
QMJHL playoffs: Cataractes beat Oceanic 5-1, force Game 7 showdown on Tuesday
SHAWINIGAN – Jiri Klima scored twice and the Shawinigan Cataractes forced a Game 7 showdown in their Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoff series with a 5-1 win over the visiting Rimouski Oceanic on Sunday.
Vince Elie, Louis-Philippe Fontaine and Jordan Forget also scored for the Cataractes, who outshot the visitors 30-22 at Centre Gervais Auto. Felix Lacerte, Cole Chandler and Fontaine each chipped in with two assists.
Jacob Mathieu scored for the Oceanic, who will host Game 7 in the best-of-seven semifinal series on Tuesday. The winner of that game advances to the QMJHL championship final and faces the Moncton Wildcats for the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.
The Cataractes, who went 1-for-3 on the power play, led 1-0 after the first period and 3-1 heading into the third.
The Oceanic, who are the host team for the 2025 Memorial Cup that starts on May 22, went 0-for-2 on the power play.
The Oceanic went up 3-2 in the series with a 3-2 overtime victory on Friday. The Cataractes had tied the series 2-2 a night earlier with a 3-2 victory in double overtime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2025.
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Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
Where will Mitch Marner sign? Here's where the Maple Leafs star could end up, and how he'd fit in
Maybe the Maple Leafs will decide to move on from Mitch Marner. Maybe Marner will decide life will be better elsewhere. No matter what happens July 1, the hockey prodigy from Thornhill will be the most coveted free agent on the market since John Tavares seven years ago. Tavares, a former Islanders centre from Oakville, came home to play with Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander, forming the Leafs' Core Four. Now Marner could break up the gang, looking for riches or success elsewhere. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Marner will be rich, to the tune of $13 million (U.S.) or more a year. Most teams have the salary cap space for him or can find a way to create it. The question is: Where will he land? He would make any team in the league better, but which one is going to win his services? Here are a handful of possibilities: Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman followed the Leafs through the playoffs, and could believe his team is a Marner away from making the post-season. He's probably right. The Red Wings haven't made the playoffs in nine years but have come painfully close the last two seasons. Despite picking no higher than fourth in the draft (Lucas Raymond, 2020) in their nine wayward seasons, Yzerman has an array of young talent (Moritz Seider, Marco Kasper) that needs outside help to go further. Leafs Leafs prospect Easton Cowan isn't about to replace Mitch Marner, but he has the DNA the team is looking for It's not a sure thing that the Memorial Cup MVP will start next season in the NHL, but there should be opportunity. Leafs Leafs prospect Easton Cowan isn't about to replace Mitch Marner, but he has the DNA the team is looking for It's not a sure thing that the Memorial Cup MVP will start next season in the NHL, but there should be opportunity. Marner on the right side of centre Dylan Larkin could push the Wings captain to new heights, beyond his usual 30-plus goals a year. Detroit is a historic franchise with good ownership used to winning. It's also close to home for Marner. But even with a 100-point right winger, the Wings wouldn't be a serious Stanley Cup contender. Vegas Golden Knights From Jack Eichel to Alex Pietrangelo to Mark Stone to Noah Hanifin, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley is used to making a big splash and getting the shiniest bauble available. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW A quick look at their cap situation suggests the Knights don't have enough space, but it's never stopped them before. GM Kelly McCrimmon can be cutthroat, moving on from players quickly. Just ask Max Pacioretty, Marc-André Fleury or the recently repatriated Reilly Smith. Winning matters more than loyalty. It's part of Vegas's DNA, to always find a way to contend. Just imagine the magic that could develop between Marner and Eichel. Marner would be part of a Cup contender with an underrated fan base, but not one that will blame him for every loss. Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has a long-standing relationship with Marner, having drafted him in Toronto and giving him this six-year, $65.4-million deal that is expiring. And the lure of playing with Sidney Crosby — Marner's childhood hero — could prove too much to resist. Crosby made it clear in the 4 Nations Face-Off that he admires Marner's talent. Marner was giddy scoring an overtime winner on a pass from Crosby. The Penguins aren't exactly Stanley Cup contenders, now with a rookie coach in Dan Muse. But Marner would make the team younger and could get them back into the playoffs. And not that the 37-year-old Crosby needs a new lease on life — he had 91 points last season — but Marner might give him one anyway. Leafs Mitch Marner, Raptors, TFC, Blue Jays. What's the next move for MLSE after Maple Leafs' change at the top? Kevin McGran New York Rangers Owner James Dolan has no patience for losing, and with the team failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021, he'll be on board with paying to make the team better. Marner would also be insurance with Artemi Panarin heading into his free agency year in 2025-26. The Rangers are deep at forward, so Marner wouldn't have to carry the load. But he could help get more out of Alexis Lafrenière or help revive Mika Zibanejad after an off-year. Utah Mammoth The renamed Utah Hockey Club is looking to make a big splash to reward fans for their support and to build loyalty by making the playoffs. The team built on the backs of the defunct Arizona Coyotes has some rising talent in Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Dylan Guenther. Marner would be 'the man' on the Mammoth. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW New York Islanders Wouldn't that be a delicious turn of events for an Islanders fan base that saw their prized captain Tavares leave for Toronto seven years back? New GM Mathieu Darche, the former right-hand man of Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois, has plenty of cap space. The Islanders are a good but not great team that missed the playoffs this year. Marner, 28, fits in age-wise with players like Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. Los Angeles Kings The Kings have lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round in each of the last four seasons and might see Marner as a means to finally find a way to go deeper. New GM Ken Holland can set a new direction by adding Marner to a lineup rife with high-skilled veterans (Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe) and burgeoning young talent (Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere). Leafs Opinion Damien Cox: The Maple Leafs have given themselves no choice but to try and re-sign Mitch Marner There is much less of a choice here with Marner than it once seemed, and Brad Treliving is the one who let it get to this point, writes Damien Cox. Leafs Opinion Damien Cox: The Maple Leafs have given themselves no choice but to try and re-sign Mitch Marner There is much less of a choice here with Marner than it once seemed, and Brad Treliving is the one who let it get to this point, writes Damien Cox. Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning coach Jon Cooper loves Marner. He has coached him a couple of times at international events and will again next year at the Winter Olympics. Marner probably has a closer relationship with Cooper than he would with most opposition coaches. Who wouldn't want to play for a coach who appreciates your talent? It would take some cap magic, and maybe a trade or two, for Marner to land in Tampa, but BriseBois has found his way around the cap before. Marner, though, might have to take a back seat to Nikita Kucherov, the first-line right winger. And if Marner harbours any ill will toward the Leafs, going to Tampa could be some Machiavellian revenge.


Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
The Oilers' Skinner and Panthers' Bobrovsky have been solid, despite the scoreboard
Article content 'I was pushed (by Mattias Ekholm). I think the goalie kicked out my heel that made me fall,' said Bennett, who didn't have his hand on a bible as he took the stand, though. Article content The real heel in Oiler Nation is clearly Bennett, but we digress. Article content Maybe Kevin Bieksa put it best after the first 20 minutes. Article content 'There's an awful lot going on out there and not around the puck,' he said. Article content Like when Bennett casually kicked Ekholm's fallen stick away just as the Oiler defenceman was bending down to grab the twig, with Florida scoring on a power play in the first frame. Article content Article content Tracking a prospect Article content While the Oilers have rolled into the Cup final, London Knights' right-shot centre Sam O'Reilly, their first-round 2024 pick after they traded up with Philadelphia to take him at No. 32, was dynamite for the London Knights in their recent Memorial Cup victory. He had 71 points in 62 league games, 22 in 17 OHL playoff games and five points in five Memorial Cup games as the Knights won it all. He was fifth in Memorial Cup points. Article content Article content 'I really like Sam. He plays hard and he's smart. I think after one more year in junior, he could be ready (NHL),' said Craig Button, TSN's draft guru, who didn't dispute the idea that Sam O'Reilly plays a similar style to Ryan O'Reilly. The Oiler draft pick has third-line NHL centre written all over him. Article content Article content Florida's Gustav Forsling, Sweden's best D man heading into the Olympics, had a tremendous Game 2 with his skating and his terrific stick on Oiler rush chances, on top of his dives to block shots. Article content 'He's one of the elite skating defencemen in our league, and most of those elite guys have a completely offensive bent,' said Maurice. 'If you skate that well as a young man, you're put into offensive situations, like being a power play guy but he's taken that skill and applied it to the defensive side of the game.' Article content 'To fully appreciate it, you have to be down at ice-level to see how fast Connor McDavid is and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers have a really fast team overall, and he (Forsling) excels at that game,' said Maurice. Article content Article content This 'n that: For all of Bennett's villainous behaviour, he's a heckuva player, and a surefire Canadian Olympian next February in Italy, unless he gets hurt. He leads the playoffs with 13 goals, 12 on the road in the Panthers' 12 away games. That's an NHL record for road goals in a playoff season. Thoughts of him getting, say, $9 million AAV for seven or eight years as a free-agent July 1 are probably misguided, though, because he's a No. 2 C, not a No. 1. The Panthers are most likely not paying him more than Sam Reinhart's $8.63m AAV… That Darnell Nurse-Brett Kulak second D pairing isn't working through the first two games, and they need a shake-up. Best idea: move lefty Jake Walman (plus 11), the Oilers second-best defenceman behind Bouchard, alongside Nurse and have the lefty-righty with Kulak and John Klingberg in the third pair, but off Sunday's practic,e Paul Coffey isn't listening. He threw all the pairs in a blender. Nurse with Bouchard, Walman with Kulak, Ekholm and Klingberg. On game day? Likely TBD… Connor Brown doesn't seem as energetic on the third line as he was before he took that hard hit from Alex Petrovic in the Dallas series and possibly suffered some concussion-type issues… Is it just me, or are we all waiting for Trent Frederic to show more, and wondering if that high ankle sprain is still compromising his play? One goal and four points and only 19 shots in 18 playoff games. He's a big body and the Oilers are likely trying to re-sign him before he hits free-agency July 1, but there aren't a lot of thumping hits… Reinhart, who took an open-ice hit from Carolina's Sebastian Aho in round 3, has been a shadow of his usual dangerous self through the first two games with no points and -3. He missed the net cleanly on an OT breakaway in Game 2, unlike him. It looked like he hurt his left hip or leg on the Aho smack. Florida captain Sasha Barkov, Reinhart's linemate, hasn't arrived in the series yet, either, but he's not hurt. He has zip for points and is -4… Sad news that former Oilers first-round pick winger Scott Metcalfe passed suddenly on Friday at 58. Metcalfe was the 20th overall pick in the '85 draft, but he had little chance of cracking the powerhouse Oilers in those days, and he only got into two Oiler games before they traded him to Buffalo for defenceman Steve Dykstra in 1988. Metcalfe played just 19 NHL games (17 for the Sabres), over 500 AHL games, and several years in Europe… Aaron Ekblad, who took a shot off the back of his left hand by Nurse in OT and looked in major distress as he tried to get off, is fine according to Maurice, but of course, we don't force coaches to take lie detector tests in the playoffs. The Panthers could have been called for too many men on the play because Ekblad was five feet from the bench when the defender jumped on for him and got in the way of Arvidsson along the boards, but the zebras took a pass on calling it… The Oilers signed Euro free-agent forward Viljami Marjala, who became a free agent June 1 when the Buffalo Sabres chose not to sign the drafted player in the two-year window after taking him from Quebec (junior) Remparts in 2023. He played junior for Patrick Roy with the Blues' Zach Bolduc as a teammate. He's small (176 pounds), but the LW/C did have 52 points for TPS Turku, 12th in scoring, no mean feat for a 22-year-old, who was going to play for Karpat in the Liiga until the Oilers came calling. He's a passer (44 assists, eight goals)… Oiler farmhand Drake Caggiula won't be back. Word is he is looking at Switzerland… Oilers didn't see enough upside in their draft D Luca Munzenberger over four years of college (Vermont), and he's likely signing in his home country, Germany.


Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
The Oilers' Skinner and Panthers' Bobrovsky have been solid, despite the scoreboard
Article content 'I was pushed (by Mattias Ekholm). I think the goalie kicked out my heel that made me fall,' said Bennett, who didn't have his hand on a bible as he took the stand, though. Article content The real heel in Oiler Nation is clearly Bennett, but we digress. Article content Maybe Kevin Bieksa put it best after the first 20 minutes. Article content 'There's an awful lot going on out there and not around the puck,' he said. Article content Like when Bennett casually kicked Ekholm's fallen stick away just as the Oiler defenceman was bending down to grab the twig, with Florida scoring on a power play in the first frame. Article content Tracking a prospect Article content While the Oilers have rolled into the Cup final, London Knights' right-shot centre Sam O'Reilly, their first-round 2024 pick after they traded up with Philadelphia to take him at No. 32, was dynamite for the London Knights in their recent Memorial Cup victory. He had 71 points in 62 league games, 22 in 17 OHL playoff games and five points in five Memorial Cup games as the Knights won it all. He was fifth in Memorial Cup points. Article content Article content 'I really like Sam. He plays hard and he's smart. I think after one more year in junior, he could be ready (NHL),' said Craig Button, TSN's draft guru, who didn't dispute the idea that Sam O'Reilly plays a similar style to Ryan O'Reilly. The Oiler draft pick has third-line NHL centre written all over him. Article content Article content Get on your horse, Gus Article content Florida's Gustav Forsling, Sweden's best D man heading into the Olympics, had a tremendous Game 2 with his skating and his terrific stick on Oiler rush chances, on top of his dives to block shots. Article content 'He's one of the elite skating defencemen in our league, and most of those elite guys have a completely offensive bent,' said Maurice. 'If you skate that well as a young man, you're put into offensive situations, like being a power play guy but he's taken that skill and applied it to the defensive side of the game.' Article content 'To fully appreciate it, you have to be down at ice-level to see how fast Connor McDavid is and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers have a really fast team overall, and he (Forsling) excels at that game,' said Maurice. Article content Article content This 'n that: For all of Bennett's villainous behaviour, he's a heckuva player, and a surefire Canadian Olympian next February in Italy, unless he gets hurt. He leads the playoffs with 13 goals, 12 on the road in the Panthers' 12 away games. That's an NHL record for road goals in a playoff season. Thoughts of him getting, say, $9 million AAV for seven or eight years as a free-agent July 1 are probably misguided, though, because he's a No. 2 C, not a No. 1. The Panthers are most likely not paying him more than Sam Reinhart's $8.63m AAV… That Darnell Nurse-Brett Kulak second D pairing isn't working through the first two games, and they need a shake-up. Best idea: move lefty Jake Walman (plus 11), the Oilers second-best defenceman behind Bouchard, alongside Nurse and have the lefty-righty with Kulak and John Klingberg in the third pair, but off Sunday's practic,e Paul Coffey isn't listening. He threw all the pairs in a blender. Nurse with Bouchard, Walman with Kulak, Ekholm and Klingberg. On game day? Likely TBD… Connor Brown doesn't seem as energetic on the third line as he was before he took that hard hit from Alex Petrovic in the Dallas series and possibly suffered some concussion-type issues… Is it just me, or are we all waiting for Trent Frederic to show more, and wondering if that high ankle sprain is still compromising his play? One goal and four points and only 19 shots in 18 playoff games. He's a big body and the Oilers are likely trying to re-sign him before he hits free-agency July 1, but there aren't a lot of thumping hits… Reinhart, who took an open-ice hit from Carolina's Sebastian Aho in round 3, has been a shadow of his usual dangerous self through the first two games with no points and -3. He missed the net cleanly on an OT breakaway in Game 2, unlike him. It looked like he hurt his left hip or leg on the Aho smack. Florida captain Sasha Barkov, Reinhart's linemate, hasn't arrived in the series yet, either, but he's not hurt. He has zip for points and is -4… Sad news that former Oilers first-round pick winger Scott Metcalfe passed suddenly on Friday at 58. Metcalfe was the 20th overall pick in the '85 draft, but he had little chance of cracking the powerhouse Oilers in those days, and he only got into two Oiler games before they traded him to Buffalo for defenceman Steve Dykstra in 1988. Metcalfe played just 19 NHL games (17 for the Sabres), over 500 AHL games, and several years in Europe… Aaron Ekblad, who took a shot off the back of his left hand by Nurse in OT and looked in major distress as he tried to get off, is fine according to Maurice, but of course, we don't force coaches to take lie detector tests in the playoffs. The Panthers could have been called for too many men on the play because Ekblad was five feet from the bench when the defender jumped on for him and got in the way of Arvidsson along the boards, but the zebras took a pass on calling it… The Oilers signed Euro free-agent forward Viljami Marjala, who became a free agent June 1 when the Buffalo Sabres chose not to sign the drafted player in the two-year window after taking him from Quebec (junior) Remparts in 2023. He played junior for Patrick Roy with the Blues' Zach Bolduc as a teammate. He's small (176 pounds), but the LW/C did have 52 points for TPS Turku, 12th in scoring, no mean feat for a 22-year-old, who was going to play for Karpat in the Liiga until the Oilers came calling. He's a passer (44 assists, eight goals)… Oiler farmhand Drake Caggiula won't be back. Word is he is looking at Switzerland… Oilers didn't see enough upside in their draft D Luca Munzenberger over four years of college (Vermont), and he's likely signing in his home country, Germany.