Matthew Knies scores on Jeremy Swayman to win Game 5 in overtime for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports The rubber hit the road for eight teams in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs Tuesday night, with four series threatening elimination for teams dealing with a 3-1 series deficit.  By the time the first two games were played Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs avoided having their season ended with a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins, while the New York Islanders went home for the summer after losing to Carolina 6-3. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets were at home in a tight b ..read more

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has provided fans with plenty of entertaining hockey. This is especially the case with goaltending, as multiple NHL clubs have used their backup netminders for various reasons. Let's look at each backup and third-string goaltender who has made at least one appearance during this year's playoffs so far and rank them based on their season to this point, with an emphasis on their post-season performance.  6. Arturs Silovs, Vancouver Canucks With Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith both unavailable due to injury, third-string goaltender Arturs Silovs m ..read more

Winnipeg Jets players stand for the national anthems before Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports At this point in the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, six teams are facing a 3-1 series deficit.  That brings to mind the question – which teams have the best chance of coming back and moving on to the second round?  Here’s one writer’s point of view, in order from least likely to most likely: Toronto Maple Leafs: Very unlikely The Boston Bruins thoroughly dismantled the Maple Leafs in a pivotal Game 4 Saturday night in Toronto. The series moves on to Game 5 Tuesd ..read more

For many NHL teams, just making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs is a relief of sorts. But for some, it's just delaying the inevitable.  As the Florida Panthers demonstrated last season, you can squeak into the post-season and then turn into a legitimate Cup threat. But that’s the exception to the rule, and two teams that currently are more or less where the Panthers were at the end of last season show a different side to just making it into the playoffs.  We’re talking about the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, both of which are on the road to being swept in their first-rou ..read more

Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos look around the NHL and beyond in The Hockey News Pre-Game Show. This edition of the show kicks off with a discussion of the NHL's move to Salt Lake City, Utah and what the future looks like for the league. From there, Ryan and Michael shift to the incoming Stanley Cup Playoffs and they give their thoughts and picks for each of the first-round matchups. The show is then joined by remote guest and Boston Bruins team-site writer Belle Fraser. She talks with the guys about the Bruins' upcoming first-round contest with the Toronto Maple Leafs, pleasant surprises f ..read more

The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are just about here. In the case of the Eastern Conference, the post-season picture is now confirmed.  As we do every season, we’ll analyze each of the four first-round series in each conference and give you our personal picks to move on to the second round. (Playoff seedings in parentheses) Max Pacioretty and Igor Shesterkin Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports New York Rangers (1) vs. Washington Capitals (WC2) Why the Rangers could win: The Rangers won this season’s Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the league through 82 games. Nothing we’ve seen from the Capi ..read more

Michael Traikos and guest-host David Alter look around the NHL and beyond in The Hockey News Pre-Game Show. This Saturday night show opens with all things Leafs. David and Michael discuss whether this is the best version of  Auston Matthews we've seen, playoff line combinations and more. Then it's onto Hart Trophy discussion of who will take it home, plus a look at the teams that just missed the playoffs and who should be the most upset over it. The show then welcomes Coyotes team-site editor Remy Mastey to discuss the teams' reported move to Salt Lake City and what it means for hockey i ..read more

Mika Zibanejad is helped off the ice after a collision against the New York Islanders on April 9. Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports The New York Rangers' Stanley Cup hopes may have been dealt a blow on Tuesday when Miikka Zibanejad left the third period of a 4-2 loss after colliding with New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. And according to Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, they were "vicious" blows. When asked about Zibanejad's health status, Laviolette used the opportunity to tell reporters what he really thought of the not-so-accidental hit. "He came back at the end, yeah, from that vi ..read more

Sidney Crosby and Alex Nedeljkovic Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports The 2023-24 NHL season has come into its final weeks and many teams are looking ahead to either their impending playoff journey or an off-season of potential change. There are some teams, however, that are still trying to sneak into the post-season and keep their dreams alive. In the Eastern Conference, there are multiple teams still in the race for a wild-card berth. These teams include the Flyers, Islanders, Red Wings and Penguins. Pittsburgh specifically, looked as if they were out of the picture before having a stellar mo ..read more

Alex Ovechkin Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports As the end of the NHL’s 2023-24 regular season plays out, certain things jump out about particular teams. And in the case of the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, one of those things could well determine whether or not they qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.  It's their shootout record, and it's not good.  Yes, if they never needed the shootout in the first place, their struggles in the skills competition would be moot. But they have needed the shootout, and just a smidge more success would have put them ahead in an Eastern Con ..read more