Golden Knights and Wild healthy at the right time as they meet in NHL playoffs
LAS VEGAS — Mark Stone was coming back from a lacerated spleen , Tomas Hertl was still trying to find his form after knee surgery and Alex Pietrangelo underwent an appendectomy as the playoffs neared.
The Golden Knights, according to NHL Injury Viz, led the league in man games lost to injury with 476. Last year, their season ended in a seven-game, first-round loss to Dallas .
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Three takeaways: Fights, penalties take over Game 3, Ekblad shines in Panthers rout of Oilers
The Florida Panthers played their best game of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night in Sunrise. Florida took an early lead and kept their foot on the gas, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3 and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Advertisement What turned out to be a great night for the Panthers was anything but for Edmonton. As the game continued to get away from them, the Oilers resorted to dishing out some questionable hits resulting in the expected fisticuffs. At one point during the third period, every non-goalie player on the ice was fighting. It will be interesting to see how the two teams respond to a game like this, because it's far from what we saw in Edmonton during Games 1 and 2. Let's get to the Game 3 takeaways: PENALTY-FEST Well before the game got out of hand and the misconducts starting piling up, the Panthers and Oilers played a first period that saw more special teams play than even strength. Advertisement A total of eight minor penalties were called during the opening 20 minutes, yet only one power play goal was scored. By the time the dust settled on the night, officials had called a total of 140 penalty minutes. Edmonton finished 1-for-6 on the power play while Florida scored three times while up a man on a whopping 11 opportunities. To his credit, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice seemed to downplay the amount of penalties that were called. 'Most of those weren't important, right?' Maurice said. 'The last important ones were around the nine minute mark of the third period. Still, I watched that Vancouver-Dallas game where (Vancouver) scored three goals in a minute, so there's still a hockey game there at the nine minute mark, then we go into the power play. So all the ones after that don't matter.' Advertisement GLOVES WERE DROPPED Generally, you don't often see fights in the Stanley Cup Final. That's what made the third period of Game 3 so strange to see play out. Not only were there multiple fights, but at one point, everyone on the ice not wearing goalie gear was tied up with someone. The Oilers definitely lost their cool during that period. There is no arguing that. But even in moments of such anger and hostility, there is a camaraderie in how the players will stick up for their teammates that makes it pretty cool to see, especially with two teams as tight as the Panthers and Oilers. 'I think you're going to get that answer from any team in the National Hockey League that's playing in June, or we're not here. Both teams,' Maurice said. 'There's so much passion in the game, by the time you've gone on this journey, Edmonton and Florida I believe are the two teams that have been on the longest journey for the last three years. We've both been through it, right? So both teams are going to stick up for each other. They care about each other. The core is pretty much the same for both teams. The drivers of the team are the same for the last three years, so we'll always have each other's back.' Advertisement EKBLAD SHINES The first couple games of the Stanley Cup Final were a little rough on Florida's top defensive pairing. Both Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling struggled during Game 1 and finished a combined minus-4 with no points and just one shot on goal apiece. Game 2 saw Forsling bounce back in a big way, making several spectacular defensive players, breaking up opportunities for Edmonton left and right, and in some very big moments. Ekblad was steady in Game 2, but boy did he look good in Game 3. The smooth skating blueliner appeared more comfortable on Monday night, finishing with a goal on three shots and a plus-1 rating to go with five hits and six penalty minutes. Advertisement 'I thought he was all energy in the first two games,' said Maurice. 'He was covering a lot of ice, and tonight, I thought he was perfectly focused on the game. He was still doing it, but defined in the areas (like) when he was pinching. I thought he played a really smart, veteran game. He's a physical player. He can close the gap now. It's all part of that, Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, both of these guys came into the league as offensive players, but there's quite a bit more to their game than that, and (with) Aaron, that's on full display now.' LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers earn strong home victory in Game 3, take first series lead of Stanley Cup Final Panthers' Paul Maurice Makes Hilarious Aleksander Barkov Joke Advertisement 3 Panthers Who Must Shine In Game 3 vs. Oilers Panthers Reveal Lineup Changes For Game 3 vs. Oilers Major Panthers-Sam Bennett Free Agency Update Revealed Photo caption: Jun 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; A fight breaks out during the third period between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in game three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
Yahoo
8 hours ago
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Luka Doncic Sends 4-Word Message After NBA Legend Calls Out Mavericks
Luka Doncic Sends 4-Word Message After NBA Legend Calls Out Mavericks originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Basketball Hall of Famer Don Nelson was honored before Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. The legendary former head coach was given the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. Ranking second all-time in head coaching wins behind former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Nelson is a basketball icon who was recognized as such on Sunday. Advertisement While this honor was about Nelson, the 85-year-old used it as an opportunity to spotlight Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Attending the news conference wearing Doncic's signature Jordan Brand shoes, Nelson took a moment to call out the Dallas Mavericks for trading him. 'I'm wearing Luka's new shoes from Nike,' he said. 'Just got on the market. And I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him. And I want everybody to know that.' Early Monday morning, Doncic took to his Instagram story with a four-word message for Nelson. Advertisement 'Congratulations Coach!' he exclaimed. 'Nice shoes!' Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic posts on his Instagram / Instagram More than four months removed from the Doncic trade, it remains one of the most-discussed topics in the NBA landscape. Beloved in Dallas, the Slovenian guard made five All-NBA teams and led the Mavericks to a Western Conference championship last season. Beginning a new chapter in Los Angeles, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 28 regular season games for LA. He helped the Lakers secure the Western Conference's third seed, but they were eliminated in the opening round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Related: New Report Emerges on Potential Lakers Trade Target Related: Lakers Trade Proposal Reunites Luka Doncic With Former Mavericks Star This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
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Mavericks rumors: Tim MacMahon reveals ‘feasible' Jason Kidd scenario amid Knicks' interest
The post Mavericks rumors: Tim MacMahon reveals 'feasible' Jason Kidd scenario amid Knicks' interest appeared first on ClutchPoints. Recently, it was reported by NBA insider Marc Stein that the New York Knicks were seeking permission to interview Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd to fill their head coaching vacancy. It remains to be seen whether or not that interview will come to fruition, but the more likely scenario appears to be that Kidd will remain the head man on the Dallas sidelines. Advertisement Recently, NBA insider Tim McMahon of ESPN took to The Hoop Collective podcast to break down what could come of this recent development. 'One very feasible scenario here is Jason Kidd ends up with a restructured extended extension,' said McMahon, via Hoopshype. Fans were wondering how much patience Kidd would have remaining with the Mavericks organization after they inexplicably traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through last season and subsequently missed out on the NBA playoffs. However, the Mavericks' recent victory in the NBA Draft lottery has given the franchise a new jolt of life, as Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg will (most likely, but never say never with Nico Harrison) be joining Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis this summer. Advertisement The Knicks, meanwhile, recently fired their head coach Tom Thibodeau after he helped guide them to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a quarter century. Kidd has experience coaching in the Big Apple, as he previously patrolled the sidelines for the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets, the franchise he once suited up for during his Hall of Fame career when they were located in New Jersey. In any case, it appears there is still a lot to sort out on the Jason Kidd front, but it's certainly possible that a restructured contract could motivate him to keep his talents in Dallas for the long term. The NBA Draft is slated for later this month. Related: Don Nelson reveals 'favorite player' in 1998 NBA Draft and it's not Dirk Related: Don Nelson doesn't hold back on Mavericks' 'tremendous mistake' of trading Luka Doncic
