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While the Montreal Canadiens were one goal away from winning game one of their first-round series against the Washington Capitals, the D.C. outfit outrageously dominated when it came to scoring chances.

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Only one Montreal line had the upper hand on Washington’s combinations—the top one. The unit formed by Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky has carried its dominating play into the playoffs, having 11 scoring chances while only surrendering three to the Caps.

It was much more difficult for the three other lines. Washington dominated the Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, and Brendan Gallagher trio 3-1, edged the Emil Heineman, Jake Evans, and Joel Armia combination 3-2, and obliterated the Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, and Ivan Demidov line 10-1.

Should the Canadiens play the first frame of game two like they played the last 10 minutes of game 1, these numbers would probably be much better. If the Habs adjust their forecheck and can put the puck where they need it to be in the Capitals’ zone to apply pressure, the numbers will improve, at least for the Dvorak and Evans lines.

However, that won’t fix the Newhook combination issue, since the forecheck isn’t exactly their forte. In an ideal world, they would need to start with the puck already in the Washington zone, which is easier said than done. Changing on the fly while maintaining puck possession in the offensive zone is no small feat, and Newhook doesn’t have shining faceoff numbers. On Monday night, he only won two of his eight faceoffs.

Ivan Demidov dances into space and finds Alex Newhook for the opening goal of the game!#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/0Hrsz36Q2F

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 14, 2025

Perhaps the answer is to delegate another center to win the draw with orders to retreat to the bench once that mission has been accomplished, like Dvorak does when Martin St-Louis starts overtime with Suzuki, a blueliner, and him. Once puck possession is established, he retreats to the bench, and Caufield jumps on the ice. It could be one way to shield the unit, but that’s easier said than done.

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Although it is probably way too early to ponder how the deadline acquisition of Andrey Kuzmenko will play out for the LA Kings in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, I am going to do it anyway. Fans and followers of both the 2012 and 2014 Cup winning teams are well aware of what bringing in the right piece at the right time can do for one's team, especially when it's the likes of Jeff Carter and Marion Gaborik. 

After Game 1 of the first round series with the Edmonton Oilers, "Kuzy" has already earned a place in the conversation with these former deadline legends by registering three points (1 G, 2 A) in LA's thrilling 6-5 win over the Oilers. By comparison, Carter had two assists against Vancouver in his playoff debut with the Kings, whereas Gaborik did not find the scoresheet until Game 3 of the first round series against the San Jose Sharks in 2014. 

In addition to his eight goals and five assists in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Carter's six goals down the stretch in the month of March were a boon to the offensively challenged Kings that year. Without Carter's impact, it's doubtful whether LA would have been able to squeak in as the Western Conference eighth seed at all that year. 

While this year's squad was already securely in a playoff spot by the time Kuzmenko arrived, the 29-year-old Russian's contribution went a long way in wresting second place in the Pacific Division away from Edmonton. For a team having set a franchise record with 31 wins at home, having home ice in this series could turn out to be huge. In 20 regular season games with the Kings, Kuzmenko put up 17 points (5 G, 12 A) and injected much needed new life into the Kings' moribund power play. 

With his first period goal 2:49 into Game 1, Andrei Kuzmenko scored the Kings’ fastest game-opening goal in the playoffs since Marian Gaborik (0:34) in Game 2 of the 2014 Second Round (per @NHLPR). pic.twitter.com/TycstotTcX

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) April 22, 2025

Marion Gaborik made a similar impact in 2014 when he put up 16 points over the final 19 regular season games before exploding in the playoffs, in route to LA's second Stanley Cup in three seasons. The Slovak sniper would lead LA with 14 playoff goals, two of those coming against crosstown rivals Anaheim: one to tie the game with just seven seconds remaining in the third and the second to win it in overtime. 

On May 3, 2014, the Freeway Face-Off extended into the post season as Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks met for the first time in the playoffs. Marian Gaborik scored the game-tying goal late in the 3rd and scored the game winner in OT to give the Kings a 3-2 win in Game 1. pic.twitter.com/QNycNmw3IU

— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) May 3, 2019

Could another offensively gifted European leaving a John Tortorella-coached team for LA at the deadline work out well for the Kings again? Much too early to say, but at the very least, things are off to an excellent start.

Bruins' offseason to-do list must include acquiring an elite scorer originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins got great offensive production from David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie during the 2024-25 NHL season.

Pastrnak scored 40-plus goals for the fourth straight season and tallied 100-plus points for the third consecutive year. Geekie scored a career-high 33 goals — 16 more than last season.

But two good offensive players are not enough to make the playoffs, let alone make a run at the Stanley Cup. While there are plenty of roster weaknesses for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to address over the offseason, finding another high-end scorer needs to be at the top of the list.

“(We have to find) some extra scoring potential, and we probably have to address the wing positions,” Sweeney said Wednesday at the team’s end-of-season press conference.

“That will deepen the scoring ability that showed up ineffectively this year in the way the roster was built. We didn’t score enough, and our power play was dormant for most of the season.”

The Bruins ranked 27th in goals per game (all situations) and 29th in power-play percentage. They also ranked among the league’s worst teams in scoring at even strength.

So, how do the Bruins find more scoring? Will they focus on the trade market, free agency or internal improvement?

“It’s all the above, whatever is at our disposal to utilize,” Sweeney said Wednesday. “I referenced what we tried to do at the trade deadline to find some younger players, deepen our prospect pool, add a player who would help us in Casey (Mittelstadt) from an offensive standpoint. He’s a different player than Charlie (Coyle). He could grow into some of the things that Charlie Coyle was so very good at.

“We’re going to use every mechanism possible.”

The B’s definitely could get more offense from the players already in the organization.

Pavel Zacha is a 50-point scorer who played below that level this season. The blue line, especially Charlie McAvoy, can provide more offense. Casey Mittelstadt could score 15-20 goals if used correctly.

Elias Lindholm had a strong finish to an otherwise underwhelming season. He could potentially regain his top-six center form from recent seasons. Young players such as Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten and Matt Poitras could provide valuable scoring depth, too.

But don’t expect prospects to get NHL reps until they’ve fully earned the opportunity.

“We’re not going to just plug a player in because he’s young and exciting,” Sweeney said. “They have to earn those stripes. Fabian’s a good example of building blocks and recognizing one-on-one talent and ability is different than how it’s going to translate to winning hockey in the National Hockey League on a competitive team. Ultimately, they have to earn that. We’re going to hold them to that standard.”

The most impactful way to bolster this team’s offensive potential — at least in the short term — is to swing for the fences in free agency and/or the trade market. The B’s will enter the offseason with about $28 million in salary cap space, per PuckPedia.

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner could become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He is an elite offensive player who tallied a career-high 102 points this season. He’s arguably the best playmaking wing in the sport and has averaged 66 assists over the last four years.

Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers has scored 20-plus goals in eight of the last nine seasons. He can become a UFA this summer, too.

It’s unknown if Marner or Ehlers will even make it to free agency in July, but if they do, it would be smart for the Bruins to try to acquire one of them. Besides Marner and Ehlers, there aren’t any other major difference-makers in the 2025 free agent class.

That leaves the trade market as the other path for Sweeney to make significant scoring additions to his roster. As a result of his trade deadline moves, Sweeney now has a couple more quality prospects and draft picks — including four first-rounders and five second-rounders over the next three years — to dangle on the trade market.

And then, of course, the Bruins will have the opportunity to add a potential top-six forward in the 2025 NHL Draft. Boston has the fifth-best odds to win the lottery and can finish no lower than the No. 7 pick. The center position is the Bruins’ primary roster need entering this draft, and there are several talented prospects at that position in the top 15 picks.

The Bruins need to defend better next season. The goaltending — especially from Jeremy Swayman — needs to be much improved, too. But unless the B’s fix their scoring troubles, this team will be back in the draft lottery in 2026. Only one of the bottom-12 teams (the Minnesota Wild) in goals scored this season made the playoffs.

If Sweeney can acquire at least one high-end forward in the coming months, it could be enough to get the Bruins back into the playoff mix as early as next season.

The Winnipeg Jets have pulled ahead two games to zero in their opening round, best-of-seven matchup with the St. Louis Blues. 

Thanks to back-to-back game-winning goals from Kyle Connor, the Jets have taken a stranglehold on a tough Central Division opponent that got red-hot over the season's second half. 

St. Louis, which actually had its franchise-best, 12-game winning streak stopped by the Jets in the season's final weeks, has not been a pushover either. The Blues led at two different points in Game 1, and never trailed by more than a single goal at any point in this series (with the exception of Adam Lowry's empty-net marker). 

The Jets know the Blues well. Playing each other roughly four times a year, the two divisional opponents also have a postseason history. 

In 2019, a similar looking St. Louis team challenged Winnipeg in the opening round. Having been dead last in league standings near the Christmas break, the Blues rebounded dramatically in the second half, earning their way to a date with Winnipeg in first round.

They came into the former Bell MTS Place and stole both games away from the Jets, pulling ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven. 

Winnipeg flipped the script with two wins in St. Louis, tying things up in advance of Game 5. 

But the Blues were just too strong and took the next two games, sealing the deal on the Jets' push for another lengthy postseason run. That Blues team was good, real good. So good that it went all the way to the Cup Final, where it beat the Bruins in seven games for the league championship.

Should Winnipeg manage to find a way to take down St. Louis this year, the Jets would then go on to face the winner between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.

Should the Avalanche come out on top, it would be another familiar opponent. Colorado was Winnipeg's Round 1 matchup last postseason. Despite beating the Avs in Game 1 at home last year, the Jets dropped the second contest, before hitting the road for Denver. 

They lost both games at Ball Arena only to come home and lose in the series-deciding contest, falling from the postseason in just five games - four after a dominant 7-6 win in the opener.

Should Winnipeg play Colorado and manage to fend off its explosive offence, a date with the Jets' most familiar postseason opponent could be in the works. 

Should they beat the Minnesota Wild in the opening round and then take care of business against either Los Angeles or Edmonton in the second round, the Vegas Golden Knights could once again be waiting on the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Final. 

Sure, it's quite a reach, Winnipeg very well could be squaring off with the team that has twice booted the Jets from the postseason - including shutting down their chance at going to the Cup back in the Western Conference Final in 2018.

Vegas certainly has the depth and experience to take another swing at a lengthy postseason run. But it's just that. Are the Knights running out of oxygen? Will they sustain another series-and-a-half of playoff violence to make it to the conference final?

The same question could be said of Winnipeg, which is already down Gabe Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers and Rasmus Kupari on offence due to injury. 

If the Conference Final was determined by regular season standings points it would already have guaranteed a matchup between Vegas and the Jets. However, this is NHL hockey - and Stanley Cup Playoff hockey at that, where nothing is given, every inch is earned.

Yes, Vegas sent Winnipeg packing in five games back in the third round in 2018. Sure, that feels like a lifetime (and a pandemic) ago, but the wound still bleeds.

More recently, the Golden Knights denied the Jets' hopes in the first round two seasons back. In a very similar way to that of Colorado's five-game victory, Vegas allowed a Jets win in Game 1 before storming back with four-straight to eliminate Winnipeg from contention.

If it is Winnipeg and Vegas in the conference final and the Jets prove victorious, the only fitting opponent in the Stanley Cup Final would be the Montreal Canadiens - also known as the team that swept Winnipeg in four-straight games in the second round of the pandemic-shortened 2021 season. 

The idea of Montreal - the Eastern Conference's eighth-seed - making a run to the Stanley Cup may be the most preposterous part of this proposition, but the possibility is not completely far-fetched. The Habs would have to beat the top team in the East (Washington) before taking down a combination of Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina to make it to the Cup.

It would be an insanely wild ride for the Jets and their fans, but it's not entirely impossible. Sure, many stars would need to align to allow this redemption tale for the ages, but for now, it starts with the Blues, as the Jets allow feelings from 2019, 2024, 2018, 2023 and maybe, just maybe, 2021 fuel their passion for greatness. 

Tkachuk and Domi made headlines on Day 4 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs – but it wasn’t Keith and Tie.

The last time Keith Tkachuk and Tie Domi were in the playoffs at the same time was in 2004. This time, it was the Florida Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Max Domi scoring important goals on Tuesday night, although Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk recorded his first career goal as well.

Here are the key storylines from each game.

Carolina Hurricanes Defeat New Jersey Devils 3-1 (CAR leads series 2-0)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen took over the spotlight in Game 2 against the New Jersey Devils. In a low-scoring 2-1 win for the Hurricanes, Andersen made 25 stops on 26 shots to record a .962 save percentage.

Aside from the opening five minutes of the game when they scored, the Devils didn’t have many grade-A chances. According to naturalstattrick.com, New Jersey had seven high-danger chances, while Carolina had 15.

Although the Hurricanes controlled most of this game, the Devils put up a strong fight defensively. Brett Pesce kept the game close, with six blocked shots and two goal-line clearances.

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe liked his team’s game as the series moves to New Jersey for two games.

“I liked a lot about our game today,” Keefe said. “We showed attitude, we showed competitiveness, we showed care.”

Demoted But Not Down, Max Domi Scores OT Winner For Toronto Maple LeafsFor most of this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t know what to do with Max Domi — or where he fit in.

Toronto Maple Leafs Defeat Ottawa Senators 3-2 OT (TOR leads series 2-0)

The Toronto Maple Leafs took Game 2 over the Ottawa Senators in overtime thanks to a Max Domi snipe. With that, the Leafs take a 2-0 series lead for the first time since 2002 against the New York Islanders.

Max isn’t the first Domi to score a game-winner against the Senators in the playoffs. His father, Tie, scored a game-winning goal in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Sens in 2004. 

Domi’s reaction to his goal? 

“Big win, on to the next one now,” he told reporters.

Ottawa had a tough time hitting the net in the third period with only three shots on goal. Nonetheless, the Senators forced overtime with a goal from Adam Gaudette. With that, they applied heavy offensive pressure on the Leafs, which coach Travis Green praised.

“I really liked the way we played tonight,” Green told reporters. “To play a road game like that was encouraging for our team.”

The Senators will get another crack at the Maple Leafs on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

No Panic: Ottawa Senators Lose Again, But They'll Be Better For It In The Short- And Long-TermThere are no moral victories in the Stanley Cup playoffs, so the reality is the Ottawa Senators find themselves down 2-0 in the Battle of Ontario and face an enormous task getting back into this first-round series.

Florida Panthers Defeat Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 (FLA leads series 1-0)

It took four days from the opening night of the playoffs before fans could see the Battle of Florida between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. However, Game 1 might not have ended the way many would’ve anticipated.

Speaking of waiting, Matthew Tkachuk finally returned to the Panthers roster after being out with a lower-body injury since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He made his presence known, scoring two goals and an assist in his return, all on the power play.

The Panthers went on to steamroll the Lightning in a 6-2 win on the road to set the tone for the series. Defenseman Nate Schmidt added another two goals past Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had a rough outing for the Bolts.

It was a night to forget for Vasilevskiy, who finished the game with a .625 SP, allowing six goals on 16 shots.

The third period was when things got out of hand for Tampa Bay. They allowed three goals that sucked the energy out of the team. The Lightning challenged Schmidt’s first goal and lost the argument, which then led to another goal 14 seconds later on the power play.

Eventually, they added a third, and fans began to leave Amalie Arena early. 

“You have to stop the bleeding,” Victor Hedman said to reporters. 

Minnesota Wild Defeat Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 (Series Tied 1-1)

The Minnesota Wild flipped the script on the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2, with a 5-2 win. It was a hot start for the Wild, scoring three goals in the opening period past Adin Hill, to give the team a large cushion for the rest of the contest.

Minnesota’s first line led the way, with Kirill Kaprizov making multiple highlight plays in the game. He started with a shoulder-high, breakaway pass to Matt Boldy, who opened the scoring. Boldy has three goals and four points, while Kaprizov has two goals and five points in this series.

“I think (Joel Eriksson Ek, Boldly, and Kaprizov), they play a playoff-style type of hockey,” Wild coach John Hynes told reporters. “They play north. They play direct. They can use their competitive level in combination with skill. It gives them a chance to be a line that's hard to play.”

Kaprizov iced the game with 2:26 left on the clock with the empty net. While protecting their lead, he pounced on a loose puck after a save from Filip Gustavsson and threw it the length of the ice, into Vegas’ empty net to secure the win.

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