Latest news with #NHL-best
New York Times
28-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Oilers' Zach Hyman likely to miss rest of playoffs after surgery
Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman will require surgery and is 'likely' to miss the rest of the playoffs, coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters on Wednesday morning. The Oilers did not disclose the nature of Hyman's upper-body injury or the specific type of surgery, which Knoblauch said Hyman will undergo on Wednesday. Hyman, one of the Oilers' top players, seemed to be favoring his right arm when he left the ice midway through the first period of Game 4 of the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, after a hit by Dallas' Mason Marchment. Advertisement The Oilers lead the Stars 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 on Thursday night in Dallas. 'It's big hole to fill,' Oilers winger Corey Perry said on Tuesday night. 'He brings a lot to our team, a lot to our lineup. He's a workhorse.' In 2023-24, Hyman followed up a 54-goal regular season by scoring an NHL-best 16 times in the postseason as the Oilers reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. This year, he recorded five goals and 11 points in 15 playoff games — including two goals and an assist in Game 3 vs. the Stars — and also was on track to break the NHL record for most hits in a single postseason.
Global News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Jets' GM and coach are proud of what players accomplished, but want improvements
When each player met with Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff for season-ending talks this week, they were given verbal pats on their backs. 'The first thing we did was that we complimented them,' Arniel said Wednesday as he and Cheveldayoff held their final media availability. 'We told them how proud we were of the year we had, the things we accomplished as a group. Just the fact that we won the Presidents' Trophy, that we were consistent for 82 games, all those things that we did.' The Jets won the trophy with a franchise-record 56 wins and NHL-best 116 points in the regular season, but were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 6 of their second-round series with the Dallas Stars by a 2-1 overtime loss last Saturday. It was one round better than the previous two seasons, but disappointing for a group that was aiming to hoist the Stanley Cup. Story continues below advertisement The next steps are something Arniel plans to discuss in-depth with each player during the upcoming two weeks after he gets input from his assistants. 'There's a lot of things for me that happened over the course of this playoffs that are extreme positives,' Arniel said. 'There's some things again that we're going to have to grill our group on to get better at, so that when we hit this again next year that we're better prepared for it to have the outcome fall in our favour.' Jets captain Adam Lowry is confident players will dig deep to reach another level next season. 'There's a lot of optimism that with another good summer, guys really pushing to get better to work on their game and to find ways to improve, that we can come back next year and put ourselves in a spot to be successful again,' he said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Put ourselves in a spot to go on another playoff run and hopefully this one ends in late June instead of late May.' Arniel, who's up for the Jack Adams Trophy for the league's top head coach, just finished his first year as Winnipeg's bench boss. He was associate coach the previous two seasons to now-retired Rick Bowness. 'One of the things that came through in our exit meetings in talking to some of the players, there was the accountability that (Arniel) was able to hold the players to,' Cheveldayoff said. 'The fairness. That word came out several times in conversations with the players. Hard but fair.' Story continues below advertisement Cheveldayoff said he believes the team can improve again next season. 'We're fortunate we have a real strong core of guys that are going to push, pull and prod,' he said. 'A lot of different guys that are on the good side of (age) 30, I guess, in the sense that there's still capacity for them to grow. 'That's the group of guys that we're going to challenge to help take us to that next level. And again, it can't be underestimated, we have the best goaltender in the world.' Connor Hellebuyck is likely to win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie, and third of his career. He's also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. He boosted his franchise record with 47 regular-season wins and had the league's best goals-against average (2.00) and most shutouts (eight). But Hellebuyck struggled at times during the post-season, including being pulled in three road games against the Blues. The Jets never won a road game in their series against St. Louis or Dallas. Winnipeg has eight pending unrestricted free agents, including winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who's playing for Denmark at the men's world hockey championship. 'When we get a chance to talk to him, we'll put our best foot forward with him to try to make our case to be a unique Jet-for-life type player and we'll see where it all goes there,' Cheveldayoff said. Story continues below advertisement 'The relationship is great and he did contribute to the success of this organization on many fronts and we hope that's something that can continue.' Ehlers recorded 24 goals and 63 points in 69 regular-season games. He added five goals and two assists in eight playoff games after returning from injury. 'I think I'd echo the statement of everyone in this room, that we'd love to see Nikky back,' Lowry said. 'He's a huge part of our team. He's a game-breaker. He's great in this room.' Lowry and top-line winger Kyle Connor are both heading into the final year of their contracts and could be offered extensions. 'That's kind of how I picture myself, as a Winnipeg Jet for life,' Lowry said. 'I love the city, love playing in front of these fans and I think that's something that hopefully we can take steps towards getting that out of the way this summer.' Cheveldayoff wasn't dismissing that possibility – for both Lowry and Connor. 'I believe they're a big part of our success, and want to keep it that way,' he said. The Jets also have six pending restricted free agents such as defenceman Dylan Samberg and forwards Gabe Vilardi and Morgan Barron.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jets' GM and coach are proud of what players accomplished, but want improvements
WINNIPEG – When each player met with Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff for season-ending talks this week, they were given verbal pats on their backs. 'The first thing we did was that we complimented them,' Arniel said Wednesday as he and Cheveldayoff held their final media availability. 'We told them how proud we were of the year we had, the things we accomplished as a group. Just the fact that we won the Presidents' Trophy, that we were consistent for 82 games, all those things that we did.' The Jets won the trophy with a franchise-record 56 wins and NHL-best 116 points in the regular season, but were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 6 of their second-round series with the Dallas Stars by a 2-1 overtime loss last Saturday. It was one round better than the previous two seasons, but disappointing for a group that was aiming to hoist the Stanley Cup. The next steps are something Arniel plans to discuss in-depth with each player during the upcoming two weeks after he gets input from his assistants. 'There's a lot of things for me that happened over the course of this playoffs that are extreme positives,' Arniel said. 'There's some things again that we're going to have to grill our group on to get better at, so that when we hit this again next year that we're better prepared for it to have the outcome fall in our favour.' Jets captain Adam Lowry is confident players will dig deep to reach another level next season. 'There's a lot of optimism that with another good summer, guys really pushing to get better to work on their game and to find ways to improve, that we can come back next year and put ourselves in a spot to be successful again,' he said. 'Put ourselves in a spot to go on another playoff run and hopefully this one ends in late June instead of late May.' Arniel, who's up for the Jack Adams Trophy for the league's top head coach, just finished his first year as Winnipeg's bench boss. He was associate coach the previous two seasons to now-retired Rick Bowness. 'One of the things that came through in our exit meetings in talking to some of the players, there was the accountability that (Arniel) was able to hold the players to,' Cheveldayoff said. 'The fairness. That word came out several times in conversations with the players. Hard but fair.' Cheveldayoff said he believes the team can improve again next season. 'We're fortunate we have a real strong core of guys that are going to push, pull and prod,' he said. 'A lot of different guys that are on the good side of (age) 30, I guess, in the sense that there's still capacity for them to grow. 'That's the group of guys that we're going to challenge to help take us to that next level. And again, it can't be underestimated, we have the best goaltender in the world.' Connor Hellebuyck is likely to win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie, and third of his career. He's also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. He boosted his franchise record with 47 regular-season wins and had the league's best goals-against average (2.00) and most shutouts (eight). But Hellebuyck struggled at times during the post-season, including being pulled in three road games against the Blues. The Jets never won a road game in their series against St. Louis or Dallas. Winnipeg has eight pending unrestricted free agents, including winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who's playing for Denmark at the men's world hockey championship. Ehlers recorded 24 goals and 63 points in 69 regular-season games. He added five goals and two assists in eight playoff games after returning from injury. 'I think I'd echo the statement of everyone in this room, that we'd love to see Nikky back,' Lowry said. 'He's a huge part of our team. He's a game-breaker. He's great in this room.' Lowry and top-line winger Kyle Connor are both heading into the final year of their contracts and could be offered extensions. 'That's kind of how I picture myself, as a Winnipeg Jet for life,' Lowry said. 'I love the city, love playing in front of these fans and I think that's something that hopefully we can take steps towards getting that out of the way this summer.' Cheveldayoff wasn't dismissing that possibility – for both Lowry and Connor. 'I believe they're a big part of our success, and want to keep it that way,' he said. The Jets also have six pending restricted free agents such as defenceman Dylan Samberg and forwards Gabe Vilardi and Morgan Barron. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lightning Should Make Big Move With Ryan McDonagh
During this past off-season, the Tampa Bay Lightning brought back defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. Given how well his first stint with the Lightning went, fans were naturally excited about his return to Tampa Bay. McDonagh did not disappoint in his first season back with the Lightning this year, as he was excellent. In 82 games on the year, he posted four goals, 31 points, 152 blocks, and an NHL-best plus-43 rating. Overall, McDonagh once again provided the Bolts with solid offense from the point and immense dependability with his strong defensive play. McDonagh is now entering the final season of his contract in 2025-26, meaning he will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the Lightning starting July 1. With how excellently he played this campaign, the Bolts should seriously consider signing him to an extension once they can. The Lightning's blueline suffered tremendously when the reliable McDonagh was with the Predators. It is why they decided to bring him back, and one of their top goals this summer should be to extend him. He is still an impactful top-four defenseman who can handle big minutes, so it would be great if the Lightning the 15-year veteran up on a new extension this off-season. In 349 games over six seasons and two stints as a Bolt, McDonagh has recorded 24 goals, 106 assists, 130 points, and a plus-117 rating. Recent Lightning News Lightning Should Consider Targeting Veteran Forward This Summer Lightning Defenseman Was Nice Surprise This Season Ex-Lightning Forward Shines In Must-Win Game For New Team Report: Lightning Assistant Coach Interviewed By 2 Teams Lightning Should Target Golden Knights Winger This Summer Photo Credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Everybody stepping up': Jets stay alive with dominant 4-0 win over Stars in Game 5
WINNIPEG - Adam Lowry believes the Winnipeg Jets found another gear on Thursday that was driven by a powerful emotion. 'Desperation,' the Jets captain said. Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves to help Winnipeg avoid elimination with a 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of their second-round series. The Stars lead the best-of-seven playoff matchup 3-2 with Game 6 set for Saturday night in Dallas. 'I think all year we've been a great team at home,' Lowry said. 'I just thought start to finish, the structure, the way we wanted to play. We were quick with our decisions, we were quick with the reads, quick supporting the puck all over the ice.' Vladislav Namestnikov also had a goal and an assist. Kyle Connor and Neal Pionk both contributed two helpers in front of a roaring whiteout crowd at Canada Life Centre. Jake Oettinger stopped 31 shots for the Stars. 'It was everybody stepping up, not wanting to be eliminated tonight,' Jets head coach Scott Arniel said. 'You could see it right from the puck drop, the opening shift. We didn't take our foot off the gas.' It was the fifth time in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers' franchise history that an opponent has been shut out in the playoffs. Winnipeg, which won the Presidents' Trophy with a franchise-record 56 wins and 116 points, is an NHL-best 6-1 at home this post-season. Its albatross is away games. The Jets have lost all five road games in the Western Conference playoffs, including in their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues that Winnipeg won in a Game 7 double overtime at home. 'We haven't played well on the road at all this playoff, so no better time than now to start,' Lowry said. Hellebuyck shrugged off those results. 'Doesn't matter what happens in the past,' he said. 'We got one game ahead of us and we just need to focus on winning that one.' Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene is ready to return home. 'We knew this wasn't going to be easy,' he said. 'We knew they weren't going to roll over on us. We're going to Dallas here and see if we can end it.' The Jets and Stars started the night with each team getting a power play in the game's opening eight minutes. Oettinger whipped out his glove to thwart a Connor one-timer, and Hellebuyck turned aside a Roope Hintz shot. Dallas came up empty on its second man advantage with six minutes remaining. Hellebuyck was well-oiled early in the second frame, whipping out his glove to make a close-in save on Stars defenceman Thomas Harley. The goaltender also had a hand in Scheifele's fourth goal of the playoffs at 6:17. After Hellebuyck made a poke check to start the four-on-four play, Scheifele was the trailer and shot the puck that first hit Stars forward Wyatt Johnson and then went into the net off Harley's skate. Winnipeg almost made it 2-0 on the power play with 53 seconds remaining, but it was ruled the puck was gloved into the net. Jets fans started chanting, 'should have kicked it,' referring to a controversial game-winning goal by Dallas forward Alexander Petrovic in the Stars' Game 3 win. A review had ruled Petrovic's kick of the puck toward the net was actually propelled in by Hellebuyck's stick-save attempt. Winnipeg outshot Dallas 11-5 in the middle frame. The Jets went ahead 2-0 just 31 seconds into a five-on-three early in the third period after Ehlers swept the puck around Oettinger at 2:20. 'We don't want to be done playing hockey and today showed that,' Ehlers said. 'We've just got to take that to the next game.' Namestnikov capitalized with 10 seconds remaining in a man advantage when his high shot beat Oettinger with 7:53 left. Ehlers sent the puck into an empty net with 45 seconds remaining for his fifth goal of the playoffs. BEATING THE ODDS The Jets defied some all-time NHL stats with the victory. According to the league, teams down 3-1 in a playoff series only have a 44.7 per cent chance of winning Game 5. It was the second time the Jets were facing elimination in this season's Stanley Cup playoffs, and the 10th time in franchise history. Their mark is now 3-7. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
