Old Foes, New Chapter: Inside the Kings-Oilers Playoff Saga

© Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings collide in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth year in a row. What began two decades ago as a conflict of the Western Conference titans has evolved into one of the most intense and compelling rivalries in the NHL. 

With the 2025 first-round series now booked, the Kings are looking for payback following three consecutive first-round exits by Connor McDavid and the Oilers. But to appreciate the stakes of this series, you need to know the history—a legacy that began during the Wayne Gretzky era.

The Gretzky Years: Birth of a Rivalry 

In the early 1980s, the Oilers were a dominant team, boasting superstars like Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and Paul Coffey. The Kings, meanwhile, were seen mainly as underdogs—until 1982, when they posted one of the greatest upsets in NHL history, known as the "Miracle on Manchester."

In Game 3 of their best-of-five series, the Kings overcame a 5-0 third-period deficit to defeat the Oilers 6-5 in overtime, eventually taking the series in five games. 

But that was just the beginning. When the Kings acquired Wayne Gretzky in a blockbuster trade in 1988, the rivalry intensified. Los Angeles became an overnight hockey town, and the two teams would meet again in the playoffs four times over the next five years. 

From 1989 to 1992, the Oilers defeated the Kings in three of their four playoff meetings, including a seven-game series that proved back-breaking in 1989. Despite the presence of the trio of superstars Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Rob Blake, the Kings never quite managed to surpass their northern rivals.

A Sleeping Rivalry Awakens 

After the early 1990s, the playoff wars between the Kings and Oilers became dormant. There was a time when each franchise went into rebuild phases, and the fiercely contested playoff matches were nothing more than a forgotten memory. This all came to an end in 2022, as modern-day incarnations of the Kings and Oilers eventually met for the first time in the first round of the playoffs.

That set a new benchmark. The Kings, a ravenous young group that included veteran players like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, pushed high-scoring Oilers to seven games. Although the Kings lost to Edmonton, the series showed the city of Los Angeles was again on the roster.

They reunited again in 2023. The Kings began quickly this time, taking a 2-1 series lead, but were unable to keep McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at bay, as they combined for 21 points between them in six games. The Oilers wrapped up the series in six.

By 2024, the tale was starting to sting. The Kings were again outclassed in the first round, beaten in five games by an Oilers squad that was purring along at full throttle. Even after beefing up their depth and defense, the result remained the same.

2025: The Kings' Best Opportunity Yet?

This year has a different tone to it than any other year these two teams have met. The Kings won a franchise record 31 games at home this season and secured home-ice advantage over Edmonton for the first time in this four-year cycle. Their goalie tandem of Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich has given them quality work down the stretch, and Kevin Fiala just completed a career-high 35-goal season.

Most significantly, Los Angeles enters this series with a balanced roster. While the Oilers still have otherworldly offense in McDavid and Draisaitl, the Kings counter with a deeper bottom six, an improved defensive setup, and a higher level of desperation.

Quinton Byfield has established himself as a two-way presence, and young stars like Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere have given the Kings valuable secondary scoring. Drew Doughty patrolling the blue line and Kopitar still playing elite hockey well into his late 30s, L.A. may possess the right mix to dethrone the Oilers.

X-Factors and Legacy

This series will hinge on X-factors. Goaltending will be a massive concern: if Kuemper can match Skinner save for save, the Kings can ride in every game. Fiala's clutch ability to score in pressure situations might tip the tide. And Byfield's defensive role—especially if called upon to shadow McDavid—will be critical.

Again, if the Kings can do precisely what they did in the regular season, especially with home–ice advantage in this series, they will be tough to beat. It all comes down to being consistent for the Kings, which is something they’ve lacked over the last few seasons against this team. However, only time will tell if they can flip that script starting Monday night. 

From a legacy standpoint, this season could redefine the Kings' DNA. Another postseason flameout would raise challenging questions about the long-term future of this team. But a breakthrough win over Edmonton could mark the beginning of a larger playoff run—and the end to the Oilers' psychological advantage over them. 

Final Word

With the puck being dropped on Kings-Oilers Round IV, history cannot be evaded. From the Miracle on Manchester to the present-day showdowns between McDavid and Kopitar, this has been a rivalry that has always been dramatic. And with there being more on the line than ever, the 2025 edition may be the most significant chapter yet written.

It is not about getting over it for the Kings. It is about rewriting history.

Shohei Ohtani's wife gives birth to a girl for the couple's first child

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 8, 2024: Dodgers Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, attend a Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 8. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Shohei Ohtani announced the birth of his first child on Saturday, posting on Instagram that he and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed a baby girl.

“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote in his post. “To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.”

Ohtani has been on the paternity list since Friday, and stayed back in Los Angeles during the Dodgers’ trip to Texas to face the Rangers this weekend in anticipation of the birth.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday afternoon — before learning the baby had arrived — that it remained possible Ohtani could be back in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale, though no plans had been finalized.

“I’m hopeful,” Roberts said.

Ohtani first announced that he and Tanaka were expecting back in December. The couple got married the same winter Ohtani signed his 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.

During an in-game interview on Saturday's Fox broadcast, Roberts said: "All of the baseball world, the Dodger family, is so excited for Shohei and Mamiko. Congratulations, Sho!"

Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto outduels Jacob deGrom, makes statement in Dodgers' win over Rangers

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

‘You’ll never amount to anything’: the boxing world champion you’ve never heard of

Australian Diana Prazak was told she wouldn’t make it as a boxer. She’s just been inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame

The soft early evening spring light floods the room behind the world champion you’ve probably never heard of. In front of a big poster of a shirtless Bruce Lee adorning her wall, Diana Prazak smiles and laughs often as she talks about her most unlikely career and her road to the top.

The expatriate from Melbourne is arguably the most successful professional boxer that Australia has produced – she attained the ranking of best active professional boxer pound-for-pound in 2014 – but celebration of her world champion status remains disappointingly muted in her home country.

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Mets Notes: Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña 'proving they're big league players,' latest on Francisco Alvarez

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to reporters prior to Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals and addressed a number of different topics...


Confidence in Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña

Despite riding a five-game hitting streak, Brett Baty is on the bench Saturday and Luisangel Acuña is starting at second base. Mendoza talked about his decision with the Cardinals starting LHP Matthew Liberatore, making it clear both players understand they will have plenty of chances to play.

"I don't necessarily go and tell them why, by now they both know that they are both going to get opportunities," Mendoza said. "And it doesn't necessarily have to be against the lefties or the righties. I think I gave Acuñathe other day a couple of starts against right-handed pitching. And there'll be days with Baty, he'll stay in there with lefties, too.

"I think it just comes down to continuing to build the confidence for both of them. Not only Baty, who's playing really, really well. Acuña's been playing really, really well. Just continuing to communicate with those guys that they are good major league players. And now we're seeing that... I think everybody's different and you can manage a lot of different ways."

Over the last seven games, Baty is 8-for-25 (.320) with two doubles, one triple, two RBI, one walk, and one steal while Acuña is batting .368 (7-for-19) with four runs, two doubles, one RBI, three walks, and four steals.

Jeff McNeil getting close to return

Mendoza was asked if Jeff McNeil would be ready in time to play on Monday when the Mets begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, and said they will wait and see. He's scheduled to play with Double-A Binghamton on Saturday and Sunday.

"We'll see," Mendoza said. "He's scheduled to play today and tomorrow, back-to-back. And we'll see where we're at after that."

McNeil played center field for the first time on Friday night during his rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie, logging six innings of action.

Of course, when McNeil does return, the Mets will need to make a roster decision. Mendoza gave a similar answer when asked if there's a scenario in which Baty and Acuña would both be able to stay with the team after McNeil returns.

"We'll see, we'll make that decision when we get there, we're still a few days away," Mendoza said. "The good thing is, if we are having this discussion, it's a good thing. That means Baty continues to play well, that means Acuña continues to play well and they're making that decision very tough on us. That's what we want. So hopefully that's the case in a few days from now where we got get in that room and make a difficult decision. They're both earning playing time and they're both proving they're big league players."

Plan for Francisco Alvarez

Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who's recovering from a broken hamate bone in his left hand,is nearing his return to the majors and will catch again on Saturday for Double-A Binghamton.

"Scheduled to catch nine innings today, maybe he'll DH tomorrow," Mendoza said. "As far as from the medical staff, he's going to be clear. It's now, 'Do you need more at-bats just to get your timing right? Or are you ready to come up and start playing big league games?'

"I think after he plays today, he caught nine innings last night, after he plays today, I think maybe DH tomorrow. And then after that, knock on wood, from a medical standpoint he's going to be clear."

Over six games with St. Lucie and Binghamton, Alvarez is 4-for-22 (.182) at the plate with one home run and three RBI.

Mendoza had said Thursday that Alvarez's return date will depend on if he needs more at-bats to feel ready for big league action, but he could return during the team's homestand. He also noted Luis Torrens will continue to see playing time

"They're both going to play," Mendoza said. " I got to take care of Alvy, too, I'm not going to run him into the ground. And Luis is playing well. That's a luxury to have, when you got two guys that you feel good about your chances, doesn't matter who's in the lineup. That's credit to Alvy and that's credit to Luis.

"I could see a scenario here where they both will play. Schedule will dictate a lot of that, where you're playing a lot of games in a row, day games, night games. All of that factors into the decision making, but I could see both of them playing."

José Azócar making season debut

With Jose Siri on the IL, Mendoza is giving José Azócar a chance in the starting lineup after he was added to the roster on Thursday.

"He's here and we're going to use him," Mendoza said. "It's something that I always put a lot of value, using the whole roster. Obviously giving TT (Tyrone Taylor) a day here, he's been playing a lot too and I got to protect him a little bit."

Mendoza likes what he's seen from Azócar, who hit .250 with one home run over 44 at-bats in spring training after playing the past three seasons with the San Diego Padres. He owns a .243 average with 21 RBI over 214 career major league games.

"Good ballplayer, he's a guy that can play defense, can play all three (outfield spots), can run the bases, and can give you good at-bats too," Mendoza said. "He's got some big league experience, brings a lot of energy. Yeah, I'm excited to have him here."

EA SPORTS NHL 25 Predicts Toronto Maple Leafs To Win The Stanley Cup In Playoff Simulation

EA SPORTS NHL 25

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup In EA SPORTS' NHL 25 official simulation of the 2024-25 NHL Playoffs. 

The simulation predicts Toronto to beat the Ottawa Senators 4-2 in round one, the Florida Panthers 4-2 in round two, and sweep the Montreal Canadiens in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals before beating the Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final. 

EA SPORTS accurately predicted Team Canada to win the 4 Nations Face-Off, even predicting Connor McDavid to score in overtime against Team USA in the final. 

The simulation has the Canadiens beating both the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.  

The Avalanche defeat the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets 4-1 before beating the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games to reach the Cup Final. 

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

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

Max Verstappen claims Saudi GP F1 pole after Lando Norris hits the wall

  • Championship leader will start race from 10th on grid
  • Oscar Piastri qualfies second with George Russell third

His confidence in the car already wavering, the world ­championship leader, Lando Norris, now has to cope with another serious blow to his title ­ambitions after ­crashing out in ­qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen claimed pole ­position, only one-hundredth of a second clear of Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri.

Norris is notoriously self-critical and his costly error at the Jeddah circuit might well cause him to once more deliver a brutal self-examination. His own summation in the moments after the crash summed it up as he bluntly described himself as a “fucking idiot” over team radio.

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'Got To Quiet The Noise': Craig Berube Reveals What He's Learned The Most Since Becoming Head Coach of the Maple Leafs

Apr 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube during a post game press conference after a win over the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Craig Berube is set to embark on his first Stanley Cup Playoffs as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. One day before his team takes on the Ottawa Senators in a best-of-seven first-round series, Toronto's bench boss was asked what he's learned the most about coaching the club.

"I think more than anything, it's the noise. There's a lot of noise. Got to quiet the noise," Berube said.

‘He’s Ready To Go’: Craig Berube All But Confirms Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz As Game 1 Starter Ahead Of Battle Of Ontario‘He’s Ready To Go’: Craig Berube All But Confirms Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz As Game 1 Starter Ahead Of Battle Of OntarioThe Toronto Maple Leafs held their first full skate of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday, a day before the puck drops for Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators. While head coach Craig Berube didn’t officially name his starting goaltender for Game 1, his words left little doubt, with all signs pointing to Anthony Stolarz getting the nod. 

The veteran player and coach led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019, but the rigours of dealing with the pressure in Toronto are quite different. The Maple Leafs, who have only won one playoff round since 2004, hired Berube to be their coach last summer after moving on from previous coach Sheldon Keefe.

The "noise" term was first used by former Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle, who used that term to describe the outside attention on the club back then.

'We'll See Tomorrow': Maple Leafs Reveal Lineup For Game 1 Against Senators, But Could It Change?'We'll See Tomorrow': Maple Leafs Reveal Lineup For Game 1 Against Senators, But Could It Change?The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't changing much ahead of Game 1 on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators.

This year, the Leafs are heavily favored to get past an Ottawa Senators club who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Under Berube, the Leafs have put more of a focus on defense and appear ready to bust through. But are they?

"I think we've changed, you know, coaches, stuff like that. Maybe we played a little bit of a different style of game that you maybe think is more suitable to the playoffs. But in the end, I mean, it's about executing and going out there and doing the right things, playing as a team, competing, physical, all that stuff," Matthews said.  "There's always different things, different circumstances when you go into a new season and stuff like that, especially when you have a new coaching staff and personnel, stuff like that."

Mitch (Marner) Really Held The Fort For UsMitch (Marner) Really Held The Fort For Us": Leafs GM Gives Strong Vote Of Confidence In Marner Ahead Of PlayoffsMitch Marner's performance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs could ultimately define his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Toronto Maple Leafs are to have any success during their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, their top stars are going to have to perform and Mitch Marner is certainly no exception.  

Marner, who is possibly feeling the most pressure, given he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and has been scrutinized for his past playoff performance, wasn't buying into the expectations, either.

"I don't think we're caring about any of that. We're focused as a team in here. We're not focused on anything outside of what people are saying," Marner said. "It's going to be a grind. You know it's going to be ups and downs. You just got to stay together and stick through it and, you know, lean on one another.

"It's not going to be perfect every single night. And you just got to be ready to pick each other up."


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New York Rangers Fire Head Coach Peter Laviolette

Peter Laviolette (Danny Wild-Imagn Images)

The New York Rangers organization announced on Saturday that they have fired head coach Peter Laviolette. The team has also let go of Phil Housley, who was Laviolette’s associate behind the bench.

Rangers GM Chris Drury forwarded a statement, saying, “I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first-class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach,” he said.

The Rangers had a disastrous season compared to their previous President’s Trophy-winning 2023-24 campaign. They ended that regular season with a 55-23-4 record and also advanced to the Eastern Conference final, losing to the Florida Panthers in six games.

However, this season, New York finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and six points out of a playoff spot. This was Laviolette’s second season with the Rangers after being hired for the 2023-24 campaign. His record over those two seasons with the Blueshirts was 94-59-11 with a win percentage of .607. This past season, his team finished with a 39-36-7 record.

Drury touched on what their expectations were going off of last season and how they simply weren’t met. “After finishing with the best regular-season record in the NHL a year ago and making a trip to the Eastern Conference final, we came into this season with high expectations for ourselves,” he said. “Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations.”

The Rangers GM added that their quest to find a new head coach begins “immediately.”

Late into the season, Laviolette had a hard-hitting quote that shocked the hockey world. After a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 7, Laviolette was asked post-game about what his message was to the team after the game.

He replied, "I don't have a message right now. I don't go into the locker room after the game." That started discussions and rumors that his time with the Rangers could be over.

Before his time in New York, he had coached five other teams over 21 seasons. He began his career as a head coach with the New York Islanders in 2001-02. After that, he went on to coach the Carolina Hurricanes, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals.

Aside from winning the Cup in 2006, he advanced to the Stanley Cup final two more times. Once with the Flyers in 2009-10 and the Predators in 2016-17.

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Flyers Will Face Tough Competition for Top NCAA Coach

Flyers coaching target David Carle coached USA at the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase. (Photo: David Reginek, Imagn Images)

The search for the next head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers just got a lot more complicated.

On Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks announced that they have fired head coach Greg Cronin, marking the first vacated coaching position of the 2025 offseason.

The Flyers, of course, couldn’t even make it to the end of the 2024-25 season, as they fired their head coach, John Tortorella, back on March 27.

Tortorella, 66, was at odds with many at the end of his tenure with the Flyers, as his disciplinarian style and stubbornness rubbed one too many people the wrong way one too many times.

Cronin, 61, met the same fate in Anaheim a little less than a month later.

The common theme between the Ducks and the Flyers?

Both teams have young, talented cores with a healthy mix of veteran players, and both teams were burnt out by coaches whose methods do not resonate with today’s generation of athletes.

And both teams, presumably, will be after a young, successful, progressive coach who can help transform their culture, cultivate their young talents, and grow into something great over time.

This leads the Flyers and the Ducks to the NCAA’s top NHL head coaching candidate: University of Denver head coach David Carle.

Carle, 35, has served as Denver’s head coach for seven seasons now, winning the NCAA championship twice and finishing as a semifinalist once. Prior to taking the reins, Carle won a third total NCAA championship - his first - as an understudy to current St. Louis Blues boss Jim Montgomery.

And, with a 179-74-17 record, Carle knows as much about winning as most coaches you can find out there today.

Flyers forward Bobby Brink, a former star at Denver, tried his hardest to avoid directly vouching for his old bench boss.

“I know that he’s had so much success there. He’s a great coach,” Brink said of Carle at his exit interview Saturday. “I think that he’ll do well at the NHL level. He’s not confiding in me too much. I’m guessing he’s going to get interviews, and I think any team would be lucky to have him.”

Brink isn’t the only one putting two and two together, though.

In his latest “32 Thoughts” podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman discussed the Flyers and Carle, noting that the Flyers and other NHL teams will have to make it “hard for him to say no.”

“I think the Flyers are like the Ducks,” Friedman added. “They’ve kind of said, ‘Ok, it’s been enough of this. It’s time to go for it a little bit.’”

So, if the Flyers and Ducks were not already superimposed by the highly-controversial Jamie Drysdale-Cutter Gauthier trade from last January, they are now.

A top college coach like Carle, or any coaching candidate, for that matter, will have to look at the Ducks and Flyers and choose between Matvei Michkov, Drysdale, Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Brink, a top 2025 NHL Draft selection, and no immediate goaltending solutions and Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Jackson Lacombe, and two rock-solid goalies in John Gibson and Lukas Dostal.

Despite having coached both Brink and Terry, as well as Flyers prospect Massimo Rizzo, it is clear which team is best equipped to start winning, both now and in the future.

Another thing to consider, from Carle’s perspective, is each team’s respective recent head coaching history.

The Ducks have gone through just five coaches, including interim coaches, since 2011: Bruce Boudreau, Flyers adviser Bob Murray, Randy Carlyle, Dallas Eakins, and the recently fired Cronin.

For the Flyers, assuming Brad Shaw is not retained as the head coach, they’ll have gone through eight coaches since 2011: Peter Laviolette, Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol, Scott Gordon, Alain Vigneault, Mike Yeo, Tortorella, and Shaw.

At 35, Carle is a young guy with a young family. Will he risk his cozy and successful position at Denver for a potentially chaotic one in Philadelphia? Can the Flyers make assurances, and generally, a better offer, than other teams?

By making an offer to Carle to begin with, the Flyers would have recognized they are signing up for a long-term project with a long-term solution, rather than a long-term project with a short-term solution like Tortorella or Vigneault.

But, rest assured, they will have competition from the Ducks and other NHL teams. The 2025 coaching carousel is shaping up to be a crowded one.

Aston Villa 4-1 Newcastle United: Premier League – as it happened

Ollie Watkins was the star turn of a comprehensive Villa victory, as Unai Emery’s team closed the gap on the top five

McGinn tries to release Watkins down the left. Tonali comes across to put a stop to his gallop. But Tonali’s clearance only goes to Tielemans, who immediately returns it down the inside-left channel to Watkins. He shoots. A deflection off Schar sends the ball into the bottom left, past the wrong-footed, and rooted, Pope. What a start!

Newcastle get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Holte End in this first half.

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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announces birth of his daughter with heartwarming post

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announces birth of his daughter with heartwarming post originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Congratulations are in order for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, who gave birth to their daughter.

Ohtani made the aww-inducing announcement in an Instagram post on Saturday, sharing that he and his wife are now the proud parents of a baby girl. This marks the first child for Ohtani and Tanaka, who was a professional basketball player in their native Japan.

“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy, beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote in his post. “To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.”

The couple, who routinely guard their privacy, did not share their daughter’s name or a photo of the newborn, but did share an image of the couple holding their daughter’s tiny feet. Decoy, the pair’s beloved Kooikerhondje, made a cameo in the announcement with a small photo of the pooch on the corner of the post.

In addition to showering his family with his gratitude, Ohtani also expressed his thanks to the Dodgers and the medical staff that has been supporting the new parents.

The two-way athlete announced in December that his wife was expecting their first child. Ohtani did not specify when the baby was born.

On Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani was placed on MLB’s paternity list. Under the organization’s rules, Ohtani can miss up to three games during his paternity leave.

The Hockey News – Canucks Site Predicts The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

May 29, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of an NHL puck with the Stanley Cup logo and hockey sticks and the face-off circle during the third period of the game between the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights in game six of the Western Conference Finals of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs began on April 19, 2025. The team at The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site have made our predictions. Let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree with our picks! 

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Round 1 

Adam Kierszenblat

Winnipeg Jets over St. Louis Blues

Colorado Avalanche over Dallas Stars

Vegas Golden Knights over Minnesota Wild 

L.A. Kings over Edmonton Oilers 

Washington Capitals over Montréal Canadiens 

Carolina Hurricanes over New Jersey Devils

Toronto Maple Leafs over Ottawa Senators 

Tampa Bay Lightning over Florida Panthers 

Izzy Cheung

Jets over Blues 

Avalanche over Stars

Golden Knights over Wild 

Oilers over Kings 

Canadiens over Capitals 

Hurricanes over Devils

Panthers over Lightning

Senators over Maple Leafs 

Round 2 

Adam: 

Jets over Avalanche

Golden Knights over Kings

Hurricanes over Capitals

Lightning over Maple Leafs

Izzy: 

Avalanche over Jets

Golden Knights over Oilers 

Hurricanes over Canadiens 

Panthers over Senators 

Conference Finals 

Adam: 

Jets over Golden Knights

Hurricanes over Lightning

Izzy: 

Avalanche over Golden Knights

Hurricanes over Panthers 

Stanley Cup Finals 

Adam: Jets over Hurricanes

Izzy: Avalanche over Hurricanes  

Stanley Cup Winner 

Adam: Winnipeg Jets

Izzy: Colorado Avalanche 

Conn Smythe Winner 

Adam: Connor Hellebuyck 

Izzy: Cale Makar

Points Leader 

Adam: Sebastian Aho

Izzy: Nathan MacKinnon

Best Goaltender 

Adam: Connor Hellebuyck

Izzy: Connor Hellebuyck

Breakout Player 

Adam: Logan Stankoven 

Izzy: Logan O’Connor 

Canadian Team To Go The Furthest 

Adam: Winnipeg Jets

Izzy: Winnipeg Jets

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.

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