NEW YORK (May 4, 2024) -- The Western Conference's top seed Dallas Stars and defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights will decide their First Round series in Game 7 at Dallas Sunday (7:30 p.m., ET, TBS, truTV, MAX, Sportsnet, TVA Sports), capping a 'winner-take-all weekend.' This marks the fourth straight year and fifth time in six postseasons that the First Round will feature multiple Game 7s.

NEW YORK (May 5, 2024) – Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Selke Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.

Following are the finalists for the Selke Trophy, in alphabetical order:

The first round will be complete after the Dallas/Vegas game, but round 2 starts today too.

So make your pick or wait until after the Dallas/Vegas game, you will have up to 6pm on Monday to make changes or picks.

Your first round picks. If you missed the first round, by all means join us for round 2.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

- ... If Lamoriello is going to change the dynamic, the guy to sacrifice is 32-year-old Brock Nelson, who has been nothing but an exemplary Islander and representative of the franchise over his 11 seasons. The 6-foot-4 center backed up 37- and 36-goal seasons with 34 this year, recorded four points (2-2) in the Carolina series and should have value as a full-season rental before his contract with a $6M cap hit expires at the end of the season.

Moving Nelson allows Barzal and Horvat to play the middle. It creates additional cap space. And it changes the dynamic.

That is a requirement. It doesn’t matter whether or not Lamoriello and the Islanders have been looking back the last few years, the NHL has been gaining on them.

Same old, same old that wasn’t quite good enough before surely isn’t going to be good enough going forward....

- You’ve got to hand it to the Sabres, right, 13 straight years out of the playoffs and they go back to the guy who was behind the bench when this all started in the first place, romanticizing a 16-year era in which they did not win the Stanley Cup with Lindy Ruff. Five of Ruff’s last seven teams did not make the playoffs.

Makes perfect sense.

To no one.

more on the first topic plus other notes...

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

The talk of thin margins and tight groups, of hard efforts and bitter pills, coming through hushed voices from gutted hockey players, following a 2-1 Game 7 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

The latest in a long list of series in which this group was just good enough to lose.

"It sucks, to be honest. We were really close, and we battled back into the series, and I don't know what to say. It's just an empty feeling right now," said William Nylander, the only member of The Core to score in any of Toronto's three elimination games this week.

"Look, I don't think there's an issue with the core. I think we were (expletive) right there all series. Battled hard and got it to Game 7 in OT. That's a (expletive) feeling."

John Tavares tried explaining what gives him the belief that this same group of stars should get another crack at this thing come October.

"We're right there," the captain said. "I mean, it's very small difference. And just the type of hockey that we played, the way we needed to play to give ourselves a chance to win the series, and the way we came together, the way that we stuck with it.... There's no doubt that we're right there."

read on

from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com,

from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now,

Dylan Larkin, expected to be a key contributor for Team USA at the upcoming World Championships, was forced to leave the team because of an injury. No details about the injury have been released.

The World Championship tournament is scheduled for May 10-26, in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia.

The Larkin injury was announced with the announcement of nine more additions to the team. One of the new players includes goalie Trey Augustine who is a Detroit Red Wings goalie prospect.

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* David Pastrnak propelled the Bruins to their seventh consecutive playoff series victory against the Maple Leafs with a winner 114 seconds into overtime and set up a postseason matchup against the Panthers for the second time in as many years.

* The Stars and Golden Knights are set to contest the second Game 7 of the First Round as the reigning Stanley Cup winners look to keep their championship defense alive. This marks the fourth straight year, and fifth time in six postseasons, the First Round has featured multiple seventh-and-deciding contests.

* The puck drops on the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Rangers and Hurricanes clash at Madison Square Garden for their third postseason meeting – all of which have occurred since 2020.

The Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in overtime to win game 7.

The Bruins will open the 2nd round in Sunrise, Florida to face the Panthers.

First the OT winner, below watch the handshakes and highlights.

NEW YORK (May 4, 2024) – The National Hockey League today announced the Eastern Conference schedule for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round, featuring the Carolina Hurricanes against the New York Rangers, and the Boston Bruins against the Florida Panthers. The complete Second Round schedule, including Western Conference matchups between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, as well as the Colorado Avalanche against the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights-Dallas Stars First Round series, will be announced when available. All times listed are ET and subject to change.

The winner tonight will advance to round 2 and play the Florida Panthers, the loser will go golfing.

Puck drops just after 8pm ET in Boston. Watch on ABC, ESPN+, CBC, Sportsnet and TVAS.

May the best team win.

NEW YORK (May 4, 2024) – Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Lady Byng Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.

Following are the finalists, in alphabetical order:

from Tom Mayenknecht of the Vancouver Province,

Boston versus Toronto isn’t just a Game 7. It’s an historic Original Six matchup. It’s a heritage brand pairing. And it’s an intense rivalry game; a showcase of fan intrigue and storytelling, which is ultimately what drives interest and audiences.

Will the Bruins become the first team in NHL history to squander a 3-1 series lead in back-to-back opening round series or will the Leafs be sent to the off-season by yet another heartbreaking collapse when it matters most?...

South of the border will be equally hot. As per TV Sports News & Updates, with U.S. coverage anchored by ABC on Saturday night, it marks the first Game 7 in an opening-round series to be presented on American broadcast TV since 1972 when CBS showed Game 7 of the first-round series between the old Minnesota North Stars and the St. Louis Blues.

It says here that the conditions are perfect for Boston-Toronto to set a new Canadian record for an opening-round game (at least on English-language TV).

South of the border, it could rival the average American audience of 3.5 million that watched the Bruins beat the Washington Capitals in Game 6 in overtime on NBC in 2012, the year after a Game 7 Cup Final between Boston and the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 drew more than eight million in Canada alone.

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NEW YORK (May 3, 2024) -- Two of the NHL's storied franchises whose century-long rivalry has never been hotter will meet in a Game 7 showdown Saturday night when the Boston Bruins play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden to decide their Eastern Conference First Round series. The winner advances to the Second Round and will face the Atlantic Division champion Florida Panthers in a best-of-seven series that opens Monday, May 6 in Florida.

from Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal,

Desperate teams play like this sometimes. Play up to their ability. Often beyond it.

Survival can be the greatest of motivators.

The Golden Knights aren’t done yet. There is still a Stanley Cup to defend.

It hasn’t gone anywhere.

The season continues after the Knights’ 2-0 win over the Dallas Stars before a crowd of 18,432 Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

What it means: There will be a Game 7 of the series Sunday at American Airlines Center. Winner takes all. Loser gets ready for things such as exit interviews and clean-out day and vacation plans.

What it also means: This series deserves a Game 7. It has been too closely contested for it not to be brought to the brink.

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Game highlights are below.

from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

When Pius Suter signed with the Vancouver Canucks six weeks into free agency last summer, cut adrift by the Detroit Red Wings, a lot of friends back home in Switzerland thought he was nuts.

“They said, ‘You're going to another team that's not going to make the playoffs,’” Suter recalled late Friday. “I was like, 'No, this team is better than you think. We have guys that are top-five guys in the league at every position.’ It's huge for us to win this series. But we know what people say. Not many believed in us before this season. Probably even less next series.”

Suter, who came to the Canucks with a lot of skills in his tool box but was never regarded as tough, was one of the best Vancouver players against the Nashville Predators. He took a beating in the hard areas all series, won more battles than he lost, never shied from the fight and played the last two games with a mouthful of stitches.

And on Friday, having never logged a National Hockey League playoff game until two weeks ago, Suter scored the franchise’s biggest goal since the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

After smashing his stick in frustration at missed opportunities earlier in the game, the 27-year-old from Zurich used its replacement to direct Brock Boeser’s centring pass past Nashville goalie Juuse Saros with 1:39 remaining as the Canucks beat the Predators 1-0 to win the first-round series in six games. They advance to a dream Stanley Cup quarterfinal matchup against the Edmonton Oilers that starts Tuesday at Rogers Arena.

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Watch the only goal in the game below.

Game highlights are here.

* Noah Hanifin netted his second game-winning goal of the 2024 First Round as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights staved off elimination, setting up a winner-take-all weekend with a Game 7 slated for each day.

* Pius Suter scored with 1:39 remaining in regulation, marking the latest series-clinching goal in regulation in Canucks history and the fifth latest across the NHL in the past 10 years. The victory set up a Second Round matchup between the top two teams in the Pacific Division as the Canucks and Oilers are set to face off in the postseason for the first time in 32 years.

* Since the final contest Tuesday (NSH at VAN, Game 5), the score has been tied or within one goal for 94% of playing time across six games (338:54 of 360:00). Only three teams have had a multi-goal lead in that span, for a combined total of 21:06 (EDM: 18:35, TOR: 2:12 & VGK: 0:19).

* All eyes are on the Bruins and Maple Leafs on Saturday as the clubs meet in a Game 7 for the fourth time in the past 11 years and sixth overall. Click here for the Bruins-Maple Leafs Game 7 #NHLStats Pack.

The take a 2-1 series lead in the best of five series.

Game 4 is Sunday in Rockford.

The Canucks with a 1-0 shutout win over the Nashville Predators to win the series 4-2.

They will face the Edmonton Oilers in round 2.

The Predators did all they could in the last 33 seconds but could not score.

Highlights and handshakes are below.

Vancouver and Dallas can advance to the second round with a road win tonight.

NEW YORK (May 3, 2024) – Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators and Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award after the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.

Following are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, in alphabetical order:

from Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Did you actually listen to coach Mike Sullivan at his season-ending news conference two weeks ago?

I would imagine, as a fan, you wanted some outrage. You wanted the fiery Sully that arrived in Pittsburgh all those years ago, the drill sergeant who put the stars in their place and seemingly did not smile once until the Penguins won it all.

That Sully might have stepped to the podium, after missing the playoffs for the second straight season, and begun by telling fans — the real audience at those types of gatherings — that he was beyond disgusted and would exhaust every last ounce of energy to make it right. That Sully might have said something like, “This is unacceptable, and it begins with me. Given our talent, our good health and the golden opportunity our opponents gave us, missing the playoffs again is simply intolerable. We failed. I failed. This cannot happen again.”

Instead, we got this from a kinder, gentler Sully: “I’ve said on a couple of occasions we’re proud of the group for the performance down the stretch. ... There were a lot of excuses out there to go in a different direction, and they chose not to. And I think that speaks volumes for the character of the people in the room, the leadership we have, the professionalism of the group and their care factor. And we couldn’t be more proud of the effort and the investment they all put in to drag ourselves back in the fight. ... I can’t say enough about the character of the people in our dressing room.”

Come again? Isn’t trying hard the least a professional athlete can do? And why did the Penguins leave the fight in the first place? Oh, and where was the “care factor” when the team basically quit upon learning longtime teammate Jake Guentzel would be traded? The night the Penguins found out, they lost at home to the Capitals, 6-0, and remained in a funk, basically costing themselves a playoff spot. I don’t think that speaks volumes for the “professionalism of the group,” quite frankly, although at least defenseman Kris Letang told the truth after the Capitals debacle.

more

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

William Nylander was still catching his breath on the Toronto Maple Leafs' bench after scoring the Game 7–triggering goal when, upon noticing that Scotiabank Arena had flashed his image on the Jumbotron, he held an open gloved hand up to his ear.

The arena was already going bonkers, witnessing a dramatic script getting flipped in real-time, but much like prime Hulk Hogan — another blond athletic superstar who prefers his tarps off and his comebacks theatrical — Nylander wanted to hear more.

Scoring both Maple Leafs goals in Thursday's airtight, win-or-stay-home Game 6 in stylish fashion, Nylander may have been late to put his stamp on this series. But his performance — heck, the whole squad's performance — in a gutsy 2-1 victory now has the Boston Bruins on the ropes.

Toronto is but a leg drop away.

"Incredible. Big-time stuff. That's what you're looking for from a player of his calibre," marvelled coach Sheldon Keefe, who could've said nice things about his players all night if he didn't have a plane to catch.

"He's a heckuva game-breaker. When he's got the puck on his stick, he can make something happen at any time. Two elite finishes for us tonight," added captain John Tavares. "Not surprising. Love having him."

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Below find the game highlights.

* William Nylander and Joseph Woll led the Maple Leafs to a second straight one-goal win as Toronto rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to force the first Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* The Maple Leafs became the 65th team in NHL history to force a Game 7 after facing a 3-1 series deficit. The winner-take-all showdown has been a 50-50 split to date: the club that trailed has won 32 times, as has the team that led.

* The Predators and Golden Knights can follow the Maple Leafs’ lead and force this year’s second and third Game 7s when they host the Canucks and Stars on Friday.

* Thursday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes on Toronto’s victory as well as tomorrow’s winner-take-all showdown at TD Garden.