From old guys chasing the Stanley Cup to new players breaking in, what to watch in the NHL playoffs
The puck drops on the first round of the NHL playoffs Saturday when Winnipeg hosts St. Louis followed by the must-see matchup of Colorado and Dallas.
The other six series get going next week, from the Toronto-Ottawa Battle of Ontario to Tuesday's opener of another cross-state showdown between Tampa Bay and defending champion Florida.
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Top NHL draft prospects have breakfast with Marchand, meet McDavid at the Stanley Cup Final
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Visiting the Stanley Cup Final weeks before hearing their names called early in the NHL draft, top prospects Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, James Hagens and Jake O'Brien got a surprise at the Panthers' practice facility on Monday. Brad Marchand pulled up a chair and joined them for breakfast. The 37-year-old veteran shared some laughs and chatted with them hours before he and the Florida Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3. 'You think you're just going to say hi, and then you're sitting at a table with Marchand and he's talking to you,' Schaefer said. 'We were talking about the draft and the (scouting) combine, and he was like, 'I didn't get to go there.' And he's laughing, and I'm like, 'Well, look where you are now: You're in the Stanley Cup Final.'' Schaefer, Misa, Hagens and O'Brien also met Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and took in the Oilers' morning skate. Schaefer first met McDavid in January when the three-time MVP returned to Erie, where his No. 97 was retired by the Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. This interaction — in the arena where McDavid was drafted first a decade ago — went a little smoother. 'I didn't think I was going to have to talk at his jersey retirement, and then I ended up talking to him,' Schaefer recalled. 'I ran out of things to say, and I ended up looking at McDavid and go, 'I'm proud of you.' Nobody would say that.' Schaefer is NHL Central Registry's top-ranked prospect, though there is still considerable debate as to whom among Schaefer, Misa and Hagens the New York Islanders will select with the first pick after winning the draft lottery . Hagens grew up on Long Island cheering for them and went to games at Nassau Coliseum. Recently, he saw a bumper sticker that read, 'Bring Hagens home,' but he's also a realist about the possibility of his hometown team not selecting him. 'I just want to be (with) a team that wants me the most — I want to play for any of these teams,' Hagens said. 'It's just a competitive nature that you want to be the first person off the board. It's exciting, so I can't wait.' RNH a game-time call Edmonton's longest-tenured player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, missed practice Sunday, skated some on Monday and is considered a game-time decision, coach Kris Knoblauch said. It is not clear what is ailing Nugent-Hopkins, though he is expected to take part in pregame warmups. Jeff Skinner, who played an NHL-record 1,078 regular-season games before finally making his playoff debut earlier this spring, is on standby if Nugent-Hopkins cannot go. Skinner has been a healthy scratch for all but two of the Oilers' 18 games this postseason. 'It's just part of being a team,' Skinner said. 'You've got to have guys who are ready to step in when there's an opportunity.' 'Trading' Barkov Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov did not register a point in either of the first two games of the final and has a minus-4 rating. Leave it to coach Paul Maurice , ever the jokester, to cut the tension. 'We're trading him.' Maurice quipped. 'No, I'm not (worried) at all. There's action at both ends of the ice all the time. I don't think this is a statistical series because it's not relatable to series that you played in the past. Shot attempts, the sheer volume of quality offense driven by both teams and at the same time, both teams are defending very well. He got a minus on the 4 on 4 with a heck of a shot block, but it's in the back of the net.' Barkov recently won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward for a third time. He played a big role in keeping McDavid off the scoresheet in Game 7 of the final last year when Florida won 2-1 to capture the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Top NHL draft prospects have breakfast with Marchand, meet McDavid at the Stanley Cup Final
Associated Press SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Visiting the Stanley Cup Final weeks before hearing their names called early in the NHL draft, top prospects Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, James Hagens and Jake O'Brien got a surprise at the Panthers' practice facility on Monday. Brad Marchand pulled up a chair and joined them for breakfast. The 37-year-old veteran shared some laughs and chatted with them hours before he and the Florida Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3. 'You think you're just going to say hi, and then you're sitting at a table with Marchand and he's talking to you,' Schaefer said. 'We were talking about the draft and the (scouting) combine, and he was like, 'I didn't get to go there.' And he's laughing, and I'm like, 'Well, look where you are now: You're in the Stanley Cup Final.'" Schaefer, Misa, Hagens and O'Brien also met Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and took in the Oilers' morning skate. Schaefer first met McDavid in January when the three-time MVP returned to Erie, where his No. 97 was retired by the Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. This interaction — in the arena where McDavid was drafted first a decade ago — went a little smoother. 'I didn't think I was going to have to talk at his jersey retirement, and then I ended up talking to him,' Schaefer recalled. 'I ran out of things to say, and I ended up looking at McDavid and go, 'I'm proud of you.' Nobody would say that." Schaefer is NHL Central Registry's top-ranked prospect, though there is still considerable debate as to whom among Schaefer, Misa and Hagens the New York Islanders will select with the first pick after winning the draft lottery. Hagens grew up on Long Island cheering for them and went to games at Nassau Coliseum. Recently, he saw a bumper sticker that read, 'Bring Hagens home,' but he's also a realist about the possibility of his hometown team not selecting him. 'I just want to be (with) a team that wants me the most — I want to play for any of these teams,' Hagens said. 'It's just a competitive nature that you want to be the first person off the board. It's exciting, so I can't wait.' RNH a game-time call Edmonton's longest-tenured player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, missed practice Sunday, skated some on Monday and is considered a game-time decision, coach Kris Knoblauch said. It is not clear what is ailing Nugent-Hopkins, though he is expected to take part in pregame warmups. Jeff Skinner, who played an NHL-record 1,078 regular-season games before finally making his playoff debut earlier this spring, is on standby if Nugent-Hopkins cannot go. Skinner has been a healthy scratch for all but two of the Oilers' 18 games this postseason. 'It's just part of being a team,' Skinner said. 'You've got to have guys who are ready to step in when there's an opportunity.' 'Trading' Barkov Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov did not register a point in either of the first two games of the final and has a minus-4 rating. Leave it to coach Paul Maurice, ever the jokester, to cut the tension. 'We're trading him.' Maurice quipped. "No, I'm not (worried) at all. There's action at both ends of the ice all the time. I don't think this is a statistical series because it's not relatable to series that you played in the past. Shot attempts, the sheer volume of quality offense driven by both teams and at the same time, both teams are defending very well. He got a minus on the 4 on 4 with a heck of a shot block, but it's in the back of the net.' Barkov recently won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward for a third time. He played a big role in keeping McDavid off the scoresheet in Game 7 of the final last year when Florida won 2-1 to capture the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New coach Lane Lambert says he expects to lead the Kraken to the playoffs
FILE - New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert, center top, stands behind the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed,File) SEATTLE (AP) — Lane Lambert said he feels no pressure to turn the Seattle Kraken into a playoff contender. But his own expectation is to do exactly that. Lambert was introduced as the Kraken's coach on Monday at the team's practice facility. He was hired on May 29 after spending last season as an associate head coach with Toronto. The Maple Leafs won 52 games and the Atlantic Division title, but were eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals by Florida, which is currently playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Advertisement He will become the third head coach in the history of the Kraken, who are entering their fifth season and have made the playoffs just once in their previous four. 'I have an expectation of myself and of my role and of my abilities,' the 60-year-old Lambert said. 'You start on Day 1 and it's a process, it's a journey. If you do the right things through that journey and do the right things every day and look to get better every day and stick with the process, the results will take care of themselves.' Lambert takes over for Dan Bylsma, who was fired on April 21 after one season. Seattle was well outside the playoff picture by the time of the February break for the 4 Nations Face-off and finished 35-41-6 (76 points). That was 20 points below the West's final wild-card spot and five fewer than the Kraken's 81 points in 2023-24. 'It became very evident that Lane presented the attributes we were looking for,' general manager Jason Botterill said. 'The combination of presence and knowledge to work with veteran players, and would also be dedicated to interact with young players.' Advertisement Seattle ranked in the bottom third of the league on the power play (23rd), faceoff winning percentage (24th) and average shots per game (25th). It was 21st on the penalty kill, an area in which Lambert helped the Leafs improve from 23rd to fourth. 'There are priorities in certain areas, but everything has to be addressed,' Lambert said. 'You can't build Rome in a day, and that's the whole process from Day 1. You start with the process, start demanding, and you start instilling your systems, your structure, your details. But definitely, our special teams have to be better. We'll better in our defensive zone. I know we will be. So that would be the start and the focus.' Lambert has had NHL coaching jobs since 2011. His only head coaching experience came with the New York Islanders, beginning at the start of the 2022-23 season and ending when he was fired in January 2024. In his only full season, the Islanders made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round. 'You go through an experience like that, you get let go, and you have a lot of time to reflect,' he said. 'If you don't have an ego, you can say, 'Gee, I'd do this differently or that differently. Or I'd do this or that the same.' There's certain little things I'll look at and look into changing.' Advertisement He was an assistant with Nashville from 2011-14, then with Washington from 2014-18, with the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Islanders hired him as associate head coach prior to 2018-19. The teams he has worked for have made the playoffs 10 times. Lambert inherits a roster that includes veterans Jaden Schwartz (a team-high 26 goals last season), Jared McCann (22 goals and a team-leading 61 points), Eeli Tolvanen (23 goals) and Chandler Stephenson (38 assists). The Kraken also have highly regarded young talent such as 2023 Rookie of the Year Matty Beniers (20 goals, 23 assists) and Shane Wright (19 goals, 25 assists). 'When you look at the team and the balance, we have great talent,' Lambert said. 'We have veteran players. The non-negotiables are that we have to play the right way — that's the formula.' ___ AP NHL:
