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Miami Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Stanley Cup playoffs live updates: Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 3
By definition, Friday night is not a 'must-win' game for the Florida Panthers. But for all intents and purposes, Game 3 of their Stanley Cup playoffs second-round series is as close to 'must-win' as it can get without officially being one after the Panthers dropped the first two contests in the best-of-7 series. A Florida win makes the series competitive again, while a loss puts the Panthers down 0-3 and needing to win each of the final four games to keep their hopes of repeating as Stanley Cup champions alive. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena. The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT and truTV, while also available to be streamed on Max. Follow along throughout the game for live updates, news, analysis and commentary. Gary Bettman speaks in South Florida NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did a general media availability at Amernat Bank Arena prior to the Panthers-Maple Leafs game. A couple notables: ▪ On the upcoming Winter Classic (at Miami's loanDepot park) and Stadium Series (at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium): 'It's bold. It's audacious. It's an attempt to do something special for the fans in Florida.' ▪ He said he hopes a new collective bargaining agreement for the NHL gets done 'sooner than later.' Talks are progressing. The deal currently expires at the end of next season. ▪ On the Panthers' growing popularity in South Florida: 'It starts with two words: Vinnie Viola.' Series schedule ▪ Game 1 — Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 4: The Panthers nearly rallied from a three-goal deficit, getting to within one goal twice in the third, but ultimately couldn't overcome their slow start in a series-opening loss. William Nylander scored twice for Toronto. ▪ Game 2 — Maple Leafs 4, Panthers 3: Florida blew a pair of two-goal leads and then fell behind for good 17 seconds after tying the game early in the third period to fall into an 0-2 hole in the series. ▪ Game 3: Tonight ▪ Game 4: Sunday, May 11, 7:30 p.m., TBS, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 14, TBD time, ESPN, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena ▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 16, TBD time, TNT, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 18, TBD time, TNT, Max, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena Pregame reading Need to catch up ahead of Game 3? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage over the past few days. ▪ If the Panthers weren't the underdogs before, they are now — and need to embrace it ▪ Why the Panthers have confidence Sergei Bobrovsky can turn things around against Toronto ▪ Brad Marchand has excelled so far in the playoffs. Can he spark a turnaround against Toronto?
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Zach Werenski turns injury into inspiration with powerful Columbus comeback
Zach Werenski turns injury into inspiration with powerful Columbus comeback (Image Source: Getty Images) Zach Werenski has always been a blue-chip player for the Columbus Blue Jackets . But in recent years, he has become so much more than a hockey sensation. When he was injured in 2022, Zach Werenski spent his time off the ice doing something positive for his city. He partnered with the Blue Jackets Foundation to give back to the community. Today, he's giving back while playing the sport he loves. Zach Werenski transforms injury into an opportunity to assist others Zach Werenski got hurt in November 2022 while playing. Operation Sindoor PM Modi meets NSA, chiefs of armed forces amid spike in tensions with Pak India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan Several airports in India to be closed till May 15 - check list He took a terrible fall and strained his shoulder and was not playing the rest of the season. As he rested, he couldn't help but ask himself what he could do with his off-season time in a productive way. He had recently signed an extended contract and wanted to do more for Columbus. He sat down with the Blue Jackets Foundation and developed this concept: a unique suite in Nationwide Arena where individuals experiencing difficulties could come to enjoy a game. This became the " Z-Suite ." In its opening in April 2022, over 2,000 people signed in. The Z-Suite also asks for persons like first responders, sick children, military families, and others who are experiencing hard times to come. Werenski sometimes greets the guests and hears their stories. According to him, their smiles and bravery inspire him. Zach Werenski assists families meets fans and spreads happiness through hockey Zach Werenski has done even more off the ice. He's made donations to toy drives, assisted therapy dog programs, and supported hospitals. At the 2025 Stadium Series game, he invited a young hockey fan named Hannah to practice and game day. Another young fan, Jocelyn, once fought cancer, and now she's cancer-free. Werenski says getting to know fans like them has changed the way he sees life. He concedes that growing up, he was single-minded about hockey. But once he was hurt, he found out there was enough time to be a terrific player and be involved in the community, too. He would now like to educate younger players about how they can contribute back. Columbus is more than a city to Zach Werenski, it's a family. And with each small act of kindness, he's demonstrating the power of sports to unite people and raise spirits. Also Read: "I'll Be Making A Case For Zach Werenski": Elliot Friedman Endorses Columbus Blue Jackets Defenseman For MVP
Boston Globe
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
NHL sets another attendance record, topping 23 million fans for the first time
It's the third consecutive time the 108-year-old NHL has broken attendance records after 22.4 million fans in 2022-23 and 22.9 million last season. That does not include the successful return of international competition — the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston, which drew an average of more than 19,000 fans a game. Thirty-six venues hosted regular-season games, most notably Wrigley Field for the Winter Classic and Ohio Stadium in Columbus for the league's other outdoor game. The Stadium Series game in Columbus had the biggest crowd of the season, 94,571, the second-largest in NHL history. Advertisement
Associated Press
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Blue Jackets frustrated to miss the NHL playoffs for the fifth consecutive year
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Coach Dean Evason doesn't want to hear that the Columbus Blue Jackets had a strong year, or that they dealt with extraordinary adversity, or even that they improved significantly over past seasons — though all those statements are true. To Evason, the fact that the Blue Jackets spent Friday cleaning out their lockers instead of preparing for the NHL playoffs is a clear indication they didn't improve enough. 'We're not far enough because we're not preparing to play,' he said. 'We're going to get some accolades and all that kind of stuff, but at the end of the day, we're not in the playoffs. Our first step was to get into the playoffs. We didn't get there. So, are we happy with the foundation that we're continuing to build on here this year? Sure. But it's still extremely frustrating.' Columbus began its journey toward reflection 14 hours after the end of a season in which it faced the tragic death of All-Star Johnny Gaudreau right before training camp, hosted its first outdoor game in front of the second-largest NHL crowd ever, and posted the league's largest positive change from the previous year in both wins and points. The Blue Jackets finished the year with 40 wins and 89 points, compared to 27 wins and 66 points in 2023-24, and fell two points short of the final wildcard spot, which went to the Montreal Canadiens. They finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division and 19th in the league, failing to qualify for postseason play for the fifth consecutive season. General manager Don Waddell said the fact that Columbus was in the playoff conversation through Game 81 indicated there was success on which to build. 'I said right off the bat that if we could play meaningful games in March, leaving April out of it, it'd be a big step for us as a franchise,' Waddell said. 'We exceeded that.' The Blue Jackets held a wildcard playoff spot after their dramatic win over Detroit in the March 1 Stadium Series, but then lost eight of their next nine games. A three-game losing skid early in April, in which they were twice shut out, dug a hole that could not be overcome, even with a six-game win streak to end the season. Alongside the team's successes, there are clear areas for improvement. Columbus struggled away from home with only 14 road wins, and defensive issues were evident with 267 goals against, ranking 25th in the NHL. The team had a penalty kill record of 77%, ranking 22nd. 'Our road record sucked,' Evason said. 'Our special teams sucked. The power play, penalty kill, and playing on the road have to get better for us to get more points. 'Our scoring was good this year. We've got to keep the puck out of our net, so our defensive game has to be better.' The team will enter next season with a strong corps of quality leaders, including Sean Monahan, Matthew Olivier, captain Boone Jenner and Norris Trophy candidate Zach Werenski, who became the first defenseman to lead the team in points with 82. 'I have always believed in this franchise and this organization,' Werenski said. 'I love playing here. This is the place I call home now. I've always said we have everything at our disposal to be a great hockey club. 'I believe in the process. I believe in the core group of guys. I believe in what we are doing here.' On the youth front, Adam Fantilli recorded his first 30-goal season, and goalie Jet Greaves was dominant in the final stretch, winning four straight games after being called up from AHL Cleveland, including the first two shutouts of his career. 'It's our job to try to make our team better, but the group we have in that room right now, I have a lot of confidence in and will continue on the path we've started,' Waddell said. Waddell needs to address a collection of unrestricted free agents, including forwards Sean Kuraly, Justin Danforth, and James van Riemsdyk, as well as defensemen Ivan Provorov, midseason pickup Dante Fabbro, and veteran Jack Johnson. Potential restricted free agents include Dmitri Voronkov and backup goalie Daniil Tarasov. The team has seven 2025 draft picks, including two in the first round. ___ AP NHL:
Reuters
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
NHL sets attendance record, surpasses 23 million fans
April 18 - More than 23 million fans attended an NHL regular-season game in 2024-25, the highest total in the league's 108-year history. The league announced Friday that a total of 23,014,458 people attended a game during the 1,312-game season. That eclipses the previous record of 22,873,142, set last season. In addition to the 32 teams' home arenas, the NHL also played the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago, a Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and Global Series games in Prague, Czechia, and Tampere, Finland. A total of 94,571 fans attended the game at Ohio Stadium, marking the second-largest gathering in NHL history. Fueled by 41 sellouts at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens led all clubs in total attendance with 865,305 fans.
