The Canadiens surpassed expectations but the work isn't done
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Management's goal for the Canadiens heading into this season was to be 'in the mix' for a playoff spot.
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The team surpassed that and made the playoffs before losing to the Washington Capitals in the first round.
How excited are you about the future of this young Canadiens squad?
That's the question answered on this Hockey Inside/Out Show Bonus episode as The Gazette's Stu Cowan is joined by former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green.
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Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Oh God, that hurt': Toronto Maple Leafs insider can't bring himself to celebrate Oilers OT win
Article content It's also part of the so-called 'Elbows Up' approach to Trump's USA, but with added impetus when it comes to hockey because a Canadian team hasn't won the Stanley Cup since Montreal did it in 1993. On Friday's Real Kyper and Bourne show, McKee told a heart-felt story of his own muddled half-hate, half-love response to Edmonton's historic 5-3 comeback win over Florida — the first time since 1919 that an NHL team has come back from three goals down to win a game in the Final. Edmonton's push for the Cup comes after Florida beat the Leafs in seven in Round 2, an embittering loss that now sees the Leafs franchise in disarray, with star forward Mitch Marner reported to be wanting out of Toronto now. 'What a hockey game,' McKee said of Edmonton's Game 4 win. 'I just, I can't… I'm having a hard time with this. Because I think a lot of Leaf fans listen to the show. And it is such an electric final. And these are two unbelievable teams. But there are like two, it's very like directly connected to Leaf fandom and like, just because I want to root for the Oilers, okay? I really do.'
Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Was Game 4 a turning point in the Stanley Cup Final?
Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates his game-winning goal against the Florida Panthers during the first overtime period in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final in Sunrise, Fla., on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Photo by Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS WATCH BELOW: On the latest episode of Off The Post, Toronto SUN Sports Columnist Steve Simmons, The Province and Vancouver Sun Canucks reporter Patrick Johnston and Postmedia's Rob Wong discuss the Edmonton Oilers winning Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, Leon Draisaitl's strong postseason play and if Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck deserved to win the Hart Trophy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account World World Canada Celebrity Canada
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Leon Draisaitl gets the overtime winner but Calvin Pickard is the Game 4 hero as Oilers even Stanley Cup final
Leon Draisaitl got to the winner, but it was Calvin Pickard who had the save. Draisaitl's backhand pass to Corey Perry deflected off Florida defenceman Niko Mikkola to surprise Sergei Bobrovsky as a resilient group of Edmonton Oilers beat the Panthers 5-4 Thursday night to even the Stanley Cup final at two games apiece. 'Obviously, a fortunate bounce, no secret, but we'll take it,' Draisaitl told Sportsnet after the game. Draisaitl set a record with his fourth overtime goal in a single post-season, but it was Pickard, Edmonton's backup goalie extraordinaire, whose performance stood out. Not only did he get a piece of a seeing-eye Sam Bennett shot moment's before Draisaitl's winner, but he didn't even start the game. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Leon Draisaitl scored the OT winner and backup goalie Calvin Pickard was outstanding off the bench as the Edmonton Oilers came back from a 3-0 deficit in the first period to beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 and even the Stanley Cup final 2-2. (June 13, 2025 / The Canadian Press) The Oilers went with their No. 1, Stuart Skinner, but pulled him after he allowed three goals in the first period. 'It wasn't on (Skinner),' Pickard aid. '(Coach Kris Knoblauch) just wanted to change things up. And after that, we played really strong. Down three against a great team, coming back, and then in overtime we got a bounce of our own. 'It's a blur at this point. You give Draisaitl time with the puck, he's going to make you pay. Got a good bounce. I honestly don't even know. I just saw the puck go in. But it was a game of bounces. I took a shot (from Bennett) off my glove. It hit the crossbar. But we had the last bounce, which was nice.' Pickard, who picked up the pieces after Skinner lost Edmonton's first two games of the post-season to Los Angeles, did it again. He stopped 22 of 23 shots. 'It was unbelievable to be able to step into a game like that, make some huge saves, really tough saves. Clutch saves,' Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. 'I can't imagine coming off the bench is easy as a goalie, but he stepped in beautifully. Leafs Opinion Nick Kypreos: Forget Sam Bennett. The Maple Leafs should chase Brad Marchand in free agency — with a unique selling point Marchand has set himself up to get a big raise as a 37-year-old free agent. That's a good thing Pickard is now 7-0 in the post-season, an unsung hero on team filled with them. 'It doesn't matter who's in net,' Pickard said. 'We're chasing the same thing.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That would be the Stanley Cup. And the Oilers are in far better shape than they might have been as they chase down the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup. Series in the Cup final have been tied at two games apiece 26 times. The team with home-ice advantage have won 20 of those. Game 5 is set for Saturday at Edmonton's Rogers. About the Panthers Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and Anton Lundell scored once for Florida, all in the first period, and the Panthers were left to wonder what happened to their game after holding a 3-0 lead. They were trailing 4-3 when Sam Reinhart salvaged Panthers pride and forced overtime with 20 seconds to go. 'It's a tight series,' Tkachuk said. 'There's momentum swings on both sides. It's a best-of-three. We missed one tonight. We have to go in there and win one. Hopefully we can do that in Game 5.' The Panthers squandered an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series. 'It's a bad break on the overtime winner,' Florida coach Paul Maurice said. 'Three of the four games have gone to overtime. That's probably the expectation. If you plan for seven games, that means you're losing three of them. So you have to take that pain, use it and come back.' Perry speaks It was Perry, the 40-year-old veteran chasing his second Stanley Cup, who gave a brief talk to his teammates in the first intermission, the body language of the Oilers looking defeated as they retreated into their room. 'It was just, look where we are, the position we're in,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'That's a guy that everybody in that room respects so much. He's been through it all. So when he speaks up like that, it means a lot. And I thought we did a good job responding.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Nhl Connor McDavid and Sam Bennett played together in Toronto as kids. Their old coach says not much has changed Having Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Panthers agitator Sam Bennett play in Toronto is a pipe Perry played his 235th career playoff game, surpassing Claude Lemieux (234) for the fourth-most in NHL history. Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse and Vasily Podkolzin scored as Edmonton rallied in the second period, while Jake Walman gave them a 4-3 lead with 6:24 to go in the third period. The Oilers became the seventh team in NHL history overcome a three-goal deficit in the Stanley Cup final to win. They are the second team — the first since Montreal in 1919 — to rally from a 3-0 deficit after the first period. 'That's what we do,' Draisaitl said. 'We're a resilient group. We're never going to quit no matter what.' Game notes The Oilers made a couple of significant moves, bringing in forward Jeff Skinner and defenceman Troy Stecher, with Victor Arvidsson and John Klingberg sent to the press box … The game was the 100th to go to overtime in Stanley Cup final history … Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, singing superstar Taylor Swift and former Panthers star Jaromir Jagr were among those in attendance … Draisaitl became the second player in NHL history to record 10 goals and 20 assists in multiple post-seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky, who did it five times.
