The home team continues to hold serve in the Leafs/Panthers series, and the Jets still can't figure out how to win on the road. The Caps and Golden Knights can even their series up with road wins tonight.
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
DALLAS STARS 5 WINNIPEG JETS 2 (Jets lead series 2-1)
The Winnipeg Jets had one job: stop Mikko Rantanen. It seems crazy that a team like Dallas has become so centered on one player, but that's where we are. Rantanen had a goal and two assists as the Stars took Game Three by a score of 5-2. If they can't stop him, and get Connor Hellebuyck to figure out why he's channeling 2011 Finals Roberto Luongo, they could find their Cup hopes disappearing.
FLORIDA PANTHERS 2 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 0 (Series tied 2-2)
Home ice continues to be a factor as the Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 23 shots he faced in a 2-0 win to tie that series at two games a piece. The Panthers put Joseph Woll to the test, and he was solid despite the loss, stopping 35 of 37 shots. I know it's not easy for some of you to cheer for the Leafs in this one, but man, between the dirty hits that the Panthers keep getting away with and shit like this, it's actually kind of easy.
That's the owner of the Florida Panthers, replying to a Leafs fan. And we thought Frankie was embarrassing. Fuckin' hell. The NHL will do exactly nothing about this, of course. Oh, and Max Domi got a 5k fine for his bullshit hit from behind at the end of the game, which oddly enough wasn't the worst hit in the game.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
WASHINGTON CAPITALS (1-2) vs CAROLINA HURRICANES (1-2)
LENOVO CENTER, RALEIGH, NC
3:00 PM PST/ 6:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET
As weird as it sounds, especially after the season he had, the Capitals need Alex Ovechkin to show up in this series already. He has yet to score a point in this series, and coming off a 4-0 drubbing in Game Three, you have to think this is one of those games where he's a factor. If not, this series could be over soon for Washington.
Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 4
7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS
Carolina leads best-of-7 series 2-1
Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Aliaksei Protas
Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane -- Lars Eller -- Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Anthony Beauvillier
Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin -- Matt Roy
Alexander Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Taylor Raddysh, Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath, Ethan Bear, Mitchell Gibson
Injured: Martin Fehervary (lower body), Sonny Milano (upper body)
Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall -- Jack Roslovic -- Logan Stankoven
Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- William Carrier
Eric Robinson -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Jackson Blake
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Sean Walker
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
Injured: Mark Jankowski (undisclosed)
Scratched: Tyson Jost, Riley Stillman, Juha Jaaska, Scott Morrow, Ty Smith, Alexander Nikishin, Spencer Martin
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (1-2) vs EDMONTON OILERS (2-1)
ROGERS PLACE, EDMONTON, AB
6:30 PM PST/ 9:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
The Vegas Golden Knights served up a dagger on Saturday night that may have a lasting effect on the psyche of the Edmonton Oilers. All prepared to head to overtime, they were failed yet again by their supposed number one goalie and their best players on the ice for the game winning goal with under a second to go. I still believe that part of why the Nashville Predators were so terrible this season, was they got absolutely mentally broken by the Canucks in that incredible come from behind win in Game Four of their series. Stuart Skinner will be in the crease again tonight, and with Calvin Pickard still not able to go, that will mean a longer leash for Skinner, but how long? If he struggles again tonight, will they turn to Olivier Rodrigue to try and stop the bleeding?
Vegas has their own issues, as they could be without Mark Stone for Game Four. Stone left early in Game Three, and is a game time decision tonight.
Western Conference Second Round, Game 4
9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX
Edmonton leads best-of-7 series 2-1
Golden Knights projected lineup
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Mark Stone
Victor Olofsson -- Tomas Hertl -- Pavel Dorofeyev
Brett Howden -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
Tanner Pearson -- Nicolas Roy -- Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin -- Alex Pietrangelo
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Alexander Holtz, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Ilya Samsonov, Cole Schwindt
Injured: Brandon Saad (undisclosed)
Oilers projected lineup
Zach Hyman -- Connor McDavid -- Corey Perry
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Leon Draisaitl -- Mattias Janmark
Evander Kane -- Adam Henrique -- Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin -- Trent Frederic -- Kasperi Kapanen
Darnell Nurse -- Evan Bouchard
Jake Walman -- John Klingberg
Brett Kulak -- Troy Stecher
Stuart Skinner
Olivier Rodrigue
Scratched: Viktor Arvidsson, Joshua Brown, Cam Dineen, Ty Emberson, Max Jones, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner
Injured: Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), Calvin Pickard (lower body)
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
While GWAR continue to slash their bloody way around the planet, for me, it's just not the same without Oderus Urungus on vocals (aka the dearly departed Dave Brockie). Here's one of my favorite GWAR tunes, off the 'Battle Maximus' album, 'Madness At The Core Of Time'. Three and a half minutes of pure mosh madness!
LMAOOOOOOOOOHAHAHAHAHAHAWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
CAROLINA HURRICANES 4 WASHINGTON CAPITALS 0 (Canes lead series 2-1)
Home ice has been good to Carolina all season long, and that was no exception last night as they regained the series lead with a 4-0 win over the Capitals. After Andrei Svechnikov's goal midway through the first, the Canes used depth scoring to seal the deal as they got goals from Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake and former Canuck Jack Roslovic. Freddy Andersen had 21 saves for the shutout. Game Four goes Monday night in Raleigh.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4 EDMONTON OILERS 3 (Oilers lead series 2-1)
After taking both games in Vegas, you have to think that the Edmonton Oilers were feeling pretty confident. And in Game Three, at home, they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, then saw Vegas' Mark Stone leave the game with an injury. All good, right? Wrong. Why? Stuart Skinner, that's why!
The Golden Knights would battle back, with Nicholas Roy and Riley Smith scoring late in the first, then took the lead in the second on a beauty from William Karlsson. The Oilers weren't done, and Connor McDavid banked one in off Brayden McNabb's skate with 3:02 left to send it to overtime. And then... Stuart Skinner!
What an absolutely brutal way to lose a game, and it's literally like a masterpiece. Karlsson starts the rush with around ten seconds left, and gets the puck deep, retrieving it and throwing it into the slot where Riley Smith takes it. He fakes out Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid, then goes to the side where he goes around Skinner who is at least a body length out of the crease. He fires the puck into the crease, for the easy tap in by... Leon Draisaitl? And it enters the net with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. The third latest winning goal in Stanley Cup history, and one that absolutely changes this series. Before this game, there was discussion of a possible Oilers sweep. Now we wonder how they're ever going to recover, and if they're stuck with Skinner if Calvin Pickard can't go for Game Four. You love to see it.
CANADA (2-0-0-0) 7 LATVIA (1-0-0-1) 1
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 16 of 17 shots as Canada cruised to their second straight win at the 2025 IIHF Worlds in Stockholm this morning. Travis Konecny and Kent Johnson each scored a pair, and Sidney Crosby had three helpers including one from Macklin Celebrini, Nathan MacKinnon's first period marker from Bo Horvat was the winner in this one. They'll take on France Tuesday afternoon in Group A play.
TODAY'S ACTION
WINNIPEG JETS (1-1) vs DALLAS STARS (1-1)
AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, DALLAS, TX
1:30 PM PST/ 4:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
The Jets hope that they can continue their strong play coming off what was easily their most impressive outing of the postseason and take the lead in this series for the first time. To do so they'll need to replicate a lot of what they did in Game Two, and that's playing a solid two way game, giving Connor Hellebuyck the help he needs. Dallas didn't mount much of anything in the way of threats in that game, thanks to the Jets forechecking hard and keeping the pressure on Mikko Rantanen and the Stars.
Western Conference Second Round, Game 3
4:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, SN, TVAS, CBC
Best-of-7 series tied 1-1
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Gabriel Vilardi
Nikolaj Ehlers -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Cole Perfetti
Nino Niederreiter -- Adam Lowry -- Mason Appleton
Brandon Tanev -- Morgan Barron -- Alex Iafallo
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg -- Neal Pionk
Haydn Fleury -- Colin Miller
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie
Scratched: Dominic Toninato, David Gustafsson, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Luke Schenn, Ville Heinola
Injured: Rasmus Kupari (concussion), Logan Stanley (undisclosed)
Stars projected lineup
Mikael Granlund -- Roope Hintz -- Mikko Rantanen
Jamie Benn -- Matt Duchene -- Tyler Seguin
Mason Marchment-- Wyatt Johnston -- Jason Robertson
Oskar Back -- Sam Steel -- Evgenii Dadonov
Thomas Harley -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell -- Cody Ceci
Lian Bichsel -- Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mavrik Bourque, Colin Blackwell, Mathew Dumba, Brendan Smith
Injured: Miro Heiskanen (knee), Nils Lundkvist (shoulder)
No lineup changes for either team, as Heiskanen is still day to day with that knee injury.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (2-1) vs FLORIDA PANTHERS (1-2)
SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, ON
4:00 PM PST/ 7:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
While the Panthers were able to avoid the sweep, they're still going to have to play a hell of a lot better if they hope to turn this series around. There was a bit of a scare when Auston Matthews was not out for the morning skate with the Leafs, but we're told he's being rested and will be good to go for tonight. Still no word on when Anthony Stolarz will be able to return to the lineup, so it's Joseph Woll again tonight with Matt Murray backing him up.
Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 4
7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, SN, TVAS, CBC
Toronto leads best-of-7 series 2-1
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Bobby McMann -- Max Domi -- Pontus Holmberg
Steven Lorentz -- Scott Laughton -- Calle Jarnkrok
Morgan Rielly -- Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe -- Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Woll
Matt Murray
Scratched: Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Nicholas Robertson, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Artur Akhtyamov, Dennis Hildeby
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (undisclosed)
Panthers projected lineup
Evan Rodrigues -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Brad Marchand
Jonah Gadjovich -- Tomas Nosek -- A.J. Greer
Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola -- Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt -- Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm, Jesper Boqvist, Uvis Balinskis, Jaycob Megna, Evan Cormier
Injured: None
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
CRISIX, out of the Catalonia region of Spain got their big break winning the Wacken Metal Battle, and blowing everyone away at the fest. They're currently on a hiatus, but if you like high energy thrash, this is a band you need to check out. This is "Dead By The Fistful Of Violence" off their 2011 debut 'The Menace'.
The Leafs have a 2-0 lead and... wait, for real? Holy shit! And the Jets put in a solid night, but they got Rantanen'd. We'll recap those, look at tonight's game plus the Abby Canucks are a win away from Round Three of the AHL Playoffs!
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 4 FLORIDA PANTHERS 3 (Leafs lead series 2-0)
We expected to see some push back from the Panthers last night as they looked to avoid dropping both games in Toronto, and when Brad Marchand scored at 0:15 of the second period, it sure looked another one of those Leafs playoffs losses was on the way. Someone forgot to tell the Leafs though. Goals from William Nylander and Max Domi would give them a 3-2 lead after forty minutes. Anton Lundell would tie it in the third, but that lasted all of 27 seconds, as Mitch Marner with his second of the playoffs restored the lead and would hold up as the winner. The series shifts to Sunrise, FL for games three and four this weekend.
DALLAS STARS 3 WINNIPEG JETS 2 (Stars lead series 1-0)
The score's a little misleading, honestly. It should read Mikko Rantanen 3, Winnipeg 2. Rantanen is on a tear that is literally rewriting NHL history. 14 points in the last 4 games. Hat tricks in back to back games, which has seen him score more points in those last 4 games than anyone else in the playoffs so far. It's absolutely insane. And it makes you feel bad for the Jets, who played well and probably deserved a better fate than losing that game. What can you do when there's a guy on the other side who is scoring every time he touches the puck. It's not a hopeless situation, but they're definitely going to have to do what Colorado couldn't: stop Rantanen before it's too late.
ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS 3 COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS 1 (Canucks lead series 2-1)
After earning a split in the first two games of the series in California, the series moved back to the Fraser Valley for the remaining games of the best of five. The Firebirds won Game Two in OT, so you know the Canucks would be fired up for a little payback in front of the fans at the Abbotsford Centre. They didn't disappoint, with Nate Smith and the first AHL playoff goal from Kirill Kudryavtsev gave Abbotsford a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Ryan Winterton would score early in the third, but Phil DiGiuseppe would add an empty netter to seal the deal for the win and a 2-1 series lead. Arturs Silovs had another strong outing in the crease, making 25 saves for the victory. The Canucks can advance with a win Friday night, that game goes at 7:00 pm at the Abbotsford Centre, and you can listen to it on Sportsnet 650.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
WASHINGTON CAPITALS (0-1) vs CAROLINA HURRICANES (1-0)
CAPITAL ONE ARENA, WASHINGTON, DC
4:00 PM PST/ 7:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET
After a lackluster performance in that Game One OT loss, expect the Capitals to come out firing on Freddy Andersen and the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The Caps had just three shots in the third period and none in the three plus minutes of OT before Jaccob Slavin scored the winner. If there was a bright spot, it was the play of Aliaksei Protas in his return from injury, scoring the goal that had given Washington the lead in the second period.
Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 2
7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS
Carolina leads best-of-7 series 1-0
Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Jackson Blake
Taylor Hall -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Logan Stankoven
Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Seth Jarvis
Eric Robinson -- Mark Jankowski -- William Carrier
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Sean Walker
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
Scratched: Jack Roslovic, Tyson Jost, Riley Stillman, Juha Jaaska, Scott Morrow, Ty Smith, Alexander Nikishin, Spencer Martin
Injured: None
Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Anthony Beauvillier
Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane -- Lars Eller -- Taylor Raddysh
Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Aliaksei Protas
Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin -- Matt Roy
Alex Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Ryan Leonard, Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath, Ethan Bear, Mitchell Gibson
Injured: Martin Fehervary (lower body), Sonny Milano (upper body)
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (0-1) vs EDMONTON OILERS (1-0)
T-MOBILE ARENA, LAS VEGAS, NV
6:30 PM PST/ 9:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
Much like the Capitals, the Vegas Golden Knights were underwhelming in Game One, blowing a two goal lead, and getting out shot 18-7 in the final forty minutes by the Oilers. I mean, come on man! It's Calvin Pickard in net. Just get some damn shots. It's one thing if you try and force the Oilers to outscore you. It's another thing if you just sit back and let it happen. Vegas is one of the few teams that can actually beat the Oilers at their own game, so they better start showing it, or this one's gonna be short and unpleasant.
Western Conference Second Round, Game 2
9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC
Edmonton leads best-of-7 series 1-0
Oilers projected lineup
Leon Draisaitl -- Connor McDavid -- Corey Perry
Evander Kane -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Zach Hyman
Trent Frederic -- Adam Henrique -- Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin -- Mattias Janmark -- Viktor Arvidsson
Darnell Nurse -- Evan Bouchard
Jake Walman -- John Klingberg
Brett Kulak -- Ty Emberson
Calvin Pickard
Stuart Skinner
Scratched: Joshua Brown, Cam Dineen, Max Jones, Kasperi Kapanen, Olivier Rodrigue, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner
Injured: Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), Troy Stecher (undisclosed)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Mark Stone
Brandon Saad --Tomas Hertl -- Victor Olofsson
Brett Howden -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
Tanner Pearson -- Nicolas Roy -- Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin -- Zach Whitecloud
Nicolas Hague -- Kaedan Korczak
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Alexander Holtz, Ben Hutton, Tanner Pearson, Ilya Samsonov, Cole Schwindt
Injured: Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed), Alex Pietrangelo (illness)
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Sometimes YouTube can spew up some pretty amazing things, and this is one of them. How about a cover of AC/DC's 'Let There Be Rock' by the Hard-Ons with Henry Rollins on vocals? This is amazing.
Fuck fascists. Fuck Trump. Enjoy the games.
The Leafs will be without Anthony Stollarz as they take on The Bastard Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers, while the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars clash in Game One of their series.
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
CAROLINA HURRICANES 2 WASHINGTON CAPITALS 1 (OT) (Canes lead series 1-0)
The Capitals almost got away with it. Logan Thompson had just over 50 minutes of shutout hockey against a Carolina team that was outshooting them by a 2-1 margin before Logan Stankoven scored to tie things up and send it to OT. It wouldn't take long though, as Jaccob Slavin ripped one past Thompson for the 2-1 win and a 1-0 series lead.
EDMONTON OILERS 4 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2 (Oilers lead series 1-0)
Mark Stone and the Golden Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and then... did nothing. A late goal from Corey Perry, followed by a Leon Draisaitl score in the first minute of the third tied it. That set the stage for Zack Hyman's game winner with less than 5 minutes to go. Vegas managed just 17 shots on goal as they surrendered home ice advantage to the Oilers.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (1-0) vs FLORIDA PANTHERS (0-1)
SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, ON
4:00 PM PST/ 7:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
How are both of these teams going to respond to the events of Game One is the big story here. Will the Leafs keep their composure, and try not to do anything to Sam Bennett after his sucker punch to the head of G Anthony Stollarz led the Leafs goaltender to be rushed to hospital during Game One. There was also Matthew Tkachuk attempting to hit Mitch Marner knee on knee at the end of regulation. It's pretty obvious what the game plan of the Panthers is, can the Leafs not only try and avoid losing anyone else to cheap shots, but also not get suckered into retaliation penalties, and give goaltender Joseph Woll the kind of defensive help he'll need to head to Florida with a 2-0 series lead? And if he can't get it done, the Leafs have Matt Murray as their backup and dear god, let's hope it doesn't come to that. The Panthers will be getting Aaron Ekblad back from suspension tonight, too.
Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 2
7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN
Toronto leads best-of-7 series 1-0
Panthers projected lineup
Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich -- Nico Sturm -- Jesper Boqvist
Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola -- Seth Jones
Nate Schmidt -- Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Jaycob Megna, A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis
Injured: None
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Bobby McMann -- Max Domi -- Pontus Holmberg
Steven Lorentz -- Scott Laughton -- Calle Jarnkrok
Morgan Rielly -- Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe -- Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Woll
Matt Murray
Scratched: Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Nicholas Robertson, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Artur Akhtyamov, Dennis Hildeby
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (undisclosed)
WINNIPEG JETS (0-0) vs DALLAS STARS (0-0)
CANADA LIFE CENTRE, WINNIPEG MB
6:30 PM PST/ 9:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
With both of these teams coming off crazy, come from behind Game Seven victories, which one of them is going to suffer the emotional let down? Maybe both? Neither? With the confidence boost that win gave Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets, and getting Mark Scheifele back in the lineup tonight, which should help, but they'll still likely be without Josh Morrissey and Logan Stanley. For the Stars, Jason Robertson is a game time decision, but Miro Heiskanen is definitely still out, but should return at some point in this series.
Western Conference Second Round, Game 1
9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN
Stars projected lineup
Mikael Granlund -- Roope Hintz -- Mikko Rantanen
Jamie Benn -- Matt Duchene -- Tyler Seguin
Mason Marchment-- Wyatt Johnston -- Jason Robertson
Oskar Back -- Sam Steel -- Evgenii Dadonov
Thomas Harley -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell -- Cody Ceci
Lian Bichsel -- Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mavrik Bourque, Colin Blackwell, Mathew Dumba, Brendan Smith
Injured: Miro Heiskanen (knee), Nils Lundkvist (shoulder)
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Gabriel Vilardi
Nikolaj Ehlers -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Cole Perfetti
Nino Niederreiter -- Adam Lowry -- Mason Appleton
Brandon Tanev -- Morgan Barron -- Alex Iafallo
Haydn Fleury -- Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg -- Neal Pionk
Colin Miller -- Luke Schenn
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie
Scratched: Dominic Toninato, David Gustafsson, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Ville Heinola
Injured: Josh Morrissey (undisclosed), Rasmus Kupari (concussion), Logan Stanley (undisclosed)
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Look, the sooner you understand that every once in a while, you just need to listen to some MUNICIPAL WASTE, the better you're gonna be. It's science. Don't fight it, buddy.
Fuck Trump. Punch fascists. Enjoy the games.
Night One of the Second Round had everything, but seemed a little heavy handed with controversy and bad officiating. Will we see more of the same as two more series get underway?
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 5 FLORIDA PANTHERS 4 (Leafs lead series 1-0)
The Leafs came out fired up, and with a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes, one would assume that things were pretty much in hand for them. Unless you were actually watching the game, that is.
While comebacks have been the thing the past couple nights in the NHL Playoffs, this one, had it worked, would have needed an asterisk beside it. Early in the second period, Florida's Sam Bennett skated by Toronto G Anthony Stolarz, delivering what appeared to be an elbow to the head. Stunningly, there was no call on the play. Play would continue, but later in the period, Stolarz went over to the Leafs bench, vomited and left the game, bringing in Joseph Woll. Interestingly, despite a recent rule change allowing for it, Woll was not given any warm up shots.
Cue the third period, where two quick goals from the Panthers make the score 4-3, but Matthew Knies on a beautiful breakaway goal made it 5-3, which was handy as, infuriatingly so, Sam Bennett would score to make it 5-4. The Leafs would hold on however for the win and a 1-0 series lead. As crazy as it was that there was no penalty given to Bennett last night, the fact that DoPS was fine with the play, even after Stolarz was rushed to hospital, leaving the arena on a stretcher during the third period. It would appear that the NHL just simply refuses to learn the lessons of the past, and if you thought the officiating was bad in Game One, just wait for the refs to throw a Leaf in the box every time they breathe on a Florida player in Game Two.
This garbage at the end of the game from Matthew Tkachuk wasn't impressive, either.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
WASHINGTON CAPITALS (0-0) vs CAROLINA HURRICANES (0-0)
CAPITAL ONE ARENA, WASHINGTON, DC
4:00 PM PST/ 7:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET
The two most well rested teams in the playoffs get started in this one, fresh off five game series wins over Montreal and New Jersey respectively. This series should show us which one of these teams are a fraud though, which is gonna be a lot of fun. Is it the suddenly good again Capitals, who needed a metric fuckton of bounces to come out on top in their series with the Habs, or the Canes, who dispatched a Devils team that was lacking some key pieces including Jack Hughes? Either way, this is definitely a hate watch kind of series, as both of these teams have some truly unlikable pieces.
Eastern Conference Second Round, Game 1
7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS
Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Jackson Blake
Taylor Hall -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Logan Stankoven
Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Seth Jarvis
Eric Robinson -- Mark Jankowski -- William Carrier
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Sean Walker
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
Scratched: Jack Roslovic, Tyson Jost, Riley Stillman, Juha Jaaska, Scott Morrow, Ty Smith, Alexander Nikishin, Spencer Martin
Injured: None
Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Anthony Beauvillier
Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane -- Lars Eller -- Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Aliaksei Protas
Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin -- Matt Roy
Alexander Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath, Ethan Bear, Taylor Raddysh, Mitchell Gibson
Injured: Martin Fehervary (lower body), Sonny Milano (upper body)
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (0-0) vs EDMONTON OILERS (0-0)
T-MOBILE ARENA, LAS VEGAS, NV
6:30 PM PST/ 9:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
The question that loomed over the Oilers may get answered in this series: What if the Oilers were facing a team with competent goaltending? The Kings got barely outgoalied but definitely outcoached by the Oilers, but that won't happen against the Golden Knights, and the weaknesses of the Oilers will be laid bare by a Vegas team that can play better defence, has miles better goaltending and run and gun with any team, including Edmonton. Remember that series against the Oilers last year, where we saw just how dirty McDavid and Draisaitl can be when things aren't going their way? Keep that in mind when watching this series.
Western Conference Second Round, Game 1
9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC
Oilers projected lineup
Leon Draisaitl -- Connor McDavid -- Corey Perry
Evander Kane -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Zach Hyman
Trent Frederic -- Adam Henrique -- Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin -- Mattias Janmark -- Viktor Arvidsson
Darnell Nurse -- Evan Bouchard
Jake Walman -- John Klingberg
Brett Kulak -- Ty Emberson
Calvin Pickard
Stuart Skinner
Scratched: Joshua Brown, Cam Dineen, Max Jones, Kasperi Kapanen, Olivier Rodrigue, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner
Injured: Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), Troy Stecher (undisclosed)
Golden Knights projected lineup
William Karlsson -- Jack Eichel -- Mark Stone
Brandon Saad --Tomas Hertl -- Keegan Kolesar
Ivan Barbashev -- Nicolas Roy -- Reilly Smith
Tanner Pearson -- Brett Howden -- Victor Olofsson
Noah Hanifin -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Alexander Holtz, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Tanner Pearson, Ilya Samsonov, Cole Schwindt
Injured: Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed)
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Matty Matteson is leading a pretty great life. Co-star of one of the most acclaimed shows on TV. Owner of a number of restaurants, as well as a line of food products. And now, a hardcore band that actually sounds pretty damn good. PIG PEN made their live debut last month in Toronto, the band features ALEXISONFIRE guitarist Wade MacNeil. This is the title track to the album 'Mental Madness', and has some live shots from that show in Toronto.
Enjoy the games, folks. Fuck Trump, and fuck fascism!
While the first round of this year's playoffs may have been notably short on upsets, it's been providing some stunning outcomes nonetheless. Case in point: Dallas coming from two goals down in probably the most soul-crushing way possible to defeat the Colorado Avalanche.
DALLAS STARS 4 COLORADO AVALANCHE 2 (Stars win series 4-3)
When it came to quality stories in this year's NHL Playoffs, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than the return of Gabriel Landeskog to the Colorado Avalanche. Having been out since their Cup win in 2022, and making an immediate impact on the series from the moment he stepped on the ice, it was one of those feel good moments that only hockey can provide. And if he should lead them on another Cup run, that return would get even more legendary. There was just one problem, though. The return of another player that was going to steal the show, and the series.
When the Avs made a big splash near the deadline by trading Mikko Rantanen to Carolina for Martin Necas and Jack Drury, it sent a signal to Western Conference challengers that they were ready to reclaim the crown. Dallas however seized on an opportunity when it came out that Rantanen didn't want to be in Carolina, trading Kamloops kid Logan Stankoven and draft pics to the Canes for the disgruntled forward.
With the Avs and Stars first round clash set in stone for weeks, you had to know that this had the potential of happening. What no one saw, was just how lethal the former Av would be to his old club. I thought the Avs might have had a shot in this one after pulling out a win in a game that saw Rantanen and Roope Hintz set an NHL record for both notching four points in a single period in a playoff game.
Rantanen saved the best for last, as facing a 2-0 deficit, he scored a hat trick, the first in a Game Seven in NHL history, and helped set up Wyatt Johnston's game winner on the power play. He added an empty netter to seal the hat trick and move the Stars on to the second round, awaiting the winner of tonight's Winnipeg Jets/St Louis Blues Game Seven battle. And the irony of Jack Drury being in the penalty box for what would be the game winner? An absolute master stroke from the hockey gods, there.
As far as the Avs go, perhaps we've been giving them too much credit? Apart from Nathan Mackinnon, they looked very ordinary, got good but not great goaltending from Mackenzie Blackwood, and showed that more than anything else, the prowess of their back end has been highly overstated. Apart from the Cup win in 2022, their playoff performance has actually been pretty dismal. They haven't gotten out of the second round of the playoffs, apart from 2022, since 2002. A string of first or second round exits, and 8 misses altogether. We need to rethink what a contender actually is in this sport, I think.
COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS 5 ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS 4 (OT) (Series tied 1-1)
A valiant comeback that saw the Canucks erase a three goal lead to send the game to overtime was not enough, as the Firebirds came away with the split, sending the series back to the Fraser Valley and making it into a best of three. The Firebirds came out strong in the first, with a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes, but the Canucks would respond in the second period, on goals from Phillip DiGiuseppe and Nate Smith.
They would tie it in the third on Juhjar Khaira's first of the playoffs, then took a 4-3 lead as he scored his second of the night, but Ben Meyers would tie it with around four minutes to go, and he set up the winner from Jacob Melanson for the winner at 4:45 of OT.
This was by far Khaira's best performance since joining the Canucks, with a three point night. The series now shifts to Abbotsford for the final three games (if necessary), with Game Three going at 7:00 PM at the Abbotsford Centre on Wednesday night.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
WINNIPEG JETS (3-3) vs ST LOUIS BLUES (3-3)
CANADA LIFE CENTRE, WINNIPEG MB
4:00 PM PST/ 7:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
This series has been very much a story of two completely different teams: The Winnipeg Jets at home, and the Winnipeg Jets on the road. At Canada Life Centre, the Jets, while having to battle through some sub standard goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck, have won three games in this series. In St Louis? Hellebuyck didn't last the full 60 in all three appearances, as the team just went through the kind of defensive collapse you'd expect from a team that finished in the Canucks spot, not the Presidents' Trophy winners. Is this a case where we gave them way too much credit, as we saw last night with the Colorado Avalanche? While we'd been waiting all of this first round for an upset, it appears that the hockey gods might have saved it for the finale of the first round.
Western Conference First Round, Game 7
7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX, FDSNMW
Best-of-7 series tied 3-3
Blues projected lineup
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours -- Brayden Schenn -- Jimmy Snuggerud
Mathieu Joseph -- Oskar Sundqvist -- Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko -- Radek Faksa -- Nathan Walker
Cam Fowler -- Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg -- Justin Faulk
Ryan Suter -- Nick Leddy
Jordan Binnington
Joel Hofer
Scratched: Alexandre Texier, Nikita Alexandrov, Matthew Kessel
Injured: Dylan Holloway (lower body), Tyler Tucker (lower body)
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Gabriel Vilardi
Nikolaj Ehlers -- Adam Lowry -- Cole Perfetti
Nino Niederreiter -- Morgan Barron -- Mason Appleton
Brandon Tanev -- Dominic Toninato -- Alex Iafallo
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg -- Neal Pionk
Haydn Fleury -- Luke Schenn
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie
Scratched: David Gustafsson, Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola, Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Injured: Mark Scheifele (undisclosed), Rasmus Kupari (concussion)
To make matters worse, the Jets will be without Mark Scheifele, who was injured in Game Five. All of the pressure is on Winnipeg as the Blues, riding an extremely confident Jordan Binnington (yes, that's as gross as it sounds) look to punch their ticket to the second round and a date with the Dallas Stars.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
A little Swiss mosh for ya today. From their album '666 Pack' this is 'A Skull Crushin' Good Time' from INSANITY ALERT.
Enjoy the game, and make sure to check out our Round Two Preview tomorrow! Fuck Trump and Fuck Fascists!
It's nights like that where you sit there and know in your heart of hearts, as bad as things have been, if they'd just been given the chance, the Canucks could have been the ones exposing the Jets for the frauds that they are.
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
ST LOUIS BLUES 5 WINNIPEG JETS 2 (Series tied 3-3)
For a moment there, it looked like the Jets were ready to roll. After having a goal waved off due to an offsides challenge, they tied the game at 1-1 in the second period, and were playing well.
And then their entire world collapsed.
The Blues exploded for four goals in 5:23 and sent this series back to Winnipeg where 100% of the pressure is on the Jets in spite of the Blues' inability to win a game there in this series. Hellebuyck has been pulled in all three games played in St Louis, but this is very familiar around these parts for two reasons.
Yes, the Canucks laid a 5 spot on Hellebuyck earlier in the season (and an empty netter to boot), but doesn't this remind you of the finals against Boston in 2011? 3 wins at home, 3 absolute ass-kickings on the road. "And what happened next, Kent?" you ask? Well, assuming you're either new to the game, or you have a fantastic therapist who's helped you block that out (and if you do, hook a brotha up, please), Game Seven saw them fade out with a whimper, shut out in the game that by rights, should have been a victory and their first ever Cup.
The stakes may not be as high, but with the Jets being one of the favourites to win it all this year, to see them yet again on the verge of a first round exit offers up more questions than answers. Is Hellebuyck more like Dan Cloutier than Dominik Hasek? Is this once feared Jets defence actually a product of the imaginations of some of hockey's MSM? Are they as good as their record says, or is this team the new Leafs. And wouldn't that be funny if the monkey had somehow changed backs?
In light of the current world situation, I can't think of anything better than an All Canadian final series, but thanks to the Jets shitting the proverbial bed, we're going to need the Oilers to do that, and that means it's time to cheer for the Leafs in that scenario. I don't give a good god damn how much you hate Toronto, their fans or their media. Maybe you don't remember the 80's, and nights of getting absolutely clowned by that good but obscenely arrogant and obnoxious Oilers organization. As a lifer, I cannot and I will not cheer for them. Ever. Not even for the good of the country, because I don't think it is good for the country. Alberta's government and their supporters are turning their backs on us in a time of national crisis, so fuck those guys.
Sorry.
I guess I had that built up inside.
Anyway, Game Seven goes tomorrow, and with Ottawa and Montreal out, we need some damn options for a Canadian Cup win. Let's see if these assholes can get their shit together and provide us with one.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
COLORADO AVALANCHE (3-3) vs DALLAS STARS (3-3)
AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER, DALLAS, TX
5:00 PM PST/ 8:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
Colorado did what it needed to do in Game Six at home to get this series to a Seventh game, and if there was something to give them hope they can pull of the win in Dallas tonight, it came at the end of that win Thursday night.
Cale Makar scored a goal.
He's been absolutely not a factor in this series. Sure, he's getting lots of shots, but that empty net goal was his first of the series. And believe me, the Avs noticed this. It will have them fired up, and will have Makar ready to be the difference maker he is. With Gabe Landeskog looking like he's in mid-season form, and Nathan MacKinnon being his usual dominant self, the Avs are going to give Dallas everything they can handle tonight.
In spite of the loss Thursday, the Stars got a hell of a game out of Jake Oettinger, and they will need that again if they want any hope of moving to the second round. It's weird that on a night where you gave up 5 goals, you could say the goalie played well, until you see the shot count. 48 shots from the Avs in total, and with two empty netters, that could have been a lot worse. This one should be a blast.
ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS (1-0) vs COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS (0-1)
ACRISURE ARENA, THOUSAND PALMS, CA
6:00 PM PST/ 9:00 PM EST
TV: FLOHOCKEY.TV
The Abbotsford Canucks are looking to put a stranglehold on this best of 5 Pacific Division semifinal series against the Seattle Kraken's AHL affiliate with a win tonight in Thousand Palms, Ca. The Canucks took Game One of the series 3-1 on Thursday night. Jett Woo, Danila Klimovich and Guillaume Brisebois scored for the Canucks, and Arturs Silovs was again solid in goal for Abby, stopping 29 of 30 Firebirds shots. A win tonight by the Canucks will put them in a fantastic spot, as the remaining three games of the series will be in Abbotsford, and with three chances to win on home ice, we could well see them advance to the Division Final against either Colorado or San Jose.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
A couple weeks back we offered up one from the next album from THE HAUNTED, and they dropped a new video this week and it's an absolute beast of a song. In stores May 30, from 'Songs Of Last Resort' on Century Media Records, this is 'In Fire Reborn'.
Enjoy the game, and Go Canucks Go! Fuck Trump and fuck fascists everywhere!
Canucks News:
The biggest news is the fact that Mike Sullivan is no longer available to be the coach of the Canucks, as he was hired by the Rangers yesterday. I am not too upset about this. I really think this team needs a coach who has a different vision of how to use these players, especially Petey. Now will Rutherford, Allvin and Francesco have the guts to do it.....and not interfere along the way. Doubtful.
The social media frenzy over Quinn Hughes continues to feed itself. To me, the idea of Quinn going to New Jersey is impossible as the Devils literally have no player or combination of players to fill the void he would leave.
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
Toronto beats an Ottawa team that they should have, and move to face Florida.
Vegas gets rid of a pesky Minnesota team and awaits a game 7 winner of Dal/Col.
The Oilers found a way to escape LA and now face a Vegas squad that's eager to get back to the Cup
Cale Makar finally woke up and made sure that there is a game seven against Dallas.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
Only one game tonight and it's Winnipeg's chance to get rid of St Louis. But they will have to do it without Scheifele. While no official word of what type of injury he has, it's assumed that after having his bell rung a couple times in the last game, he has a concussion. The Jets do get Ehlers back tonight for the first time since April 3rd. Hellebuyck will have to stand on his head tonight to get the Jets on to the next round.
Game Day Battle Hymn.
We have an elimination game, with Winnipeg in it.....I believe there is only one choice of singer and song.
The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning are the latest to have their Cup dreams snuffed out, as the East is down to just the Sens and Leafs and the West continues to be chaotic.
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
WASHINGTON CAPITALS 4 MONTREAL CANADIENS 1 (Caps win series 4-1)
The top team in the East is through to the next round, but that's gotta be the least convincing 5 game series victory in quite some time. Montreal gave the Caps all they had, and probably extend this series had they not lost Sam Montembault to injury. In the meantime, we get to endure another round of Tom Wilson apologia, which is so fun. Bleh. I mean, talk about fucking loser energy...
Also, now that Ovechkin's broken Gretzky's record, can we get back to hating him because he's BFF's with Vladimir Putin? Seriously, fuck this guy. Anyway, they will face Carolina in the next round and being made to choose a preferential winner in that series is impossible.
FLORIDA PANTHERS 6 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 3 (Panthers win series 4-1)
Talk about a series that did not live up to the hype. The defending champs are on to the next round after making quick work of the Bolts, and if you listen closely, that's the sound of the Cup competitor window closing in Tampa. They now await the winner of the Leafs/Senators series and while it would be hilarious to see them dismantle the Leafs, the appeal of Tkachuk on Tkachuk violence is very appealing.
WINNIPEG JETS 5 ST LOUIS BLUES 3 (Jets lead series 3-2)
If you felt like being back at home would help the Jets, you were right. If you also felt like Connor Hellebuyck hasn't answered questions about whether or not he can win this series, you're also right as despite letting in 3 goals on 19 shots, the Jets were the better team and came out on top. They now head back to St Louis for Game Six, and may have to do it without Mark Scheifele, who left the game last night and did not return. That's a massive loss for the Jets and one that could tilt the scales in the Blues favour if Hellebuyck doesn't get his shit together.
There's four games on tap tonight, and we could conceivably see all of these series come to an end. Which ones will wrap up, and which ones are headed to a winner takes all Game Seven?
TONIGHT'S ACTION
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3-2) vs OTTAWA SENATORS (2-3)
CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE, OTTAWA, ON
4:00 PM PST/ 7:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
After a stunning OT win in Game Four to avoid the sweep, the Senators were absolutely dominant on Tuesday night, in a 4-0 win that has the anxiety levels in Leafs Nation rising rapidly. I would like to say that we know how this feels, but even the Canucks haven't blown a 3-0 series lead before. Just four times in NHL history has this happened, and the fact that it hasn't happened to the Leafs yet honestly seems surprising. I mean sure, they could totally come out and win tonight, and that would be the end of it, but does it feel like this team, especially after the way they played Tuesday night, is gonna come out and get it done?
Eastern Conference First Round, Game 6
7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX
Toronto leads best-of-7 series 3-2
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Bobby McMann -- Pontus Holmberg -- Max Domi
Calle Jarnkrok -- Scott Laughton -- Steven Lorentz
Morgan Rielly -- Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe -- Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched: Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, David Kampf, Artur Akhtyamov, Nicholas Robertson
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body)
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Claude Giroux
David Perron -- Dylan Cozens -- Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig -- Shane Pinto -- Michael Amadio
Nick Cousins -- Adam Gaudette -- Fabian Zetterlund
Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven -- Nikolas Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic, Matthew Highmore
Injured: Hayden Hodgson (lower body)
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (3-2) vs MINNESOTA WILD (2-3)
XCEL ENERGY CENTER, ST PAUL, MN
4:30 PM PST/ 7:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET 360
Much like the Caps/Habs series, this one feels like the team that's leading isn't terribly convincing that they deserve it. Despite the losses in the last two, the Wild have been getting better goaltending, and being back on home ice, we should not be surprised to see this one head back to Vegas for a Game Seven and a possible upset of one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup this year.
Western Conference First Round, Game 6
7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNNO, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360
Vegas leads best-of-7 series 3-2
Golden Knights projected lineup
William Karlsson -- Jack Eichel -- Mark Stone
Brandon Saad --Tomas Hertl -- Victor Olofsson
Ivan Barbashev -- Nicolas Roy -- Reilly Smith
Tanner Pearson -- Brett Howden -- Keegan Kolesar
Noah Hanifin -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Alexander Holtz, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Tanner Pearson, Ilya Samsonov, Cole Schwindt
Injured: Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed)
Wild projected lineup
Kirill Kaprizov -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Matt Boldy
Marcus Johansson -- Ryan Hartman -- Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Foligno -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Gustav Nyquist
Yakov Trenin -- Marco Rossi -- Justin Brazeau
Jonas Brodin -- Brock Faber
Jacob Middleton -- Jared Spurgeon
Jon Merrill -- Zach Bogosian
Filip Gustavsson
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched: Zeev Buium, Declan Chisholm, Vinnie Hinostroza, Devin Shore, Jesper Wallstedt
Injured: None
Looks like Dorofeyev is a no go after leaving in the third period of Game Five.
COLORADO AVALANCHE (2-3) vs DALLAS STARS (3-2)
BALL ARENA, DENVER, CO
6:30 PM PST/ 9:30 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET EAST, SPORTSNET 360
We knew this series would be close, but it seems like we haven't seen close to the best from the Avs thus far, especially from Cale Makar. A guy who is regularly a difference maker for this team has been almost unnoticeable and if he doesn't change that tonight, this team, which is arguably deeper than the one that won the Cup in 2022, is going out in the first round.
Western Conference First Round, Game 6
9:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, MAX, TBS, ALT, SNE, SN360, TVAS
Dallas leads best-of-7 series 3-2
Stars projected lineup
Mikael Granlund -- Roope Hintz -- Mikko Rantanen
Mason Marchment -- Matt Duchene -- Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Evgenii Dadonov
Oskar Back -- Sam Steel -- Colin Blackwell
Esa Lindell -- Cody Ceci
Thomas Harley -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Lian Bichsel -- Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mavrik Bourque, Mathew Dumba, Brendan Smith
Injured: Miro Heiskanen (knee), Jason Robertson (lower body), Nils Lundkvist (shoulder)
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog -- Brock Nelson -- Valeri Nichushkin
Jonathan Drouin -- Charlie Coyle -- Joel Kiviranta
Parker Kelly -- Jack Drury -- Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Ryan Lindgren -- Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Erik Johnson, Keaton Middleton, Jimmy Vesey, Miles Wood
Injured: Ross Colton (lower body)
No changes for either team in this one.
LOS ANGELES KINGS (2-3) vs EDMONTON OILERS (3-2)
ROGERS PLACE, EDMONTON, AB
7:00 PM PST/ 10:00 PM EST
TV: SPORTSNET, CBC
What do you do if you're the Los Angeles Kings? You've shown that have no answer for Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, your goaltender is only marginally better than Stuart Skinner and your team isn't the one getting all the bounces in this series. If you're gonna do bold coaching moves, why not put Phoenix Copely in net? It's obvious that the Oilers have the book on Darcy Kuemper, so throw them a curve ball and give the kid a chance. If you can plant the seed of doubt in the Oilers heads, and move the series back to LA for Game Seven, you should at least consider doing anything that's different than what's got you into this mess.
Western Conference First Round, Game 6
10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, TVAS2, ESPN, FDSNW
Edmonton leads best-of-7 series 3-2
Kings projected lineup
Andrei Kuzmenko -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele -- Phillip Danault -- Trevor Moore
Kevin Fiala -- Quinton Byfield -- Alex Laferriere
Jeff Malott -- Samuel Helenius -- Alex Turcotte
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson -- Brandt Clarke
Jordan Spence -- Vladislav Gavrikov
Darcy Kuemper
David Rittich
Scratched: Kyle Burroughs, Jacob Moverare, Akil Thomas, Trevor Lewis
Injured: Tanner Jeannot (undisclosed)
Oilers projected lineup
Leon Draisaitl -- Connor McDavid -- Corey Perry
Evander Kane -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Zach Hyman
Trent Frederic -- Adam Henrique -- Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin -- Mattias Janmark -- Viktor Arvidsson
Darnell Nurse -- Evan Bouchard
Jake Walman -- John Klingberg
Brett Kulak -- Ty Emberson
Calvin Pickard
Stuart Skinner
Scratched: Joshua Brown, Cam Dineen, Max Jones, Kasperi Kapanen, Olivier Rodrigue, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner
Injured: Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), Troy Stecher (undisclosed)
It appears both teams are going with the same lineups tonight, so we'll see if that was the right decision for LA.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
It's May Day, aka International Workers Day. A day where your boss buys you lunch, tells you that everything he has, he owes to the sweat of your labour, and then sends you home early to spend the day with your loved ones. Yeah, right. Organize, folks. As things get dicier, strength in numbers is the key to weathering the storm. Remember those who literally died so you could have things like weekends off, health care and health and safety protections. It had to be taken because it wouldn't be given.
Fuck fascism! All power to the workers on May Day and every day! Fuck Trump! Enjoy the games, everyone!
LA loses at home - Canes whip Devils to move onto 2nd round - Nighties beat Minni - and the Sens plant the round one exit buds in the fertile CoTU psyche.
LAST NIGHT'S ACTION
Canes push Jersey onto the golf course - win 5-4 in 2OT and take series 4-1.
The thoughtless players from Lost Wages ruin Flower's great comeback narrative with 3-2 OT win and lead 3-2 in the series. A series we have no interest in following and fortunately we won't have to not follow in a mere 2 games.
As Westy predicted the sheer weight of entitlement can be a game changer. And the Oil slickers have LA on the ropes. For the 4th straight round one exit for LA. tOil win 3-1 in LA and Kings ain't coming back.
The gnashing of nerve endings in the CoTU had the entire country either nervously giggling or giggling nervously as the Sens shutout the Laffs 4-0 in the most important rink in hockey. Will the Laffs be bounced in round one, again? Maybe.
TONIGHT'S ACTION
Eastern Conference First Round, Game 5
7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC
Washington leads best-of-7 series 3-1
Can Montreal pull off an Ottawa and make the series a series? Hope so. Hope is the next best thing to a plan.
Canadiens projected lineup
Cole Caufield -- Nick Suzuki -- Juraj Slafkovsky
Josh Anderson -- Christian Dvorak -- Brendan Gallagher
Alex Newhook -- Jake Evans -- Ivan Demidov
Emil Heineman -- Oliver Kapanen -- Joel Armia
Mike Matheson -- Alexandre Carrier
Kaiden Guhle -- Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj -- David Savard
Jakub Dobes
Cayden Primeau
Scratched: Jayden Struble, Michael Pezzetta
Injured: Sam Montembeault (undisclosed), Patrik Laine (upper body)
Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Aliaksei Protas
Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane -- Lars Eller -- Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Anthony Beauvillier
Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin -- Matt Roy
Alex Alexeyev -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath, Ethan Bear, Clay Stevenson, Taylor Raddysh
Injured: Martin Fehervary (lower body), Sonny Milano (upper body)
Status report
Laine will not play; the forward practiced Tuesday after missing Games 3 and 4. ... Carrier will be a game-time decision after being hit by Wilson in the third period of a 5-2 loss in Game 4 on Sunday. ... Dobes will make his first Stanley Cup Playoff start with Montembeault, a goalie, not making the trip. ... Protas is expected to return after being a full participant at practice Tuesday; he has not played since April 4 because of a skate cut on his left foot.
Eastern Conference First Round, Game 5
7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS, ESPN2, TVAS2, SN360
Florida leads best-of-7 series 3-1
This is the nastiest, dirtiest series. That it's happening in the hockey swamplands with our old friend Ratchand is probably just a coincidence.
Panthers projected lineup
Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer -- Nico Sturm -- Jesper Boqvist
Gustav Forsling -- Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola -- Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis -- Nate Schmidt
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Jaycob Megna, Mackie Samoskevich
Injured: None
Suspended: Aaron Ekblad
Lightning projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Nick Paul -- Anthony Cirelli -- Gage Goncalves
Conor Geekie -- Yanni Gourde -- Mitchell Chaffee
Zemgus Girgensons -- Luke Glendening
Victor Hedman -- JJ Moser
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg -- Nick Perbix
Darren Raddysh
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Cam Atkinson, Max Crozier
Injured: Oliver Bjorkstrand (lower body), Brandon Hagel (undisclosed)
Status report
Ekblad, a defenseman, will serve the first of his two-game suspension for elbowing Hagel during Game 4 on Monday. Hagel, a forward, left the game after the hit and did not return and won't play Wednesday. ... Cirelli and Hedman did not participate in morning skate (maintenance), but will be in the lineup. ...Crozier, a defenseman, was recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
Western Conference First Round, Game 5
9:30 p.m., ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN, FDSNMW
Best-of-7 series tied 2-2
Back home in the Peg, Jets have Vilardi back on the 1st line. That's good. Hellebuyck starts in net. That might not be. Oh well... as we Nucks fans know, winning the Prez trophy is so much better than that Fake Cup thing.
Blues projected lineup
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Jimmy Snuggerud
Jake Neighbours -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou
Alexandre Texier -- Oskar Sundqvist -- Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko -- Radek Faksa -- Nathan Walker
Cam Fowler -- Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg -- Justin Faulk
Ryan Suter -- Nick Leddy
Jordan Binnington
Joel Hofer
Scratched: Mathieu Joseph, Matthew Kessel
Injured: Dylan Holloway (lower body), Tyler Tucker (lower body)
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Gabriel Vilardi
Alex Iafallo -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Cole Perfetti
Nino Niederreiter -- Adam Lowry -- Mason Appleton
Brandon Tanev -- Morgan Barron -- Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg -- Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley -- Luke Schenn
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie
Scratched: David Gustafsson, Dominic Toninato, Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, Ville Heinola
Injured: Nikolaj Ehlers (lower body), Rasmus Kupari (concussion)
Status report
Suter is expected to play after being scratched the past two games. ... Tucker is day to day after the defenseman was injured during Game 4. … With Vilardi’s return, Iafallo goes to the second line, Niederreiter the third and Barron moves to center on the fourth line. ... Ehlers, a forward, skated in a noncontact jersey Wednesday.
(All lineup projections courtesy of nhl.com so blame them, not us)
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
We have to watch the same old teams beating their same old brains out, so Chris gets to take us for a drive again. Even if it's on the wrong side of the road.
Reject fascism (We did! pretty much), fuck the Conservatives and Trump, too! Enjoy the games, everyone!
