The next wave of second-round series begins on Wednesday night. Let's take a look at a few ways to attack them with our best bets.Oilers (-115) @ Golden Knights (-105)The Oilers put forth an impressive first-round effort against the Kings. At five-on-five, they posted a 55% share of the expected goals and won by 0.80 goals per 60 minutes, ranking them third and second, respectively, among playoff teams.Although the Golden Knights slot higher than the Oilers in both categories, it's important to put the numbers into context.Edmonton played a 104-point Kings team that was three lines deep and a top-10 five-on-five side over the course of the regular season.Vegas had a much easier path, topping a 95-point Jets squad that was missing key pieces like Josh Morrissey, Mark Scheifele, Cole Perfetti, and Nikolaj Ehlers for chunks - if not the entirety - of the series. The Jets are top-heavy, so not having those pieces was significant. Put simply, the caliber of the opponent was nowhere close to what the Oilers dealt with.This is a big step up in class for the Golden Knights, and I think they're going to have a much tougher time.The Oilers gave them a world of trouble in the regular season, winning three of four meetings and scoring 18 goals over that span.Their big guns are going to be a lot for the Golden Knights to handle - especially if captain and marquee two-way winger Mark Stone is playing at less than 100%.It's also going to be a tall order for Laurent Brossoit. He has performed quite well of late, but just a year ago, he played his way out of the NHL with subpar goaltending.A few good weeks aren't enough to leave me overly confident he can do the job against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and a terrifyingly good Oilers offense.I like Edmonton to win the series and start on the right foot in Game 1.Bet: Oilers (-115)Jack Hughes over 3.5 shots (-115)The Hurricanes are about the toughest matchup you can draw when it comes to generating shots. It doesn't seem to matter for Hughes. The Devils' dynamic superstar registered 20 shots over four regular-season matchups versus the Hurricanes, hitting the over in three of four.Hughes is ultra-efficient with his ice time, and in the playoffs, he's seeing even more of it. Hughes played at least 20 minutes in five of seven opening-round games. He logged 18:33 and 19:33 in the two exceptions, both of which were four-goal games where the end result was well-established long before the game concluded.The point is, if the game is remotely close, Hughes will play a ton. I don't have much concern about that being the case in Game 1. With so many key injuries up front, scoring goals is a challenge for the Hurricanes, even when they're outplaying the opposition.Even if the well-rested Hurricanes control the play tonight, I don't see them being clinical enough to put the game away.Expect Hughes to get a healthy dose of ice time and pile up the shots.Brent Burns over 3.5 shots (-110)Burns was a one-man shooting gallery in the first round of the playoffs. He attempted at least eight shots and hit the over in five of six games.He was particularly effective on home ice, where he generated 16 shots on 31 attempts over three games. Insane production.As already alluded to, the Hurricanes are missing several key weapons up front. That makes it even more imperative an offensively inclined defenseman like Burns gets involved and helps the team create shots and chances.He certainly had no problem doing so in Round 1, even against a stingy, slower-paced team like the Islanders.The Devils - like the Hurricanes - are generally a team to avoid targeting when it comes to shots. However, Burns' volume is so strong he's worth making an exception for.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pete DeBoer wishes his Dallas Stars hadn't squandered Joe Pavelski's big night Tuesday with an overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken.Pavelski provided all of the Stars' offense in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. He became the oldest player in NHL history to score four goals in a game - in the playoffs or the regular season. However, Yanni Gourde netted the winner in the extra frame to give the Kraken the victory."(It was) epic, shame we wasted it and didn't win," the Stars head coach said postgame. "That's on our group because he more than did his part. He tried to drag us to a win (Tuesday night)."Pavelski had a remarkable game despite having been out of the lineup since Dallas' first-round series opener against the Minnesota Wild on April 17.The 38-year-old forward, who'll turn 39 on July 11, led all skaters from both clubs with six shots Tuesday night. He also blocked three shots and won all nine of his faceoffs."I'm not surprised," DeBoer said. "I should be. Everybody should be. He's the oldest guy on the sheet of ice (Tuesday night) and he was by far the best player on either team. But that's just Joe."Pavelski showed no signs of slowing down during the regular season, collecting 28 goals and 49 assists while playing all 82 contests. The American notched his 1,000th career point in a win over the Detroit Red Wings on April 10.Game 2 of the Stars-Kraken series is scheduled for Thursday night in Dallas.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Forward Joe Pavelski reentered the lineup in the Dallas Stars' Game 1 overtime loss against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.The 38-year-old had an exceptional night, becoming the oldest player in NHL history to tally four goals in a game.Pavelski hadn't played since the opening contest of the first round after taking a late hit from Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in the second period.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier, and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner were announced as the 2022-23 Frank J. Selke Trophy finalists on Tuesday.The award is voted on annually by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season and is presented "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."This is Bergeron's 12th consecutive nomination. He won the Selke Trophy for a record fifth time last season. If he wins this year, it would be the second time he's captured the award in back-to-back campaigns.Bergeron, 37, put up 27 goals and 31 assists in 78 games and was a plus-35 on the season while averaging 17:24 minutes of ice time per contest. He also won 61.1% of his faceoffs, good for the fourth-best clip of his career.The underlying numbers were exceptional as per usual; the Bruins controlled 72.6% of the goals, 63% of the expected goals, 61.2% of the shots, and 61.1% of the shot attempts at five-on-five with Bergeron on the ice this season, according to Evolving Hockey.This is Hischier's and Marner's first nomination for the coveted honor.Hischier ranked second on the Devils with 80 points (31 goals, 49 assists) in 81 contests while seeing 19:17 minutes of ice time per game. The captain led his team with 64 takeaways and won 53.9% of his draws.New Jersey owned 60.4% of the goals, 59.1% of the expected goals, 57.5% of the shots, and 55.4% of the shot attempts with Hischier out there at five-on-five.He also led all Devils forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:06) and was a key reason why New Jersey owned the fourth-best penalty kill in the league during the regular season.Marner, meanwhile, can become the first winger to win the Selke Trophy since Jere Lehtinen in 2003.The Maple Leafs star paced all skaters with 104 takeaways in the regular season - 12 clear of Brandon Hagel in second place. Marner averaged the fifth-most ice time (21:17) out of all forwards, trailing only Leon Draisaitl, Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid.Marner's minutes were extremely productive during the regular season; Toronto outscored the opposition 64-39 with Marner on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick, and owned 53.8% of the shots, 54.2% of the shot attempts, and 55.4% of the expected goals.The 2023 NHL Awards will begin at 8 p.m. ET on June 26.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar, and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point were named finalists for the 2023 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy on Tuesday.The award is given annually to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." It's voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.Hughes enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Devils this season. He registered career highs with 43 goals and 99 points while logging only six penalty minutes. He finished seventh in Lady Byng voting last year having received five first-place votes.Kopitar captured the Lady Byng in 2016 and was a finalist in 2015. The 35-year-old returned to form in 2022-23 with 28 goals and 74 points, both personal highs since 2018. He was assessed only four penalty minutes despite playing the 10th-most minutes among forwards.Point is a first-time finalist for an NHL award. He hit the 50-goal plateau in 2022-23 and set a new career high with 95 points. The 27-year-old was assessed two penalties all season - a slashing minor in overtime Nov. 3 and a fighting major Feb. 7. He's looking to become the third Lightning player to win the award after Brad Richards and three-time winner Martin St. Louis.NHL award winners will be revealed June 26 in Nashville.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bruins goaltender and Vezina Trophy front-runner Linus Ullmark acknowledged that he didn't perform to his usual sparkling standard during Boston's astonishing first-round defeat to the underdog Florida Panthers."It's pretty evident that I didn't play the way that I wanted to," he said Tuesday during the Bruins' final media availability of the season. "I wasn't as good as I wanted to be, unfortunately, at the worst time possible. That's something I have to live with."The 29-year-old started the Bruins' first six games of the opening round, going 3-3 before being replaced by running mate Jeremy Swayman in Game 7.Ullmark struggled to find his regular-season form against the Cardiac Cats:2022-23SV%GAAGSAxGSAARegular season (49 GP).9381.8938.2146.69Playoffs (6 GP).8963.33-0.76-2.38On Monday, ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported that the goaltender played through a "debilitating and painful injury" that hindered his mobility in the postseason.Ullmark opted not to disclose details of any potential ailment."We all go through things in life. We all go through things when it comes playoff time," he said. "We all battle our different things - whether it's mentally or if it's physically, we all have our stuff."He added, "I had full confidence in my abilities every single game that I played. That's the honest truth. Otherwise, I would've stepped aside."Defenseman Charlie McAvoy said he was still "kind of numb" two days after the Bruins' crushing upset."It's so fresh, it's hard to even put it into words, what went wrong or where it went wrong," he said. "It's just the ultimate disappointment right now."The Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins set new NHL records in wins (65) and points (135) during the regular season. Despite the early postseason exit, Brad Marchand hopes the Bruins can grow from the experience."You just gotta sit and dwell on the opportunity lost and how things played out," he said. "It doesn't get any easier, and I'm sure it won't for a while. ... At the end of the day, the sun still rises."These are the things that you go through that make your team stronger down the road. Obviously, it's not the way that we would've liked to end the season, but I think the worst thing we could do is not try to learn from it."Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Everyone's a contender in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and anyone can exit early. The Bruins' and Avalanche's unceremonious departures should have served more as reminders than as truly shocking news. It's why trying to corner the market on a handful of Conn Smythe Trophy candidates from "good teams" is often a waste of time.Sure enough, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Linus Ullmark, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are among the big names no longer on the Conn Smythe oddsboard.Conn Smythe oddsPLAYERODDSConnor McDavid+550Auston Matthews+900Leon Draisaitl+1000Mitch Marner+1000Jack Hughes+1400Roope Hintz+1600Jake Oettinger+1600Akira Schmid+1600Jack Eichel+1800Mark Stone+1800Sebastian Aho+1800Matthew Tkachuk+2000Jason Robertson+2500Frederik Andersen+2500John Tavares+3000Ilya Samsonov+3500Miro Heiskanen+3500Brandon Montour+4000Martin Necas+4000Ryan O'Reilly+4000William Nylander+4000Players not listed at +5000 odds or longerConnor McDavid takes the reins as the clear-cut playoff MVP favorite, but we've already got that ticket in hand. If you don't, the same logic we used two weeks ago still applies; McDavid's Conn Smythe odds should be closer to the Oilers' Stanley Cup odds than they are.We were a little nervous that Leon Draisaitl would steal his thunder, as the German star's hot start suggested he might outpace McDavid in total postseason points. But while Draisaitl might be the Oilers' first-round MVP, he's still just one point ahead of his teammate. A potential Cup run should see McDavid take the lead, especially now that he's away from the likes of Phillip Danault, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty.Best of the restDon't fixate on what's already happened. While the first round is important, the next three will overshadow it during award voting six weeks from now. There are exceptions, of course, such as individual efforts that seem to validate hypotheses like "Matthew Tkachuk was built in a laboratory for playoff hockey."The current favored team probably doesn't have much Conn Smythe value: None of the Maple Leafs players on the board are great bets simply because there are so many of them.They're also not great bets because, as we've seen, favorites are vulnerable. The Panthers could knock Toronto out in the second round, and with Florida carrying both an underdog price and a clear Conn Smythe contender, now might be the time to hop on Tkachuk at 20-1 or better. If the Panthers pull off another upset, it will confirm their contender status - and the offseason addition of Tkachuk will be pegged as the reason.Price mattersSpeaking of the Panthers, Brandon Montour sure had a lot to do with their first-round win over the Bruins, but 40-1 is too short to ask him to sustain those heroics. If, however, you find him available at 100-1, that's a different story at a less taxing price point.We backed a constellation of Stars before Dallas beat the Wild in Round 1. But we didn't throw a rope around Roope Hintz (12 points). He could continue to outpace his teammates, but it's equally likely that 109-point scorer Jason Robertson (seven points), defenseman Miro Heiskanen (six assists), and goaltender Jake Oettinger will siphon some value between now and mid-June. Dallas also has an easier path with Colorado eliminated, so while those players' prices are naturally shorter than they were before Round 1, they may not be short enough.Conspicuous in their absence from the top of the odds board are any Devils players not named Akira Schmid or Jack Hughes. Those two were New Jersey's best in Round 1, but Nico Hischier (+7500), Timo Meier (+5000), Dougie Hamilton (+5000), or even Jesper Bratt (+10000) could emerge as New Jersey's most important player from here on out.Matt Russell is the Lead Betting Analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In our Rangers-Devils series preview, we discussed the concepts of beliefs in handicapping and personal priorities regarding elements of the game. That series represented the most significant referendum of the first round, pitting the Devils' vociferous five-on-five offense against the Rangers' reliance on outstanding goaltending and an ability to convert seemingly every one of the few quality chances they could generate.New Jersey spotted New York two games because its own netminder - Vitek Vanecek - couldn't supply close to league-average goaltending while the Rangers converted four of 10 power-play opportunities. Handing the net to a rookie before Game 3, the Devils won four of the next five contests, including a decisive Game 7 in which they had 70% of the expected goals at even strength.This second-round series won't provide the same validation to those who bet on an analytical basis. The Hurricanes and the Devils both dominated at five-on-five this season and were, in fact, our two top-rated teams - a concept that's easier to digest following the Bruins' first-round exit.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPDevils+100-120-1.5 (+135)Hurricanes-120+100+1.5 (-165)Somewhat surprisingly, New Jersey is the favorite against the Hurricanes despite starting the series on the road. Though not as heavily favored, the Devils join the Oilers as favorites without home-ice advantage; those didn't exist in the first round.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes its vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated over the season, when isolating play after the All-Star break, and in their first-round matchup (relative to their opponent).TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBROUND 1Devils+23.5%+16%+25%Hurricanes+30%+20%-2%One number jumps out: the Hurricanes' first-round rating. They topped the Islanders in six games but weren't the better team at even strength, owning 49% of the expected goals against a team that entered the playoffs with only a marginally above-average rating.Advanced metrics at even strengthxG%= Expected goal share

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Marcus Johansson to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2 million, Wild general manager Bill Guerin announced Tuesday.Johansson's new deal will run through the 2024-25 campaign.The Wild acquired Johansson from the Washington Capitals on Feb. 28. He registered six markers and 12 assists over 20 regular-season games and added a pair of goals during Minnesota's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars.The 32-year-old has 163 goals and 290 assists over 833 games during his 13-year career.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jake McCabe doesn't believe ticket restrictions imposed on Canadians by the Florida Panthers will keep Toronto Maple Leafs fans out of the FLA Live Arena."I doubt it," McCabe said when asked if the restrictions will make a difference, according to David Alter of Sports Illustrated.Residents living in Canada weren't allowed to purchase tickets for any of the Panthers' home games against the Leafs when tickets went on sale Monday on Ticketmaster.

The second round of the playoffs begins tonight, with the Maple Leafs and Stars playing host to a couple of wild-card teams that managed huge upsets in Round 1.Let's take a look at a few of the best ways to attack those games.Panthers (+140) @ Maple Leafs (-165)The Leafs enjoyed plenty of regular-season success against the Panthers, posting a 3-1 record while scoring 15 goals.They controlled a healthy 55% of the expected goal share at five-on-five, which is always a recipe for success when you have the kind of talent the Maple Leafs have. They don't need many scoring chances to convert, as we just saw against Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning.While the Panthers are getting more respect following their impressive upset over the Bruins, it's worth noting injuries played a large factor.The Bruins continually trotted out a banged-up - and struggling - Linus Ullmark until their margin for error completely evaporated. Top-line center Patrice Bergeron was playing with a herniated disc while their No. 2 pivot, David Krejci, was also well under 100%.Florida deserves a ton of credit for taking advantage, but I think the team's fairytale playoff run ends against Toronto, starting Tuesday.The Leafs have been resting for a few days, while the Panthers had to play in a taxing overtime game Sunday evening.Paul Maurice was forced to ride his horses into the ground, playing Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, and Aaron Ekblad at least 24 minutes each.This is a very quick turnaround against a Maple Leafs team that's loaded with talent and - after beating the Lightning - some newfound confidence.Look for the Leafs to take care of business inside 60 minutes.Bet: Maple Leafs in regulation (-105)Auston Matthews over 4.5 shots (-110)Matthews was quietly a shooting machine in the opening round. He attempted 50 shots over six games, good for a healthy average of 8.33. That's a very strong rate against a Lightning team that plays heavy hockey and tries to slow down the pace of play.Only seven players generated more shot attempts than Matthews in the first round. Four of them played an extra game and two of the three exceptions were top defensemen who play more minutes on a nightly basis by default.I think Matthews - who had five goals, nine points, and an abundance of scoring chances against Tampa Bay - will be feeling pretty good about himself and ready to feast on a less defensively inclined Panthers team.Dating back to last year's campaign, Matthews has piled up 55 attempts and eight points over the past six games against the Panthers.This is a good matchup for him. At home, Sheldon Keefe should be able to get him in more advantageous situations to create offense.Look for a big game from Matthews to start the series.Jason Robertson over 3.5 shots (-110)Death, taxes, and Jason Robertson at home. All of you who've followed these posts throughout the year know that Robertson is a different animal when playing in Dallas.He averaged 7.9 attempts and hit the over on his total 66% of the time at home during the regular season.His numbers were drastically worse on the road, where he averaged six attempts and posted a 45% success rate.That trend has continued in the playoffs. Robertson recorded 15 shots and 30 attempts in three home games, hitting the over in each of them.He didn't fare nearly as well in Minnesota, generating seven shots on 16 attempts over three games.Robertson is back at home Tuesday night against a Kraken squad that - while generally stout defensively - gave up a ton of volume to dynamic shooters like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen in Round 1. Look for Robertson to continue that trend.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is entering the final year of his contract next season, but he's hoping to stay with the only NHL franchise he's known."In my eyes, this is the only jersey I ever want to wear in my career," Stamkos said Tuesday, according to NHL.com's Chris Krenn.Stamkos will carry an $8.5-million cap hit in 2023-2024 after inking an eight-year, $68-million contract with the Lightning in 2016.The 33-year-old had another excellent campaign for Tampa Bay, notching 34 goals and 50 assists for 84 points in 81 games. He added two goals and four points in his team's first-round playoff loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.Stamkos is already one of the greatest players in Lightning history. He has 515 goals and 1,056 points in 1,003 career games. The eight-time All-Star is a two-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner and helped Tampa Bay win consecutive Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A second-year franchise knocked off the defending Stanley Cup Champions in their arena, and it was the second-most significant surprise of Sunday's Game 7 doubleheader. Blame the Panthers (maybe the Bruins?) or the Golden Knights for ruining expansion expectations, but the Seattle Kraken taking down the Avalanche wasn't all that shocking in the betting markets. In fact, I'm a little disappointed they couldn't close it out a game sooner.After a Game 1 loss opened the door to press our bets on the Stars, Dallas got it done against the Wild, eventually doing all their bettors could have asked. However, this is exactly the problem when looking at the core betting markets for their second-round series with Seattle.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPKraken+150+160+1.5 (-130)Stars-175-190-1.5 (+100)Whoa! Whether it's the Kraken being treated harsher than the Wild despite proving their worth against Colorado or the Stars being treated similarly to the Avs, these prices disparage a good road team.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL squad. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes their vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season when isolating play after the All-Star break, and in their first-round matchup (relative to their opponent).TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBROUND 1Kraken+1%-3%+5%Stars+12%+4%+8%Seattle brought its best in Round 1 after largely playing like a below-average team down the stretch of the regular season. Befitting a series ending with a one-goal game in Game 7, the Kraken played 50/50 with Colorado. The Stars were only about 52% even-strength play drivers against the Wild, which is actually slightly disappointing given their pre-series price.Advanced metrics at even strength (Regular season)XG%= Expected goal share

The New Jersey Devils prevailed in Game 7 on Monday night to become the eighth and final team to win a first-round playoff series. These questions, one per Stanley Cup contender, will shape what happens in Round 2 once the puck drops Tuesday. Toronto Maple Leafs

The first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs wasn't short on drama, that's for sure.As the dust settles on a couple of major upsets (who didn't have Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak penciled in as a favorite?), it's time to spotlight the top five candidates to take home the hardware as postseason MVP with the second round on the way.5. Akira Schmid Rich Graessle / National Hockey League / GettyGPSV%GAAGSAxGSAA5 (4-1).9511.385.716.14Down 0-2 in their series against the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils were in need of a miracle.That miracle arrived in 22-year-old Schmid, who took over the starting duties from the struggling Vitek Vanecek beginning in Game 3. The swap paid dividends for New Jersey as Schmid frankly played out of his mind to propel the Devils to the second round.Schmid won his first three playoff contests in convincing fashion, surrendering just two goals on 82 shots in Games 3-5. He ran into some adversity when he allowed five goals on 29 shots in the Devils' Game 6 loss but rebounded in spectacular fashion with a 31-save shutout for the series-clinching victory.Despite his inexperience, Schmid ranks inside the top two in save percentage, goals-against average, goals saved above expected, and goals saved above average in these playoffs. The poise he showed against the Rangers alone makes him worthy of a spot on these rankings.4. Morgan Rielly Michael Chisholm / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%63524:0456.7It's only fitting that the longest-tenured Toronto Maple Leafs player was crucial to the team breaking its 19-year playoff curse.Rielly stepped up in each of Toronto's four wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The defenseman recorded four points in the Maple Leafs' Game 2 blowout, scored the overtime winner in Game 3 at Amalie Arena to give Toronto its first series lead, forced overtime in Game 4 with a late equalizer, and logged an assist on John Tavares' series-clincher in Game 6.The Maple Leafs outscored the Lightning 14-4 with Rielly on the ice in all situations, which is great news for Toronto, seeing that he paced the team in ice time.Rielly didn't lead the Leafs in points in the series - that honor unsurprisingly goes to star winger Mitch Marner - but there's something to be said for how he consistently came up in big moments to help his club finally get over the hump.3. Leon Draisaitl Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%67423:4753No one should be surprised by this, but Draisaitl has seven goals. Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen also hit the seven-goal mark, but he needed an extra game to do it.Simply put, the Oilers ate the Kings alive whenever Draisaitl was on the ice, outscoring Los Angeles 19-7 in all situations. Edmonton scored 25 goals total in the series, meaning only six occurred with Draisaitl on the bench. That's impact.Draisaitl was a ruiner of worlds last playoffs, too, but was hindered by a high ankle sprain for the majority of it. It'll be exciting to see what he can accomplish if he stays healthy throughout the Oilers' run, however long that will be.The German wunderkind has seen more ice time than the two players ahead of him on this list, but their point totals coupled with their strong underlying numbers ultimately give them an edge ... for now.2. Matthew Tkachuk Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%75621:1763.4Tkachuk was a mainstay on our Hart Trophy rankings all season long and has continued his MVP-esque ways during the playoffs.The talented agitator said it best after the Panthers took Game 5 over the Bruins when he sarcastically quipped, "We were supposed to get swept in this series, right?" After all, Florida was the David to Boston's Goliath in the first round.The Cardiac Cats ultimately pulled off the upset of the Presidents' Trophy winners in seven games thanks in large part to Tkachuk's performance.He paced the team with 11 points, six of which came during Florida's three straight wins to storm back from a 3-1 series deficit. Tkachuk scored the overtime winner in Game 5, logged three points during the Panthers' back-and-forth 7-5 victory in Game 6, and recorded an assist on Carter Verhaeghe's deciding goal in Game 7.As head coach Paul Maurice so eloquently put it after Game 5, "That guy is a - and then you put a long string of profanity - gamer."1. Roope Hintz Steph Chambers / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%65719:1061.8Hintz just might be the hottest player in the postseason right now.With a league-leading 12 points in six games, the Dallas Stars center is averaging an outlandish two points per contest. Hintz was the Stars' fearless leader against the Minnesota Wild, recording a hat trick in Game 2 and pouring in seven points over his last three contests to eliminate Dallas' Central Division rivals.No matter the on-ice situation, Hintz's team could count on him for some firepower. He scored twice at even strength, twice on the power play, and added a shorthanded tally for good measure. That's a major plus for the Stars, seeing as special teams can make or break a series.The Stars outscored the Wild 14-2 with Hintz out there in all situations and controlled more than their fair share of the shot attempts (57%), shots (52.7%), and scoring chances (58.5%) at five-on-five.Hintz has been everything the Stars need and more.(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau gave a glaringly honest assessment of his relationship with ex-head coach Darryl Sutter, who was fired earlier Monday."It really didn't click between me and Darryl last year," Huberdeau told French-language radio station BPM Sports, as translated by The Athletic's Julian McKenzie. "There were a lot of factors. There was a big difference in points between my last two years. And the style of play he wanted to play, it didn't fit my style."He added, "Having a new coach is going to help my game and my confidence, too."When the Flames acquired Huberdeau last summer in the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida, he was coming off a career-best 115-point campaign.His first year in Calgary was underwhelming. Huberdeau put up 55 points (15 goals, 40 assists) in 79 games for his lowest output since 2016-17 when he missed significant time due to injury. He also saw his ice time under Sutter decrease by two-and-a-half minutes.The Flames failed to make the playoffs just one year after Sutter piloted them to a first-place finish in the Pacific Division and earned a Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top head coach.Shortly after announcing Sutter's firing, Flames president of hockey operations and interim general manager Don Maloney said that, after speaking with players and staff, it was clear the team needed a new voice. Maloney added that there's a "shelf life" for Sutter's hard-nosed style.Sutter drew criticism after he shrugged off a question about rookie Jakob Pelletier's NHL debut on Jan. 21 in a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With an electrifying Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the books, the NHL unveiled the schedule for the first two games of each second-round series.* if necessary.Atlantic Division Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / GettyToronto Maple Leafs (A2) vs. Florida Panthers (WC2)GameHomeDateTime (ET)1Maple LeafsMay 27 p.m.2Maple LeafsMay 47 p.m.3PanthersTBD4PanthersTBD5*Maple LeafsTBD6*PanthersTBD7*Maple LeafsTBDMetropolitan DivisionCarolina Hurricanes (M1) vs. New Jersey Devils (M2) Josh Lavallee / National Hockey League / GettyGameHomeDateTime (ET)1HurricanesMay 37 p.m.2HurricanesMay 5TBD3DevilsTBD4DevilsTBD5*HurricanesTBD6*DevilsTBD7*HurricanesTBDCentral DivisionDallas Stars (C2) vs. Seattle Kraken (WC1) Christopher Mast / National Hockey League / GettyGameHomeDateTime (ET)1StarsMay 29:30 p.m.2StarsMay 49:30 p.m.3KrakenTBD4KrakenTBD5*StarsTBD6*KrakenTBD7*StarsTBDPacific DivisionVegas Golden Knights (P1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P2) Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyGameHomeDateTime (ET)1Golden KnightsMay 39:30 p.m.2Golden KnightsMay 5TBD3OilersTBD4OilersTBD5*Golden KnightsTBD6*OilersTBD7*Golden KnightsTBDCopyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Rangers 4-0 in Monday's Game 7 to advance to the second round.Michael McLeod's and Tomas Tatar's second-period goals gave the Devils the lead before Erik Haula netted the dagger in the final frame. Jesper Bratt added an empty-netter later in the period.Rookie sensation Akira Schmid made 31 saves for his second shutout of the series. Martin Brodeur is the only other Devils goaltender to post a Game 7 shutout. His .951 save percentage in the postseason leads all goaltenders with more than one start.New Jersey turned to the 22-year-old after dropping the first two games of the series at home. Schmid was scored on only twice in his first three starts as the Devils stormed back to take a 3-1 lead, before allowing five goals in Game 6.The series victory is the Devils' first since 2012 when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals. New York fails to advance to the second round after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season."Some people would be like, 'Oh, they're inexperienced,' but really we're just like … 'We don't know better,'" Jack Hughes said postgame, according to team reporter Amanda Stein. "We just play, and we do the best we can.“Rangers forward Chris Kreider scored six goals in the series but was disappointed with his performance in the finale."Personally, I feel responsible for some of the goals they scored," Kreider said, according to New York Post's Mollie Walker. "Being a veteran guy, I'm supposed to be defensively responsible. ... Can't be on the ice for all four goals and hurt us like that."Timo Meier exited the game after being on the receiving end of a massive hit from Jacob Trouba in the third period. Meier returned to the New Jersey bench but didn't play a shift.

The New York Islanders signed forward Hudson Fasching to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.The extension has an average annual value of $775,000, according to CapFriendly. It's the first one-way contract of Fasching's career. The 27-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.Fasching set career highs with 10 goals and 19 points in 49 games this season. He played in all six of New York's postseason contests against the Carolina Hurricanes, failing to register a point while recording 11:40 per contest."I love playing here," Fasching said Monday prior to the announcement of his new contract, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross. "I love being here, and they gave me the opportunity.""This is what I've always worked towards, and to be able to look down on the season and be like, 'I finished the season playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs,' it's kind of a dream come true for me," Fasching added, per The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner.Fasching was a touted prospect coming out of the University of Minnesota, having played for Team USA at the U17s, U18s, world juniors, and world championships. He couldn't become an NHL regular in stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, though, playing just 38 total NHL games in seven years prior to 2022-23.After clearing waivers and beginning the campaign in the AHL, Fasching was recalled by the Islanders on Dec. 1. He played the remainder of the season in the NHL.Fasching was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2013.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A surprising figure has emerged in the ongoing saga to determine the next owner of the Ottawa Senators.Award-winning rapper Snoop Dogg is part of a bid fronted by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks that's interested in purchasing the Senators, he confirmed Monday.

The Calgary Flames fired head coach Darryl Sutter, the club announced Monday."On behalf of ownership and all Calgary Flames fans, we want to thank Darryl for his cumulative years of service to the Calgary Flames and to the community at large," Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation CEO John Bean said.Sutter just completed the third season of his second stint as the Flames' bench boss. The team signed him to a two-year contract extension this past October that was set to take effect on July 1, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.The new contract is expected to pay Sutter around $4 million per season following his dismissal, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.The Flames had a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, finishing with a 38-27-17 record to miss the playoffs for the second time in three years.Flames president of hockey operations and interim general manager Don Maloney said he spoke with Sutter for two-and-a-half hours and interviewed 25 players, coaches, members of the training staff, and player agents. Maloney said it then "became clear" the Flames need a "new voice" behind the bench.“I think in today's world - he's a firm coach, a hard coach, demanding coach - there's a shelf life to that type of coaching," Maloney said. "Unfortunately for us, I think that obviously I felt his time expired with us."Calgary also agreed to part ways with general manager Brad Treliving in April after Treliving spent nine years in the role. Maloney said the Flames' next general manager will choose the new head coach.Sutter won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top head coach last season after leading Calgary to a 50-21-11 record and a Pacific Division title. He finishes his second Flames stint with a 102-63-28 record.The 64-year-old ranks ninth all time among NHL head coaches with 737 career regular-season victories.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was a harsh critic of his own performance after the upstart Seattle Kraken eliminated his team in Game 7 of their first-round matchup on Sunday night."I feel like I let the guys down," Makar said after the 2-1 loss, according to the Denver Post's Bennett Durando. "I feel like I didn't have a great series. So yeah. That's just a tough one."Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last season after pacing the Avalanche with 29 points in 20 games to help them clinch the Stanley Cup.The 24-year-old remained valuable to Colorado's efforts this spring, chipping in one goal and four assists in six contests against the Kraken while leading the Avalanche with 25:40 of average ice time. But Makar was also suspended for the team's Game 5 loss for his hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann in the previous contest.Despite the premature end to Colorado's season, Makar is proud of his squad's effort."I don't think anyone's going to be looking back and thinking everybody didn't leave it out there," he said. "Obviously, it's tough to grasp right now. It all just sums down to absolutely (hating) losing. It's just the worst part of this."Injury woes plagued the Avalanche all season. Captain Gabriel Landeskog didn't play a single game in 2022-23 because of a knee injury, while Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, Evan Rodrigues, Erik Johnson, Josh Manson, and Bowen Byram all spent time on the sidelines.MacKinnon admitted the plethora of absences was difficult to overcome."Tough year overall. During the season, we're going to say all the right things," he said Sunday, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "But it's hard missing guys. ... I'm definitely happy with the way we battled all season. Even tonight, I thought we played a really great game. Just couldn't find the back of the net."Makar is hopeful the injury bug won't bite as hard next campaign."I don't think there's ever going to be a season again - knock on wood - where we go through that many injuries," Makar said, according to Durando."Everybody was grinding out, playing big minutes in certain months that you shouldn't be playing big minutes in."Colorado finished atop the Central Division with a 51-24-7 record during the regular season.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The thin line between love and hate for the Stanley Cup Playoffs wasn't exclusive to the Kings-Oilers or Jets-Golden Knights series, but it was a clear one for Los Angeles and Winnipeg.Maybe there was value on the Kings with the odds heavily favoring Edmonton. It especially felt that way with the Kings' early 3-0 lead and late 4-3 lead in Game 4 while up 2-1 in the series. Maybe the Jets were live at anything plus-money before starting their series in Vegas - it certainly felt that way after a convincing road win in Game 1.But the Kings let go of their near-stranglehold on the series, and the Jets' injuries (plus a reversal of a presumed goaltending advantage) flipped the momentum, so the Oilers and Golden Knights did what other high-caliber teams could not: survive the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPOilers-110-155-1.5 (+120)Golden Knights-110+135+1.5 (-150)The market already sniffed this one out. Vegas has the division title and the home-ice advantage that comes with it, but the Oilers are the better team. For the first - and maybe only - time this postseason, the team playing on the road in Game 1 is favored to win the series.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes its vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated for the season, when isolating play after the All-Star break, and in their first round matchup (relative to their opponent).TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBROUND 1Oilers+14%+9%+19%Golden Knights+11%+2%+8%What you do against who you're playing matters, particularly in the short term. So the Oilers driving even-strength play at 54% against a good team like the Kings - who had the ability to fire back - means more than the Golden Knights taking down the wounded-wing Jets.Advanced metrics at even strength (regular season)xG%= Expected goals share

Impolite hockey society's best running joke for nearly two decades has come to an end: The Toronto Maple Leafs won a playoff series. In exchange for having to search for a new punching bag (Buffalo isn't as fun a target, is it?), we made winning bets on the Leafs knocking off the Lightning in six games pre-series and in series.Maybe the laughingstock du jour is the Boston Bruins? We've heard harsh criticism of teams blowing 3-1 series leads, but we haven't seen a club cough one up quite like that given their historic regular season (even if we thought the Panthers might have been underrated going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs).As we look toward Round 2, it appears that Florida should still have a chip on its shoulder. Meanwhile, Toronto might need to take a deep breath despite getting what it might have assumed is the easier path to the club's first conference final since 2002.Series oddsTEAMGAME 1SERIESSERIES HANDICAPPanthers+130+150+1.5 (-150)Maple Leafs-150-175-1.5 (+120)Unsurprisingly, considering the Leafs have moved to the favorites to (gulp!) win the Stanley Cup, they are favored to beat the Panthers at essentially the same prices as they were against the Lightning in the first round. The betting market ratings for all three teams explain that.RatingsUsing primarily even-strength metrics to evaluate a team's quality, we've established how a team rates relative to an average NHL team. We use these ratings to create an implied win probability split in each game, which we then translate to a fair moneyline price for each before home-ice advantage is applied and the sportsbook takes its vig on a bet. Here's how these teams rated over the season, when isolating play after the All-Star break, and in their first-round matchup (relative to their opponent).TEAMSEASONPOST-ASBROUND 1Panthers+17%+16%+27.8%Maple Leafs+19%+4%+12.7%The main reason we liked the Panthers' chances relative to the market was because their five-on-five play this season was comparable to that of Boston, Toronto, and Tampa Bay. Plus, a strong latter portion of the season is what got Florida got into the playoffs. The Lightning's 17% above-average rating was equal to the Panthers', and Tampa actually edged Toronto in even-strength expected goals and high-danger chances (HDC) last week.Florida gets a ton of credit in my ratings for driving 54% of even-strength play with Boston (73-62 in HDC and 53.4% of the expected goals). Maybe the Bruins played worse than usual, but for seven games, the Panthers might have played way better than an average NHL team, and they needed every bit of it to knock off a 65-win opponent.Advanced metrics at even strength (regular season)xG%= Expected goals share

The road teams pulled off a pair of Sunday upsets, eliminating last year's Stanley Cup champion and the most successful regular-season team of all time - in their own buildings.Home-ice advantage hasn't been worth much in this year's playoffs. Of the seven teams to advance thus far, six secured a second-round berth on the road.Will that trend continue Monday? Let's take a closer look by honing in on a couple of best bets for the day's lone Game 7.Rangers (+100) @ Devils (-120)The Devils laid eggs in the opening two games of the series. They couldn't use their speed at five-on-five and were overly focused on physical play; the result was a lot of unnecessary penalties that the Rangers quickly exploited.Lindy Ruff pulled a couple of his penalty-prone depth pieces out of the lineup for Game 3 - most notably Miles Wood and Brendan Smith - and the Devils have looked like a completely different team since.New Jersey controlled 53% of the expected goals in Game 3 and gave up very little defensively en route to its first win of the series. The team flexed its muscles even further in Game 4 with an expected goal share above 72%.The Devils followed that up with another strong effort in Game 5, posting a near-60 expected goal percentage despite holding a lead for most of the game. That put them in the driver's seat for the later stages of the series.Although the Rangers fared better in a bounce-back Game 6 win, it wasn't until the Devils started parading to the box - and gave up a goal - that New York found its footing. New Jersey dominated at five-on-five in the first period of that game, winning the high-danger chance battle 7-0.Overall, the Devils have largely been the better team at full strength. Their inability to stay out of the box is a major reason the Rangers have three wins.The good news for New Jersey is that the refs tend to put the whistles away in Game 7. The officials managing Sunday's contest in Colorado, for example, called but one minor penalty across 60 minutes of play.Though that may be an extreme example, don't expect a ton of special-teams action in this matchup. Even-strength play figures to be the deciding factor, and the Devils have been the better team in that regard all series - and all season.Look for New Jersey to control the run of play, and expect some of its star players - perhaps aided by more favorable matchups at home - to bust out of their respective shooting slumps en route to a Game 7 victory.Bet: Devils (-120)Timo Meier over 3.5 shots (-135)Meier doesn't have a goal - or even a point - in this series, but it certainly isn't for lack of opportunity.The power winger has 46 shot attempts at five-on-five through six games, ranking behind only Nathan MacKinnon for the playoff lead. They've been good shots, too, with Meier leading the postseason in high-danger chances.Given his ability to create dangerous shots and the Devils' need for offense in a do-or-die game, Meier should get plenty of ice time Monday. That's especially true considering he's one of the NHL's most efficient even-strength shot generators, and special teams will likely be less prevalent in this elimination contest.That makes five-on-five play that much more important, and no one in this series has been better than Meier when it comes to generating shots in such situations.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Seattle Kraken won their first-ever playoff series in style Sunday night, advancing to Round 2 with a 2-1 road win over the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in Game 7.Seattle moves on to face the Dallas Stars, who eliminated the Minnesota Wild earlier this week.Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand delivered a key performance in the series finale, scoring twice. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was also a difference-maker, posting 33 saves against his former team.Seattle is the first team in NHL history to earn its first series win against a reigning Cup winner, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. Colorado has now lost six consecutive Game 7s dating back to 2002.The Avalanche were heavy favorites heading into the playoffs after finishing nine points clear of the Kraken in the regular-season standings. However, they fell way short of a run at repeating as champions with a largely different roster from the one that lost only four of 20 playoff games last year."I don't think anybody on our side thought they were going to sweep us here in four games," Grubauer said, per Root Sports. "Obviously, we grew together throughout that series, and we had lots to learn. That was an unbelievable performance by everybody and it's not going to get easier from here on out."He added, "We are resilient, and if we play the right way, we can beat anybody in this league, and we can beat the best."The Kraken advanced without leading goal-scorer Jared McCann, who was hurt on a controversial hit from Cale Makar in Game 5, and former Avalanche sniper Andre Burakovsky, who was limited to 49 contests this season due to injury.Seattle's first playoff triumph comes in its second season of existence. The Kraken earned 100 points on the year, a 40-point improvement from their inaugural campaign as the league's 32nd franchise.Game 1 of the Kraken-Stars series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Dallas.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins surprisingly turned to Jeremy Swayman instead of Linus Ullmark in goal for Game 7 of their first-round series against the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.Ullmark is the clear Vezina Trophy front-runner who's started all six of the Bruins' previous playoff games this spring. The Swede had played all but 191 seconds in the series before Sunday. However, he's struggled over his last two outings, allowing 10 goals on 57 shots for a .825 save percentage in a pair of losses.The 29-year-old also gave up five goals in the Bruins' Game 2 defeat, but Boston head coach Jim Montgomery stuck with him for the next one, and he came through with a victory in which he allowed only two goals on 31 shots. Ullmark had an .896 save percentage in the series entering Sunday.Swayman started five postseason games in 2021-22, going 3-2 with a .911 clip. The 24-year-old was solid during the 2022-23 regular season, authoring a .920 save percentage along with a 24-6-4 record in 37 games, 33 of which were starts.Ullmark was brilliant this season. He went 40-6-1, tying for the league lead in wins and topping all NHL netminders with more than two games played in save percentage at .938. He made 49 appearances, starting all but one of them. He led the league in goals saved above average at five-on-five and ranked fourth in goals saved above expected in the same situations, according to Evolving-Hockey.The Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy in 2022-23 and set numerous records amid their regular-season prowess.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Rick Bowness will be back behind the Winnipeg Jets' bench in 2023-24, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed Sunday."The job that Rick did for us in coming in and taking on this task and giving him a shot at trying to win (the) Stanley Cup, I thought they did a great job," the GM said.The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Jets in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night. Bowness publicly tore into his team in the aftermath, saying he was "so disappointed and disgusted" with their efforts.Jets forward Blake Wheeler criticized Bowness on Saturday, saying he didn't agree with how the bench boss handled himself after the defeat. Wheeler felt Bowness could've had those conversations with the team in private rather than airing them with the media, though Wheeler clarified Bowness did so with the team in the second intermission of Game 5.Bowness then walked back his postgame comments. He said he regretted using the word "disgusted" and admitted he let his emotions get the better of him in the moment.Wheeler was the Jets' captain for six seasons dating back to 2016-17. But Bowness stripped him of the "C" heading into this campaign, and Winnipeg subsequently played without a captain all season.The Jets nabbed the second Western Conference wild-card spot with a 46-33-3 record.Cheveldayoff said Bowness' contract is for two years plus an option. The Jets hired the veteran bench boss in July. The 68-year-old coach replaced Dave Lowry, who took over when Paul Maurice resigned in December 2021.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche veteran Andrew Cogliano is out for the rest of the postseason, head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Sunday, according to the Denver Gazette's Kyle Fredrickson.Cogliano sustained a fractured neck after being boarded by Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle in Game 6 on Friday. Bednar added Cogliano will have a follow-up MRI on Sunday.

The Maple Leafs finally did it. On Saturday night, Toronto ended a 19-year playoff skid by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime. The game-winner, off the stick of captain John Tavares, triggered celebrations across Canada. Advancing to the second round was the first step toward changing the narrative. Why was this year different, and what lies ahead in Round 2?Why this year was differentSheldon Keefe framed the moment perfectly in the aftermath of Game 6."We've been talking about it feeling different with our team," the Leafs coach told reporters. "But feeling different doesn't help us. It has to be different."That's what's at the root of Toronto finally breaking through: The Leafs won their first series close-out game in 11 tries since 2018 because of execution. It showed up in where they won (on the road three times), when they won (in overtime three times), and how they won (a pair of third-period comebacks). They were assertive, playing to win versus playing not to lose, like in the past.Game 4 encapsulated the entire journey. The Leafs' gutsy, come-from-behind road victory not only gave them a 3-1 stranglehold on the Lightning but also remixed a long-running jab: "IT WAS 4-1!" can mean something different now. Mark LoMoglio / Getty ImagesAll four players who've been around since the 2017 first-round loss to the Washington Capitals shined against the Lightning. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly all contributing at the same time in a playoff series is something you just couldn't say with a straight face until now. Toss in Tavares, who arrived in dramatic fashion in 2018, and the Core Five didn't wilt under the pressure of leading a seemingly cursed franchise.While Marner, Nylander, and Tavares had impactful games and finished with a combined 25 points, Matthews and Rielly were epically good all series.Matthews, the franchise center, finished with five goals, four assists, 23 shots on goal, 35 scoring chances, seven takeaways, 19 hits, two drawn penalties, and a 60% five-on-five expected goals rate. His back-to-back third-period goals triggered Game 4's comeback, and in Game 6, he opened the scoring with a one-timed blast.Rielly, the No. 1 defenseman, was a puck-moving and rushing machine who led Toronto in ice time (24:04 a night) and black eyes (two). The longest-tenured Leaf kept coming through in the clutch: An OT goal in Game 3, a tying goal in Game 4, an opening goal in Game 5, and an assist on the OT goal in Game 6. Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesRielly's partner was phenomenal, as well. Luke Schenn, the 2008 Leafs first-rounder reacquired before the trade deadline, was on the ice for seven goals for and one goal against. The 33-year-old issued 34 hits, made smart plays with the puck, and thrived as Rielly's safety valve in 104 minutes of action.Another recent addition, rookie forward Matthew Knies, had a tremendous five games after drawing into the lineup for Game 2. Keefe trusted the hard-working, big-bodied, cerebral winger to move up and down the lineup and to skate in high-pressure situations. Knies was on the ice for all three OT goals.Goalie Ilya Samsonov, yet another newcomer this season, wasn't perfect in the series, as evidenced by his .900 save percentage. But he was definitely good enough. The affable Russian saved his finest performance for Saturday when he outdueled longtime playoff beast and countryman Andrei Vasilevskiy.This year was different for the Leafs because the mix was different. The Core Five remained, yet the overall roster evolved into the deepest of the Matthews-Marner era. And that depth dethroned Tampa. Props to general manager Kyle Dubas, who changed the complexion of the group through moves in the summer and during the season. Yeah, his job likely is safe now.What lies ahead in Round 2 Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesThe Leafs await the result of Sunday night's Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers to know which team will be staring back at them in Round 2. And, let's face it, both would love to spoil the party in Toronto.A few things are certain, regardless of the opponent. For one, the power play can't be a non-factor later in the series - or any part of the series, really.Against Tampa, Toronto scored two power-play goals each in Games 1, 2, and 4. Otherwise, the Leafs failed to capitalize with a man up. The opportunities dwindled from an average of four per game in the first four contests to two per game in the final two, so the drop-off wasn't entirely their fault. That said, with the amount of firepower at Keefe's disposal, there weren't enough scoring chances and far too many shorthanded breaks. That won't fly moving forward. Mark LoMoglio / Getty ImagesAnother pressure point: The Leafs need to figure out how to better penetrate the neutral zone. The Lightning dominated the transition battle for large chunks of the first round. The Leafs had issues breaking the puck out of their own zone, and when they did manage to exit safely, a Tampa forward seemed ready to pounce on the puck carrier with a stick or body check. Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point were particularly effective in this department.Boston or Florida both have the horses up front to adopt a similar approach and, based on regular-season data, are more adept counter-strike teams than Tampa. (The Bruins and Panthers ranked sixth and ninth, respectively, in scoring chances generated off the rush, according to Sportlogiq; Tampa was tied for 14th.) This dynamic places additional emphasis on Keefe's tactical acumen. The Leafs must find a way to at least break even in the neutral zone.What both teams also have that Tampa doesn't: Back ends filled with NHL-quality defensemen. Erik Cernak's Game 1 injury opened the door for the Leafs to expose the Lightning's already thin blue line. As of right now, the Bruins and Panthers are both healthy and well-stocked. (That said, the lumbering Marc Staal is one guy to target off the rush if Florida gets through.) Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesThe third inevitable: The game within the game will continue. Tampa, recent two-time Stanley Cup champions, tried to get into the Leafs' heads, whether it was coach Jon Cooper's passive-aggressive soundbites, Nikita Kucherov slashing Samsonov's stick out of his hands, or Pat Maroon chirping non-stop. That's playoff hockey, and Toronto responded positively. On the other side of Corey Perry's antics is either Matthew Tkachuk or Brad Marchand. There's no doubt the advancing super-pest will try to use his words and play to rattle the Leafs.Otherwise, all eyes are on Keefe's lineup choices. The fourth-year coach's late-series gamble paid off, as the 11-forward, seven-defensemen configuration and reinsertion of winger Michael Bunting led to a Game 6 win.Is Justin Holl, scratched after being on for 14 of Tampa's first 20 goals, now securely eighth on the depth chart of defenseman? Or was one game in the press box enough punishment for the Keefe and Dubas favorite? And what about the fourth line, which, beyond center David Kampf, struggled all series? Are wingers Sam Lafferty and Zach Aston-Reese in the coach's doghouse?You'll notice those question marks are further down the lineup. That's what happens when a team as talented as the Leafs wins. Your problems go from existential to granular. And, if the Leafs continue to play up to the standard they set in the opening round, those lesser problems won't ultimately matter."I've been here seven years," Matthews said. "Mitchy, Willy, Mo's been here 10, Johnny five (or) six, and just to get over that hump is obviously huge mentally for us. To get that monkey off our back. We don't want to look back now. We want to keep putting our foot on the gas and keep pressing forward."John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jon Cooper acknowledged this isn't a position the Tampa Bay Lightning are accustomed to following an overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series that ended the Bolts' season Saturday."Listen, this team hasn't lost a playoff series in the Eastern Conference since 2019. It's 2023," the Lightning head coach said postgame. "We're not used to this feeling. (When) you sit here and do this press conference 10 minutes after the game ended, it's ... I can't even think of the word, but it just doesn't feel good."The Lightning reached the Stanley Cup Final last season before the Colorado Avalanche bested them in six games. Tampa Bay was coming off back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021. The Bolts also made the final round in 2015 - losing to the Chicago Blackhawks - and got to the Eastern Conference Final before bowing out in 2011, 2016, and 2018."There's 31 other teams in the league that would love to have our history here. ... That's why this is difficult because usually we're on the other side of this press conference, and I'm (talking) second as the winning coach," Cooper said. "So at some point, you're not going to (catch a) break. It's just the way it is ... and for a team (like the Maple Leafs) that has really struggled in the playoffs, at some point, they were going to get a break. It just sucks it was (in) the series against us."Cooper lauded his team's effort but lamented its failure to win on home ice in the series."I'm not going to get into a debate about who's the better team. They beat us four games to two, so statistics say they were the better team than us," he said. "But do I sit here and think we could have really done anything different to change the tide? No."We played well enough to win the series. I think anybody that watched the series would agree with that. But you can't lose three overtime games at home. If you're not going to win a home game, it's really tough to win a series."He continued, "That's why I give (the Maple Leafs) credit. Even when they were being leaned on by us, they were opportunistic. They capitalized on plays they had to, and when it (was) our turn for that to happen, we couldn't capitalize."The third-place Lightning finished the regular season 13 points behind the second-place Leafs in the Atlantic Division.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The longest-tenured member of the Toronto Maple Leafs was elated to be part of the club's first playoff series victory in 19 years, but he wasn't completely satisfied.Morgan Rielly described his dual mindset after Toronto eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 6 that gave the Maple Leafs their first postseason series victory since 2004."It's a mix of being relieved, being extremely happy, being grateful, and all that stuff, but also, you want more," Rielly said. "You want to keep going, you want to keep building, you want to keep pushing for more.""That's the great thing about our group," the defenseman continued. "We're looking forward to the challenges that are ahead. We're proud of the effort, but, ultimately, we want to keep playing."Rielly doesn't believe there's a major reason why the team finally broke through after nearly two decades, but the 29-year-old reiterated that he wants to keep it going."It's a hard question to answer because there's no one thing that's different, it's just a cumulative group that has really worked hard and learned a lot over the years and has grown together," he said. "We want to win, we're desperate to win, and again, we're not done."Leafs superstar Auston Matthews also simultaneously expressed relief and a desire for the team to not rest on its laurels.“I've been here seven years. Mitchy (Marner). Willy (Nylander). Mo (Rielly has) been here 10. Johnny (Tavares) five. Just to get over that hump, it's huge mentally for us," Matthews said. "Just to get that monkey off the back. We don't want to look back now. We just want to keep putting our foot on the gas and keep pressing forward."Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe echoed those sentiments."From Day 1 of the season, we haven't talked about winning the first round," he said. "We're trying to win the Stanley Cup. ... So, we're not going to celebrate as though we've won anything beyond just the first round (Saturday night), but it is a significant step for our team. So, we'll enjoy it tonight."Toronto will face either the Boston Bruins or Florida Panthers in the second round. Game 7 of that series is scheduled for Sunday night.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

At long last, the Toronto Maple Leafs won a playoff round.The Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 on Saturday night to advance to the second round for the first time since 2004.Captain John Tavares buried the game-winner at Amalie Arena, ending an abysmal streak of six straight opening-series exits for Toronto since 2017.Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews broke the stalemate late in the second period with a one-time blast that went up top past Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had the answer for the Bolts in the final 20 minutes to force the extra frame."You get thrown so much in these series and there's so many ups and downs and it's just a roller coaster," Matthews said postgame, per Sportsnet. "Just trying to stay even keel and just enjoy the moment, stay present. I'm just so proud of every guy in this locker room, just battling our way."This is a small step in where we're trying to go, but obviously this is a big one for us."The Maple Leafs have made the playoffs every season since Matthews' rookie year in 2016-17. He suited up for every game in the series losses to the Washington Capitals (2017), Boston Bruins (2018-19), Columbus Blue Jackets (2020 qualifying round), Montreal Canadiens (2021), and Lightning (2022).Like Matthews, Mitch Marner is also focused on what's to come."It was a little bit of a relief for sure, just to be able to get that done," he said, according to Sports Illustrated's David Alter. "But (we) got to make sure we are ready because it just gets harder and harder."Marner paced the Maple Leafs with 11 points in the series, while Matthews led the way with five goals.Toronto netminder Ilya Samsonov enjoyed his best performance of the matchup to close things out, stopping 31 of 32 shots in the victory. On the other end of the ice, Vasilevskiy made 20 saves."I feel tired right now," Samsonov told reporters after the game.Matthews praised Samsonov's attitude after the pivotal win that ended 19 years of futility."Sammy comes to the rink every day and works his ass off," he said, per the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby. "He doesn't care if he has a bad game or lets in a bad goal."The victory marked Toronto's third overtime win on the road in the series. Morgan Rielly came up with the winner in Game 3, while Alex Kerfoot played the hero in Game 4.Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe tossed his lineup into a blender and ran with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for Game 6. Winger Michael Bunting and blue-liners Timothy Liljegren and Erik Gustafsson came in for Sam Lafferty, Zach Aston-Reese, and Justin Holl."A long time coming," Keefe said of the win. "For a lot of players, for myself, even longer for Leafs Nation. I'm thrilled they get to see second-round hockey. ... They've been through a lot of shit. About time a bounce went our way."As for the Lightning, the loss ended their run of three straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. Though Stamkos acknowledged that the Bolts should be proud of the effort they put in, he said the end to the streak was "a tough moment.""The run that we've been on the last three years has been amazing," he said, according to team beat reporter Chris Krenn. "Any time you don't get to that level, it feels like a failure because of the season and the group that we have in here."Toronto will take on the Boston Bruins or Florida Panthers in Round 2. That series is currently tied 3-3 with Game 7 getting underway on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers forced Game 7 in their first-round series with the New Jersey Devils thanks to a convincing 5-2 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.Curtis Lazar opened the scoring in the first period, but the Rangers exploded for five unanswered goals afterward, forcing the red-hot Akira Schmid out of the game in the third period.Chris Kreider led the way for New York with three points, and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin stood tall with 34 saves.Game 7 will be played Monday in Newark. The start time is yet to be announced.The Devils haven't won a round since advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. The Rangers won two winner-take-all contests last season en route to the third round.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs went with a wildly different look as they took their second crack at eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning during Saturday night's Game 6.Head coach Sheldon Keefe rolled with 11 forwards and seven defensemen following his team's 4-2 Game 5 loss Thursday, with winger Michael Bunting and rearguards Timothy Liljegren and Erik Gustafsson entering the fold.

Blake Wheeler has a bone to pick with Bones.The Winnipeg Jets forward didn't appreciate head coach Rick Bowness' comments to the media following the club's elimination from the playoffs Thursday."I thought Rick had an opportunity to address us as a team. Now we have to answer that question, right? He could've been honest with us. We could've had those discussions behind closed doors," Wheeler said Saturday, per Sportsnet. "I didn't agree with how he handled himself after the game."Bowness said Thursday that he was "disappointed and disgusted" after the club lost Game 5 to the Vegas Golden Knights.On Saturday, he said he regrets using the word "disgusted.""One of my many faults is I'm too emotional and wear my heart on my sleeve," Bowness added, per the Winnipeg News' Mike McIntyre.Wheeler clarified that Bowness did express his disappointment with the team after Game 5's second period, but the veteran said he wished the coach didn't publicly air his grievances.The 6-foot-5 winger has been with the franchise for 13 seasons. Wheeler was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins in 2011 while the club was still in Atlanta as the Thrashers, making him a Day 1 Jet.But it might not have been that way. Wheeler, who inked a five-year $41.25-million extension with Winnipeg in September 2018, said he wouldn't have agreed to the pact if the club hadn't succeeded in 2017-18 when it made it to the Western Conference Final before falling to the Golden Knights."If 2018 didn't happen, I wouldn't have re-signed here," Wheeler said, according to Postmedia's Scott Billeck.Wheeler, the Jets' highest-paid player with an $8.25-million cap hit, is set to enter the final year of his contract. If this is it for him in Winnipeg, he said he can accept that he left everything on the ice."I gave it everything I had, and I hope that's good enough," Wheeler said, per TSN's Jon Lu. "There wasn't a day I took off. I guess that's the best you can do."Wheeler served as Winnipeg's captain for six seasons before he was stripped of his "C" after the club hired Bowness prior to the 2022-23 campaign.Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, defensemen Dylan DeMelo and Brenden Dillon, and forwards Mark Scheifele, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Nino Niederreiter can also become unrestricted free agents in 2024.And the veteran core clearly isn't keen on any sort of rebuild."I'm not interested in a rebuild," Hellebuyck said. "I just want to compete. … I enjoyed myself more in five (playoff) games than I did all year. It's like a high you gotta chase. You can't replicate that anywhere else except in the playoffs."Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets have boasted an immensely talented core for the last seven-plus years, but aside from a trip to the 2018 Western Conference Final, they've failed to accomplish much. And after squeaking into the 2023 playoffs as the Western Conference's No. 8 seed before getting bounced by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games, the club needs to clarify its direction this offseason.With several key players set to become unrestricted free agents after the 2023-24 campaign, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, de facto owner Mark Chipman, and the rest of the club's front office needs to ask themselves a serious question: Is this core worth keeping together? The answer should be no.Even a new coach this season in Rick Bowness couldn't get much more out of the Jets, offering further evidence that this roster simply isn't good enough to contend for a Stanley Cup. Sure, injuries hindered Winnipeg in the playoffs - Josh Morrissey went down in Game 3, Mark Scheifele got hurt in Game 4, and Nikolaj Ehlers didn't suit up until Game 5. But this team isn't young enough to believe that it could be good enough to win a Cup in a few years. The Jets aren't just a couple moves away.Should Cheveldayoff himself be under scrutiny? He's held his GM title since the franchise relocated from Atlanta to Winnipeg in 2011. Given his strong history of amateur scouting and asset management, he deserves to remain in charge of the club's hockey operations - as long as he's willing to shake things up.A change behind the bench would be sensible, though. Bowness was visibly "disappointed and disgusted" after the Jets were eliminated from the postseason Thursday. And while Bowness is a good defensive-minded coach, the 68-year-old is best suited to lead a team in win-now mode. He might not be interested in guiding a club that's set for a rebuild, and a mutual agreement to part ways would be logical.Because whether you call it a rebuild, a retool, or a transition period, the Jets need an overhaul. They need to get worse before they can become better. Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / GettyAfter all, Scheifele (age 30), Pierre-Luc Dubois (24), Connor Hellebuyck (30), Blake Wheeler (36), Nino Niederreiter (30), Brenden Dillon (32), and Dylan DeMelo (turns 30 May 1) can all become UFAs after next season. There's no time to give this group another shot.Of those seven players, Dubois is the only sensible long-term extension candidate given his age, but he reportedly told the club he plans to test free agency in 2024.Scheifele is due for a major raise from his current $6.125-million cap hit, but a lucrative long-term extension for him carries ample risk. After all, he's entering the back nine of his career and he was moved from center to wing late in the season because of his defensive struggles.Hellebuyck is still a world-class goaltender, but he's also in line for a sizable raise from his current $6.16-million cap hit. And if history tells us anything, it's that pricey long-term deals for goalies in their 30s don't seem to age well (see Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky). Hellebuyck's consistency warrants a similarly lucrative contract - likely six years, $8 million per season at the very minimum.Wheeler, Niederreiter, Dillon, or DeMelo likely don't require anything too rich to retain their services, but signing aging role players to extensions makes no sense if you don't keep the core players. Furthermore, would they even want to come back if the core players are traded away?If the Jets' front office enters the offseason thinking the team can compete for a Cup in 2024, it will lead to one of the following outcomes:

The Boston Bruins are staying positive despite facing the prospect of getting bounced from the playoffs in the first round following a historically dominant regular season.Boston forward Jake DeBrusk lamented losing 7-5 to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of their opening-round series Friday night but said he believes there's reason for optimism heading into Sunday's Game 7."(It's) disappointing, obviously," he said. "But ... we work all year to get home-ice advantage, and it comes down to a Game 7 where we're up for elimination now. It's one of those things where we have the home crowd behind us, and you just look forward."You've got to stay even keel and in the moment and take what you can from (Game 6), flush it, and just do what you can to win (Game 7)."Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery noticed some areas to improve in the decisive contest that hindered his club in Game 6."We do have to clean up a couple things, like we didn't protect the slot like we usually do," he said. "(The Panthers) got three goals minimum from there that I can think (of), and I'm talking (about) five-on-five, not the power-play goals they scored."Montgomery tipped his cap to the Panthers for their unexpected resilience."You've got to give credit to Florida. What a determined group, forced a Game 7 here," he said.The Bruins bench boss also allayed any concerns about goaltender Linus Ullmark experiencing wear and tear. The Vezina Trophy favorite gave up six goals on 32 shots amid his longest stretch of consecutive starts all season Friday."I think Linus is fine," Montgomery said. "I looked at him in the eyes a few times when he came back to the bench, and I liked the way his eyes were looking. He looked intense, and he looked keen."The Bruins handily won the Presidents' Trophy for their regular-season exploits. Boston set NHL records for wins and points in a campaign, though that included shootout victories and points gained from overtime or shootout losses. Florida had the league's best regular-season record in 2021-22.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Dallas Stars cruised to a 4-1 victory in Friday's Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild to advance to the second round.Jake Oettinger extended his shutout streak to 114:13 before Frederick Gaudreau bested him in the third period. He made 22 saves in the victory.Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Mason Marchment scored for the Stars before Max Domi added an empty netter.The Wild drop their eighth consecutive playoff series with the loss. Minnesota last advanced to the second round in 2015, when they knocked off the St. Louis Blues.Dallas will face either the Colorado Avalanche or Seattle Kraken in the next round.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes became the first Eastern Conference team to reach the second round as they defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 in Game 6 on Friday.After Carolina's Sebastian Aho tied the contest in the third period, Paul Stastny played the role of overtime hero with a sharp-angle shot.

Frederik Andersen started a playoff contest for the first time as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes in Friday's Game 6 overtime win against the New York Islanders.Andersen made 33 saves in the 2-1 victory. He'd previously lost eight consecutive games when trying to clinch a series win.The Dane had been unavailable during the series up to this point due to an illness and an undisclosed injury. Antti Raanta manned the crease for the first five contests, going 3-2 while posting a .906 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average.Andersen is in his second season with the Hurricanes, but he didn't see any action in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs because of an MCL tear. Andersen admitted at the time that he was close to returning, and he might've been able to take over the crease if the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.The 33-year-old hadn't played in the postseason since 2020 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He entered Friday owning an all-time record of 27-23 in the playoffs to go with a .916 save percentage and 2.55 goals-against average.He only got into 34 games this regular season, registering a .903 save percentage. He missed 29 contests due to a lower-body injury before the All-Star break.Andersen and Raanta were a formidable tandem last campaign, taking home the 2022 William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals against.Andersen is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after playing out the final season of a two-year, $9-million pact.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Lightning punched back Thursday in Toronto, winning Game 5 by a 4-2 score to send their first-round series against the Maple Leafs back to Tampa Bay. Tensions are palpably high ahead of Game 6. Since 2018, the Leafs are now 0-10 with a chance to close out a series. The Lightning, meanwhile, still need to pull off back-to-back wins. Here are six players primed to swing the rest of the series.Ilya Samsonov Mark Blinch / Getty imagesIn the second period of Game 5, Samsonov slid into his right goal post with an awkward posture and stance. The Maple Leafs goaltender's five-hole open, he whiffed on Mikey Eyssimont's very savable, bad-angle shot, and all of a sudden, the score was 2-1 for Tampa.Goalies let in bad goals every once in a while. It's part of the gig.Yet Samsonov's problem in this series is that the odd bad goal has been accompanied by a long reel of shaky moments. The 26-year-old Russian had issues controlling rebounds throughout Game 1. He looked less busy the next time out, stood on his head at times in Game 3, and was decent in Game 4. On Thursday, he was back to swimming in his crease, flailing everywhere, and he seemed to have problems catching the puck with his glove.For the series, Samsonov owns an .886 save percentage and a minus-5.06 goals saved above expected rating, according to Sportlogiq. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Samsonov's counterpart and arguably the best goalie of his generation, has even worse numbers - an .870 SV% and a minus-6.09 GSAx rating.Given Vasilevskiy's strong Game 5 and career-long dominance in elimination games, the pressure is on Samsonov to elevate his performance and provide a sense of calm. The Leafs need competent goaltending in Game 6 - and, if necessary, Game 7 - to finally move on to the second round.Nikita Kucherov Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesOver the past six regular seasons, Connor McDavid is the only player with a higher points-per-game average than Kucherov. In the playoffs over the same period, Kucherov ranks third in points per game among players who've appeared in at least 50 games and first in total points with 118 in 96 games.This rock-star level of production has eluded Kucherov in the first round. Sure, he leads Lightning players in scoring, but his counting stats through five games are nothing special - one power-play goal, three power-play assists, and two even-strength assists. Noticeably absent: five-on-five goal-scoring.Kucherov and linemates Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos have seen a ton of Toronto's shutdown defensemen, Jake McCabe and T.J. Brodie. The Lightning have generated 96 shot attempts to the Leafs' 73 in Kucherov's 78 five-on-five minutes. The high-danger attempt tally is 18-18. Goals are 4-4.So, to be fair, it's not as if Kucherov's been completely underwhelming. You just want more from the 2019 Hart Trophy winner. Kucherov's off-the-charts hockey IQ leads to such deceptive, creative playmaking. He's a dual threat with that nasty one-timer. And he doesn't back down from physical contact.The Lightning could use a jolt from Point and Stamkos, too. Four total goals from the line - which is as star-studded as any in the playoffs - isn't enough.Auston Matthews Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesMatthews is at his best when he's assertive. You can tell he's in "beast mode" if he's carving up the neutral zone with purposeful strides, puck on his stick.We've seen that version of Matthews sprinkled throughout the series, notably in Game 4, where he launched a three-goal comeback with a pair of prototypical tallies (a catch-and-release snipe off an odd-man rush, then a nifty deflection after getting lost in the offensive zone). He was also dangerous in Game 5, buzzing all night, especially off the cycle, and potting his fourth goal.Something to monitor: While Matthews has recorded 39 shot attempts, only 20 have made it to Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay's defenders have blocked nine, while Matthews has missed the net 10 times - one crossbar, two too high, and seven wide (including a couple off good power-play looks in Game 5).Elite goal-scorers won't register a shot on goal every time, but Matthews' success rate so far could certainly be higher.Why is he better primed to swing the series than running mate Mitch Marner (tied for the league lead in playoff points), longest-tenured Leaf Morgan Rielly (clutch all series), or any other star-caliber Leaf? Because when he's assertive, nobody can take over a single game like No. 34.Anthony Cirelli Michael Chisholm / Getty ImagesStraight up, the Lightning would be playing 18 holes on Friday if not for Cirelli.On a micro level, his goal in Game 5 that came 26 seconds after the Leafs opened the scoring kept the Lightning alive. On a macro level, he and linemates Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel have done a bit of everything through five games.Cirelli, a Selke Trophy candidate every season, has logged the sixth-most five-on-five minutes among Tampa Bay's forwards. Yet the assignment has been laborious, since his most common opponents - Matthews and Marner - can torch you.The results thus far: Tampa holds a 4-3 edge in goals and a 37-29 advantage in shots on goal in Cirelli's 71 minutes. Oh, and three of those four Lightning goals came off Cirelli's stick. He leads the entire squad in five-on-five markers.Killorn - who's tied with Matthews and Point for the series lead in Sportlogiq's "quality chances" metric with 10 - has quietly racked up three goals. Hagel's bagged one himself. As a group, the Cirelli line has snuck seven past Samsonov, which is also the combined total from the rest of Tampa's top nine.Cirelli's impact on Tampa Bay's neutral-zone defense cannot be overstated either. He embodies exactly what coach Jon Cooper wants out of his forwards: pressure, pressure, pressure. And although the Leafs have buried six power-play goals on 19 opportunities (31.6%), Cirelli hasn't suddenly lost his penalty-killing prowess. The Toronto native will remain a factor in that area.Matthew Knies Claus Andersen / Getty ImagesIt sure feels like Knies, the 20-year-old who doesn't look fresh out of college, is destined to score a goal before this series ends. Since drawing into the lineup for Game 2, he's improved every time out. At no point has the moment looked too big for him - a huge development for the Leafs.The left winger has deployed his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame to outmuscle Tampa defenders en route to the net. He's flashed his playmaking skills with different linemates. No red flags have popped up on defense, either, with his short playoff reel featuring a handful of impressive backchecking sequences.Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe loves the kid. He's given him a nightly workload of 14:36 - including 13:28 at five-on-five, the sixth-highest among Leaf forwards - and praised him during press conferences. Knies, who's earned two assists and three inner-slot shots, was on the ice for both overtime goals. Overall, the team has outscored Tampa 5-1 with the ex-Minnesota Golden Gopher between the boards.Knies' role should only increase in Game 6, providing him with additional opportunities to find the back of the net. Barring something unforeseen, he's a permanent fixture in Keefe's lineup - something you can't say about veterans Michael Bunting or Justin Holl, who have both struggled in different ways so far.Victor Hedman Mike Carlson / Getty ImagesHedman's performance has been equal parts surprising and unsurprising.He's a future Hall of Famer whose career is filled with dominant games and series, so, on one hand, expecting anything less would be foolish. Then again, Hedman's regular season was subpar by his lofty standards, and he suffered an injury early in Game 1 that sidelined him until Game 3. He's clearly not 100%, and expecting a tour de force would be unreasonable.Yet, here we are ahead of Game 6 and Hedman's body of work jumps off the page: three assists (two primary) and the Lightning outscoring the Leafs 7-3 and controlling play to the tune of a 67.8% expected goals rate with Hedman on the ice at five-on-five. Not bad for a hobbling 32-year-old who leads the NHL in playoff minutes logged since 2013-14 (3,568 in 141 games).All of this should be excellent news for the Lightning - except it seems as though Hedman is dangerously close to being too hurt to play, or at least too hurt to be highly effective. The Sportsnet broadcast showed a wincing Hedman frantically calling for the trainer during Game 5. He isn't doing well.The positive angle on this is that Tampa has the last change Saturday. Cooper has done a solid job of keeping Hedman away from Toronto's big guns up front and can double down on that strategy as the home team.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We had our fourth consecutive winning night Thursday, backing the Golden Knights to take care of business in regulation while splitting our player props.Let's dive into three more plays for Friday's card as we look to finish the week off on a high.Bruins (-175) @ Panthers (+150)The Panthers were holding their own at five-on-five earlier in the series, if not controlling the run of play entirely. That's completely changed over the past couple of games.The Bruins have really hit their stride and looked the part of the dominant team we watched all season long. They posted a 62.83 expected goal share over Games 4 and 5, finishing above 60% in each contest.Although they were outshot in Game 4, the Bruins were deserving of the one-sided scoreline in their favor. They were even better in Game 5, generating chance after chance but unable to get anything past Sergei Bobrovsky.Anything can happen in one game, but I have a hard time believing Bobrovsky will follow up his stellar showing with another one. He hasn't given the Panthers competent goaltending - let alone great goaltending - with any sort of consistency since the day he signed.The Bruins are loaded with talent and experience. They won't be the least bit phased, or thrown off, by coming up short in one close-out game.I expect they'll come forth with another strong, disciplined performance and put this series to bed.Look for Boston to lead late and perhaps tuck in an empty-netter to ensure a clean win within 60 minutes.Bet: Bruins in regulation (-105)David Pastrnak over 4.5 shots (-115)Pastrnak hasn't enjoyed a lot of shooting success in this series. He's gone under the number in four or five contests and scored only once since the opening game.There's reason to believe the tide is turning, though. For one, Pastrnak's shot volume is significantly rising. He attempted only eight shots over the first couple of games but has combined for 30 since, hitting double digits in two contests. And he wants more.Speaking to the media following Game 5, Pastrnak hinted he wasn't aggressive enough and will play with more of a shooting mentality in Game 6.Look for the Bruins' star sniper to put the puck on net every chance he gets. He should have plenty of opportunities with the way Boston has started to dominate the series.Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shots (-135)The Wild have their backs up against the wall. After suffering back-to-back losses, they now find themselves on the brink of elimination.With no margin for error, the Wild will no doubt be leaning heavily on their star players. Kaprizov should get all the ice time he can handle in more advantageous matchups than he'd get on the road.That's been a key for Kaprizov all season long. He's averaged 4.3 shots on goal per game and has hit at a 61% clip when playing in Minnesota. He hasn't enjoyed nearly the same level of success on the road, where he has a hit rate of just 32%.Kaprizov registered 11 attempts and four shots on goal in the last home game the Wild played. I'd expect something similar this time around.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

By triumphing 4-0 at home Thursday, the New Jersey Devils moved within a win of eliminating the cross-river rival New York Rangers from the Stanley Cup chase. Keep an eye on these four key battlegrounds as the Rangers try to wake up and prolong their season Saturday night in Game 6.Rangers' shooters vs. Schmid Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesOf the NHL's 16 playoff qualifiers, only the Devils, Florida Panthers, and Minnesota Wild have started multiple goalies in the first round.New Jersey's switcheroo was transformative. En route to an embarrassing exit after losing Games 1 and 2 in blowouts, head coach Lindy Ruff yanked Vitek Vanecek and replaced him with the postseason's 22-year-old breakout star. Akira Schmid has stoned 80 of the 82 shots he's faced to rock a .976 save percentage, squeezing the life out of New York's offense while rendering Vanecek's .827 mark irrelevant.Schmid, the 10th netminder drafted in 2018 at No. 136 overall, was summoned from the AHL this year when injuries befell Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood. Schmid's save percentage over 18 games was .922. He pitched a 20-save shutout in relief of Blackwood in the regular-season finale, his first appearance for the Devils in three weeks. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesTapped as Vanecek's backup for the playoffs, Schmid entered the series in Game 3 and narrowly outshone Igor Shesterkin in consecutive goalie duels. His best plays in Game 5 included glove denials of Artemi Panarin's odd-man chance and Kaapo Kakko's mid-air flick. One long Rangers cycle sequence ended when Schmid swallowed Jacob Trouba's point blast, allowing exhausted checker Nico Hischier to slump to the ice.New York's power play is firing blanks at Schmid. Chris Kreider shelled Vanecek by deflecting in four goals on the Rangers' first seven attempts, but they're now mired in an 0-for-13 slide. Devils penalty killers are rushing Adam Fox at the blue line and bodying Kreider near the net, confident that Schmid will snare any puck he sees.Shesterkin has been solid in defeat, posting a .924 save percentage across New York's three losses. A dormant offense is his team's issue. Kreider, Patrick Kane, and Mika Zibanejad only generated one scoring chance together at five-on-five in Game 5, per Natural Stat Trick. Slammed by coach Gerard Gallant for their sluggish effort in Game 4, the Rangers were outshot 20-2 in the third period Thursday in a pathetic showing.Hughes vs. Blueshirts' D Rich Graessle / NHL / Getty ImagesJack Hughes' hands, shot, evasiveness, and panache have been on display every time he's scored in this round. The 21-year-old center is speedy and stylish, as his breakaway deke of Shesterkin in Game 4 reminded the Madison Square Garden faithful.Hughes' series-high 21 shots on net include his penalty-shot conversion in the opener and pivotal power-play snipe in Game 3. New Jersey's two-win deficit is a distant memory, but the Devils needed Hughes to drag them into the series at a precarious moment. He chipped in a little in Game 5, drawing the tripping penalty Kane took that led to Erik Haula's tip goal.Picked first overall in 2019, Hughes already leads his draft class in scoring by a 68-point margin. His rise to superstardom explains how New Jersey, a divisional also-ran for several years, rocketed up the standings this season. Stifling him won't cure all the Rangers' woes, but letting him cook in Game 6 would seal their elimination.When Hughes rests, Devils defensemen have sparked offense by activating up ice, presenting themselves as threats to shoot as the trailer off the rush. That's how Dougie Hamilton netted the Game 3 overtime winner and Jonas Siegenthaler rewarded Hischier's pinpoint feed in Game 4. Haula, Dawson Mercer, and Ondrej Palat carried the load Thursday to spotlight the Devils' forward depth.Subdued forwards to watch Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesTimo Meier, New Jersey's 40-goal sniper and prized deadline acquisition, hasn't recorded a point despite leading the Devils at five-on-five in shots on net and high-danger shot attempts. He paces the team in hits, drawn penalties, and penalty minutes. Meier's been in the mix, teaming with Hischier and Jesper Bratt to cave in the Rangers and post a 79.8% expected goals rate in their shared minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.Meier endured two four-game pointless skids in the regular season - one with the Sharks in October and one with the Devils in March. He's stuck in his longest drought since November 2019, though it almost ended Thursday. Demoted to the third line, Meier forced Shesterkin to make splendid glove and arm saves and also drew a holding minor, signaling he has the pep in his step to potentially take over Game 6 no matter where he's deployed. Rich Graessle / NHL / Getty ImagesMeanwhile, the Rangers' second line hung on by a thread over the first four games. Outchanced 27-12 when they skated together at five-on-five, Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Vladimir Tarasenko somehow held the Devils scoreless and punched in two goals themselves, both when Tarasenko ripped a wrister past Vanecek.That line's luck waned Thursday. Scored against 39 seconds into Game 5, the trio failed to tap the puck over the goal line during a frenzied third-period scramble. Collectively, those three have accounted for one point over the Rangers' three losses. That's obviously insufficient.The home-road split Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesThe trend that dictated the outcome of Games 1 through 4 was unpersuasive Thursday. The home team is no longer winless in the series, disappointing the Rangers fans who infiltrated Prudential Center but never had reason to cheer.Game 5 aside, it makes sense that the hosts have struggled in this matchup. New Jersey's rink is a dozen miles from Madison Square Garden, so travel isn't a slog. The Devils and Rangers both collected more points on the road in the regular season than they did at home. Around the NHL, the visitor has prevailed in 24 of 40 playoff games (60%) contested through Thursday. Four playoff clubs, the Rangers among them, have yet to win at home.Last year, the road team won a mere 35 of 89 playoff games, triumphing at a 39.3% clip. Road squads went 42-45 (48.3% win rate) in the 2018-19 postseason, the year before pandemic protocols barred fans from arenas. The Rangers bouncing back at MSG is statistically probable, but momentum favors the Devils heading into Game 6.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Remington Group, led by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and real estate mogul Christopher Bratty, is prepared to bid $1 billion to purchase the Ottawa Senators, sources told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.New York-based bank Galatioto Sports Partners, which was hired by the family of Eugene Melnyk to sell the franchise, has set a May 15 deadline for offers.Reynolds and Bratty are expected to commit to building a new rink close to downtown Ottawa that'll be surrounded by an entertainment district.The Senators currently play at the Canadian Tire Centre, which opened in 1996 and is located in Kanata - more than a 20-minute drive from the city's downtown.The Remington Group, which is primarily based out of Markham, Ontario, is reportedly just one of seven groups to have met with chief financial officer Erin Crowe, president of business operations Anthony LeBlanc, and general manager Pierre Dorion.The others include Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, who recently made a $6-billion bid to purchase the NFL's Washington Commanders; Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer; Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, who recently sold their share in the Pittsburgh Penguins; and Vivek Ranadive, who owns the NBA's Sacramento Kings.Reynolds was born and raised in Vancouver, but he lived in the Ottawa neighborhood of Vanier for a period during his childhood. He has a street named after him in the city after he made a donation to the Ottawa Food Bank early in the pandemic.The "Deadpool" star has experience in sports ownership. Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney own Welsh football club Wrexham AFC, which has been extremely successful under their watch.The Senators were given a $655-million valuation by Sportico when they were first set to go up for sale in November. Forbes valued the club at $800 million in December.The Sens are currently owned by Anna and Olivia Melnyk. They inherited the franchise as part of the estate left to them by their father, Eugene, after he died in March 2022.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights cruised to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.The Jets took the first game of the opening-round series, but the Golden Knights won four straight to doom Winnipeg into becoming the first team to be eliminated this spring.Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness was incensed after the defeat and let loose on his team in a brief, fiery postgame presser."Overall thoughts? I'm so disappointed and disgusted right now," he said. "That's my thoughts.""But it's the same crap we saw in February," he added. "Soon as we were challenging for first place and teams were coming after us, we had no pushback. This series, we had no pushback. Their better players were so much better than ours, it's not even close."

Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers returned to the lineup during his side's season-ending Game 5 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.Ehlers failed to register a point or a shot on goal in over 21 minutes of ice time during the 4-1 defeat, but he did record two blocks.He missed the opening four contests of the first-round series due to an upper-body injury. The Jets won Game 1 in a 5-1 decision but dropped the next three games by a combined score of 14-8.The winger sustained the ailment on April 11 after a collision with Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman and was forced to miss Winnipeg's final regular-season contest.Ehlers logged 12 goals and 26 helpers in 45 games this campaign. He suited up for the Jets' first two games of the season but was then sidelined until January after undergoing sports hernia surgery.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New Jersey Devils cruised to a 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5 on Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead over their Metropolitan Division rivals.Ondrej Palat opened the scoring 39 seconds into the pivotal contest, leading the way for New Jersey to earn its third consecutive victory. Erik Haula scored twice, and Dawson Mercer also found twine.Goaltender Akira Schmid made 23 stops to continue an impressive start to his playoff career. Schmid took over the Devils' crease for Vitek Vanecek in Game 3 and only allowed two goals since for a .976 save percentage. He joined Martin Brodeur and Sean Burke as the only goaltenders in New Jersey franchise history to record a playoff shutout."He never loses his focus, he makes it look easy - and that gives us confidence," Devils captain Nico Hischier said of Schmid, according to James Nichols of The Fourth Period."The boys have been playing phenomenal in front of me," Schmid said. "Not a lot of work for me. I can't give the boys enough credit."New York didn't manage many shots on target, but Schmid's play made a significant impact as the Rangers outchanced the Devils 24-20 at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.The Devils can close out the series Saturday night with a win at Madison Square Garden. A potential Game 7 would be May 1.New Jersey hasn't advanced past the first round since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Superstar Kirill Kaprizov is determined to make an impact after an uncharacteristically poor start to the Minnesota Wild's first-round series against the Dallas Stars.Kaprizov scored in Game 1 but hasn't found the scoresheet since despite averaging more than 23 minutes per contest. He knows it's now or never with the Wild trailing 3-2 in the series."Obviously, it's a bit frustrating, but I'm confident this next game I should break through and be able to help out the team and do more on my end," Kaprizov said, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers.He added, "I think there's definitely some responsibility on my end to play better. Of course, I feel that. ... But it's not something I want to dwell on and it's not something I want to think about. It's not going to make it better."Kaprizov was limited to 67 regular-season games due to injury but still led Minnesota with 40 goals and 75 points. He's previously shown he can produce in the postseason, bagging seven goals in the Wild's first-round loss to the St. Louis Blues last season."I've got to go out there and I've got to play my game," Kaprizov said. "If I do that, I think it'll turn, and the goals will come."The Wild led the series 2-1 but have dropped two straight, being outscored 7-2 in the process. They can force a winner-take-all Game 7 with a victory on home ice Friday.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to exorcise their playoff demons on Thursday, but grizzled veteran Ryan O'Reilly knows it'll be no walk in the park."They're going to throw everything they have at us," O'Reilly said of the opposing Tampa Bay Lightning, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "By no means is this series over."The Leafs lead the series 3-1 after a pair of dramatic overtime victories in Games 3 and 4. O'Reilly has played a critical role throughout, tallying two goals and five assists in four contests. The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner will be heavily relied upon again on Thursday when the Leafs have a chance to win their first playoff series since 2004.But a 3-1 series lead is no guarantee for a Round 1 victory. After all, the Leafs blew a 3-1 series lead in the first round two years ago against a heavy underdog Montreal Canadiens club. And while the Leafs were the betting favorite against Tampa Bay, this is largely the same Lightning team that's been to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last three years."We've got a lot of experience to lean back on (staving off elimination)," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, per Postmedia's Lance Hornby. "But it's a different year. The Leafs will have a say in this."After recording a hat trick in Game 2's blowout win, captain John Tavares has been shut down, failing to record a point in the last two contests. But he's taking a business-as-usual approach to Game 5."Just try as best as you can to approach it like every other game," Tavares told Yahoo Sports' Arun Srinivasan. "Obviously, you're aware of the circumstances and where we're at. You just try to be in the moment of getting up, having a good morning."He added: "We know the job's not done."Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.