Carter Yakemchuk Ranked 26th Overall In Magazine's New NHL Prospect Rankings
Carter Yakemchuk Ranked 26th Overall In Magazine's New NHL Prospect Rankings
When the Ottawa Senators selected Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, they went against the grain. The young Calgary Hitmen star was ranked as the sixth-best defenceman on most pre-draft boards, and four of the five listed ahead of him were still on the board when Ottawa stepped up to the draft podium to make their pick.
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New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
Oilers won't dwell on missed chances after close Game 2: ‘What's it going to do?'
EDMONTON – Should-haves, could-haves, an almost or two and some what-ifs. The Edmonton Oilers were so close to winning their second consecutive game at home to start the Stanley Cup Final. That would have put them in control against the Florida Panthers as the series shifts to the other side of the continent. Advertisement Instead, Panthers winger Brad Marchand scored the decisive goal on a breakaway at 8:05 of double overtime of Game 2 to hand the Oilers a 5-4 loss on Friday night and even the matchup. The goal came after Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm missed the net on a one-timer from the top of the circle to facilitate the clear-cut chance. It also came after Leon Draisaitl backchecked vigorously to obstruct Marchand's stick, which, despite his best efforts, might have inadvertently contributed to the puck squeaking through goalie Stuart Skinner's legs. 'It's a tough one to swallow, but it's not supposed to be easy,' veteran Oilers winger Corey Perry said. 'They played hard tonight. They got their chances, and they capitalized on that one. That's the difference.' Shots favored Edmonton 46-42 in a game that lasted nearly four and a half periods. It was evenly played, with Natural Stat Trick tracking the high-danger chances at five-on-five at 16-15 in favor the Oilers. Kasperi Kapanen had the Oilers' best chance in extra time. The Oilers would have been in a much more jovial mood if his tip of a Viktor Arvidsson pass had beaten Sergei Bobrovsky in the second overtime, 55 seconds before Marchand's winner. 'The chances missed, you can think about it, dwell on it. But what's it going to do?' Perry said. 'It's not going to do anything for you now.' Perry's goal with 17.8 seconds left in the third period put the Oilers into next-goal-wins territory. He outmuscled the Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen to get to a rebound and beat Bobrovsky to get the latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history. He also gave the Oilers a chance at their eighth third-period comeback in the playoffs, which could have matched an NHL single-year record. An eighth comeback victory would have equaled the franchise playoff marks set in 1987 and 1991. Advertisement Instead, the Oilers lost their first overtime contest this spring after claiming the first four — on three goals from Draisaitl and another from Kapanen. It was also the first time they've ever lost an extra-time game in the Cup Final. They'd previously won all four of their attempts, with Jari Kurri (1987), Petr Klima (1990), Fernando Pisani (2006) and Draisaitl (Game 1 this year) netting the pivotal goals. 'There's going to be some disappointment,' Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'But we've had the mentality, no matter what happens — bad game, close game, overtime, heartbreaking, easy, whatever it is – we put it behind us and we get ready for the next one. 'You learn in the playoffs, things don't always go your way. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't.' Friday night provided a contrast to Game 1, when the Oilers overcame a two-goal deficit, tied the score in the third and got a goal from Draisaitl on a power play in the last minute of the first overtime period. 'Each game could've went either way,' Knoblauch said. 'When you win the first one, you're disappointed you don't follow up and win the second one. But we're going there with a split and that's fine with us.' They're fine with it, but they're not thrilled with it. Aside from the missed chances, there were other factors the Oilers will want to address. The power play was 1-for-6 and allowed a Panthers goal when Marchand, the overtime hero, scored on another breakaway, which gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead in the second period. They'll also have to improve when it comes to dealing with pesky Panthers forwards around their net. In Game 1, Sam Bennett fell into Skinner after some contact from defenseman Brett Kulak, and a shot hit him and went in. The Oilers challenged for goaltender interference and were unsuccessful, and the Panthers scored on the subsequent power play. Advertisement In Game 2, Bennett was in Skinner's kitchen again, toppling into him midway through the first period after a nudge from Ekholm. This time, Bennett was penalized as Skinner remained down and needed some attention from Oilers head athletic therapist T.D. Forss. Then, in the second period, longtime nemesis Matthew Tkachuk was guided into Skinner as a point shot from former Oiler Dmitry Kulikov headed toward the net. The puck beat Skinner, and the Oilers opted not to challenge. 'We know they have players that want to drive the net,' Oilers defenseman John Klingberg said. 'It comes to us trying to box out earlier. But we're trying to drive the net, too. 'They're a high-shooting volume team and, if you are that, they're bringing people to the net as well.' There are things to clean up. Things that could have been better. Factors that might have led to a better result. 'It's very close out there. It's not a lot of room and ice out there,' Klingberg said. 'But we battled back, scoring that goal got some momentum, had some good chances in overtime as well as them. It's a bounce here and there.' The Oilers easily could have improved to 14-2 in their last 16 games and taken a stranglehold on this series. Instead, they'll have to take solace in a split. 'At this time of year, you've got to move on,' Draisaitl said. 'There's no time (spent) thinking about it too long. It stings right now, but we have to move on.'
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Florida Panthers down Edmonton Oilers in double overtime to even up Stanley Cup Final
Another game, another overtime needed to proclaim a winner. This time around it was the Florida Panthers defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in double overtime to win Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and even the series at 1-1 on Friday at the Rogers Place. Just over eight minutes into the second extra period, Panthers center Brad Marchand scored on a breakaway, beating Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner to help Florida escape with the victory. However, it was an unlikely hero that got Edmonton through to overtime to begin with. The 40-year-old Corey Perry scored to knot things up with 17.8 seconds left in the third period, the latest tying goal in Cup Final history. The previous record was held by Tod Sloan in Game 5 of the 1951 Final. For the first time since 2014 and the sixth time in NHL history, the series is the first to feature overtime in each of its first two games. The 37-year-old Marchand was asked about his mother after the game, who was in attendance at the game. Despite joking that his mother was the type of hockey mom that you 'need to put a muzzle on,' he also added that he couldn't have enjoyed the career he's had without her. 'She gets pretty amped up at the games,' Marchand told reporters. 'They've always been so supportive. Like all of our parents, I don't think there's a player in this league that can say that their parents are not the main reason why they are here. The sacrifices they all make. And when you go on a journey as a team and you get to the finals, you're going on a run, it's not just for you, it's for everybody that helped you get here and all your loved ones that are enjoying the moments whether they are here or not. 'It's special to have them in the building but hopefully we have a lot of great memories in the future as well.' With the Oilers coming off a Game 1 overtime win and the fans still feeling bliss, Friday's game got off to a blistering start. Panthers forward Sam Bennett got the scoring started two minutes into the game, netting his postseason-leading 13th goal and NHL record 12th on the road to quiet the raucous Oilers fan inside and outside the arena. But Edmonton's Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard responded with two goals to propel the Oilers to the lead about halfway through the opening period. A minute later, Florida defenseman Seth Jones beat Skinner and found open net to tie things up, before Oilers star Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play to give Edmonton a 3-2 lead at the end of a frenetic first period. Second period was all Panthers, with Dmitry Kulikov tying the game yet again and Marchand snatching the lead after a shorthanded goal. It remained 4-3 until Perry's goal late in the final period in regulation. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was sharp as he always is, stopping 42 of the 46 shots he faced. The series now shifts to Sunrise, Florida on Monday for Game 3.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Panthers embrace identity as NHL's ultimate road warriors: ‘Us against the world'
EDMONTON — A couple of years ago at an NHL GMs meeting, Ken Holland brought up a rather interesting idea. He wondered about giving the higher seed the option to open a playoff series on the road. In that scenario, the higher seed would play on the road in Games 1-2 and 6, and be at home in Games 3-4-5 and 7. Advertisement The Florida Panthers would probably support it if the league ever put it up for a vote. They love opening series on the road, and that would guarantee it for them either way, as a top seed or lower seed. How could they not embrace it? Their thrilling 5-4 win in double overtime Friday night at Rogers Place improved their playoff road record to 24-11 since the start of the 2023 playoffs. I mean, seriously. They have been the ultimate playoff road warriors, going 8-4 in '23, 7-4 in '24 and now 9-3 so far in the '25 playoffs, one shy of the all-time NHL record for road wins in a playoff year, handing the Oilers only their second home loss of the playoffs. It's what the Panthers do. 'Our game travels,'' Panthers blueliner Seth Jones said after playing a team-high 34:35 Friday night. 'We don't change our game based off where we're playing. Obviously it's great to play at home in front of our fans and feel that energy and feel that momentum at times. We play the same way in front of them (as on the road). 'We want to play a simple game, (a) north-south game. And just try to make their life difficult.'' They went 3-0 in Tampa in the opening round, 2-2 in Toronto in the second round, including twin 6-1 routs at Scotiabank Arena in Games 5 and 7, and of course went 3-0 in Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. So if you think for a moment that not having home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup final against the Oilers concerned the defending champs one bit, get real. And if you think they were rattled after coughing up a 3-1 lead in Game 1 and losing, think again. These guys arrived at the rink on Friday fully convinced and confident they would tie the series 1-1. They did, but it sure wasn't without drama. Corey Perry scored with 17.8 seconds left in the third period, forcing overtime, and Rogers Place erupted. It was the kind of stunning moment that could deflate and derail many teams on this stage. Advertisement Not the Panthers. They re-grouped. They found a way in overtime. 'To get this point, you have to be resilient, and be able to bounce back, and both these teams do that,'' double-OT hero Marchand said postgame. And again, they found a way on the road. 'We've been great on the road all playoffs long,'' Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Sam Bennett said postgame. 'We're a confident group on the road. We enjoy being on the road, we enjoy being together, you get to spend more time together, dinners together, in the lounge together all night. And it really just brings our group together. 'And I think that's part of the reason we're having so much success on the road.'' Consider other road warrior facts: • The Panthers are the first team in NHL history to eclipse 50 goals in a single playoff season. • Bennett scored his 12th road goal of these playoffs Friday night, breaking the Stanley Cup playoff record for most road goals in one playoff year, previously held by Mark Scheifele in 2018. • The Panthers have a league-best 41 percent success rate on the road for their power play, 14 for 34 after Friday night with the man advantage, opening the scoring in Game 2 with a power-play goal from Bennett. They love the road. 'We have no choice,'' said Panthers star winger Matthew Tkachuk, pointing to the fact they've started every series on the road in these playoffs as the lower seed. 'We knew we were going to be on the road for the rest of it. We forced ourselves (into) it. … We feel comfortable on the road. It's a simple game. It's a hard game. It's an adversity-type of game, an adversity-type of atmosphere. We've said it a bunch. It's that us against the world mindset, but you really feel it especially being down in a series. Your back's not necessarily against the wall, but you treat it as a big-time must-win in a hostile environment, and I feel like that's when we're at our best. So, hopefully we can use that to our advantage.' Advertisement Of course, Holland's idea wouldn't have helped the Panthers this year, because as Tkachuk pointed out, they've opened all four playoff series on the road already as underdogs. But perhaps it's Florida's opponents during this three-year run that might have taken the option as per Holland's format tweak just to take away Florida's ability to steal early series momentum as they now have against Tampa Bay, Carolina and perhaps against Edmonton after getting the split and heading home for Games 3-4 of the Cup final. What is it about the makeup of the Panthers that makes them so comfortable on the road? I asked Panthers head coach Paul Maurice that question earlier in these playoffs. 'We are not a team that is a heavy match team,'' he said. 'It has a lot to do with it. We don't have to come out of our rhythm of the game when we go on the road. I don't pull lines off the ice. We have a general thing we want with our forward matchup and a more specific D match. That would be true of most teams, I think. 'There is not a big change for us in what we do,'' he continued. 'We haven't, in the past, relied on feeling good to win. We don't have to snap it around. We will talk about our execution twice a year. We don't need it to be pretty or beautiful on the road. Our style suits that kind of game.'' They're a physical, abrasive team that is scared of no one. That game travels well on the road. That's the on-ice part. But as Bennett said earlier, the off-ice part explains just as much, too. The Panthers are as tight-knit as any team in the league. That's actually one of the most difficult challenges of modern-day NHL teams: organically seeing players wanting to hang out as a group. These aren't the old days where team bonding means going on a bender on an off-night. But every story I hear is how the Panthers love hanging out together, and it happens more naturally on the road. That's no small thing. There's a real brotherhood on the defending champs. And I think it also helps explain their road prowess over the last three years. They'll probably need that again to win another Cup. This series is going long. No one's running the table here. If this goes the max, Florida will need to find their ultimate road game come June 20.
