Bobby Orr's iconic ‘flying' goal wins Stanley Cup for the Bruins
'He Was Feeling It': William Nylander Sets The Tone For Maple Leafs Against Panthers
The Toronto Maple Leafs surprised a lot of people by taking Game 1 of their second-round series against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers.
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Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘A UFC fight': Tensions rise in Stanley Cup Final as the Panthers get the upper hand on the Oilers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Things got chippy in the Stanley Cup Final late in Game 3 when the Florida Panthers were well on their way to blowing out the Edmonton Oilers. Brawls ensued, Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves, and eight guys got sent to the showers early with misconduct penalties. 'When we get into garbage time, those things happen, and I don't mind when those things happen,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. 'It's what good teams do: fight your way out of the rink. I don't mind that in garbage time.' Long before garbage time, Florida took it to Edmonton, with the defending champions dictating their style of play and knocking their opponents off kilter to take a 2-1 series lead with a 6-1 laugher. If more of that continues in Game 4 on Thursday night, it's advantage Panthers because they thrive on making other teams feel uncomfortable. 'We played our game, our style, stuck up for each other when we needed to,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'If you have to take a punch, take a punch. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check — a spear, a slash, whatever the case is, you've got to take it.' It should not be surprising that tensions boiled over given the lopsided score in the 10th game in the Cup final between these two teams over the past year. The Oilers and Panthers have grown a healthy distaste for each other with all that familiarity. With that comes plenty of hits, shoves and jabs that lead to slashes, punches and gear strewn all over the ice. The 140 combined penalty minutes in Game 3 were the most in a final since Game 4 between Montreal and Calgary in 1986. 'The game's over with 11 minutes left,' Oilers star Leon Draisaitl said Tuesday after practice. 'Then all hell breaks loose. It's a UFC fight.' The penalties that mattered to the result came early. The Oilers were not shy about criticizing the officiating and the Panthers for allegedly influencing it. Goaltender Stuart Skinner said, 'Some guys are flaking and going down trying to cause penalties,' and Evander Kane questioned some of the calls. 'There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group,' said Kane, who took two minor penalties in the first period alone. 'They seem to get away with it more than we do. It's tough to find the line.' Toeing that line is what the Panthers do best, and it is a recipe that has them in the final for a third consecutive year under coach Paul Maurice , who credited Tkachuk for having 'a little bit more impact on the tenacity of the team than the guy who wears a suit behind the bench and never takes a shift.' Florida's roster is full of truculence with talent to match. Sam Bennett delivered a big, open-ice hit that led to his breakaway and playoff-leading 14th goal, and finishing checks on John Klingberg has hampered the veteran defenseman's play in the series compared to the first three rounds. 'That's part of their DNA, that's what they do,' Draisaitl said. 'It's an emotional time. It's two teams that want to win, two teams of doing it their own way, but I don't think anybody is going crazy here. They're good at what they do.' Maurice did not buy into the idea that Game 3 was the Panthers showing what they can do at their best. The opener went to overtime and Florida needed double OT to win Game 2 . 'I think the first two games are indicative of what Game 4 is going to look like,' Maurice said. 'We're not going to look at (Game 3) and say, 'That's the way it should look if we play our game.'' The Oilers certainly look at it as the opposite, discombobulated and nothing resembling the group that had gone 12-2 since a couple of losses to open the first round. They've dropped two in a row for the first time since. 'We just got to play our game,' Nurse said. 'We got guys that can do all that kind of stuff. But is that our game? So I think we just got to stick to play the way that we play. We're such a good hockey team when we just play hockey, and we just got to do that.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
'A UFC fight': Tensions rise in Stanley Cup Final as the Panthers get the upper hand on the Oilers
Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Things got chippy in the Stanley Cup Final late in Game 3 when the Florida Panthers were well on their way to blowing out the Edmonton Oilers. Brawls ensued, Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves, and eight guys got sent to the showers early with misconduct penalties. 'When we get into garbage time, those things happen, and I don't mind when those things happen,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. 'It's what good teams do: fight your way out of the rink. I don't mind that in garbage time.' Long before garbage time, Florida took it to Edmonton, with the defending champions dictating their style of play and knocking their opponents off kilter to take a 2-1 series lead with a 6-1 laugher. If more of that continues in Game 4 on Thursday night, it's advantage Panthers because they thrive on making other teams feel uncomfortable. 'We played our game, our style, stuck up for each other when we needed to,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'If you have to take a punch, take a punch. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check — a spear, a slash, whatever the case is, you've got to take it." It should not be surprising that tensions boiled over given the lopsided score in the 10th game in the Cup final between these two teams over the past year. The Oilers and Panthers have grown a healthy distaste for each other with all that familiarity. With that comes plenty of hits, shoves and jabs that lead to slashes, punches and gear strewn all over the ice. The 140 combined penalty minutes in Game 3 were the most in a final since Game 4 between Montreal and Calgary in 1986. 'The game's over with 11 minutes left,' Oilers star Leon Draisaitl said Tuesday after practice. 'Then all hell breaks loose. It's a UFC fight.' The penalties that mattered to the result came early. The Oilers were not shy about criticizing the officiating and the Panthers for allegedly influencing it. Goaltender Stuart Skinner said, 'Some guys are flaking and going down trying to cause penalties," and Evander Kane questioned some of the calls. "There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group," said Kane, who took two minor penalties in the first period alone. 'They seem to get away with it more than we do. It's tough to find the line." Toeing that line is what the Panthers do best, and it is a recipe that has them in the final for a third consecutive year under coach Paul Maurice, who credited Tkachuk for having 'a little bit more impact on the tenacity of the team than the guy who wears a suit behind the bench and never takes a shift.' Florida's roster is full of truculence with talent to match. Sam Bennett delivered a big, open-ice hit that led to his breakaway and playoff-leading 14th goal, and finishing checks on John Klingberg has hampered the veteran defenseman's play in the series compared to the first three rounds. 'That's part of their DNA, that's what they do,' Draisaitl said. 'It's an emotional time. It's two teams that want to win, two teams of doing it their own way, but I don't think anybody is going crazy here. They're good at what they do.' Maurice did not buy into the idea that Game 3 was the Panthers showing what they can do at their best. The opener went to overtime and Florida needed double OT to win Game 2. 'I think the first two games are indicative of what Game 4 is going to look like," Maurice said. "We're not going to look at (Game 3) and say, 'That's the way it should look if we play our game.'" The Oilers certainly look at it as the opposite, discombobulated and nothing resembling the group that had gone 12-2 since a couple of losses to open the first round. They've dropped two in a row for the first time since. 'We just got to play our game,' Nurse said. 'We got guys that can do all that kind of stuff. But is that our game? So I think we just got to stick to play the way that we play. We're such a good hockey team when we just play hockey, and we just got to do that.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Oilers' dream scenario in 2025 NHL Free Agency
The post Oilers' dream scenario in 2025 NHL Free Agency appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Edmonton Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final once again and facing the Florida Panthers. While everyone in Alberta focuses on bringing the title back, it's never too early to peek ahead to the summer. The Oilers should supplement their core in NHL free agency, but only after signing Connor McDavid to a long-term contract extension. Failing to lock in McDavid now would cause the entire summer to be a failure, regardless of their other pickups. The dream is signing McDavid and adding around him to create a sustainable champion. The Oilers have already locked in Leon Draisaitl for eight years at $14 million annually starting on July 1. Before any extensions or free-agency deals are signed, Draisaitl is set to be the highest-paid player in the league. McDavid should smash his teammate's record, which will make it hard for Edmonton to have elite depth under the salary cap. But three regular-season MVPs and a Conn Smythe Trophy before turning 29 warrant the big pay day. There is no drama around McDavid and the Oilers right now. He is the captain of the team, his friend has already been taken care of, his junior coach is the head coach, and his former agent is the president. McDavid leaving would be nothing short of stunning, as there have been no rumors about his unhappiness yet. But there is no reason to leave it up to chance. Stan Bowman should make McDavid the highest-paid player in the league on July 1, when he is eligible for an extension. The Oilers will still want to improve this summer, even if they win the Stanley Cup. How can they do that with Draisaitl and McDavid taking up so much of the cap? Finding the right bargain moves in free agency will be key this summer. The biggest free agent on the Oilers' books this offseason is defenseman Evan Bouchard. He is a restricted free agent, which means Edmonton will have time to negotiate with him, and they can match any contract he signs. Last year, the Blues snagged RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway away from the Oilers, so they likely won't let that happen again. Bouchard was third on the Oilers in points this season, behind only McDavid and Draisaitl, with 67. He's been an elite offensive defenseman, helped by playing on the power play with those two forwards. If they want to sign him for eight years, it would be very expensive, but they could give him a bridge deal to buy out his RFA years. AFP Analytics projects Bouchard's contract at eight years and nearly $11 million annually. That puts him in the class with Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson, and Drew Doughty. If they could get McDavid in at any price and Bouchard in at a little bit below that, they could sign that depth. The Oilers have Corey Perry, Kasperi Kapanen, Trent Frederic, Connor Brown, and Jeff Skinner all hitting free agency this summer. Only some of those players can come back, and Elliotte Friedman recently reported that there is mutual interest between the team and Frederic. That could lead to the end of Kapanen's time in Edmonton if he can get a significant raise. The playoff experience could lead to a new deal for Skinner as well. Anthony Beauvillier would be a strong depth addition to bring in some scoring. If they wanted to go more of a physical route, they may just keep Brown and Perry, as they are the best bottom-six options focused on the hitting side. This offseason should be about locking in two of their strongest players and adding around the edges with the hopes of winning the West again. Related: Oilers coach undecided on goalie for Game 4 after Stuart Skinner benching Related: Oilers' Jake Walman fined $10,000 after scuffle with Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers bench
