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The Pittsburgh Penguins did what many expected Monday morning, parting ways with coach Mike Sullivan after more than nine years on the job. 

Sullivan won two Stanley Cups in his first two years on the job in Pittsburgh, and he guided them to the playoffs in each of his first seven years. However, Sullivan failed to guide the Penguins to the post-season in each of the past three years, and they finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division – his lowest finish with Pittsburgh.

Sullivan’s championship pedigree will lead to multiple NHL teams seeking to bring him aboard as their bench boss. While there are currently seven teams seeking to name a permanent coach, there are three front-runners to land Sullivan’s services.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins fired Jim Montgomery early last season, replacing him with interim coach Joe Sacco. But the fact Boston hasn’t removed the ‘interim’ tag from Sacco so far tells you all you need to know about the likelihood of Sacco getting the permanent job in Beantown.

Sullivan makes sense for the Bruins on several fronts. For one thing, Boston is looking at a retool, not a rebuild, so Sullivan could take the B's job knowing Bruins management will be making roster moves to push the team back into the post-season right away. 

Sullivan also cut his teeth as an NHL coach in Boston, coaching the Bruins from 2003 to 2006. Sullivan’s familiarity with the Bruins organization gives Boston an advantage as teams try to bring him on board. Sullivan is also a Massachusetts native who appreciates what it means to coach an Original Six franchise. 

For all those reasons, Boston has to be seen as a front-runner for Sullivan. The Bruins don’t want to miss the playoffs for a second straight season, and while there would be big-time pressure on Sullivan if he took the job in Boston, he would welcome that pressure and is capable of handling the accompanying challenge.

NHL Rumor Roundup: What's Next For The Penguins Following Mike Sullivan's Departure?The Pittsburgh Penguins made headlines on Monday by announcing they and coach Mike Sullivan agreed to part ways.

New York Rangers

The Rangers gave GM Chris Drury a vote of confidence late last week, signing him to a multi-year contract extension. But the Blueshirts need a new coach after firing veteran Peter Laviolette nearly two weeks ago, and Sullivan could be the ideal replacement for Laviolette. 

Like the Bruins, the Rangers missed the playoffs, but the Rangers also intend to be a playoff team in 2025-26, and Sullivan would probably see Manhattan as an attractive option.

Sullivan also knows what it's like to coach the Rangers, as he was an assistant coach for them from 2009 to 2013. Getting a kick at the can as a head coach would make the Rangers an intriguing opportunity for Sullivan, and money wouldn’t be an object for the franchise.

The Rangers have an elite goalie in Igor Shesterkin, and every coach knows how crucial it is for a team to have a star in net if they intend on going on a deep playoff run. That will be a distinct possibility in New York City next season, and Sullivan could get right back into the playoff mix with the Rangers. 

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers don’t have an organic connection to Sullivan, but given Philadelphia’s arch-rivalry with the Penguins, Sullivan knows the passion Flyers fans have for their team. And Philadelphia is a young team many believe is on the rise, so Sullivan could see them as an attractive destination.

Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere dismissed veteran bench boss John Tortorella late in the regular season, but he shouldn’t be afraid to hire a well-versed replacement in Sullivan, who was part of Tortorella’s staff with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

The biggest stumbling block for Sullivan may be the Flyers still rebuilding and lacking a clearly reliable starting netminder, but Briere may be able to sell the job on Sullivan by sharing the plan forward.

To get ahead of the Rangers and Bruins, the Flyers will have to be creative and forceful. But stranger things have happened than Philadelphia hiring Sullivan. A motivated and well-supported Flyers team may be extremely appealing for Sullivan.

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The 2025 NHL Draft Lottery will be held Monday, May 5.

The time will be announced later this week and will be available to watch on ESPN/Sportsnet/TVA.

The New York Islanders own the 10th-best odds to land the No. 1 pick at 3.5%. 

#NHL Draft lottery odds: pic.twitter.com/gpthMXNALH

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 29, 2025

They have a 3.7% chance of moving into the No. 2 slot, 73.3% to remain at No. 10, and a 19.1% chance to fall out of the top 10, per Tankathon.

Why Mathieu Darche Should Be A Top Candidate For Islanders General Manager PositionWhen the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders in 2020 and 2021, Julien Brisbois was Tampa's general manager. 

The San Jose Sharks enter with the highest odds to pick first overall at 25.5%, and the Chicago Blackhawks follow at 13.5%.

Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer, and James Hagens are leading contenders to go first overall.

The 2025 NHL Draft will be held in Los Angeles on June 27 and 28.

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Toronto Maple Leafs return home with chance to close out series versus Ottawa Senators in Game 5 on Tuesday

Tuesday night is the ultimate opportunity for NHL fans, with a loaded slate of thrilling matchups for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The game that sticks out is the Battle of Ontario between the Maple Leafs and Senators with Toronto looking to advance to the second round with a win. 

The Buds look to close out the series and improve on a 1-11 record in closeout games during the Auston Matthews era. Ottawa looks to stave off elimination and keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive. 

For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 29-12 record on our last 41 picks, including perfect record during Game 1 and 4 of the series. 

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

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

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators Best Bets:

• Leafs ML (-162)
• Over 5.5 goals (-114)
• Leafs Score First (-145)
• John Tavares Over 0.5 points (-174)
• Brady Tkachuk Over 0.5 points (-132)
• Tim Stutzle Under 0.5 points (+126)

Offence has been red hot lately with Toronto's big four of Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Auston Matthews recording points in every game of the series except for Game 3 in Tavares' case.

Ottawa has simply not had an answer for Toronto's playmakers with nine goals allowed through the first two games that were played in Toronto.

More NHL: Stars' Hintz, Oilers' Nugent-Hopkins Headline Playoff Players Due for Bounce Back Performances

For Game 5, the Maple Leafs return home with a second-round bid on their mind. If they can manage to continue their success at home and keep doing what is making them successful, then they should find a favourable result on Tuesday.

Game 4 of the series will likely appear as an outlier as offence was finally generated from Ottawa winger Tim Stutzle, who scored his first goal of the series and marked his first real point of the series after recording a second assist on a Senators goal back in Game 2. 

I expect the Maple Leafs to put the clamps on the German winger once again and play a solid defensive game after getting out to an early lead. 

The Buds have scored six first period goals this series and should get another one here as Senators netminder Linus Ullmark has struggled to stop the bleeding with 15 goals allowed through four games.

The member of Toronto's big four with the best value is Tavares, who has continued his hot streak into the postseason with three goals. He has been playing alongside Nylander, who has also been hot and should set up for another offensive night for the line. 

Senators' captain Brady Tkachuk has felt the pressure of the playoffs and has responded well with points in three straight games and is surprisingly still listed at a decent value to get on the board. 

Ottawa won't go down quietly and Tkachuk will certainly be a factor for the Senators in this one. Due to Stutzle's struggles in the series, he's been pulled off Tkachuk's line and it hasn't slowed the Arizona native down. 

More NHL: Bolts, Golden Knights Present Last Call For Massive Betting Values

The Anaheim Ducks announced on April 19 that Greg Cronin would not return as head coach of the organization for the 2025-26 season.

Report: Anaheim Ducks Interview Joel Quenneville for Head Coaching Vacancy (Updated)

The Ducks are one of four teams (New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken) in the NHL with a vacancy behind their bench. Three other teams are currently employing interim coaches (Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers), while two more face uncertainty (New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks).

With as few as four and as many as nine NHL head coaching job openings, the landscape will likely require more time for clarity before hiring announcements begin.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek met with media members following the team’s announcement that they were going to go in a different direction with their head coach. During his availability, he stated the search was going to be similar to how he handled the process his first time around, in which he notably had a long list of candidates on his radar before Cronin was ultimately hired.

“Timeline, we’re going to start the search and start to make a list immediately,” Verbeek said on April 19. “I really don’t have a timeline on it. I’m going to look to hire the best candidate for this team and what it needs moving forward.”

A look at coaches currently holding head coaching positions around the league and when they were hired will indicate when to expect a coaching announcement from the Ducks.

Coaches are either let go at some point during the NHL season or shortly after the conclusion of the season. Since the Ducks elected for the latter, a look at previous offseason hires is necessary.

2022

Ten NHL head coaching hires were made in the 2022 offseason. The New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, and San Jose Sharks all made changes behind their bench after the 2021-22 season.

Nine of the ten were announced between June 14 and July 3. The ninth was made on July 22 (David Quinn to San Jose) because the Sharks were in the midst of a change at the general manager position.

Due to the previous COVID-shortened seasons, the 2021-22 regular season ended on May 1. The majority of the hires came between six and eight weeks following the conclusion of the regular season.

2023

Six head coaching hires were made following the 2022-23 season. The Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, and Columbus Blue Jackets all made hires before the 2023-24 season.

The earliest hires were made on May 30, and the latest one was made on July 1. Five of the six occurred in the two weeks between May 30 and June 13. The 2022-23 season ended in mid-April, as is typical for the NHL season, placing the majority of hires in the same six to eight-week period following the conclusion of the regular season.

2024

The Summer of 2024 saw seven teams make changes behind their benches. The Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks, and Columbus Blue Jackets all made changes.

Compared to the two previous offseasons, 2024 was an anomaly on both sides of the hiring timeline. The Sabres got the party started just four days following the end of the season, when they hired Lindy Ruff on April 22. The next four hirings came between May 7 and May 24, while the last two came on June 13 and July 22.

Today

If patterns are to be drawn in regards to when and how teams come to decisions on their next head coach, a general target window of six to eight weeks following the end of the season can be established.

However, because there are so many openings and more potential candidates to come on the horizon, teams may be more inclined to take their time. There is typically a waiting period as teams interview candidates, followed by a first domino and several rapid announcements.

The only substantial news that has been reported within the coaching landscape this offseason is that the Ducks have interviewed Joel Quenneville and that David Carle has removed himself from contention in the Blackhawks’ search.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported on Tuesday’s “Morning Cuppa Hockey” show that the Ducks are the only team confirmed to be in the process of conducting interviews.

“I think Anaheim’s trying,” Saravalli said. “They’re the first team that I know that has actually completed interviews and has more scheduled. They’re grinding away to try and make that happen.”

The Penguins parted with Mike Sullivan on Monday, effectively adding him to the market. Rick Tocchet (Vancouver) and Patrick Roy’s (Islanders) respective positions seem uncertain, so they could become potential candidates soon as well.

Pat Verbeek said he was going to cast a wide net and wasn’t going to eliminate anyone from his search. He does seem to have a head start on the opposition with Seravalli’s report. If he doesn’t intend to interview Tocchet or Roy, the Ducks might be the first of those dominoes to fall, set the market on the coaching landscape, and make the first move, hiring their future head coach of the franchise.

Odds suggest the Ducks will hire their coach near the end of May, but if there were an outlier to make an earlier announcement, it would likely be Anaheim.

Carlsson, Lundeström to Represent Sweden at 2025 Betano Hockey Games, World Championship

Pair of Former Ducks Defensemen Come up Big in Game 3

Two games. Two third-period leads. Two stunning collapses.

The Los Angeles Kings are staring into the void of a dangerous 2–2 series tie with the Edmonton Oilers after what will perhaps be remembered as one of the most devastating and epic back-to-back collapses in franchise playoff history.

Instead of coming back to Crypto.com Arena with a commanding 3-1 series lead to try to close out the series, the Kings now have to fight to regain momentum in a best-of-three sprint — all because they couldn't close out what they opened.

However, this isn’t a surprise, as the Kings are the worst road team among all eight Western Conference playoff teams. But, even though they’ve struggled on the road in the season, they’ve had leads in games 3 and 4 at Edmonton. 

In game 3, after trailing 2-0 early, the Kings fought back and took a 4- 3 lead off of Trevor Moore sprinting down the ice in a one-on-one battle and scoring. LA would hold onto this lead comfortably until the 6:44 mark when they gave up two goals in 10 seconds and got outscored 4-0 in the 3rd period. 

Game 4 was a bigger choke job because the Kings were in control of the game for most of the time, until the third period, when they conceded two goals and went into overtime, ultimately losing on a game-winning goal by Leon Draisaitl. 

Not just that, but the Kings were held to zero goals, going scoreless after their 3-1 lead in the second period. Even though both teams were struggling to score after the score was tied 3-3, there was just a feeling that Edmonton was going to take this game because they were hustling, sprinting, and wanted it more in the final moments. 

Jim Hiller’s postgame comments on third period adjustments. pic.twitter.com/1LFvQqsEoN

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) April 28, 2025

The Oilers were moving the puck around and had so many chances to score early in overtime, but were just missing their shots. Edmonton outshot LA 48-41, proving to be the more physical and aggressive team last night in their efforts to score goals. 

For Los Angeles, these back-to-back road losses are not just painful. They're exhibiting a disturbing pattern that has defined their playoffs: third-period meltdowns, defensive play with the lead, and a failure to match the sense of urgency of an Oilers team that can smell blood in the water.

A Golden Opportunity Slips Away

Again, they became passive. Again, they stood by and watched as Edmonton's suffocating pressure broke down their defense. Evan Bouchard tied the game on a blue-line one-timer early in the third, and Leon Draisaitl finished it off with a power-play goal in overtime after a Kings penalty that cost them the game.

What was meant to be a commanding 3–1 series lead is now in jeopardy — all onus now squarely on Los Angeles.

Third-Period Miscues the Story

The first four games of the series have witnessed the third period controlled by Edmonton. The Kings have been outscored 7-0 in the third period, outshot 32– 14, and are increasingly uncertain with the puck in big-game situations.

LA Kings were 30 seconds from a 3-1 series lead. Give up a Bouche Bomb and then lose in OT. Series tied 2-2 going to LA, Game 5 pivotal in LA as I had the Kings in 6. However, if Edmonton wins Game 5 then IMHO the Oilers win in six games.

If LA loses this series, Game 4 will be…

— John A. Labban (@johnalabban4629) April 28, 2025

That is the biggest story for this series, as it is split 2-2 heading into Crypto.com Arena. The Kings have become a lesser version of themselves in the third period on the road compared to the first and second, where they’ve started off looking great and building up leads. 

Despite giving up all these goals in the third period, you can’t blame Darcy Kuemper, who was phenomenal tonight in OT, standing on his head for 18 minutes, making several spectacular saves. 

Kuemper was giving his team every possible chance to get the win, but the offense just couldn't get the momentum going in the third period or overtime.

Game 5: A Defining Moment Awaits

With the series tied 2–2, Tuesday evening's Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena is now a season-defining game for the Kings — and perhaps for this generation of Kings hockey, too.

Oilers and Kings are tied 2-2 heading to Game 5.
Story of the series so far... pic.twitter.com/8atGvwtYda

— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) April 28, 2025

Win, and the Kings seize control of the series with a chance to finish off an Oilers team that has haunted them for three straight playoff seasons. Lose, and Edmonton returns home to Rogers Place with an opportunity to send L.A. home in Game 6, thrusting the Kings' playoff hopes — and the assumptions about the window of their core's chance at a championship — into the spotlight. 

There is no fake-it-till-you-make-it anymore. There are no moral victories. The Kings have shown that they can play with Edmonton for long periods. But until they figure out how to close games, until they stop bleeding late, and until their top players step up in clutch situations, their playoffs will end like the previous three: riding the bench while watching Edmonton move forward as they wish they could've.

With two third-period meltdowns, agonizing as they were, the Los Angeles Kings are no longer battling the Oilers. They're battling themselves.

The NHL awards are nigh.

On the second day of the week designated by the NHL for releasing major award nominees, the league announced the finalists for the Norris Trophy for 2025.

Colorado Avalanche superstar defender Cale Makar is, once again, nominated. Apart from his rookie season (where he won the Calder Trophy), he’s either won or been a finalist.

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

He was the runner-up to the New York Rangers’ defender Adam Fox in 2020-21. The following year, Makar would win the award after putting up an 86-point season. The Avalanche would go on to win the Stanley Cup, with Makar also taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy.

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In the last two years, he’s been one of the three finalists. Erik Karlsson and Quinn Hughes won the trophy in those years (playing for the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks respectively).

For 2025, he joins Hughes (again) and Columbus Blue Jackets blueliner Zach Werenski as this year’s finalists. 

Makar’s season is well deserving of a nomination. He’s had a career year and is putting his name in the ring for one of the best offensive defenders ever to play the game.

Six years in the NHL, five Norris nominations. 

Cale Makar is ________________. pic.twitter.com/KJN3mcYTMH

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 29, 2025

He collected 30 goals and 62 assists for 92 points in 80 games. Makar also averaged 25:43 of ice time per game. He set career-highs in goals and points this past season.

Makar also began the season with a 13-game point streak, which is only the second all-time to Bobby Orr.

Avalanche fans will have to wait until the end of the playoffs to see if Makar will add a second Norris Trophy to his collection.

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