Charlotte breezes to 5-1 victory over Laval Rocket
Article content
No longer is it a question of whether the Laval Rocket will win this AHL Eastern Conference final series.
Article content
Article content
Instead, can the Rocket even win a game? That appears unlikely.
Article content
Laval, a relatively young team, has provided little opposition for the vastly superior, more talented and experienced Charlotte Checkers.
Article content
Sunday afternoon, in what had to be considered a must-win scenario, the visiting Rocket were nothing but pushovers and totally outclassed yet again. The Checkers skated to an easy 5-1 victory before 8,292 spectators at the Bojangles Coliseum and now lead the best-of-seven series 3-0.
Article content
Article content
On the bright side, for the first time in the series, Laval didn't surrender a shorthanded goal. Small consolation.
Article content
Article content
While the Rocket finished first overall in the league this season, the team has collectively hit a wall. The players and head coach Pascal Vincent simply have no answer and appear unable to stop the bleeding.
Article content
Laval will attempt to stave off elimination Tuesday night in Charlotte (7 p.m., RDS). Should the visitors somehow triumph, the fifth game would be played in Charlotte on Thursday night.
Article content
In the opening-round of the 1960 playoffs, Rochester defeated Cleveland. In the 1989 Southern Division final, Adirondack defeated Hershey. The fifth and deciding games were decided in overtime. And in the 2013 Eastern Conference semifinal, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton beat Providence.
Article content
Article content
Laval hasn't lost three successive games since late November — those three defeats all coming on the road.
Article content
Riley Bezeau paced Charlotte on Sunday with two goals. Will Lockwood, John Leonard and Sandis Vilmanis also scored. Bezeau, who scored only two goals in 24 regular-season games, now has three alone against Laval. As for Leonard, he continues to lead Charlotte in scoring, with six goals and 10 points in 11 games. Leonard also extended his point streak to seven games, while Lockwood has points in four consecutive games.
Article content
The Checkers are on a seven-game winning streak, having not lost since May 9.
Article content
Charlotte broke this game open with four second-period goals. Two were scored within 68 seconds, providing the Checkers with a 3-0 lead. Vincent called a time-out at that juncture in an attempt to settle down his team, but it didn't work. Charlotte added another score, taking a 4-0 lead — the three goals coming in a span of 4:21.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
New York Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after Eastern Conference final trip
The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday just days after their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. Article content The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night. They then decided to move on from Thibodeau, who led them to the postseason in four of his five seasons in New York. Article content The decision was made by team president Leon Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The firing was first reported by ESPN. Article content It's a strange decision by the Knicks, who had been one of the league's worst franchises for most of the 2000s until Thibodeau was hired in 2020. He promptly led the Knicks to the playoffs in his first season, winning his second NBA Coach of the Year award, and they have been a solid contender in the East in recent seasons. Article content Their big breakthrough came in 2024-25, when they knocked off defending champion Boston in the second round to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000 — when Thibodeau was an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy. Article content After they were eliminated Saturday, captain Jalen Brunson expressed his support for Thibodeau, bristling at a question about whether he believed the coach was right for the team. Article content
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
New York Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after Eastern Conference final trip
Published Jun 03, 2025 • 1 minute read New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau yells from the sideline during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. AP Photo The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday just days after their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. 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 The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night. They then decided to move on from Thibodeau, who led them to the postseason in four of his five seasons in New York. The decision was made by team president Leon Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The firing was first reported by ESPN. It's a strange decision by the Knicks, who had been one of the league's worst franchises for most of the 2000s until Thibodeau was hired in 2020. He promptly led the Knicks to the playoffs in his first season, winning his second NBA Coach of the Year award, and they have been a solid contender in the East in recent seasons. Their big breakthrough came in 2024-25, when they knocked off defending champion Boston in the second round to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000 — when Thibodeau was an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy. After they were eliminated Saturday, captain Jalen Brunson expressed his support for Thibodeau, bristling at a question about whether he believed the coach was right for the team. Three days later, Thibodeau was gone with a 226-174 record in New York. He has the fourth-most wins by a Knicks coach. Toronto & GTA Other Sports Ontario Soccer Golf
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Carolina Hurricanes enter the offseason aiming to punch through an Eastern final roadblock
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — There's been plenty of disappointment for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in another Eastern Conference final. General manager Eric Tulsky and coach Rod Brind'Amour view that as a positive. The franchise that went nine straight years without a playoff berth has nearly matched that with seven straight seasons of winning at least one postseason series, with this year's loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers marking a third trip to the Eastern final in that span. Now Tulsky faces a familiar challenge after taking over as GM last summer: improving the roster so it can punch through its roadblock amid higher expectations. 'We set the bar very, very high,' Tulsky said Tuesday during an end-of-year news conference with Brind'Amour. 'Every year we expect to be at least competing for a Cup and our goal is to win one or more. … I love that we are where we are and we're going to keep pushing to get to where we want to go.' Carolina's 519 regular-season points over the past five seasons is tied for the NHL's best with the Colorado Avalanche. Its 35 postseason wins in that span trail the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, the last two playoff teams standing for a second straight year. Carolina has top players locked up to long-term deals in forwards Sebastian Aho (through 2031-32), Seth Jarvis (2031-32) and Andrei Svechnikov (2028-29), and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin (2032-33). They also recently reached an extension with trade addition Taylor Hall (through 2027-28) and goaltender Frederik Andersen for another year. And forward Logan Stankoven, who thrived in the postseason after being the primary return from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen deadline deal, has another season before becoming a restricted free agent. Additionally, the Hurricanes are projected to have roughly $28.4 million cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia, which is most among playoff teams and fifth overall. The Hurricanes have fallen to the Panthers twice in three seasons in the Eastern final, this time in five games after ending a 15-game skid in that round dating to 2009. In theory, the Hurricanes have enough assets in money and draft picks — Carolina acquired two first-rounders and two third-rounders in the Rantanen/Stankoven deal — to boost the roster. 'You take a step back and you're like, 'Wait a minute, there's four teams playing left,' and we're feeling like crap because we lost,' Brind'Amour said. 'This is where you want to be. This is the level of standard you want to have as an organization.' Blue-line look Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov are unrestricted free agents. Burns, 40, routinely got top-pair work with Slavin, while the 33-year-old Orlov worked with Jalen Chatfield as second pair. Carolina also returns Chatfield, offensive threat Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker (signed to a five-year deal last summer), while top prospect Alexander Nikishin drew in for four playoff games as his NHL debut and is projected to be among Carolina's regulars next year. UFA forwards Carolina has unrestricted free agents among its regular forwards lines in Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic. Both joined Carolina last summer on one-year deals. Robinson posted career-highs of 14 goals and 18 assists while playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. He also scored a critical goal in Game 4 of the second-round series against Washington, helping Carolina maintain control of that series from the fourth line. Roslovic finished third on the team with 22 regular-season goals, though he was a healthy scratch for multiple playoff games. Banged-up Jarvis Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Jarvis is again dealing with a lingering shoulder injury. He opted against surgery last summer in favor of rehabbing and strengthening work, then said last week he quickly aggravated it in the regular season. Jarvis — who led the team with 32 regular-season goals and 16 postseason points — plans to stick with rehab and strengthening work again instead of surgery. 'It's not an organizational decision, it's a personal decision,' Tulsky said. 'It's his medical care. And he's going to do what's best for him and the team. If he wants to rehab it and strengthen it and keep playing, he was very effective this year and I'm optimistic that'll continue going forward, and that he'll keep helping us compete for a championship.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
