The Phils again seized a quick lead and received a strong, strikeout-heavy performance from their starting pitcher. Zack Wheeler struck out 13 Marlins in a 7-2 win Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
In seven innings, Wheeler allowed five hits and two runs. He walked none.
Wheeler tossed a seven-pitch, all-strike first inning. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara was in for a much bumpier ride.
Though he lined out to center field, Bryson Stott had an exemplary, eight-pitch leadoff at-bat. Trea Turner walked and Bryce Harper then hammered a slider into the right field second deck.
A day after grabbing a 5-1 lead in the first inning against San Francisco, the Phillies stretched their advantage to 6-0 in the second. Alcantara needed 53 pitches to get four outs and didn’t reach the third inning.
Max Kepler opened the bottom of the second with another excellent at-bat and walked. J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm and Johan Rojas all smacked singles and the Phillies kept on scoring with assistance from two Alcantara wild pitches.
Meanwhile, Wheeler did smooth, no-nonsense work. He leaned on his four-seam fastball early and retired the first seven hitters he faced.
Through five innings, just one Marlin made it to second base. Eric Wagaman broke through for Miami with a two-out, two-run homer off of Wheeler in the sixth, but the Phillies had no trouble seeing their win through.
Kyle Schwarber provided the team’s only run after the second inning when he cracked a long ball in the fifth off of lefty reliever Anthony Veneziano. Tanner Banks pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Ruiz handled the ninth.
Twenty games in, the 2025 Phillies sit at 12-8.
Injury updates
Nick Castellanos returned to the lineup after leaving Thursday’s win with left hip flexor tightness. He went 2 for 3 before Kody Clemens replaced him in the fifth inning.
Brandon Marsh missed his second straight game with a right knee injury. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Marsh did some running pregame and would’ve been available to play in an emergency situation.
With Marsh still out, Rojas started his third consecutive game in center field. He’s gone 3 for 8 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base during that stretch.
Weekend slate
Taijuan Walker (1-1, 2.30 ERA) and Cal Quantrill (1-1, 5.79 ERA) are set to start Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Jesus Luzardo (2-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch against his former team Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Connor Gillispie (0-2, 6.63 ERA) is Miami’s scheduled starter for the series finale.
The Phils again seized a quick lead and received a strong, strikeout-heavy performance from their starting pitcher. Zack Wheeler struck out 13 Marlins in a 7-2 win Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
In seven innings, Wheeler allowed five hits and two runs. He walked none.
Wheeler tossed a seven-pitch, all-strike first inning. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara was in for a much bumpier ride.
Though he lined out to center field, Bryson Stott had an exemplary, eight-pitch leadoff at-bat. Trea Turner walked and Bryce Harper then hammered a slider into the right field second deck.
A day after grabbing a 5-1 lead in the first inning against San Francisco, the Phillies stretched their advantage to 6-0 in the second. Alcantara needed 53 pitches to get four outs and didn’t reach the third inning.
“We’ve seen him a lot,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He probably wasn’t as sharp as he normally is, but I thought we were very disciplined. … I really liked our approach against him.”
Max Kepler opened the bottom of the second with another excellent at-bat and walked. J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm and Johan Rojas all smacked singles and the Phillies kept on scoring with assistance from two Alcantara wild pitches.
Meanwhile, Wheeler did smooth, no-nonsense work. He leaned on his four-seam fastball early and retired the first seven hitters he faced.
“Every time he goes out there, it’s special,” Harper said. “He pounds the zone, understands what he needs to do. I thought he was very sharp today.”
“Just getting into my front leg a little bit better,” he said. “My fastball was playing well, spinning nice and true how you want it to be. The split was playing well of of that. J.T. called a great game, just keeping them off balance, for the most part.”
Through five innings, one Marlin made it to second base. Eric Wagaman broke through for Miami with a two-out, two-run homer off of Wheeler in the sixth, but the Phillies had no trouble seeing their win through.
Kyle Schwarber provided the team’s only run after the second inning when he cracked a long ball in the fifth off of lefty reliever Anthony Veneziano. Tanner Banks pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Ruiz handled the ninth.
Twenty games in, the 2025 Phillies sit at 12-8.
Injury updates
Nick Castellanos returned to the lineup after leaving Thursday’s win with left hip flexor tightness. He went 2 for 3 before Kody Clemens replaced him in the fifth inning.
“At that time I didn’t really want him to run the bases,” Thomson said. “And we were up 7-0, so I felt pretty comfortable with it just to get him out of there and make sure he’s safe.”
Brandon Marsh missed his second straight game with a right knee injury. Thomson said Marsh did some running pregame and would’ve been available to play in an emergency situation.
With Marsh still out, Rojas started his third consecutive game in center field. He’s gone 3 for 8 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base during that stretch.
Weekend slate
Taijuan Walker (1-1, 2.30 ERA) and Cal Quantrill (1-1, 5.79 ERA) are set to start Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Jesus Luzardo (2-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch against his former team Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Connor Gillispie (0-2, 6.63 ERA) is Miami’s scheduled starter for the series finale.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza discusses a number of different topics prior to Friday night's game against the Cardinals...
Núñez back soon?
Dedniel Núñez continues working his way back to the club.
The hard-throwing right-hander took the ball again on Friday night down in Triple-A and he put together another scoreless inning, striking out two as he worked around a pair of one out walks.
He threw 28 pitches and now has posted a zero in three consecutive appearances.
Núñez won't throw on Friday, but it appears he could be closing in on a return to the Mets' bullpen very soon.
"He continues to do whatever we ask him to do," the skipper said. "Now it's just a matter of when do we call him up. He pitched last night, definitely down today, so we'll see what we have in the next couple of days."
Núñez was optioned to Syracuse at the end of spring training so that he can properly ramp up after suffering a pronator strain in his right forearm last August.
When healthy, he was one of the Mets' most effective relievers, pitching to a 2.31 ERA across 25 appearances.
New York's bullpen has been spectacular thus far this season, but there's no denying that getting him back in the mix would be another big boost.
McNeil impresses in center
Jeff McNeil got his first taste of center field on Friday night and he looked strong.
The versatile defender played six innings for the St. Lucie Mets and he made all of the plays that came his way, including an impressive sliding catch to leadoff the game.
Mendoza likes what he heard from the early reports down in Single-A.
"We all saw the play he made," he said. "Overall, I thought he played well. Talking to some of the guys there, he should be here today so I'll talk to him -- he's going to get checked out again before heading back to Binghamton. But the reports that we got he looked really good."
New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuna (2) runs up the first base line after hitting an RBI double against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
It remains to be seen whether or not McNeil will actually see time in center when he makes his return from the injured list, but he's been mentioned in the mix along with Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor.
With McNeil closing in on his return, it means one of Luisangel Acuña or Brett Baty could potentially find themselves back off the roster soon.
The youngsters struggled early, but they've picked things up of late, making that decision all that more difficult.
"We'll cross that bridge when he have to," Mendoza said. "It's going to be a very difficult decision whether we decide to send one of them or we decide to keep both here because they're playing well -- I hope that's the case."
What Mets have learned about Kranick
Max Kranick didn't pitch for the Mets last season -- but this year he's quickly developed into a weapon for them.
The young right-hander has mastered the transition to the bullpen, building off his strong spring training to allow just two earned runs while striking out seven over his first seven appearances this season.
Mendoza has loved what he's seen from him thus far.
"He's a great kid, a competitor, wants to win," he said. "He's willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win baseball games. The biggest thing for me is his ability to bounce back -- we've asked a lot out of him early on with his ability to throw multiple innings.
"After an off day I'll check with him and he's like I'm ready to go if you need me. On days where I'm probably trying to stay away from him, the fact that he's telling me I'm ready if you need me to go -- that for me has been the biggest thing that I've learned from him. He's adjusting really well."
Because of his past injury troubles, the Mets will continue to monitor his workload moving forward.
But early on, Mendoza has been impressed with his willingness to take the ball whenever called upon.
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.
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.
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.
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Rob Pelinka began this campaign by taking a risk and hiring an unproven coach right out of the broadcast booth in J.J. Redick. At midseason, he pulled off a shocking, all-time blockbuster of a trade, bringing Luka Doncic to the Lakers, setting the team up as contenders now and providing a bridge to the future. His Lakers finished with 50 wins and are the No. 3 seed in the West.
He's earned the contract extension and new title the team announced on Friday. Pelinka is now officially the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager.
"For eight seasons, I have relied on Rob's vision and leadership to do what's best for the Lakers organization," said Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. "I value his partnership and professionalism and believe in his ability to deliver championship-caliber basketball for Los Angeles and Lakers fans everywhere."
Pelinka's ties to the Lakers date back to his role as Kobe Bryant's agent, a position he held before joining the team as general manager in 2017. He's had some hits and some misses since he arrived in Los Angeles, but he understood how to leverage the Lakers' brand and their highly desirable location to keep the team a threat in the West. That said, he entered this season knowing he had a good team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rising stardom of Austin Reaves, but there was no bridge to a post-LeBron era in the season he turned 40. Davis, as good as he is, was not that guy. Then the Doncic trade was gifted to Pelinka by Nico Harrison and the Mavericks.
"We have a 25 year old global superstar that's going to get on the stage of the most popular and influential basketball brand on the globe," Pelinka said at Doncic's introductory press conference. "And I think when those two powerful forces come together, it brings basketball joy to the world, because that's how Luca plays. He plays with joy. And if you think about kids in Barcelona or kids in Buenos Aires, or children in Shanghai or Sydney, they're going to be wearing a number 77 Luca Doncic Lakers Jersey, and bringing joy to basketball, just like he does. And that's why it's powerful."
It's powerful for the Lakers brand, and it's one reason Pelinka has even more job security now.
Rob Pelinka watches as new head coach JJ Redick talks with the media during his introductory news conference last summer. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On the eve of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers showed executive Rob Pelinka that they think he’s the right person to help lead their future, rewarding him with a contract extension and the title of president of basketball operations.
Pelinka, previously the vice president of basketball operations, retains the title of general manager. He last agreed to a four-year extension in 2022.
“For eight seasons, I have relied on Rob’s vision and leadership to do what’s best for the Lakers organization,” Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “I value his partnership and professionalism and believe in his ability to deliver championship-caliber basketball for Los Angeles and the Lakers fans everywhere.”
Pelinka re-established himself as the trusted and clear leader of the Lakers’ basketball operations department this season, first by hiring JJ Redick last summer. Then, Pelinka struck a pair of trades, first for Dorian Finney-Smith and second for Luka Doncic, that it made clear that his position within the organization was more than safe.
Friday’s finalized extension was viewed as mostly a formality in NBA circles following the Doncic trade. Terms of the extension weren’t announced.
Pelinka, Kobe Bryant’s longtime agent, built a championship roster around the trade for Anthony Davis in 2020 only to receive criticism for how it was dismantled. Within two years, the team had added Russell Westbrook, fired Frank Vogel and hired Darvin Ham. After trading Westbrook, Ham and the Lakers reached the Western Conference finals.
But following a second straight playoff elimination by Denver, Pelinka again fired the coach and hired Redick. The front office drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, signed Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract and made the Finney-Smith and Doncic deals to put the Lakers in position to host Game 1 of a first-round series Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Orlando Magic are heading into their first-round NBA playoff series against the Boston Celtics as heavy underdogs, and if they’re going to have any chance at pulling off a historic upset, Paolo Banchero needs to deliver an all-time performance.
Banchero, who was selected by the Magic with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is a rising star. He averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season.
The 22-year-old forward has tremendous size, length and athleticism at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds.
Banchero is a legit centerpiece for Orlando. They’ve had a few in the franchise’s 36-year history, including Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and most recently Dwight Howard. Banchero is talented enough to join that group, but winning is the only way to do it.
One way for the Magic to have a chance at making this series versus the Celtics a long one is to slow the game down. Part of that is getting to the free throw line, and Banchero’s 8.4 attempts in the regular season ranked fourth-most in the league. And since the All-Star break he’s been averaging 9.2 free throw attempts per game. Banchero is great at using his quickness and strength to get to the rim, draw contact and finish.
The Magic are a great defensive team. They ranked No. 2 in defensive rating and play very physical on that end of the floor. But defense alone won’t give them a chance to win this series. They have to score at a much higher rate than they did in the regular season. Boston scored the eighth-most points at 116.3 per game. Orlando ranked 28th with 105.4 points per game.
If the Magic are going to close that 10-point gap, Banchero has to take his game to another level. And it’s possible he could get there. Just look at the Magic’s first-round series against the Cavaliers last season.
It was Banchero’s first time in the playoffs, and he didn’t look rattled at all. He averaged 27 points, 8.6 rebounds and four assists per game in the series. His best performance came in Game 7 at Cleveland, where he scored 38 points with 16 rebounds and three steals. Unfortunately for the Magic, their other four starters shot a combined 9-for-42 and they lost 106-94.
Paolo Banchero euros his way past the defense for the easy layup!
Banchero won’t just be asked to lead the offense for the Magic. He needs to be a stopper on defense, too.
The one head-to-head matchup where the Celtics played the Magic at full strength this season came on Jan. 17 at TD Garden. The C’s won by 27, but Banchero excelled defensively. He spent most of his time guarding Jayson Tatum and limited the Celtics superstar to four points on 1-for-4 shooting in that matchup. Tatum shot 11-for-17 against other Magic players in that game. Overall, Celtics players shot 1-for-9 that night when Banchero was the primary defender.
It’s probably a little too early for the Magic to make a statement in the playoffs. This is a really young team, and the Celtics have a distinct advantage in playoff experience, talent, depth and coaching. This should be a short series.
But the Magic play hard. They don’t quit. Banchero is going to be a superstar in the very near future. He has the potential to make this a five- or six-game series if he dominates at both ends of the floor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Australian goes down 7-5, 6-3 against the world No 2
Victory gives the Spaniard a 4-0 record in head-to-heads
Alex de Minaur’s 50th tour-level quarter-final has ended in defeat, the Australian No 1 beaten 7-5 6-3 in 100 minutes by defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at the Barcelona Open.
De Minaur began well, breaking the top seed in the third game before taking a 3-1 lead, and breaking again in the seventh after Alcaraz had broken back. But the Spaniard took four of the last five games to claim the set.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Chris Woodward doesn’t have any hard feelings toward the Texas Rangers.
Just some awkward ones about being back this week.
“I don’t know if I’m looking forward to it,” the Dodgers first base coach said with an uncertain chuckle on Wednesday, ahead of his first return trip to Arlington since his time as Rangers manager ended with a midseason firing in 2022.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people … just the whole staff, the assistant trainers, just people I haven’t seen,” he added. “But I don’t know if it’s something that’s on my bucket list to go back and do.”
Such conflicting emotions mirror the way Woodward reflects on his Rangers tenure at large — a four-season stint with what was then a rebuilding ball club that taught Woodward much, but ended on a sour note.
“I don’t have any regrets or any bad feelings toward anything,” he said. “Obviously, there were some disagreements that led to me not being there anymore. But I have nothing but respect for everybody. I don’t hold a grudge. Life’s too short, man. Honestly, I take that experience as a really positive thing.”
Originally hired by the Rangers in November 2018, after serving as the third-base coach on back-to-back pennant-winning Dodgers teams, Woodward’s first season in charge in Texas began with promise.
Joey Gallo and Hunter Pence led the offense as All-Star selections. Mike Minor and Lance Lynn anchored a veteran core of pitchers. In late June, the Rangers were 10 games over .500, far outpacing modest preseason expectations.
But then, the vagaries of baseball set in.
Gallo and Pence suffered season-ending injuries. The pitching staff began to crumble beneath a lack of reliable depth. What had started as a “decent” year, Woodward said, ended with the Rangers limping to 78 wins.
And after fading following a 10-9 start in 2020, the Rangers never had a winning record under Woodward again.
Instead, Texas entered a rebuild, giving Woodward’s job a much more developmentally focused bent.
Behind the scenes, the organization created entirely new personnel departments, reimagined player development processes and administered ever-changing responsibilities to members of the coaching staff. Woodward had a hand in every bucket, trying to establish everything from hitting style to base-running technique to a roster-wide focus on all-around fundamentals.
Compared to a fully-fledged contender like the Dodgers, it almost felt like building from the ground up.
“Here [with the Dodgers], it’s such a well-oiled machine. Yeah, we make little adjustments to things here and there, but no major changes,” Woodward said.
In Texas, on the other hand, “we added a lot of resources and a lot of things while I was there, which was necessary. Because we had to get caught up to ‘championship standards,’ is what I called it.”
Chris Woodward managed the Texas Rangers from 2019 until he was fired in Aug. 2022 with one year remaining on his contract. (LM Otero / Associated Press)
“When everything’s a blank canvas,” he added, “it’s not as easy as people think.”
The losses along the way were difficult (the Rangers were 133-203 over Woodward’s final three seasons, finishing in last place twice).
The fire-sale trades of team stalwarts such as Gallo and Lynn were “probably one of the harder things to deal with,” Woodward recalled.
And when the Rangers failed to take a step forward in 2022, despite their marquee free-agent signings of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager (the ex-Dodgers shortstop whom Woodward helped woo to Texas) the previous offseason, discontent among the club reached a boiling point.
In an unexpected move, Woodward was fired on Aug. 15, 2022, with a year remaining on his contract.
“I tell a lot of the staff here that’s never managed, ‘Each year, you feel like you’ve aged five,’” said Woodward, who returned to the Dodgers in a special advisor role the following winter, before rejoining the on-field staff this year as first-base coach following Clayton McCullough’s hiring by the Miami Marlins.
“It’s kind of like being president, in a way,” the 48-year-old Woodward added. “You see guys age right before your eyes.”
But through those trials — which also included the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Rangers’ move into a new stadium during an era of social distancing — Woodward also came to find perspective and growth.
“I know I aged a lot in those four years, but in a good way,” he said. “I think I grew wiser, and understood how to lead and just get better every year.”
It’s part of the reason why, when the Rangers won the World Series in 2023 — in Bruce Bochy’s first season as Woodward’s successor — Woodward felt pride rather than resentment; confident he had left his old club in a better place than he found it.
“Those four years, I was really proud of, when I left,” he said. “[The club] was in a much better spot internally, all the way from the staff to the front office to the sports science to all the different things that we did … Everything was in line. And they won. Proud of that.”
It doesn’t mean Woodward will be in for a big ovation when he returns this weekend, during the Dodgers’ three-game series at Globe Life Field. He said his old friends in Dallas joked they should all come to form a cheering section, “because you just don’t know the reaction you’re going to get” from the rest of the crowd.
But when asked to reflect on his time with the Rangers this week, the potential awkwardness of the return didn’t overshadow the silver linings Woodward took from his tenure.
“Tremendous experience. Grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “I just think it’s important that you learn and grow.”
![Sam O'Reilly scored the series-winning goal against Erie. His five goals and 10 assists places him third in scoring on the team [Luke Durda/OHL Images].](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_articles_331/14b4f48ed0dc80d9308a7a18d171dc66)
