The Carolina Hurricanes don't care if you think they're boring: ‘We're trying to win hockey games'
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sometimes it feels like the Carolina Hurricanes can't win.
Well, proverbially, that is. We all know they can on the ice.
On Tuesday night, the Hurricanes will meet the Florida Panthers for their third Eastern Conference final in Rod Brind'Amour's seven years behind the bench of the franchise he once captained to a Stanley Cup. They have won 10 playoff series and 46 games — fifth-most in the NHL during that span. In the regular season, they have won the third-most games (325) and amassed the fourth-most points (699) — eight behind the leading Boston Bruins — by playing a hardworking style under Brind'Amour that has proven to be a winning formula.
Advertisement
Yet six years after the Canes were accused of having too much fun and dubbed by Don Cherry on 'Coach's Corner' as a 'bunch of jerks' for their postgame 'Storm Surge,' many in the hockey world are now calling them another dirty word: 'boring.'
They've apparently gone from being too entertaining to … way too bland.
Never mind that after scoring the ninth-most goals per game in the regular season, they've scored more goals per game in these playoffs than the Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. Never mind that they're 8-2 in the postseason and look like a formidable Cup contender.
Well, naturally, just like six years ago when the old boys network was offended by the Canes' method of celebrating victories, the Canes' social media whizzes and their rabid fan base have latched onto the cynics calling their team 'boring.'
After a five-game dispatch of the New Jersey Devils, the Hurricanes ended the season of the East's best regular-season team, the Washington Capitals, also in five games. And then they reminded the naysayers just how dull they are by compiling some of those clips and jabs and compiling them into a humorous post of their own:
ECF berths are so boring! pic.twitter.com/6HNgWmjmY0
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 16, 2025
And just like those 'bunch of jerks' T-shirts flew off the shelves in 2019 as the Canes advanced to the first conference final under Brind'Amour, red 'Keep Carolina Hockey Boring' T-shirts are being sold online.
Inside the locker room where one of the last four remaining NHL teams was preparing for the third round of the playoffs Sunday, reaction to the 'boring' accusations varied between giggles and eyerolls.
'You read it everywhere now and you're like, 'OK, we play a high-paced, puck pressure game with a lot of shots,' top-pair defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. 'So if people find that boring, then I don't know. I don't think it's a boring game. I think it's hard to play against. I don't think it's boring, though. I think people are confusing boring with hard to play against.'
Advertisement
First-line right wing Seth Jarvis smiled widely when asked if the Canes are boring.
'I feel if this was Toronto or a different team shutting teams down, they'd be getting praised out of this world,' Jarvis said. 'But it's just the way it is because we're not Toronto, and we're totally fine with it. We don't think we're boring at all.
'I mean, we create plenty of offense, maybe a little different than other teams. But scoring goals is scoring goals, and that's something that we've gotten better at and started to do more consistently, especially in the playoffs now. I mean, I have a blast playing this style.'
There's no doubt Brind'Amour demands a specific style of hockey that, in part, made him a winner and an arguably should-be Hall of Famer. If you really watch the Hurricanes play, sure, they are strict with their structure. But they don't sit back. When they don't have the puck, they pounce to get it back, then go hard on the forecheck and pepper opposing nets with pucks. After averaging the second-most shots per game in the regular season (31.7), they're averaging the second-most in the playoffs (33.2) and are by far the league's Corsi champs.
'Do you find that boring?' center Sebastian Aho said, chuckling. 'We're trying to win hockey games. That's it. Our style is hard work. Every team works this time of year and they compete, there's no question about that. But I think we're willing to work our tails off for each other. Our base is hard work — to be the hardest-working team on the ice every night. But our goal is to hound the puck and wear down opponents offensively. It's more fun to play in the offensive zone and have a chance to score goals, and that is how we play no matter what people may think.'
With that comes an attention to detail demanded by Brind'Amour that is 'probably the biggest factor in everything we do.'
Advertisement
'When we're detailed, you see a game that's hard to play against. That's the trick,' he said.
Brind'Amour joked that he could sit down and 'show you (the details all over the ice) … but I won't.'
He just asks for total buy-in, and for the most part, he's gotten it throughout his seven years as Carolina's coach. As Jordan Martinook famously said in 2019, 'I would run through hot coals for that guy.'
Brind'Amour says the 'boring' criticism probably stems from the fact the Hurricanes 'don't have those sexy players yet' that maybe play with the pizzazz of superstars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Kirill Kaprizov.
'They're coming,' Brind'Amour said, an indication that just because Mikko Rantanen didn't want to move his life and career to the Tar Heel State doesn't mean the Canes are done pursuing stars in the offseasons to come.
But still, Carolina believes it has plenty of offensive talent in the likes of Aho, Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Logan Stankoven and others.
'The only way to score is with the puck, so we try to keep it as long as possible,' Jarvis said. 'And whether that's rimming the puck or chipping it out and using our speed that apparently some people don't like, that's the name of the game. But this organization's done a great job at bringing people in that they know fit the mold and fit right in and be able to plug and play and not have a big drop-off or anything. I find the way we play a fun brand of hockey.'
Eric Tulsky, Carolina's general manager, couldn't care less about the criticism his team has taken from anonymous hockey fans on X or some in the media. Entertainment, to him, is winning, and the Canes do a lot of it.
'We want to win the Cup, and that's what our fans want,' Tulsky told The Athletic. 'So I don't really care what people think of the way we play. But even setting that aside, I don't believe the way we play is boring at all. I understand that criticism of teams that play a stifling defense by playing very passively and sitting back and just clogging things up and denying chances, but we play a stifling defense by being as aggressive as possible and getting on you at every turn and trying to make every single pass hard.
Advertisement
'That's what you want to see. You want to see that aggression. That's the opposite of boring to me. It's an all-out attack, so I don't know where that narrative came from. I can't imagine people that have really watched us play a lot of games have thought, 'This is boring,' but it's a matter of personal taste.'
The Canes are averaging a league-best 1.8 goals-against per game this postseason, one goal fewer allowed than in the regular season. Freddie Andersen's 12.2 goals saved above expected is the best in the playoffs and his 1.36 goals-against average through nine starts is the lowest since Ilya Bryzgalov's 1.00 with Anaheim in 2006.
But believe it or not, Brind'Amour wants his team to score goals. Two years ago, when the Canes were swept by the Panthers in the Eastern Conference final and scored six times in the series, Brind'Amour was beside himself in the postgame presser. He was almost defiant, saying, 'Everyone's going to say you got swept, and that's not what happened. I'm there. We're in the game. We didn't lose four games. We got beat but we were right there. This could have went the other way. It could have been four games the other way.'
The Canes lost Game 1 in four overtimes. They lost Game 2 in another overtime and put 38 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky. Game 3 was another 1-0 loss in which they only allowed 17 shots while Bobrovsky denied 32. And the Game 4 loss came when Matthew Tkachuk scored a tie-breaking, power-play goal with five seconds left.
Brind'amour hopes the stinging feeling after perhaps deserving better in the series will be a great learning lesson for his group this time around.
Defend well. Defend hard. And score enough goals to win, which is the name of the game and much more important than style points.
Eastern Conference finalists for the third time in seven years pic.twitter.com/PBp6PsuCYg
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 18, 2025
The Hurricanes had a lot of turnover heading into this season. Many wondered if their window was closed and they could even miss the playoffs. Then the trade for Rantanen didn't work out and many felt at the deadline they again could be in trouble coming down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Yet, here they are again … eight wins from a Stanley Cup.
Advertisement
'We've got a job to do,' Brind'Amour said. 'I think from Day 1 of the year, we had this vision of where we want to go. And I think guys have (done) a real good job staying focused on not getting too far ahead. We know it's still a long way to go. I mean, we're halfway to that. It's just understanding where we want to be but understanding how you got to get there.
'Every year is a great opportunity. I mean, we all understand how hard it is. Like, I don't know that necessarily everyone out there does, but to get to this point is extremely hard to do. I think we all appreciate that. But also you've got to take advantage of that opportunity because you don't know when they're coming around (again). I think there's a sense of urgency there on that.'
Which means, guess what? More attention to detail. More structure. And more hounding of the puck that makes the Hurricanes hard to play against and one tough out.
'The greatest thing about this team is whenever it's time to work, we work,' Aho said.
Added Jarvis, 'It's special knowing that whoever we put on the ice, we have a chance to win. We all play the same way, which is the biggest part. We know what to expect out of each other. Now it's just a matter of getting over this hump and taking the next steps to become a championship team.'
And if that means two more rounds of being called 'boring,' well, so be it.
Nobody in Raleigh will be complaining of boredom if they're hoisting that Stanley Cup for the second time in 19 years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘It was like a mini NHL': Twenty years ago, a star-laden team won it all in the AHL's greatest season
Ben Stafford always had grander plans. After four years as a spunky two-way center at Yale University and three more bouncing around minor-league hockey, the Minnesota native dreamed of a career in military medicine. He spent one year at medical school after hanging up his skates, before that path changed and he joined the United States Marine Corps, deploying to places such as Fallujah, Iraq and Kuwait. He is now the chief operating officer of a renewable energy company headquartered in New York City. Advertisement But before all that, Stafford had one final, unforgettable season in professional hockey 20 years ago, playing in the American Hockey League for the eventual champions, the 2004-05 Philadelphia Phantoms. 'Getting into that season, I had a pretty good sense that it would be my last year,' Stafford said. 'I was just scratching and clawing, anything to get a cup of coffee in the show. I loved playing for (coach John Stevens), I loved the players, I loved Philly. So it was all good. But it just wasn't progressing.' The competition for Stafford, then 26, who had posted a modest 12 goals in 73 games with the Phantoms the previous season, got much stiffer in 2004-05, both internally and around the league. Because of the NHL lockout, which wiped out the entire season, the AHL was loaded with up-and-coming players and prospects, many of whom would have been in the NHL had it not been for the work stoppage and many of whom went on to become stars. It was, quite simply, the most talent-laden season in modern AHL history. Jason Spezza led the league in scoring, with 117 points in 80 games for the Binghamton Senators. Eric Staal paced the Lowell Lock Monsters, posting 77 points. Dustin Brown managed 74 points for the Manchester Monarchs. Patrice Bergeron tallied 61 points in 68 games for the Providence Bruins. In 54 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury went 26-19-4 with a 2.52 goals-against average. Brent Burns, Duncan Keith, Niklas Kronwall, Kevin Bieksa, Mike Cammalleri, Ryane Clowe, Zach Parise, Joffrey Lupul, Ryan Whitney, Ryan Kesler — all of them, and many others, spent 2004-05 in the AHL. And the Phantoms, with a mix of fresh faces, seasoned minor league vets and rugged enforcers — including Patrick Sharp, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, R.J. Umberger and more — proved to be the greatest team in a league that, for a brief moment, was the greatest in the world. Advertisement 'Everywhere we went, we saw multiple NHL players playing down in the minors that season,' said Sharp, who went on to win three Stanley Cup championships with the Chicago Blackhawks and an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada. 'The All-Star team that year was just a stacked list of prospects that basically all went on and had great careers. It's cool to look back at that list and actually be a part of it.' Said Stevens: 'It was like a mini NHL, with the young stars of tomorrow. It was a lot of fun to be a part of it.' Despite the league's influx of talent, the Phantoms didn't have a player in the top 20 in scoring in the regular season, despite finishing in second place in their division with a tidy 48-25-7 record. Umberger, their top-line center and a 2001 first-round pick by Vancouver, set the pace with 65 points (21 goals, 44 assists) in 80 games, while journeyman Jon Sim potted a team-high 35 goals. 'We were more of a team-team,' Stevens said. 'We didn't have one guy carrying the load.' But they still had a roster sprinkled with future NHL talent. Up front, Umberger eventually spent 11 seasons in the league, including a pair of stints with the Flyers, and Sharp, who played mostly as the Phantoms' second-line center, was one of the better wingers of his era with 939 career games over parts of 15 seasons with the Flyers, Blackhawks and Stars. On defense, Dennis Seidenberg (859 career NHL games), Joni Pitkanen (535) and Randy Jones (365) anchored a stingy group that was led by the offensive-minded John Slaney, who was late into what was mostly a minor-league career but who also had 268 NHL games with seven different teams. There was an abundance of toughness, as the Phantoms finished fourth in the AHL with 2,244 penalty minutes. There was Ben Eager (407 career NHL games) and Riley Cote (156) and later Todd Fedoruk, who joined midway through the season as an established NHL player/enforcer. He went on to play for five more years in the NHL, finishing with 545 career games. Advertisement In goal, Antero Niittymaki, who got the bulk of the work in net that season, went on to play for six NHL seasons with the Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks. He was backed up by AHL and Phantoms veteran Neil Little, who was the starter seven years earlier when the club captured its first Calder Cup in 1998, in front of a raucous, sellout crowd at the Spectrum. 'We were loaded,' Little said of the 2004-05 squad. 'We had Nitty in net, as well. He had the bulk (of the work) and I was kind of helping him transition into being a No. 1 guy. And then we were loaded on the D core, and up front we had all kinds of talent and toughness. We had all the ingredients. It was just a matter of, can we put this all together?' Slaney, now an assistant coach with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners, said, 'You knew some players like (Sharp) were going to play in the NHL eventually, and Randy Jones on the back end, and Joni Pitkanen. Every night, you could see these players getting better and better — they were performing at a high level. For me, being an older guy, watching the younger guys perform really well was exciting. They were focused on doing the right things every night.' Overseeing the club was Stevens — already a notable figure in Philadelphia hockey after he captained the 1998 championship Phantoms team as a defenseman. Then, after an eye injury forced him into early retirement, he worked as an assistant under former Phantoms coach and Flyers legend/Hall of Fame forward Bill Barber. Stevens eventually replaced Ken Hitchcock as the Flyers' coach in 2006, guiding them to an appearance in the Eastern Conference final in 2008, before going to Los Angeles, where he was a part of Stanley Cup championship teams in 2012 and 2014 as an assistant to Darryl Sutter. Stevens won another championship as an assistant to Bruce Cassidy's Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, where he remains today. One of Stevens' assistants with the Phantoms then was Craig Berube — considered one of the toughest players in NHL history, who went on to win the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues as their head coach in 2019, and who just completed his first season behind the Toronto Maple Leafs' bench. Stevens, Berube and assistant coach Kjell Samuelsson established the Phantoms' team identity early. It was a defensive mentality built on hard work, playing for one another and pushing back with their ample toughness when necessary in a league in which every team still had at least one or two glove-droppers. 'We were coached by a really good coach,' Seidenberg said. 'It was very structured. He instilled that attitude into the lineup.' Advertisement The Phantoms lost their first two games — and then promptly rattled off 17 straight wins, then an AHL record. They scored more than four goals just twice during that streak, while seven of those wins were by one goal — including four in overtime and two in the shootout, which was new to the AHL that year and was phased into the NHL the following season. The undercurrent of the ongoing NHL lockout, though, often made headlines. Several times throughout the season, there seemed to be progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NHL Players' Association, only for it fall apart. Considering there were players on every AHL team who would inevitably be recalled to the NHL were they to come to an agreement — including guys such as Sharp, Seidenberg and Pitkanen, who had all spent significant time with the big club the previous season — the potential for distraction was there. But that didn't happen. The Phantoms' longest losing streak of the season was five games in December, with four of those losses coming in either overtime or the shootout. Said Sharp: 'I was really interested in what was going on at the highest level, as far as, 'Are we going to play games this year? Is there going to be a training camp? Am I going to get a chance to compete and show I can be an NHL player?' But on the other side of things, I was in the middle of a full season with teammates and coaches and training staff, and we were committed to what was going on there.' By mid-February, it was evident there wasn't going to be any NHL hockey that year. 'Once you knew that it was a lockout for the whole season, there was a huge commitment to our group that hey, we've got a chance to go deep in the playoffs,' Sharp said. 'And let's go get this thing.' But then Stevens had a problem. He knew Carter and Richards, hotshot prospects and Flyers first-round picks, were wrapping up their junior careers that year, and that he had to find a way to get them into the lineup when they came aboard in April. Advertisement Carter was drafted No. 11 in 2003 — arguably the deepest draft of the century so far. Richards was taken at No. 24. Both were standouts as teenagers. Carter led the Soo Greyhounds in scoring in each of his final three seasons there, eclipsing 30 goals every season, while Richards captained the Kitchener Rangers to the Memorial Cup in 2003 and was the captain of Team Canada's World Junior Championship squad in 2005, too. Everyone knew the pair would be in the NHL sooner than later — perhaps even that season, had there been one. Umberger and Sharp were the Phantoms' top two centers prior to the arrival of Carter and Richards — who were also centers. Stevens, as he recalled, went to Sharp with a sensitive question. 'How would you feel about playing wing?' Stevens asked. 'Would I be playing with Jeff Carter?' Sharp replied. He would be, Stevens told him. 'Then I feel pretty good about it,' Sharp said. Sharp had a chuckle when reminded of that exchange. 'That's pretty much exactly what happened,' he said. 'It seems like when I got put to the wing, it freed me up a little bit offensively. If that meant I got to play alongside Carts on the top line, I was going to be all for it, no doubt.' Said Carter: 'Sharpie was really good with me. He was a huge help for me just kind of adjusting to the pro game and everything that comes with it. All those guys were awesome. … It can be tough coming in at the end of the year, but no one cared. They just wanted to win. If I could play to my abilities and help them win, they were like, all right, let's go.' Carter, who arrived before Richards and managed to get into three regular-season games, immediately showed why he was such an exciting prospect. He led the Calder Cup playoffs in goals (12) and points (23), while Sharp was second in playoff scoring with 21 points. Advertisement Richards, who showed up midway through the Phantoms' second-round series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, posted 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 14 playoff games, showcasing the renowned tenacity that eventually helped him become captain of the Flyers in 2008. The fit was seamless. 'They were so respectful,' said Stevens, who also coached Carter and Richards when they played key roles in the Kings' Stanley Cup championships. 'They were the guys picking up pucks at the end of practice. They were last ones getting on the elevator, getting on the bus. They were, in their own right, young stars at that time; everybody knew it. They didn't act like young stars. They acted like young guys that were happy to be a part of a team and were willing to do whatever they could to help out. I think because of that, they were easily accepted by the group, and allowed us to do what we did.' Suddenly, with solid goaltending and a much more high-powered attack adding to their two-way depth up and down the lineup, the Phantoms reached a new level. They dispatched the Norfolk Admirals in the first round in six games, the Penguins in the second round in five games, and the Bruins in the conference finals in six games to reach the Calder Cup finals and a meeting with the Chicago Wolves. And because of the circus taking over their home arena — the since-demolished Spectrum — the Phantoms moved into the NHL arena across the parking lot, then known as Wachovia Center. Flyers general manager Bob Clarke also allowed the Phantoms to use the Flyers' dressing room, giving them access to the more capacious and advanced facilities. 'We were getting treated like NHL players,' Slaney said. 'You've got the locker room, the weight room, the cold tubs — you're getting prepared for a game every night. That kind of stuff behind the scenes was great. It helped the trainers, and helped the players to be ready to perform.' The city took notice. The Phantoms had always drawn well for an AHL team since they were founded in 1996 — they led the league in attendance from 1996-97 to 2001-02, and were seventh that season, averaging 7,967 fans per game. But after they captured the first two games of the finals in Chicago, they returned to Philadelphia for games 3 and 4 to larger-than-normal crowds that were starved for a winning team. Advertisement 'One thing I noticed, it was louder every game compared to the Spectrum,' Slaney said. 'It was the only hockey in town in Philly at the time, so people were actually showing up.' More than 12,000 fans attended their 2-1 win in Game 3, in which goals by Richards and Sharp were the difference. Then, in Game 4 on June 10, 2005, the Phantoms drew an AHL-record sellout crowd of 20,103, all draped in purple T-shirts handed out at the door, to see the team complete the sweep with a 5-2 victory to raise the Calder Cup. And it wasn't Sharp, Carter, Richards or any other future NHL regulars who scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal. It was the scrappy Stafford, who managed to stay in the lineup for all 80 regular-season games and 21 playoff games, who hopped over the bench on a rush and potted the rebound of a shot from Sharp to give the Phantoms a commanding 3-0 second-period lead. It was just his second goal of the postseason, but it was the biggest of his career. 'Hard to believe, actually,' Stafford said, 'that it resulted in the way that it did.' (Editor's note: The Athletic's Kevin Kurz worked as assistant public relations director for the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2005. He joined The Athletic in 2017.) (Top photo of Mike Richards (right): Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Your complete guide to the 2025 Club World Cup – the groups, the teams and the storylines to watch
The Club World Cup begins on Saturday, June 14, when Inter Miami take on Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. How will Lionel Messi and friends get on? Are they likely to get out of Group A? And what about Real Madrid? The world's biggest club have replaced Carlo Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso, their former midfielder, and signed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen in the mini transfer window before the tournament. They're also after Alvaro Carreras from Benfica and one of the hottest prospects in world football, River Plate's 17-year-old forward Franco Mastantuono. Benfica and River are part of the fun in the United States, too. Paris Saint-Germain cross the Atlantic as champions of Europe, having thrashed Inter in the Champions League final two weeks ago. Can they complete a brilliant double this summer? And will a wounded Inter hit the ground running under new coach Christian Chivu? Simone Inzaghi was in charge for the final on May 31 but has since jumped ship for Saudi side Al Hilal, who are also at the Club World Cup. There are representatives from six continents across the globe among the 32 teams — Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, Ulsan from South Korea, Wydad from Morocco, Auckland City from New Zealand. Here are The Athletic's eight group guides and 16 in-depth team guides for the tournament, telling you all you need to know before the competition gets underway. Who are the favourites to advance to the knockout stage and which storylines should you be watching? Follow the Club World Cup on The Athletic this summer… Palmeiras of Brazil, Portugal's Porto, Al Ahly from Egypt and Major League Soccer side Inter Miami make up Group A, and beyond the Brazilian side, there is a case for any of the other teams to qualify for the straight-knockout round of 16. Miami's defensive struggles might hinder them, despite the presence of Messi and Luis Suarez in attack. Porto are looking at the tournament as an opportunity for redemption after one of their worst seasons of recent years at domestic and European levels. Advertisement Meanwhile, Al Ahly have consistently done well in the previous annual format of this tournament, finishing third on four occasions this decade. Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 14: Al Ahly vs Inter Miami (Miami, 8pm/1am June 15) June 15: Palmeiras vs Porto (New York/New Jersey, 6pm/11pm) June 19: Palmeiras vs Al Ahly (New York/New Jersey, 12pm/5pm) June 19: Inter Miami vs Porto (Atlanta, 3pm/8pm) June 23: Inter Miami vs Palmeiras (Miami, 9pm/2am June 24) June 23: Porto vs Al Ahly (New York/New Jersey, 9pm/2am June 24) The reigning champion of South America and a recent holder of that honour for North America have been drawn together at the Club World Cup — and both are projected to be the four-team section's underdogs. How's that for a Group of Death? Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid join Botafogo and the Seattle Sounders to form Group B, surely the deepest quartet of the eight in the tournament. Will there be a post-Champions League final hangover for PSG? Will Diego Simeone's steely Atletico relax a bit on their Stateside summer vacation? Can either team from the Americas upset the European behemoths? Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 15: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid (Pasadena, 3pm/8pm) June 15: Seattle Sounders vs. Botafogo (Seattle, 10pm/3am June 16) June 19: Seattle Sounders vs. Atletico Madrid (Seattle, 6pm/11pm) June 19: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo (Pasadena, 9pm/2am June 20) June 26: Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain (Seattle, 3pm/8pm) June 26: Atletico Madrid vs. Botafogo (Pasadena, 3pm/8pm) Two of European football's most storied teams. An icon of the South American game. The side who earned a shock third-place finish at the 2014 Club World Cup. Auckland City, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors form Group C, offering ample intriguing storylines. Is Bayern built to be this reformatted tournament's first champion? Will Benfica benefit from one final dose of Angel Di Maria's heroics? Can Boca overcome a recent dip to become a dark horse? Could the New Zealanders wreak similar havoc to 11 years ago? Advertisement Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 15: Bayern Munich vs Auckland City (Cincinnati, 12pm/5pm) June 16: Boca Juniors vs Benfica (Miami, 6pm/11pm) June 20: Benfica vs Auckland City (Orlando, 12pm/5pm) June 20: Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors (Miami, 9pm/2am June 21) June 26: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors (Nashville, 3pm/8pm) June 26: Benfica vs Bayern Munich (Charlotte, 3pm/8pm) Chelsea, Flamengo, Esperance de Tunis and LAFC make up this group, and the odds are very much against the latter two. LAFC's qualification was only confirmed on June 1 when they defeated Club America in a play-off to determine the final contestant of this year's Club World Cup. Meanwhile, Esperance earned their place as the best-ranked eligible team in the CAF, African football's governing body, four-year ranking, but despite winning Tunisia's domestic league and cup, the gap in quality may prove to be too great. So for Chelsea and Flamengo, it's their group to lose and their encounter on June 20 could determine who tops it. Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 16: Chelsea vs LAFC (Atlanta, 3pm/8pm) June 16: Flamengo vs Esperance (Philadelphia, 9pm/2am June 17) June 20: Flamengo vs Chelsea (Philadelphia, 2pm/7pm) June 20: LAFC vs Esperance (Nashville, 6pm/11pm) June 24: LAFC vs Flamengo (Orlando, 9pm/2am June 25) June 24: Esperance vs Chelsea (Philadelphia, 9pm/2am June 25) Group E at the Club World Cup could conjure up a few entertaining matches, with a spot in the knockout stage up for grabs. Italian side Inter are the favourites to top a pool that also includes Argentina's River Plate, Monterrey from Mexico and Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds. Last month's UEFA Champions League runners-up qualified for this tournament via their ranking by UEFA, European football's governing body, between 2021 and 2024. River got in through their ranking by CONMEBOL, South America's UEFA equivalent, over the same period. Monterrey and Urawa are here thanks to winning the 2021 Concacaf Champions League and 2022-23 Asian Champions League. Advertisement River will be backed to finish second behind the men from Milan in this group, but Monterrey could pose a threat. Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 17: River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds (Seattle, 3pm/8pm) June 17: Monterrey vs Inter (Los Angeles, 9pm/2am June 18) June 21: Inter vs Urawa Red Diamonds (Seattle, 3pm/8pm) June 21: River Plate vs Monterrey (Los Angeles, 9pm/2am June 22) June 25: Inter vs River Plate (Seattle, 9pm/2am June 26) June 25: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey (Los Angeles, 9pm/2am June 26) Group F at the Club World Cup features a slight favourite in the form of Borussia Dortmund but could throw up its fair share of surprises. Dortmund endured a disappointing Bundesliga campaign that picked up pace only in the final weeks. They are joined by Brazilian side Fluminense, South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korea's Ulsan HD. Fluminense's history as one of Brazil's most successful clubs — with 42 major trophies — makes them the consensus pick for a top-two finish with Dortmund. Their 2023 Copa Libertadores win sealed their berth at the Club World Cup. But the Sundowns recently secured their eighth straight South African Premiership title and qualified for this tournament through their CAF ranking between 2021 and 2024. Ulsan, meanwhile, have won three consecutive league titles, though a fourth looks unlikely as they trail leaders Jeonbuk by six points in the K League 1 having played two games more. Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 17: Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund (New Jersey, 12pm/5pm) June 17: Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns (Orlando, 6pm/11pm) June 21: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund (Cincinnati, 12pm/5pm) June 21: Fluminense vs Ulsan HD (New Jersey, 6pm/11pm) June 25: Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan HD (Cincinnati, 3pm/8pm) June 25: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense (Florida, 3pm/8pm) Any group that contains the world's best manager, last year's Asian Champions League winners and Italy's most decorated club is likely to offer plenty of entertainment. Manchester City, Morocco's Wydad AC, Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates and Juventus join up to form Group G of this year's Club World Cup, and there are certainly enough storylines for you to shake a stick at. Can City get revenge on the Old Lady for their Champions League defeat in December? Which young player is one of Italy's take-on kings? Who has endured managerial chaos in recent months? Advertisement Team guides Fixtures (All kick-offs ET/BST) June 18: Manchester City vs Wydad AC (Philadelphia, 12pm/5pm) June 18: Al Ain vs Juventus (Washington, 9pm/2am June 19) June 22: Juventus vs Wydad AC (Philadelphia, 12pm/5pm) June 22: Manchester City vs Al Ain (Atlanta, 9pm/2am June 23) June 26: Juventus vs Manchester City (Orlando, 3pm/8pm) June 26: Wydad AC vs Al Ain (Washington, 3pm/8pm) When your group includes the competition's record holders, you know it is worth keeping an eye on. Real Madrid, Pachuca, Al Hilal, and Red Bull Salzburg form Group H and there are some tasty clashes to choose from. Madrid will be keen to add to their swollen trophy cabinet this summer with a new era upon them after Xabi Alonso was confirmed as their new head coach. Meanwhile, don't underestimate the strength of Al Hilal, who boast several star names that could see the Saudi club make a major dent in this tournament if they play to their full potential. Team guides Fixtures (All times ET/UK) June 18: Real Madrid vs Al Hilal (Miami, 3pm/8pm) June 18: Pachuca vs Red Bull Salzburg (Cincinnati, 6pm/11pm) June 22: Real Madrid vs Pachuca (Charlotte, 3pm/8pm) June 22: Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Hilal (Washington, 6pm/11pm) June 26: Al Hilal vs Pachuca (Nashville, 9pm/2am June 27) June 26: Red Bull Salzburg vs Real Madrid (Philadelphia, 9pm/2am June 27)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
The Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett show just keeps rolling, much to the Panthers' advantage
SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand waxed poetic about Sam Bennett and his monster shift in which he crushed Vasily Podkolzin, and then John Klingberg, before scoring his league-leading 14th goal and giving the Florida Panthers a huge separator Monday night. Marchand was going on and on and on and on. Bennett's former rival called him 'an animal this whole playoffs.' Advertisement 'He's built for this time of year,' Marchand said after the Panthers beat the heck out of the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-1 Game 3 victory to put themselves two wins from a Stanley Cup repeat. 'He's built for this time of year, just how competitive he is and how intense. Obviously, you see the physicality piece. That shift was a perfect example of his game. Blows two guys up and then somehow leads the rush after that and scores a beautiful goal. He can do it all.' Marchand talked about how Bennett isn't scared to go to the dirty areas you must go this time of year: 'He lives there.' Marchand talked about how Bennett is unfazed by the big moments, how he has the hands and the skill and the intensity level and strength to compete in the corners. As Marchand began to circle back and repeat, 'He's built for this time of year,' Sam Reinhart, sitting to his right, finally interrupted with a whisper of, 'Bed.' Reinhart was tired and letting Marchand know it was time to shut his yap so they could head off into the humid South Florida night for some well-earned shuteye. 'Yeah, sorry, I gotta wrap it up here,' Marchand said, laughing, before deadpanning, 'He's been great.' MAKE A HIT ✅POT A BEAUTY ✅ Sam Bennett is an absolute force to be reckoned with. #StanleyCup 🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ — NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025 Like Bennett, Marchand has also been an animal this postseason, making it awfully tough for the Conn Smythe Trophy voters who are tasked with choosing the playoff MVP, should the Panthers win a second consecutive championship in their third straight Stanley Cup Final. In a rarity, Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe in a losing effort last postseason. That likely won't happen again if the Panthers can finish this off. Advertisement Obviously, a lot can happen still when Edmonton has two of the best players in the world. McDavid and the Oilers showed that last year by nearly completing the impossible and rallying from a 3-0 series deficit before losing Game 7. But this time, Marchand and Bennett are just playing too well for one of the deepest offensive teams we've seen in the playoffs in some time to not earn Playoff MVP honors if they win it all again. The Panthers are certainly deeper than last year's team, which averaged 3.04 goals per game in the playoffs. They are the sixth team in NHL history to score five or more goals 11 times in the playoffs, and Monday night was the eighth time in the past 11 games. They've scored 80 times in 20 playoff games for a league-best four goals per game. They have 11 double-digit point scorers and seven skaters with at least five goals. Their defensemen lead the league with 18 goals and 50 points. 'We have so much offensive depth and great players — so many good defensemen, too,' said Carter Verhaeghe, whose first-period power-play goal was his 13th career playoff game-winner and third in his Stanley Cup Final career. 'It seems like everyone's pulling the rope. Everyone's doing their job, goes out there and does their job. And one night, someone's gonna have a big night. Another night, someone else is gonna have a big night.' There's no doubt that's true, but the one thing that has become a constant is Marchand and Bennett always having big nights. They became the second set of teammates in NHL history to open a Stanley Cup Final with a goal streak of three-plus games, joining Minnesota North Stars forwards Steve Payne and Dino Ciccarelli in the 1981 Final. Marchand didn't waste time Monday. Fresh off his double-overtime winner in Game 2 in Edmonton, he became the first player in Stanley Cup Final history to follow an overtime winner with a goal in the opening minute of the following game, thanks to a sensational play by Anton Lundell. His goal 56 seconds into Game 3 was actually his third consecutive goal for the Panthers. It was his eighth goal of the playoffs and 11th of his career in the Stanley Cup Final. BRAD MARCHAND PICKS UP RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF 😱 LESS THAN A MINUTE INTO GAME 3, IT'S 1-0 FOR THE CATS 😼 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2025 'I don't know if it set the tempo, but it also feels good when you score early in the game,' Marchand said. 'It gives you confidence. You can't expect that to happen each night. Especially with the way the series has gone so far, one goal doesn't mean a whole lot — especially with that group, how talented they are. You don't expect to keep them off the board, right? So it's just a play in a game, and you have to build off it and move forward.' Advertisement Perhaps, but then there's Bennett. Like Marchand, the fellow pending free agent forward continued his scoring ways by extending his goal streak to four games to establish a new franchise record in the postseason. His league-best 14 goals in 20 games is only 11 fewer than he had in 76 regular-season games. 'Marshy had an unreal goal to start the game,' said Matthew Tkachuk. 'Got us momentum right on our side. And Benny gained that separation for us and it was a helluva move that I had the best seat in the house for. So they're both playing well, both been great leaders for us.' Bennett's shift was simply superb. After two mammoth hits by Bennett, one that had Podkolzin still reverberating, Eetu Luostarinen stole the puck from him just inside the offensive blue line and then sent the puck into open space for Bennett before he beat a besieged Stuart Skinner with his latest beauty. 'He's been incredible,' captain Aleksander Barkov said of Bennett. 'He's scoring goals, but he's doing so much more other stuff. He's carrying the puck in the neutral zone. He's making plays. He's defending well. He's just unreal right now.' It was a frustrating sequence for the Oilers, who were outchanced dramatically in the first period at five-on-five and surrendered the first two goals. But after Corey Perry made it a game again with a power-play goal 1:40 into the second, the Panthers answered almost instantly with Barkov pressuring Klingberg into a turnover en route to Reinhart's goal, then Bennett following up a few minutes later to make it 4-1. The Oilers were unhinged from there with Trent Frederic cross-checking Bennett twice in the lower back to point he sawed off his own stick, an incident that triggered a 10-skater melee highlighted by what felt like an endless fight between Jonah Gadjovich and Darnell Nurse. Advertisement 'Gadgey did an incredible job sticking up for the guys there and taking on Nurse, who's obviously a tough guy as well,' Marchand said. The Panthers took their licks and usually skated away, which made the Oilers really lose their cool. The number of cross-checks and two-handed slashes the Panthers absorbed was simply unbelievable as they drew 11 power plays. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said his players were making 'investments' for the next game. 'We talked about it in the third,' Tkachuk said. 'If you have to take a punch, take a punch. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check. Spear, slash in the face, whatever the case is, you've got to take it. We just played a really smart game.' Brad Marchand told the Oilers to "use their heads" after the Panthers PPG on Edmonton's 4th penalty of the first period 😳 — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 10, 2025 It'll be interesting how the Oilers respond. They were supposed to have the day off Tuesday. Instead, Knoblauch called for a practice. As poorly as Edmonton played, there has to be further concern about the Panthers dominating every second period in the series, the even-strength play Monday and continuously getting to the net and having their way there. 'Obviously we're a very deep team,' Marchand said. 'And not just deep offensively, but a lot of guys play a 200-foot game, and a lot of great leaders on this group as well. I think that's one of our strengths is the depth of the group, from the front end to the back end to the goaltending, and it's the way that they have orchestrated this group and the lineup to play a certain way.' Florida is coming at the Oilers in waves, with Barkov centering a top line that has one of the NHL's most clutch playoff performers in Verhaeghe and a 50-goal scorer in Reinhart, a second line that boasts the NHL's leading goal scorer in Bennett pivoting Evan Rodrigues and Tkachuk, and a third line that has Marchand with two stellar kids in Lundell and Luostarinen. Advertisement Heck, the Panthers' second power-play unit has Verhaghe, Marchand and Bennett. That's a luxury of riches right there and a unit that finally caused coach Paul Maurice to begin power plays with them over the so-called top unit. 'They've been the ones generating,' Maurice said. 'They want a name change. They don't want to be called '2' anymore. It's important for those guys to go out. They're going, they're faster right now and we have good players on there. We have the playoff leading goal scorer on that unit. Why wouldn't they start?' (Photo of Brad Marchand: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
