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New York Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Is NHL playoff physicality out of hand?
Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic's hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning! Today is Day 13 of the NHL playoffs. Three teams are eliminated and only Game 6s and 7s are left in Round 1. Buckle up 💥🚗 Eulogies for the Devils, Habs and Bolts The badly injured Devils and plucky Canadiens exiting stage left first and second isn't much of a surprise, as those were two of the more predictably lopsided series coming in. Expect both teams back with better showings a year from now, given their young talent. But the Lightning getting dumped in five games is a significant surprise, even at the hands of the defending champion Panthers. Tampa Bay looked like a serious contender all year, with the NHL's seventh-best record this season and second-best goal differential. Andrei Vasilevskiy was back as a Vezina Trophy candidate and Nikita Kucherov led the league in scoring. Advertisement Now they're done after managing one measly playoff win. In part, it shows how important winning your division and avoiding that nasty 2-3 hole can be in this format. But there will have to be some soul-searching in Tampa, as it's an older team and has lost in Round 1 three years in a row. The Lightning have had so much success, but with an ownership change coming and the Panthers seemingly going to be formidable for a while, you wonder if that group has another Cup run in them. One other note on what we've seen in the opening round … Is the NHL taking dirty hits seriously enough? I wrote a spin-around-the-league column earlier this week, and one of the things that really stood out was how many readers were upset in the comments about missed calls and cheap shots. It highlighted one of the things I haven't loved about the first round so far: just how many players have taken late hits or blows to the head and had to leave games. • The Hurricanes lost starting netminder Frederik Andersen to a goal-mouth collision that could have been called. • Brandon Hagel couldn't play for Tampa last night in an elimination game after experiencing Aaron Ekblad's forearm to the face. • Leafs veteran John Tavares took an uncalled elbow to the head and went to the quiet room in overtime of Game 4. • And the Jets lost Mark Scheifele last night after a hit from Brayden Schenn when he didn't have the puck. Then there were the other cheap, late hits traded in the Panthers-Lightning series: Hagel on Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk on Jake Guentzel and Niko Mikkola on Latvian Gretzky Zemgus Girgensons. I know the league brass and fans want the physicality the playoffs bring, but there's been too much line-crossing already. It was encouraging that both Hagel and Ekblad were suspended, but there could have been more significant penalties on the other plays. It's something to monitor as we head deeper into the playoffs and the war of attrition becomes a bigger factor. No one wants to see stars missing games for bad hits and suspensions, and no one wants that to be what decides a series. Sorting the contenders from pretenders Here's a quick rundown of where every team stands after the Jets eked out a Game 5 win over the upstart Blues last night in whiteout Winnipeg. Teams in bold played last night: • Advanced: CAR, FLA, WSH • Up 3-2: DAL, EDM, TOR, VGK, WPG • Down 2-3: COL, LA, MIN, OTT, STL • Eliminated: MTL, NJD, TBL Now that we're down to 13 teams playing for the Stanley Cup, some matchups in the next round are already coming into focus. Advertisement The Capitals earn a date with the Hurricanes for the Metro crown, while Florida awaits the winner of Leafs-Sens in the Atlantic. The West is far less settled with every series still going, but if the teams up 3-2 move on, we'd get two amazing matchups: Jets-Stars and Golden Knights-Oilers. It certainly pays to be in the East this year, as whoever comes out of the West will be limping after so many long, hard series. Expect Round 2 to get going ASAP as the league races to award the big mug before late June. Click here for Dom Luszczyszyn's updated probabilities after last night's games. Teams with the best Cup odds on May 1 Who's leading our MVP watch? With three series wrapped and the rest of Round 1 winding down, it's time for our weekly Conn Smythe ranking. Extra points go to players on teams that have advanced or are ahead in their series. Direct all complaints to Sean McIndoe on social media: ❓Shayna Goldman digs into all of the key matchups to watch in the many Game 6s coming up. Somehow the Leafs versus their playoff demons didn't make the list. 🥅 The PWHL is expanding to Vancouver and Seattle. Hailey Salvian has a great explainer that gets into how that will work given the distance between those two new teams and, well, everyone else. 🏒 The wild story of how top Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin finally got to Carolina, by way of Saudi Arabia (!?). It'll be fascinating if he becomes a factor for them in Round 2, given the Hurricanes were one of the East's contenders without the KHL star. 🍁 ICYMI: Canada has a new Prime Minister. And he used to be a goalie. Fluto Shinzawa has this fun profile of Mark Carney, who'll now need to stop the knucklepuck that is tariffs and tarnished U.S. relations. 📢 Our newsletter co-conspirator DGBee will make you laugh and cry as he breaks down how this latest Maple Leafs mess could end. TBD if anything gets lit on fire in the next few days; I don't think I'm parking downtown for Game 7. 🎙️ Check out 'The Athletic Hockey Show' throughout the NHL playoffs as our cast and crew, with special guest Frank Corrado, analyze the action. 📺 Maple Leafs @ Senators 7 p.m. ET on TBS / SN Last week when we told you to stay tuned to this game, the big storyline was whether there would be a sea of blue-and-white Leafs fans in the crowd. That did not happen … and the narrative has shifted to dramatics on the ice. Will the underdog Senators push this one to Game 7? Can the Leafs avoid the ignominy that would come with blowing a 3-0 series lead? Must-see TV, either way. Advertisement 📺 Golden Knights @ Wild, Stars @ Avalanche, Kings @ Oilers 7:30 to 10 p.m. ET on ESPN / TBS / SN Four Game 6s in one night is an embarrassment of hockey riches. The only shame is with games overlapping, it'll be hard to watch them all — although kudos to the NHL for staggering the start times for us channel flippers. With Minnesota, Colorado and Los Angeles all facing elimination, expect great hockey as they try to earn a Game 7 on the weekend. The full NHL playoff schedule is here. Try streaming games like these for free on Fubo. Breaking: Ovechkin loves goals You may have heard Alex Ovechkin bested Wayne Gretzky's career regular-season goals mark during the season, but he managed to match another Hall of Famer last night, too. His goal in the Capitals' win moved him to 76 career postseason tallies, tying him with Mario Lemieux for 12th in NHL history. Ovechkin has his work cut out to catch Gretzky in this stat, however. The Great One's record of 122 postseason goals is 46 more than Ovechkin has as the league's active playoff goals leader. The next-highest players who are still active this postseason? Corey Perry and Brad Marchand, who both have 56 career playoff goals, good for 44th all time. • Speaking of Perry, he's approaching some heady company in career playoff games played. Tonight's Game 6 in Edmonton will be his 221st postseason game, tying him for 11th in NHL history with Bryan Trottier. • If the Oilers go on a long run, Perry can climb as high as fourth this spring, passing luminaries like Mark Messier and Larry Robinson. Perry turns 40 in a couple weeks, however, so it feels unlikely he can take a run at Chris Chelios' all-time mark of 266. 📫 Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Top photo of Brayden Schenn: Cameron Bartlett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers Had the Perfect Three-Word Reaction After Eliminating Lightning
The Florida Panthers closed out their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 6-3 road win in Game 5 on Wednesday night, eliminating their in-state rival for the second year in a row. Eetu Luostarinen earned the first star of the game after recording four points (one goal, three assists) in the win, and Florida advanced to the second round for the fourth consecutive postseason. Advertisement Minutes after the final horn, the Panthers posted a clever three-word message on X: 'Clear skies ahead.' The caption was paired with an image of a panther holding a crystal bottle containing a lightning bolt—a clear jab at Tampa's early exit and a play on the phrase 'lightning in a bottle.' Tampa Bay opened the scoring on Wednesday, but the Panthers tied the game less than three minutes later while taking the lead barely ten minutes into the first period. Both teams exchanged goals up to a 3-3 scoreline before Sam Bennett, Luostarinen, and Sam Reinhart scored three unanswered goals for the Panthers, effectively sealing their win and clinching the series. Advertisement Coach Paul Maurice spoke highly of both teams after the game, noting the intensity of the all-Florida matchup. "Two teams right in their prime, very competitive men,' Maurice said. 'Tampa has had success, so it got nasty this year because of the playoffs last year and the fact that we're rivals, but we're also in the same place with our teams ... legitimate teams." Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) and Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) battle for the puck at Amerant Bank Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The defending champions have now eliminated Tampa in back-to-back playoffs as the Panthers try to make a third consecutive run toward the Stanley Cup Final. 'They have an exceptional team,' Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. 'It was our turn (from 2020 to 2022). Now, it's theirs.' Advertisement Florida will face either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Ottawa Senators in the second round. Toronto leads that series 3–2 with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night. Related: Lightning Coach's Immediate Reaction to Series Loss to Panthers Related: NHL Announces Multigame Suspension After Panthers-Lightning
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Aaron Ekblad hit on Brandon Hagel in Panthers-Lightning game earns NHL hearing
Aaron Ekblad hit on Brandon Hagel in Panthers-Lightning game earns NHL hearing Show Caption Hide Caption Which NHL teams have exceeded expectations this season? Paul Bissonnette weighs in Paul Bissonnette weighs in on which NHL teams have exceeded expectations this season Sports Seriously Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad's hit that knocked Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel out of Game 4 wasn't penalized by the referees. But the NHL Player Safety department will have a say as it announced it will hold a hearing on Tuesday with Ekblad for elbowing. Hagel was playing his first game after serving a one-game interference suspension for knocking Panthers captain out of Game 2 with a late hard hit. The Ekblad incident happened in the second period Monday when the defenseman skated toward Hagel and caught him up high with his arm. Hagel fell and hit his head on the ice and was woozy as he skated to the dressing room. He didn't return. Ekblad would later score in the third period to start a rally that gave the Panthers a 4-2 victory and a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Wednesday in Tampa. Ekblad was playing his second game after returning from a 20-game PED suspension. Niko Mikkola fined for boarding Zemgus Girgensons Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola was fined $5,000 for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons in Game 4. Mikkola was ejected after hitting Girgensons into the boards while his opponent was on his knees. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Miami Herald
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Stanley Cup playoffs live updates: Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 4
Monday night will have major ramifications in the Stanley Cup playoffs series between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. A Panthers win gives Florida a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series, needing just one win over the final three games to advance to the second round. A Lightning win levels the series at two wins apiece before the series shifts back to Tampa. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN nationally and Scripps Sports locally. Follow along throughout the game for live updates, news, analysis and commentary. Series schedule ▪ Game 1 — Panthers 6, Lightning 2: Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in his first game with the team since early February and the Panthers suffocated the Lightning to win the series-opener. ▪ Game 2 — Panthers 2, Lightning 0: Sergei Bobrovsky logged a 19-save shutout — the fourth playoff shutout of his career — and Florida got goals from Nate Schmidt and Sam Bennett to secure the win. ▪ Game 3 — Lightning 5, Panthers 1: Matthew Tkachuk opened scoring less than three minutes into regulation, but the Lightning took over the game from there, taking advantage of Florida's defensive miscues and riding a solid outing from goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to get their first win of the series. ▪ Game 4: Tonight ▪ Game 5: Wednesday, April 30, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN+, Scripps Sports, Panthers+, Tampa's Amalie Arena ▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 2, time and TV TBD, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 4, time and TV TBD, Tampa's Amalie Arena Pregame reading Need to catch up ahead of Game 4? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage — plus a look at Panthers coverage elsewhere — over the past few days. ▪ As Panthers-Lightning series heats up, even the coaches are getting involved in chirps ▪ Aaron Ekblad is back 'battling' with Panthers in playoffs, but knows he needs to improve ▪ The Panthers are making a lineup change ahead of Game 4 ▪ The Lightning are welcoming back forward Brandon Hagel into the lineup after he sat out Game 3 with a suspension.
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Maple Leafs' Atlantic Division title is paying off. Now they have to finish the job
OTTAWA — We are just six nights into the Stanley Cup playoffs, and already the Toronto Maple Leafs have realized the immense benefits of chasing down the Atlantic Division crown. Securing that spot booked them a first-round matchup with the Ottawa Senators, a talented but inexperienced bunch, and Toronto has wasted no time in exerting control to grab a 3-0 lead in a series for the first time in a generation. Advertisement While they'll obviously be careful not to get ahead of themselves with a chance to finish off the sweep Saturday and secure another week of preparation for Round 2, the Senators don't exactly look or sound like a group ready to rally. 'It's disheartening, to say the least,' Ottawa coach Travis Green said after Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss — the second straight game in which his group rallied in the third period only to come up short. Making a playoff appearance for the ninth straight year, the Leafs know as well as anyone how thin the margins can be in the springtime. That includes the difference between facing a wild-card team, with only eight players on the roster who had prior playoff experience, and what they might have gotten in a matchup against the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning instead. The perils of facing a perennial Stanley Cup contender are real. Tampa Bay finished second in the Atlantic this season — six points behind Toronto — and opened the Battle of Florida with two home games against the Panthers. They now find themselves in a 2-0 hole. If the Leafs manage to finish off the sweep, which would be the organization's first since a 2001 first-round series against Ottawa, they'll get the chance to sit back and wait for the winner of the Panthers-Lightning series to emerge. That's an appealing proposition for a team with serious designs on a long playoff run. Every bit of energy conserved matters. 'In a perfect world, yeah,' said veteran defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a Cup winner last spring in Florida. 'But we also know that this is probably the hardest one coming up, too. We're going to prepare for the next one, put everything on the line, and that's all we can do.' Had Toronto not pushed so hard for the Atlantic Division title and secured it in Game 81, it's hard to imagine it'd be in such an enviable position entering the second weekend of the playoffs. Just four weeks ago, the Maple Leafs sat second in the standings. They were one point behind the Panthers until leapfrogging them with a March 29 win at the Los Angeles Kings — starting a closing stretch in which they went 9-1 to lock up the franchise's first crown in a full NHL season since taking the Northeast Division in 1999-00. Advertisement They've been firing on all cylinders since the puck dropped in a best-of-seven against the Senators, playing a patient style under head coach Craig Berube that sees them get routinely outshot (Ottawa has an 81-65 edge overall in that department) but makes them less prone to costly defensive breakdowns. When you pair that with game-breaking talent at the top of the roster, a lethal power play and a red-hot goaltender in Anthony Stolarz, they're a formidable opponent. And they've only lost three of the past 19 games they've played overall. 'We didn't have an easy schedule to finish off there,' forward Mitch Marner said. 'We knew they were going to be hard games and playoff-like games. We tried to buy in at an early stage, and it's worked out well so far.' The Leafs do not currently bear much resemblance to the Leafs of years gone by, a group that piled playoff heartbreak on top of playoff heartbreak while going 1-8 in various series dating back to 2017. Finishing off the Senators quickly will almost certainly come with a huge shot of belief, if not some added relief. But even in building a commanding 3-0 series advantage, the players seemed to be keeping their feet on the ground. Naturally, there was some excitement in the air after Simon Benoit delivered an unlikely overtime winner on Thursday night, but no one was getting too carried away. 'You can't be satisfied with where you're at now,' Marner said. 'To be honest, it doesn't really mean anything,' captain Auston Matthews added. 'We can't take our foot off the gas.' They've basically had the pedal to the floor for a month already. Going back to March, they didn't shy away from the importance of finishing ahead of the Panthers and Lightning in order to set up the best path possible through the playoff bracket and secure some extra home games at Scotiabank Arena. Advertisement It's also built an unwavering sense of purpose, which has held strong even during the most challenging moments against Ottawa. The Leafs lost third-period leads in Games 2 and 3 and still managed to push the Senators to the brink of elimination. 'It says a lot about our group,' Ekman-Larsson said. 'It's going to happen. There's another team trying to do the same thing as you, and you're going to get a s—-y bounce or a mistake or (they'll make) a really good play. 'It's how you handle those bounces and stay in the game.' (Photo of Auston Matthews: Chris Tanouye / Freestyle Photography / Getty Images)
