 New York Rangers Beat #1 Montreal Canadiens
• 2016 - WC1 Nashville Predators Beat #1 Anaheim Ducks, WC1 New York Islanders Beat #1 Florida Panthers
• 2015 - WC1 Minnesota Wild Beat #1 St. Louis Blues
• 2014 - WC1 Minnesota Wild Beat #1 Colorado Avalanche

This means we should see one make it through to the next round this season with many wondering who it'll be?

The Senators have the highest odds to win in their first round series versus the Maple Leafs with +158 odds while the Blues and Wild are close behind with +184 and +190 odds respectively. Montreal is set up for a tough matchup against top seed in the east in Washington.

More NHL: Blues Enter Stanley Cup Playoffs As Dark Horse Contender

The Capitals limped to the finish line this season with a 4-7-1 record and a 4.25 goals against average in their final 12 games.It's the least popular option but the Habs could catch the Capitals by surprise as they already secured a championship or sorts with Alex Ovechkin breaking the all-time goal record but the team has since won two of their last six games.

It may be a bubble bursting for the Caps as they worked hard to get their captain the record and celebrated like they won a championship afterwards. They may be having a hard time refocusing and the Habs could take advantage as they've also been slow but have been playing extremely hard to secure their spot in the postseason.

More NHL: Demidov Shines in NHL Debut versus Blackhawks

I expect the Habs to push almost all of these games to the over as they've been red hot with a 15-5-6 record in their final 26 games. Montreal also got a massive momentum boost with the injection of rookie Ivan Demidov into the lineup.

The 19-year-old Russian superstar scored and dished for an assist in his NHL debut. His presence added even more life into a team that has a lot of potential with most of the team gaining experience from a run to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2021 during the Pandemic.

The Habs also have a much better history of playoff success with the Capitals having lost five straight first round matchups with their last win being their Stanley Cup Final win in 2019. I expect the Capitals being the ones to choke once again and you can get in on the Habs at a decent price tag with +106 odds to cover a series spread of +1.5 meaning they can win the series or lose in game seven.

I like the idea of adding the Habs series spread at +2.5 with -240 odds and parlaying it with the Carolina Hurricanes to down the New Jersey Devils in the first round at -280 odds. The Canes have won at least one playoff series in six straight seasons and when added with Montreal, gives us a very solid parlay with -109 odds. 

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

The seemingly unstoppable London Knights defeated the Erie Otters in overtime to sweep their second-round series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

London has played eight playoff games and come away with eight wins. Neither the Owen Sound Attack nor the Erie Otters managed to put so much as a dent in their armor as they marched towards a repeat of last year's championship season. 

They are the only team to remain undefeated through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan leads the team in points with a stunning eight goals and 13 assists in eight games. Although he sits three points behind playoff leading scorers Ilya Protas and Liam Greentree, his points per game average of 2.625 is very comparable to their 2.66 points per game. 

Besides Cowan, London boasts six players who have all averaged at least a point per game so far in the playoffs, including Denver Barkey, Kasper Halttunen, Sam O'Reilly, Sam Dickinson and Landon Sim.

Frontenacs Tie The Series At Two The Kingston Frontenacs tied the series against Barrie at two earlier tonight with a 9-4 win on home ice. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Tuomas Uronen led his team, scoring a hattrick before the end of the second period.

Facing elimination, the Otters put up a fantastic fight in the game. After the first period, the two teams were tied at one, with Cowan and Pano Fimis scoring goals. 

Erie's Ty Henry scored in the opening minutes of the second period to give the Otters a 2-1 lead that they managed to maintain until Sam O'Reilly and Sam Dickinson scored a pair of power play goals near the end of the second period to take a 3-2 lead.

London's power play played a huge role in this game, as it has in the postseason in general. Operating at a 30 percent success rate, the London power play is the second-best remaining in the playoffs. 

Senators Prospect Keeps Rangers Hopes Alive Last night, Senators prospect Luke Ellinas kept the Kitchener Rangers' season alive by scoring all three goals in their 3-0 win over the Windsor Spitfires. 

Early in the third period, Malcolm Spence tied the game at three and ended up forcing overtime. The Otters found goals in critical moments despite being outshot 50-28 during the game. 

Just under seven minutes into the first overtime period, Sam O'Reilly ended the game and the series by crashing the net and slipping a puck into the Erie goal. 

Based on their roster and unbeaten start the postseason, the Knights have to be viewed as the favourites to win a second consecutive OHL Championship.

They will await the winner of the series between Windsor and Kitchener. The Spitfires currently hold a 3-1 series lead and could end the series tonight at home. Puck drop is a 7:05 p.m. at the WFCU Centre in Windsor.

---

The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are upon us, and we continue to predict how the first round will go.

On Thursday, we posted our picks to win the Western Conference’s four series. And today, this writer is predicting the winners of each Eastern Conference first-round matchup.

Every year, we say the same thing: this writer’s picks are our best guesses to emerge as first-round winners. However, we’re also going to examine which factors could go in the other team’s favor.

Now, here are our breakdowns for the NHL's four Eastern Conference series:

Washington Capitals (M1) Vs. Montreal Canadiens (WC2)

Season series: 2-1 Washington

Why Washington will win:The Capitals handily beat the Canadiens in their first two games, winning by a combined score of 10-5. There’s every reason to think they’ll eliminate the Habs from the post-season. 

The Capitals have the NHL’s second-best offense, averaging 3.49 goals-for per game. That’s far and away better than Montreal’s 2.96. 

On defense, Washington’s 2.79 goals against per game is also significantly better than Montreal’s 3.18 goals-against average. By virtually every metric, the Capitals are the better team, and on paper, at least, they should dispose of the Canadiens rather easily.

Why Montreal will win: Nobody expected the Canadiens to qualify for the post-season, so they’re playing with house money. 

Montreal’s group of young, fast and skilled skaters very well may push Washington to its limit in Round 1. The Habs did beat the Capitals in their last showdown, and the Caps went 4-7-0 in their final 11 regular-season games, so Washington’s flaws may be exposed by Habs coach Martin St-Louis. 

Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault posted a .922 save percentage in April, and if he can stay hot, Montreal might frustrate the Capitals to the point a series upset becomes a reality.

Prediction: Capitals in seven games

The Canadiens went 7-1-2 in their final 10 games, so the notion they’re going to be steamrolled by the Capitals is far-fetched. However, Washington is extremely well-coached, and they’ve got a great goalie in Logan Thompson who will be the difference for them. We expect Montreal to put up a fierce fight and extend the series to a seventh game, but the Caps’ all-around depth will be enough to push them into Round 2.

NHL Playoff Predictions 2025: Which West Teams Win Round 1? Expect An UpsetThe first-round matchups are finalized for the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs. That means it’s time for the time-honored tradition of THN.com playoff predictions. 

Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) Vs. Ottawa Senators (WC1)

Season series: 3-0 Ottawa

Why Toronto will win:The Senators swept the season series with the Maple Leafs, but after Ottawa’s last win over Toronto on March 15, the Leafs went 13-2-1 to finish the regular season atop the Atlantic Division. 

The Leafs ended the year with the NHL’s seventh-best offense and the league’s eighth-best defense. The Sens had the NHL’s 18th-best offense and 13th-best defense. 

Toronto’s defense is deeper and stronger than Ottawa’s, and while the Buds have their flaws, they have many lineup options if things don’t go well for them early. Coach Craig Berube is also a stellar motivator and tactician. Advantage(s): Toronto.

Why Ottawa will win: The Senators looked like the Leafs’ equal in their three regular-season games, and all the pressure in this series will be on Toronto. 

Sens goalie Linus Ullmark was acquired last summer to give the Senators better performances in net, and with a .910 SP and 2.72 GAA in 44 appearances, Ullmark has delivered on that front. 

The Sens’ young core will be getting the first taste of playoff hockey. If their stars, including Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens, can provide enough offense, Ottawa can capitalize on Toronto’s penchant for playoff letdowns and shock the Maple Leafs into a first-round defeat.

Prediction: Maple Leafs in six games

The stakes for the Leafs couldn’t be higher, and it all starts with the incredible pressure of the Battle of Ontario. But while we think the Senators’ future is extremely bright, Toronto has never had a better back end than the one they’ve currently got, and Leafs stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies will be too much for the Sens to handle. It won’t be easy for Toronto, but we see a Leafs win in Round 1.

Maple Leafs Are NHL's Hottest Team Entering The Playoffs, But Senators Are No Slouches EitherThe Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators faced the prospect of playing nothing games on Thursday night.

Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) Vs. Florida Panthers (A3)

Season series: 2-2 tie

Why Tampa Bay will win:The Lightning and Panthers were notably different this season. Tampa Bay went a thoroughly mediocre 27-20-4 by Feb. 1, then went 20-7-4 the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Panthers went 40-21-3 by March 8 before going 7-10-1 through the end of the season. 

The Bolts clearly have the momentum advantage, and Lightning GM Julien BriseBois has added tremendous depth. Tampa Bay has the better goalie in the series in Andrei Vasilevskiy, and so long as they stay healthy, the Bolts will be able to outlast Florida in a long and physically taxing series.

Why Florida will win: The Panthers have been a banged-up group, and they lost home-ice advantage to the Lightning. But Florida will get heart-and-soul left winger Matthew Tkachuk back, likely at the start of the series. Star defenseman Aaron Ekblad also will return in Game 3 of the series, giving the Panthers a far better defense corps than Tampa Bay’s group of blueliners. 

Trade acquisition Brad Marchand can and will be a difference-maker and a true thorn in the Lightning’s side. For those reasons, Florida is every bit Tampa’s equal – and then some.

Prediction: Panthers in seven games

This series will be one of the most brutal of any first-round matchup, and there’s not going to be anywhere close to a sweep for either side. But we’ve got a hunch the Panthers will have slightly more skill, grit and determination to emerge as the victors here. The Lightning will put up a terrific fight, but one of these two teams will go home bitterly disappointed, and we’re confident that Florida will find a way to outlast Tampa Bay.

NHL Playoffs 2025 First-Round Schedule: Dates, Times, Where To WatchThe schedule for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is here.

Carolina Hurricanes (M2) Vs. New Jersey Devils (M3)

Season series: 2-2 tie

Why Carolina will win:The Hurricanes knew they’d be playing the Devils for weeks now, and Carolina tried to drastically improve its roster this year. 

Once again, the Hurricanes’ defense corps is one of the NHL’s deepest and most balanced groups. Carolina is not lacking for speed and skill up front, either. 

Their consistency stands out, as the Hurricanes have the NHL’s ninth-most goals-for per game, 10th-fewest goals against per game and the NHL's very best penalty kill. Carolina desperately needs a long playoff run. Against an injury-depleted Devils team, they’re likely to start on the right foot.

Why New Jersey will win: While no team that loses a superstar like Jack Hughes should be considered anything other than an underdog, New Jersey got back top D-man Dougie Hamilton, giving the Devils a competitive defense corps. 

Given that few people will be picking New Jersey to win this series, the Devils will be playing freer and easier – and perhaps, do what many believe they can’t do by sending Carolina packing.

Prediction: Hurricanes in five games

Sorry, Devils fans, but without Hughes, New Jersey can’t compete with a well-coached, well-built Hurricanes squad. Carolina needs its goalies to deliver despite massive pressure on them, but the same can be said for New Jersey’s netminding. We don’t believe Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom can outperform Frederik Andersen and/or Pyotr Kochetkov. The Hurricanes may be eliminated in Round 2, but this series should go in the Hurricanes’ favor.

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.