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Celtics vs. Knicks Game 5: Too much Jaylen Brown and… Luke Kornet? Celtics win, force Game 6

Through the first four games of this series, Kristaps Porzingis struggled with his health and game. He was shooting 27.8% (and 20% from 3), was not a defensive presence in the paint, and was generally just a step slow while playing through a respiratory issue.

Shorthanded without Jayson Tatum, Joe Mazzulla tried to stick with him and started Porzingis next to Al Horford in Game 5, but by the middle of the second quarter Porzingis was -14. That's when Mazzulla essentially benched him — and Luke Kornett was everything Boston needed. He was a defensive force with seven blocked shots, plus he scored 10 points.

Combine Kornet with the Jaylen Brown from last playoffs — 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds — and the Celtics pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to a 127-102 win.

That win extended the Celtics' season and forced a Game 6 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. New York still leads the series 3-2 and can earn its first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years with a win.

The game changed in the third quarter when the Celtics didn't just settle for 3-pointers and started getting downhill in the paint and started drawing fouls. Boston got to the free-throw line 18 times in the third quarter, and Jalen Brunson picked up four fouls, limiting his impact. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were in foul trouble and on the bench watching Boston get out and run off the 16 missed Knicks shots that quarter (4-of-20).

Boston was moving the ball, not settling for isolation shots in a crowd, and getting downhill. This was the Celtics offense their fans had been waiting to see — Derrick White finished with 34 points, Brown 26 and Payton Pritchard 17 off the bench.

The Celtics shot the rock well all night — they shot 50% overall in the first half and were 12-of-25 on 3s, with White and Brown leading the way with a combined 36 points. The concern was that despite all that, the game was tied at halftime and the Knicks had been the better team down the stretch this series.

Not on Wednesday. Even without Tatum — who is out for the series after rupturing his Achilles in Game 4 — the Celtics played their best game of the series.

Now they have to do it two more times to advance. Whether Boston can sustain that level of execution without Tatum is the question.

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Clay Holmes allows pair of two-run homers, Mets' bats silenced in 4-0 loss to Pirates

Clay Holmes surrendered a pair of two-run home runs, and the Mets' bats got blanked by the Pirates in a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at Citi Field.

On a dreary, rainy spring night, Holmes never really looked comfortable on the hill, and his teammates couldn’t pick him up in the batter’s box as New York went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base.

The Mets (28-16) took two of three from the Pirates (15-29) and had chances to make the visitors sweat, but managed just six singles in their fifth home loss out of 22 games. This was the second time they had been shut out this year.

Here are the takeaways...

-Holmes, making his first start on four days' rest of the year, retired the first five he faced before allowing a bloop single to left in the second. And after getting ahead 0-2 to Matt Gorski, the rain went from falling lightly to a downpour. Holmes, who was leaving some offspeed pitches up in the inning, had a 3-2 sweeper hang right over the plate and Gorski cranked it 407 feet to left for a two-run homer.

In addition to the rough luck on pitching through a tremendous cloudburst of rain, Holmes may have gotten squeezed by home plate umpire Carlos Torres on two off-speed pitches at the top of the zone to Gorski. 

Holmes rebounded for a streak of six-straight retired before a pair of two-out singles in the fourth brought Gorski to the plate. But Luisangel Acuña was able to make a fine play at second on a slow roller up the middle to end the threat.

Pittsburgh doubled the lead in the fifth on Ji Hwan Bae's beautifully executed drag bunt (38.9 mph off the bat) and Jared Triolo smacking a sinker that was up in the zone to left for a two-run shot (104.7 mph). A bloop single and walk gave them two on with one away, but Holmes got Joey Bart to bounce into a 5-4-3 twin-killing to avoid further damage.  

Holmes saved his best inning for last, getting a pair of strikeouts in a perfect sixth. His final line: 6.0 innings, four runs, seven hits, one walk, four strikeouts on 90 pitches (60 strikes). His average velocity was down on his sinker by nearly a mph, and his spin rate was down on his slider and sweeper.

- The Mets had chances to get the starter a cushion early off Pirates starter Bailey Falter as Mark Vientos singled and Pete Alonso worked a 10-pitch walk with one out. Starling Marte worked an eight-pitch walk with two outs to load the bases, but on the left-hander’s 32nd pitch of the inning, Luis Torrens went down swinging on a high slider.

New York, down pair, had the chance to get back into it with singles by Brandon Nimmo and Torrens in the fourth. And after Acuña worked a two-out walk, the bases were loaded again. New Pirates skipper Don Kelly summoned right-hander Chase Shugart from the bullpen and Carlos Mendoza decided to stick with José Azócar rather than an early pinch-hitter. Azócar hit a first-pitch lazy fly to center to leave ‘em loaded again.

- Alonso yanked a ball to left with two down in the fifth and was smelling a double, but while he beat the throw, he slid off the bag and Adam Frazier maintained the tag to end the inning. He finished the day 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

- Génesis Cabrera notched two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 seventh, getting five whiffs on eight swings. The eighth inning was less easy as a leadoff walk and back-to-back one-out singles loaded the bases. But he blew a fastball past Isiah Kiner-Falefa and got Gorski to pop out to second. 

Dedniel Núñez needed 13 pitches (seven strikes) for a clean ninth with a strikeout.

- Brett Baty entered as a pinch-hitter for Tyrone Taylor, who is in a 0-for-9 funk, to start the seventh and lined a ball 106.1 mph directly into the glove of Pittsburgh reliever Tanner Rainey. It was that kinda night.

Jeff McNeil, pinch-hitting for Azócar with two down in the inning, rocketed the Mets’ fifth hit (all singles) through the right side of the infield, but moved no further. 

As a result of those moves, Acuña moved out to center for his first taste there in the majors after playing there 35 times in the minors. Of course, he did not get tested by anything hit his way. (Baty went to second, and McNeil to right.) 

- In the last of the ninth, Marte pulled a leadoff single to left, but after Torrens popped out in foul territory to first, Baty clobbed a ball two steps in front of the wall in center and Acuña hit one to the warning track to end the game with a pair of loud outs. 

Baty’s drive (401 feet, 105.9 mph) would have left seven ballparks. Acuña’s (391 feet, 104.8 mph) would have left just one.

- Vientos, the night after an adventure at third, was back on the horse and made a good play cutting across Lindor and making a running throw in the first, and dealt with the wet conditions very well, handling several balls hit to the hot corner.

He finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout at the plate.

- Juan Soto was given the day off to give him an added day of rest ahead of the Weekend’s Subway Series game in The Bronx. Azócar got the start for him in right, worked a walk his first time up, but got picked off by the lefty. He finished the day 0-for-1

- The start of the game was delayed 15 minutes by rain, and rain fell throughout the game. The bottom of the second was delayed by nearly 10 minutes as the grounds crew tried to remove numerous wet spots on the infield from a deluge during the top half of the inning.  

What's next

The Mets have Thursday off before they open up the first Subway Series of the season on Friday night in The Bronx.

Right-hander Tylor Megill (3.10 ERA, 1.254 WHIP in 40.2 innings) gets the ball for the visitors and left-hander Carlos Rodon (3.29 ERA, 0.970 WHIP in 54.2 innings) will start for the Yankees.

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Former Penguins Goaltender Makes First Playoff Appearance Since 2020

Dec 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Matt Murray (30) stands in his goal crease during the playing of national anthems before playing the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena. (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)

It's safe to say that things did not go well for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their lackluster 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

But there was a small treat for Pittsburgh Penguins fans.

Former Penguins' goaltender and two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray entered the game in the third period to replace Leafs starter Joseph Woll, who surrendered five goals on 25 shots. It marks Murray's first playoff appearance since Aug. 5, 2020 as a member of the Penguins during the play-in round against the Montreal Canadiens that year.

Murray allowed a power-play goal to Panthers forward Sam Bennett and stopped six of seven Florida shots in relief of Woll.

The 30-year-old Thunder Bay, Ontario native was selected by the Penguins in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He stormed onto the scene for the Penguins just prior to the 2016 playoffs, filling in for an injured Marc-Andre Fleury during Pittsburgh's final 13 games of the regular season.

In those 13 games, he posted a 9-2-1 record and a .930 save percentage, which earned him the starting nod for the Penguins during the postseason. During the 2016 playoffs, he went 15-6 with a .923 save percentage and one shutout to lead the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship.

Former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury Named To NHL Quarter-Century TeamFormer Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury Named To NHL Quarter-Century TeamTwo days after Pittsburgh Penguins' forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were named to the NHL Quarter-Century Team, another longtime former teammate will be joining them.

Technically still a rookie in 2017, Murray helped the Penguins go back-to-back in 2017. After an injury kept him out in the earlier rounds, he came back strong for the remainder of the playoffs, starting 10 games with a 7-3 record and a whopping .937 save percentage en route to his second Cup as an NHL rookie.

Murray saw his fair share of struggles in subsequent seasons, which led to his eventual trade to the Ottawa Senators during the 2020 NHL Draft. He was later traded to the Leafs in 2022 and re-signed to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season after missing the entirety of 2023-24 to double-hip surgery.

Over the course of his 274-game NHL career, Murray is 147-87-24 with a .910 save percentage.

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Two-Time Cup Champ Matt Murray Subs In For Leafs In First NHL Playoff Game Since 2020

Matt Murray (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)

Matt Murray is back in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The 30-year-old played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in relief of Joseph Woll during the third period of Game 5 against the Florida Panthers. Woll allowed five goals on 25 shots in an eventual 6-1 Panthers win.

This is Murray's first NHL post-season game since Aug. 5, 2020, when he was part of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the qualification round during the COVID-19 bubble playoffs. Murray's last playoff game under the regular 16-team format was on April 16, 2019, against the New York Islanders.

Murray emerged as a key part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 at the beginning of his NHL career.

In 2015-16, Murray only played 13 regular-season games but had a 9-2-1 record, 2.00 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. He got starting duties for most of the playoffs, winning 15 of the 16 games needed to win the Cup in 21 games and recording a 2.08 GAA and .923 SP.

In 2016-17, Marc-Andre Fleury was the starter until midway through the Eastern Conference final against the Ottawa Senators. Murray replaced Fleury during Game 3 of that series and had a 1.70 GAA and .937 SP for a 7-3 record en route to back-to-back championships.

But since Murray's last post-season game, the Penguins traded him to the Senators in the summer of 2020. He played 47 games for the Sens across two seasons, winning 15 games in that span.

The Senators then traded Murray, a third-round draft pick and a seventh-rounder to the Maple Leafs in July 2022 in exchange for future considerations.

Murray has dealt with numerous injuries during this time, including to his head, neck, abductor, ankle and hip. He only played three games in the 2023-24 season, which came in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies.

But in 2024-25, Murray appeared in 21 games for the Marlies, going 10-5-4 with a 1.72 GAA and .934 SP. On Dec. 20, 2024, he played his first NHL game since April 2, 2023. He stopped 24 of 27 shots for a win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Murray's return to the post-season came under less-than-ideal circumstances for the Leafs, however.

Bobrovsky, Panthers push Maple Leafs to brink with dominant Game 5 victoryBobrovsky, Panthers push Maple Leafs to brink with dominant Game 5 victoryThe Florida Panthers just completed a pretty successful business trip.

The Maple Leafs advanced to the second round for the second time since 2004 when they eliminated the Senators in six games. They then won their first two games against the Panthers.

In Game 1 of the series, Anthony Stolarz left the game shortly after taking a shot and an elbow to the head, and he's been out since with an undisclosed injury. Woll took over starting duties, while Murray backed up for Games 2, 4 and 5.

With a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, the Leafs lost Games 3 and 4 to the Panthers. And with the series at 2-2, Florida scored five unanswered goals in Game 5 in Toronto. When Murray replaced Woll, he conceded another goal to make the score 6-0 for Florida but stopped six of seven shots.

Regardless of the score, Murray's return to the playoffs required a lot of recovery and work. That made his appearance one of the few positive points of the Maple Leafs' night.

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Bobrovsky, Panthers push Maple Leafs to brink with dominant Game 5 victory

May 14, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs with defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) and forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the second period of game five of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

The Florida Panthers just completed a pretty successful business trip.

Florida picked up their third straight win, taking down the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of their second-round series by a final score of 6-1.

Now the Panthers head back to South Florida with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to eliminate Toronto on Friday night in Sunrise.

There were no shots on goal and only one whistle in the game’s first five minutes as the teams appeared to be trying to feel one another out.

Both goaltenders would be called upon to make big saves in the shifts that followed, though.

First it was Sergei Bobrovsky stopping William Nylander on a breakaway that Gus Forsling may have helped with on the backcheck, then Joseph Woll made a snappy glove save on Sam Reinhart about a minute later.

Florida picked up the first goal of the game on a great shift by their top line.

After Woll made a couple strong saves on Jesper Boqvist and Sam Reinhart, the puck found its way to the stick of Aaron Ekblad.

He fired a shot over Woll’s blocker and into the top corner of the net, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead with just over five minutes left in the period.

It was six minutes into the middle frame that Florida doubled their lead.

After killing off a Maple Leafs power play, the Panthers slowly began to take control of the pace again.

A point shot from Dmitry Kulikov hit Leafs’ forward Scott Laughton as it bounded past Woll at the 6:08 mark of the second period.

Less than four minutes later, Jesper Boqvist finished off a perfect cross-ice pass from Sam Reinhart to expand Florida’s lead to three.

Another Panthers defenseman picked up his first goal of the playoffs about four minutes after that, as this time it was Niko Mikkola blasting a shot under Woll’s glove.

With just under six minutes left in the second period, Florida was suddenly up by four.

Joining the mix of players picking up their first goal of the playoffs was A.J. Greer.

He found a loose puck at the top of the goal crease and slammed it past a sprawling Woll, pushing Florida’s lead to 5-0 and sending Woll to the showers early.

He was replaced by veteran goaltender Matt Murray for the remainder of the night.

A Sam Bennett power play goal with 10:50 to go gave Florida a 6-0 lead, leading to an even louder chorus of boos than we heard after the Greer goal.

Nick Robertson runed Bobrovsky's shutout with just over a minute to go, not that it's going to bother Bob at all. 

The Cats clearly have all the momentum on their side, and now head home with a chance to advance to their third straight conference final if they can pick up a victory on Friday.

On to Game 6.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Bobrovsky's shutout streak lasted 1:47:58, stretching from the end of Game 3 to the end of Game 5.

Ekblad is riding a five-game point streak, with two goals and four assists during the run.

Reinhart’s pair of assists gave him ten points in 10 playoff games.

Filling in for an injured Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist picked up his first point of the postseason on Ekblad’s goal. Then he scored his first goal of the playoffs about an hour later.

Kulikov has two points over his past three games.

Matthew Takchuk has assists in three straight games after dishing out a helper on Kulikov’s goal.

Picking up an assist on Greer’s goal, Nate Schmidt has three points over his past five games.

Bennett has four goals and five points over his past six outings.

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Knicks fail to close out Celtics after poor second half, fall 127-102 in Game 5

The Knicks were flat in the second half as the Celtics beat New York, 127-102, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boston, without Jayson Tatum, forced a Game 6, still down 3-2 in the series, heading back to New York. They are 10-2 this season with Tatum. The Knicks' five-game road winning streak was snapped as they will look to close out a series at home for the first time since 1999 on Friday.

Here are the takeaways...

-With Tatum out with a ruptured Achilles, the Celtics put Kristaps Porzingis in the starting lineup, looking for offense from their big man. However, he had just one point on 0-for-3 shooting in the first quarter -- and saw a combined 12 minutes on the court for the rest of the game. Derrick White pulled his weight, though, hitting four three-pointers en route to scoring 14 points in the opening frame. Boston was 7-for-15 from three in the first quarter, which helped them stave off a 7-0 Knicks run with a 10-2 run of their own fueled by defense and offensive rebounding.

For the Knicks, they capitalized on defense by forcing five Celtics turnovers and lived in the mid-range. Mitchell Robinson also provided six points in the first quarter while hitting 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Yes, he was perfect from the line in the first quarter. Mikal Bridges led the team with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting while the rest of the team provided a balanced attack.

There was a stoppage of play with 3:30 left in the first when Josh Hart went up for a layup but Luke Kornet elbowed him above the eye, incidentally, that drew blood. Trainers had to stop the blood and bandage Hart up while he had to change his top and shorts.

-Karl-Anthony Towns scored five quick points to start the second quarter, but would pick up his third foul with 10 minutes to go in the first half. Coach Tom Thibodeau had to relegate his big man to the bench. But Robinson played a huge role in the second quarter -- and the first half. In 15 minutes, the center scored six points and came down with 11 rebounds (six offensive).

The Knicks got major contributions from the bench in the second quarter, going up by as much as nine points thanks to Miles McBride and Cameron Payne while Jalen Brunson was on the bench to start the frame. However, the Celtics would go on a 13-2 run to take a lead of their own before both teams began shooting lights out from all over the court.

New York shot 45 percent in the quarter while the Celtics shot 56 percent, including 5-for-10 from three. Jaylen Brown was the star of the second, scoring 12 of his 17 first-half points. Both teams went into halftime tied at 59-59.

-It was physical and a bit chippy in the first half, but it got really chippy at the start of the third quarter as Hart and Brown got into a shoving match after a Brown foul in the first couple of minutes.

Boston made it a point to drive to the basket and got the Knicks in the penalty with eight minutes and change left. They took 18 free throws in the quarter alone. However, the Celtics were 17-for-26 from the line through three.

But it wasn't just their offense; Boston's defense made the Knicks' offense seem out of sorts. Taking awkward shots and forcing turnovers. Both led to a 16-3 run that gave the Celtics a 14-point lead. Brunson would pick up his fifth foul with three minutes left in the quarter while KAT sat on the bench with four fouls.

Boston outscored the Knicks 32-17 in the frame.

-The fourth started much like the third, with the Celtics making threes and contesting every Knicks shot with relentless defense, pushing their lead to 22 points. Brunson started the frame with the five fouls and consistently drew fouls while driving to the hoop. However, the Knicks' defense was not up to snuff. Allowing open threes and the Celtics to outrebound them.

Brunson's night would be cut short after picking up his sixth foul with a little more than seven minutes remaining in the game. Without their captain, the Knicks slowly but surely wilted away before Thibodeau waved the white flag with less than three minutes remaining and the Celtics up 26 points.

-Brunson scored 22 points in 32 minutes before fouling out, while Hart provided 24 points -- making five threes -- coming down with seven rebounds and dishing two assists. OG Anunoby scored just six points on 1-of-12 shooting, had eight rebounds and two assists. Towns scored 19 points and had eight rebounds while Bridges, after a quick start, scored just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting.

-White had a game-high 34 points and made seven threes, while Brown had the best performance. His 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 12 assists, eight rebounds and a steal helped calm the Celtics without their best player. Al Horford (12 points), Jrue Holiday (14) contributed starting while Payton Pritchard (17) and Kornet (10) came up big off the bench. Kornet in particular was huge, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking seven shots.

Boston shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent (21-46) from three.

Game MVP: Jaylen Brown

With Tatum down, last year's Finals MVP had to step up and he did on both ends of the floor. He was a game-high plus-28 on the court.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks will look to close out the series at home on Friday night. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

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Halttunen Hattrick Highlights London's Game Four Win

Kasper Halttunen playing for London [Ian Goodall/Goodall Media].

The London Knights won game four of the OHL Final in dominant fashion, defeating the Oshawa Generals 6-2. A pair of San Jose Sharks prospects factored heavily into the Knights' victory. 

They say heavy is the head that wears the crown, and yet the reigning J. Ross Robertson Cup champions are cruising through the OHL Final.

After losing game one of the series to Oshawa, London has responded with three emphatic wins. In all three games, they've scored 5-plus goals while averaging 32 shots on goal. 

"We played about as close to a perfect 60 as we could," said Sam Dickinson about game four. " We're happy to get the win."

While game three featured an intense pushback from the Generals in the third period, game four was an entirely different story.

London came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. They ended up outshooting the Generals 17-6 in the opening frame, though they were unable to register a goal.  

The game went completely off the rails for the Generals in the second period as London scored five goals. The majority of the damage was done by San Jose Sharks prospects Dickinson and Kasper Halttunen, who each recorded a pair of goals during the period. 

Halttunen picked up a third goal midway through the third period, giving hattricks in back-to-back games, and seven goals in the series. 

"He [Halttunen] has got the best shot in the OHL, he's probably the best goal scorer in the OHL," said Dickinson. "It's a lot easier giving the puck to him knowing he's almost always going to have a  good chance of putting it in the net."

Dickinson added a pair of assists to the goals he scored, giving him four points at the end of the night. In doing so, he set a franchise record for most playoff points scored by a defenseman with 50. He surpassed Dennis Wideman, who previously held the record with 46. 

What's wild is this isn't even the first franchise record he set this year. By finishing the regular season with 91 points, he also set a franchise record for most points scored by a defender in a single season, beating out the previous record (87) held by Edmonton Oilers blue liner Evan Bouchard.

Between Dickinson and Halttunen, San Jose Sharks fans are sure to be the envy of many NHL franchises in the near future, and that doesn't even get into other prospects like Quentin Musty, who also spent the year in the OHL. 

By winning games three and four in Oshawa, the Knights have taken a stranglehold on the series and put the Generals in a very awkward position. For Oshawa to mount a comeback, they would need to beat London three times in a row while winning a pair of games on the road. 

For reference, London only lost back-to-back games once during the regular season and never dropped three games in a row. While this is junior hockey and anything can happen, it seems nearly impossible that Oshawa will beat this London team three times in a row. 

In an interesting turn of events, London has the opportunity to win the championship on home ice. Last year, they swept the Generals and won the final game of the series on the road, something that has been a bit of a pattern for the Knights. 

Game five will take place tomorrow evening with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Generals will be looking to force a game six back in Oshawa on Saturday.

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Two Names Emerge In Penguins' Head Coaching Search

Mar 20, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith (left) talks with associate coach Jack Capuano (right) on the bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

The NHL head coaching carousel is beginning to pick up some steam across the league, as the Vancouver Canucks hired Adam Foote, the Anaheim Ducks brought on Joel Quenneville, and the Philadelphia Flyers landed on Rick Tocchet.

And it looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins' search is getting more active as well.

According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Penguins have spoken to Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love and Los Angeles Kings assistant coach D.J. Smith.

Love, 40, is currently the defensive coach for the Capitals. He was hired prior to the 2024-25 season and helped lead Washington to the best finish in the Eastern Conference at 51-22-9.

He has spent most of his coaching career in developmental leagues, beginning as an assistant in 2011 with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In 2018, he was named head coach of the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, leading them to the playoffs in his first season and putting three strong seasons together. 

And in his next gig - which came with the Stockton Heat/Calgary Wranglers of the AHL - he won coach of the year in back-to-back seasons right before being brought onto Washington's staff.

Smith, 48, was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1995 and later appeared in NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. Following his playing career, he was hired by the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL as an assistant coach and remained there until 2012, when he was hired as a head coach by the Oshawa Generals. 

In his third season there, he led the team to an OHL championship as well as a Memorial Cup, which earned him an assistant coaching gig with the Leafs, where he remained through the end of the 2018-19 season before becoming the head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

Smith was in Ottawa for parts of five seasons before getting fired during the early part of the 2023-24 season. In 317 total games with Ottawa, Smith was 131-154-32 with a .464 win percentage.

Coaching Conclaves: Who Should Be Annointed Next Penguins' Head Coach?Coaching Conclaves: Who Should Be Annointed Next Penguins' Head Coach?The Vatican conclave to elect a new Pope has officially concluded, but there are other conclaves generating buzz around the National Hockey League.

Although the Penguins are casting a "wide net" in their search for a new bench boss, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas has expressed a desire to make experience in developmental leagues a focus. The Penguins rolled with former head coach Mike Sullivan - now head coach of the New York Rangers - for 10 seasons, and given that they find themselves in a rebuild, someone who works well with young talent will likely be paramount.

Following Sullivan's departure, Dubas said he expects the Penguins to hire a new coach by early June in advance of the 2025 NHL Draft on June 27-28.

'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike Sullivan'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike SullivanOn Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas shook the hockey world when he announced that head coach Mike Sullivan would not be returning to coach the Penguins in 2025-26.

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LA Makes it Official: Ken Holland Named 10th General Manager in Team History

  © Detroit Free Press  

After several days of intense speculation, the LA Kings confirmed today that there was indeed some fire in all that smoke by announcing that Ken Holland will be the franchise's 10th General Manager. 

The former NHL goalie will immediately be called upon to make some big saves. The NHL Draft is just over a month away and the status of unrestricted free agents Vladislav Gavrikov, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Tanner Jeannot, as well as restricted free agent Alex Laferriere, will need to be gloved down.

Despite assurances from Team President Luc Robitaille on retaining the services of head coach Jim Hiller next season, Holland could very well decide to make a change behind the bench. Holland fired Jay Woodcroft in Edmonton after a 3-9-1 start to the season in 2023, replacing him the relatively unknown Kris Knoblauch. That move turned the Oilers' season around, leading Edmonton to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 2006.

With LA, Holland will inherit a solid team that regularly underperforms in the playoffs. Thus, much like his tenure with Edmonton, the Kings' new GM will be tasked with getting a team to the next level. Unlike Edmonton, however, he won't have superstars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to work with. 

Instead, he will have promising youngsters like Quinton Byfield and Brandon Clarke, as well as the aging duo of Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar and a rejuvenated Darcy Kuemper between the pipes. 

Will Holland feel that this team's current roster is good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup or will he shake things up with an off-season trade? Holland is often described as a "win now" type of executive so a move or moves wouldn't be completely out of character. His 2001 trade for Dominik "The Dominator" Hasek was a huge factor in Detroit's 2002 Stanley Cup win. In 2008, Holland flipped two draft picks to the Kings for defenseman Brad Stuart to line up with Niklas Kronwall on a top-four pairing and guess what? Detroit won another Cup that year. 

Team President Luc Robitaille believes that if you are looking to add on July 1st your team is in a good spot. It will be quite interesting to see where Ken Holland thinks the Kings are this summer and how he intends on getting LA past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

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Warriors' season was incomplete win with Steph watching from sidelines

Warriors' season was incomplete win with Steph watching from sidelines originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Five games didn’t determine the Western Conference semifinals between the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. One grab at a left hamstring around the nine-minute mark of the second quarter in the Warriors’ Game 1 win did. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves took care of business. Steve Kerr wouldn’t dare do it, and none of his Warriors players made excuses as to why they lost the series, even though they knew the answer. Steph Curry’s left hamstring strain ended the Warriors’ 2024-25 NBA season. The 121-110 Game 5 loss Wednesday night made it official.

Their last four games were all losses. All were without Curry. 

The season as a whole, before the injury bug took a bite too big for the Warriors to stomach, was a win. Just an incomplete one. 

“Quite a turnaround in our season from where we were a few months ago to giving ourselves a chance at having a swing of the plate for some real chances to go deep,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “We were right there, and obviously it didn’t go our way.”

The Warriors’ 2024-25 season feels like it lasted 24 or 25 years. There were so many different storylines. The highs were high, the lows were low and there wasn’t much middle ground, except for their .500 record when they traded for Jimmy Butler. 

This was a team that started the season 12-3 and then didn’t just fall off a little, but took a nosedive. Curry called them “mid” after their final game in 2024 when they were blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center. Their 16-16 record was mid to the definition, and the feeling around the team was much worse. 

Those feelings changed with the trade for Butler the night before the NBA deadline. Butler’s drama with the Miami Heat was over and the Warriors had their new co-star for Curry, sending Andrew Wiggins to South Beach as part of a multi-team trade. The Warriors were 25-24 at the time of the move, and back down to .500 a few hours later after losing to the 12-win Utah Jazz. 

Butler was introduced the next day in LA, and made his debut on Feb. 8 in Chicago. At that point, the Warriors were down to 25-26, good for 10th in the Western Conference. They went 23-8 the rest of the regular season and finished as a No. 7 seed, with real chances of being even higher. 

Between the regular season, NBA play-in tournament and playoffs, the Warriors from Butler’s debut to Wednesday’s second-round exit had a 29-15 record. 

Butler and Curry perfectly complemented each other, quickly forming a happy marriage. Butler and Draymond Green gave Golden State the best defense in the NBA. After a few months as a Warrior, Butler likes the outlook of a franchise he is signed to through the 2026-27 season. 

“Great,” Butler said. “A bunch of great guys that work incredibly hard, young talent that’s going to be incredibly successful in this league. It’s all about staying healthy, as it always is, and getting more and more comfortable playing with one another.”

Green declared the Warriors were going to win the championship during NBA All-Star Weekend. But he also told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Kerith Burke on an episode of “Dubs Talk” near the end of the regular season that he likes the Warriors’ chances even more next season. The Butler trade wasn’t a three-month move. It was a multi-year move, especially regarding next season. 

“Our ceiling, it is what it is,” Green said. “Now we’re a second-round team, second-round exit. It’s over, that’s what it is.”

A combination of a healthy Curry, Butler and Green isn’t a second-round exit to the Warriors. That’s a trio they trust can beat anybody in a playoff series. The Warriors have to get better around them. They feel like they can, and they’ll at least eye everything to do so. 

Butler announced himself as Robin early into his Warriors tenure, making it clear he’s No. 2 to Golden State’s Batman (Curry). He showed that to be true in all the best ways alongside him, and in some tough ways without him in the playoffs. Green was voted third for NBA Defensive Player of the Year and showed why in big postseason moments, but also got himself in foul trouble, was bested by some younger big men at times and toed the line of technical and flagrant fouls. 

Both are 35 years old, both are basketball geniuses and both looked gassed against the Timberwolves down the stretch. 

As for the youth, there were bright spots and there were question marks. 

It would be surprising to see Jonathan Kuminga back in a Warriors jersey as a restricted free agent, but is his potential still too much for the front office to let go of? Moses Moody finally fit into a role that suits him best next to Butler in the frontcourt, and then he disappeared for long stretches of the playoffs. Brandin Podziemski is a long-term starting guard and a favorite of Kerr’s for all the little things he does, though he will have to continue improving as a scorer. 

Finding Quinten Post with the 52nd pick and having him turn into an impact stretch five as a rookie was a huge win. But he also pushed Trayce Jackson-Davis out of the rotation for a large chunk of his second pro season, just to see their roles be reversed in the conference semifinals.

There are so many reasons to call the Warriors’ season a success. Disappointment, yes. A win, also yes. 

Being one of the final eight teams in the NBA is something the Warriors should pat themselves on the back for. It just all feels so wrong when No. 30 is subjected to sweatpants, shaking his head on the bench.

“I know we had a shot,” Kerr said. “I know we could have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn’t have, but it doesn’t matter. Everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot. Are you playing well at the right time? Do you have multiple guys step up in key games, make shots? And do you have good health?

“You see it every year, in every series.”

Steph had his taste of meaningful basketball. In the end, he had to stare at a four-course meal from the outside, tapping on the glass and waiting for the next chapter to begin.

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Kerr, Butler know Warriors had shot to win title with healthy Steph

Kerr, Butler know Warriors had shot to win title with healthy Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Many Warriors fans will walk away from the 2024-25 NBA season with one simple question in mind.

What if Steph Curry didn’t injure his hamstring in the playoffs?

After Golden State’s season-ending 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night at Target Center, coach Steve Kerr was asked if that same question will be on his mind in the coming days, too.

“Actually, I don’t even have to think. I know we had a shot,” Kerr told reporters. “I know we could have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn’t have, but it doesn’t matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot.

“Are you playing well at the right time? Do you have multiple guys step up in key games, make shots? And do you have good health? You see it every year, in every series. So there’s a little bit of luck involved, and we’ve been on both sides of that. It’s just part of it.”

Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler, who was forced to carry a much heavier load after Curry’s injury, came to a similar conclusion when asked if a healthy Golden State could contend for a title.

“I think we all know that. We all believe that,” Butler asserted. “The injuries are part of it. Nobody wants to be injured. It’s all about playing your basketball, the best basketball at the right time, and being healthy at the right time.

“Unfortunately, that wasn’t us, and we came up short.”

Now, the Warriors head into an important offseason with a chance to better position themselves to overcome any more potential injuries to their aging core next year and beyond.

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What Kerr told Podz after Warriors' season-ending loss to Timberwolves

What Kerr told Podz after Warriors' season-ending loss to Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Coaches will always coach, particularly during trying moments.

Following the Warriors’ season-ending 121-110 Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Target Center, coach Steve Kerr shared some motivational words with guard Brandin Podziemski. 

Podziemski, who underwent a historic shooting slump through the first four games of the Western Conference semifinals, led Golden State’s scoring with 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting while adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals in Game 5.

Even though Podziemski’s revival was too little too late, Kerr acknowledged the 22-year-old culminated his postseason run by becoming a more seasoned player.

“This was a great experience for him,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “There were times in this series where he was hesitant to shoot, even tonight he was 4-for-6. 

“I thought he could’ve gotten 10 or 11 threes off, and we needed those. And I told him that after the game, I said, ‘When we get back here next season, you are not going to turn down a single shot.’”

In hopes of keeping the season alive and giving star guard Steph Curry an opportunity to return to action, Kerr leaned heavily on Podziemski. 

Outside of wing Jimmy Butler’s team-high 42 minutes, Podziemski followed with 39 minutes, responding positively to a series that challenged him physically and mentally.

“And that’s part of the playoffs. I lived it as a player. It’s a mind game,” Kerr continued. “I call it something more profane, but the playoffs are a mind game. 

“It’s really easy to lose your confidence, teams throw different schemes at you. You had a bad game, and everyone is talking about your shooting percentage. You feel like you’re on an island. I’ve been there. It’s great for Brandin to go through that and then finish the series with a great game because he has to understand this is what it feels like.”  

As Kerr emphasized, the pressures of the NBA playoffs are incomparable to those of the regular season. 

Podziemski’s slump, for one, is proof of that.

“Nobody cares in January if you’re 4-for-20, but in the playoffs, everyone is writing about it, everyone is talking about it,” Kerr concluded. 

“You feel exposed, and that’s a big part of the playoff experience is understanding you got to keep firing, you have to stay aggressive [and] keep your confidence any way you can.” 

Kerr will be expecting more of that from Podziemski next season.

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Why there's no shame in Warriors being eliminated by Timberwolves

Why there's no shame in Warriors being eliminated by Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

MINNEAPOLIS – From the moment Stephen Curry limped off the floor after playing 13 promising minutes in Game 1, the Warriors were crawling uphill in mud against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They had to know winning even one more game, perhaps creating a jolt of post-Steph confidence, would require an extraordinary performance.

No such thing occurred. The Warriors were not extraordinary enough. Not in Game 2 or Game 3 or Game 4, all losses with similar characteristics.

It was no different Wednesday night in Game 5, facing elimination in the Western Conference semifinals, which ended with the Warriors being thumped into the offseason by a 117-110 loss that was much more decisive than the score indicates.

The better team won Game 5 and the series, sweeping the last four games.

“I thought Game 3 was the key to the series,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re at 1-1, and we got a six-point lead in the mid-fourth [quarter], and they made huge plays down the stretch. That was the one we needed to get.

“And then I thought the last two games, they broke free offensively. And they shot 63 percent tonight. We couldn’t stop them.”

There is no shame or dishonor about Golden State’s effort before a rollicking sellout crowd at Target Center. The Warriors accomplished their No. 1 defensive priority, doing a marvelous job of preventing the redoubtable Anthony Edwards from shooting them off the floor. Doubling and trapping, they forced Edwards to move the ball.

Edwards quickly caught on and improvised, turning the game over to his teammates, who did a terrific job of shredding Golden State’s formerly respectable defense. The Warriors in the first half limited Edwards to six points but went into the locker room trailing 62-47.

“We threw a lot of stuff at him,” Kerr said of Edwards who finished with 22 points and a game-high 12 assists. “Box-and-one on one possession, a lot of zone-trapping in the back court. But they’re a hell of a team. They’ve got shooting everywhere. And that’s the name of the game in the modern NBA.”

The Timberwolves shot 62.8 percent from the field, including 41.9 percent from deep. Six different players scored in double figures, led by Julius Randle’s 29 points. Golden State’s top-five offense was no match.

“They moved the ball incredibly well, got into the paint,” Jimmy Butler III said. “I don’t feel like we took too much away from them. We talked about what we wanted to do. We did it in some spurts, but not the entire game – which we needed to do. They played well. You’ve got to give them that.”

The Warriors were appreciably outplayed by a team that is bigger, faster, deeper, more athletic and more skilled. Quite simply, superior. The Timberwolves, for much of this series, and surely in clinching Game 5, looked as if they were from a higher league.

“They got a chance. They’ve got a real shot,” Draymond Green said of the Wolves. “Anytime you got No. 2 [Randle] that can just go get it, you give yourself a chance at the go make it happen and get a ring. The way Julius has been playing … he’s been lights out.”

Game 5 was such disaster that the arena DJ turned to soundtrack that practically mocked the Warriors and the Bay Area, blasting such artists Too Short, Mac Dre and E-40 on what felt like a rotational loop.

Golden State’s veteran starters – Butler, Green and Buddy Hield – never mounted much of a threat in Game 5, combining for 35 points on 10-of-31 shooting from the field, including 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. Butler was minus-17 over 41 minutes, Green was minus-9 over 36 minutes and Hield finished minus-13 over 30 minutes.

What little offense Golden State stirred during the heart of the game came mostly from Brandin Podziemski (a playoff-career high 28 points in by far his best game of the series) and Jonathan Kuminga (26 points, his third consecutive productive outing).

This always was going to be a tough series, but there is no doubt Curry’s presence could have made it more competitive. Whether that would have been enough to tip the balance toward the Warriors is questionable. Once Curry was sidelined, the Warriors needed to win at least one of their home games to give themselves legitimate hope. Dropping both games and returning to Minnesota facing elimination put them in position to get smacked.

Two-plus months of quality basketball took the Warriors this far. About as far as they could go, considering their compromised roster. Even through the disappointment, they can hold their heads high.

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Kornet helps save Celtics' season with career night in Game 5

Kornet helps save Celtics' season with career night in Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — The dogs were barking all night at TD Garden during the Boston Celtics’ season-saving Game 5 win over the New York Knicks.

While Derrick White (34 points) and Jaylen Brown (26 points) led the Jayson Tatum-less C’s in the scoring column, Luke Kornet was the difference-maker in Wednesday’s 127-102 rout. The big man recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.

“He was great. Just both ends of the floor,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “His presence was good… He made some big-time plays for us.”

The Celtics took control of Game 5 in the third quarter, outscoring the Knicks 32-17 after being tied at the half. It’s no coincidence that Boston’s dominance began when Kornet replaced Kristaps Porzingis.

Porzingis, who started in Tatum’s place despite an ongoing battle with a mysterious illness, struggled mightily in his 12 minutes. He logged only one point and was a -12, making him the only Celtic to finish in the negatives.

According to Mazzulla, Porzingis didn’t play in the second half because he had difficulty breathing. The setback is concerning for the already shorthanded Celtics, but it opened the door for Kornet to give Boston a much-needed spark with its season at stake.

“He was unbelievable,” White said of Kornet. “He came in and just seemed to always be in the right position. “Seven blocks is crazy. He was unbelievable tonight and stepped up when we needed him.

“Yeah, I was barking with him,” White added. “It’s just fun seeing him do that.”

It was more than just a career night for Kornet. The 29-year-old made NBA history, becoming the first player with at least 10 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks, and a perfect shooting performance (5-5 FG) in a playoff game. Anthony Davis (2023), Robert Williams (2022), and Draymond Green (2016) are the only other players to notch at least 10 points, nine boards, and seven blocks in a postseason game in the last 10 years.

“Luke was huge tonight, defensively and offensively,” Brown said. “He was stellar, and that’s the type of performance we need in the playoffs.”

After the win, Kornet credited Brown and veteran big man Al Horford with helping the team reset after Tatum’s Achilles tear.

“Understanding the situation and understanding that we have a game to play, and to go out and represent ourselves well and play hard,” he said. “I feel like those two led the way in that.”

Winning the final two games of this Eastern Conference semifinals series without Tatum is a tall task, never mind making it through another two rounds. But if Kornet continues to provide a significant boost, and both White and Brown step up in starring roles, the reigning champions can’t be counted out.

With Porzingis’ status uncertain, Kornet will likely be asked to give the C’s more big minutes in Friday’s do-or-die Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. Coverage for the matchup begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston with Celtics Pregame Live.