Latest news with #StanleyCup-clinching
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
A clutch Panthers performance in the playoffs? Carter Verhaeghe strikes again
The Florida Panthers last October didn't agree to pay Carter Verhaeghe $56 million over the course of seven seasons to lead the NHL in regular season goals. They gave Verhaeghe the bag for nights like Sunday — and have to feel great about the decision, no matter how the previous six months went. In Florida's 2-0 Game 4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers' 29-year-old forward gave his team a first-period lead it wouldn't relinquish and again solidified his place as one of the franchise's most clutch players. Verhaeghe now has 30 playoff goals in the last five years — just one of five active players with that many since the 2021 postseason. The others? Some of the biggest names in the game: Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid. Eleven of those 30 goals, including his strike on Sunday, have been game-winners. That's tied with Alexander Ovechkin, Corey Perry and Patrick Kane for the fifth-most among active skaters. He trails only teammate Brad Marchand (14), Ondrej Palat (13), Evegnii Malkin (13) and Chris Kreider (12). 'Through nine games, Carter has been our most consistent forward,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said late Sunday after his Cats tied up their Eastern Conference Semifinals series at 2-2. 'Playoff hockey's hockey. He understands that. ... It's played at an incredibly high pace. It's very physical. 'That's when he plays at his best,' Maurice added. 'Everything kind of falls in line. All of his reads are right. All of his physicality is right. He plays a very hard, very fast game, and he needs the game sometimes to be hard and fast in order to excel. He's been the most consistent player through nine up front.' That's high praise, considering the talent the Panthers have at forward. But it's also hard to argue. No Panthers player seems to rise to the moment better than Verhaeghe, who had one of the Panthers' two Game 7 goals in their Stanley Cup-clinching win against the Edmonton Oilers 11 months ago. Verhaeghe in the weeks that followed visited his hometown of Waterdown in Ontario with the Cup in tow. It was the second time Verhaeghe returned to the Hamilton, Canada, suburb as a champion. He wants a third victory tour this offseason, and given his latest postseason renaissance, it would be foolish to bet against him getting it. Verhaeghe wasn't bad during the 2024-2025 regular season. He just didn't score with the proficiency many expected after signing a lucrative extension. He had just 20 goals despite playing in all but one game. But something inside of him flips when the playoffs begin. His eight points this postseason are tied with seven teammates for the franchise lead. Verhaeghe has benefited from a lineup change. After spending time with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on the Panthers' top line, he's really found his groove playing with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk on the second. Maurice said that Tkachuk's improved fitness and elevated play in recent days has helped Verhaeghe get back on track. Verhaeghe's hustle play in overtime in Game 3 kept alive a possession that resulted in Brad Marchand burying Friday night's game-winner. Now they're all on their way back to Toronto, and a seven-game series has become a three-game series. 'I think the playoffs should bring out the best in everyone,' Verhaeghe said. 'I think it's so competitive and so everything about it is just more competitive and, yeah, it's a lot of fun playing in it.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'It was dumb luck:' Bought for $4k, Wayne Gretzky stick sells for $82.55k
During an auction of sports memorabilia at Grey Flannel last spring, Doug Reiser was looking to buy a game-used Wayne Gretzky stick. He wanted one from early in Gretzky's career and was bidding on four separate sticks from the first few seasons of the Great One's time with the Edmonton Oilers. Advertisement None of them were attributed to a specific game, but three of them quickly got more expensive than Reiser wanted, so he settled on the cheapest, which was credited to the 1981-82 season. Reiser paid $3,775 for that stick in June 2024. Around a month later, much to his surprise, he was able to match the stick to a photo from the game in which Gretzky broke Phil Esposito's single-season record of 76 goals. The stick has been photo-matched by MeiGray to Gretzky's record-setting game. (Credit: Sotheby's) Less than a year later, armed with this new information, he has consigned the stick to Sotheby's, where it sold Tuesday night for $82,550. 'It was dumb luck,' Reiser told cllct. Shortly after he won the original auction, Reiser decided he would try to photo-match it. Noticing the stick was not only signed by Gretzky, but also Gilbert Perreault, Reiser looked for photos of Grezky's Oilers playing Perrault's Sabres during the 1981-82 season. Advertisement Then he found an image from the Feb. 24, 1982, game that appeared to be a match. 'Man, all these marks line up,' Reiser said. 'Then I googled the date … and I'm like 'Oh my God.'' Gretzky not only passed Esposito's record, but notched a hat trick during the game against the Buffalo Sabres — all in the third period. Perreault also had a hat trick in the game, which the Oilers won 6-3. Bidding on the lot, which does not have a reserve price, is currently at $20,000 with more than a week remaining in the auction. Last year, Sotheby's set a record with another Gretzky stick, used in the Oilers' 1988 Stanley Cup-clinching game, selling it for $336,000 — the highest price ever paid for an NHL hockey stick at public auction. Advertisement The stick from Gretzky's final game sold for $140,000 in 2022. As Alexander Ovechkin closes in on Gretzky's career goal record, the auction will test the market to see if interest in NHL memorabilia is peaking accordingly. Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Gabriel Landeskog injury update: Latest news on Colorado Avalanche captain
Gabriel Landeskog injury update: Latest news on Colorado Avalanche captain 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 Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog looks like he could be returning from a nearly three-year injury absence Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars. Landeskog last played in the NHL in 2022 during the Avalanche's Stanley Cup-clinching win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has been rehabbing a serious knee injury that required a cartilage transplant. Coach Jared Bednar told Altitude Sports Radio on Wednesday: "There's a good chance that he's going to play tonight." Landeskog had a recent two-game conditioning assignment in the American Hockey League. He was activated from the injured list on Monday and took part in pregame warmups, but Miles Wood was inserted in the lineup instead. Here's the latest injury update on Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog: Gabriel Landeskog injury update Bednar was coy about Landeskog's status when asked after the Avalanche's morning skate. "We'll see," he said, adding that his decision about the captain's availability would be a "gut feeling." If Landeskog plays, he likely would take Wood's place on the third line. The series is tied 1-1. How to watch Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday at Denver's Ball Arena. ESPN is broadcasting the game. Streaming is available on Fubo. Evander Kane injury update Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane is scheduled to make his season debut Wednesday night in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings. He had abdominal surgery in the offseason plus knee surgery in January.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Avalanche Make Gabriel Landeskog Move Before NHL Playoffs
The Colorado Avalanche saw their longtime captain, Gabriel Landeskog, train with the team's AHL affiliate for a week as well as play a few games in the minors, and finally made a move involving him ahead of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Avs brought Landeskog back into the fold on Tuesday, with the Swedish forward rejoining the club after completing a two-game conditioning loan with the AHL's Colorado Eagles. Advertisement The move, announced by the team on X, ends a nearly three-year NHL absence for the 32-year-old forward. "Gabriel Landeskog's conditioning loan has been terminated and he will rejoin the Avalanche today," the Avs announced. The Avalanche are expected to activate Landeskog for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars. That can't happen earlier because Colorado is currently operating above the cap via long-term injured reserve relief. Because salary cap constraints do not apply in the postseason, Landeskog's return does not require a roster move. Landeskog last played for the Avalanche on June 26, 2022, assisting on the Stanley Cup-clinching goal. Since then, he has undergone multiple knee procedures, including cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023. Advertisement His rehab assignment saw him take the ice in back-to-back games, recording a goal and an assist in his second outing. Nathan MacKinnon and several teammates were in attendance for Landeskog's AHL appearances and spoke about their captain ahead of his return to NHL play on Tuesday. "He's Gabe Landeskog at the end of the day, and, obviously, there's going to be some rust," MacKinnon said. "Three years is a crazy amount of time off, and he hasn't really been practicing that much either. We've just been so busy, there's been no practice—which is too bad for him. "But I think he looks great, and in game situations, you can still see those instincts are there. He's still got it, for sure." Advertisement Cale Makar also commented on the impending captain's comeback. "It's insane that you're coming back three years without even playing a single game," Makar said. Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) skates in warm-ups before a game at Ball Leyba-Imagn Images Avs' head coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the forward's progress and left the door open for activation. 'Number one, it's exciting that he's back and playing. I'm really happy for him. I know it's been a long road,' Bednar said. 'Number two, I think it's exciting for us because it may give us another option here, when we get to the weekend and start playing playoff games. 'We'll see how he responds this week and see how it all goes. But to have another player of his caliber possibly being ready to go is only a positive one from my mind.' Advertisement Landeskog, who has served as the Avs' captain since 2012, has recorded 248 goals and 571 points in 738 NHL games. He has averaged nearly a point per game in six postseason runs, racking up 67 points in 69 total playoff outings. Related: Avalanche's Cale Makar Earns NHLPA Recognition After Historic Season Related: Canucks React to Quinn Hughes Historic News Before Season Finale
