Panthers Off to 2025 Stanley Cup Final

For the third straight season, the Florida Panthers are the NHL's Eastern Conference champion. The Panthers closed out their most recent best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series in five games, by defeating the host Carolina Hurricanes, 5-3, last night in the Eastern Conference final.

Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) scored Florida's second goal, his first of the series after recording six assists over the first three games, to tie matters at two as the Panthers overcame an early 2-0 deficit with three straight second-period goals. Florida native Shayne Gostisbehere (Union) assisted on Carolina's third goal to knot the contest midway through the third period, but Florida tallied the final two goals to put the game and the series to rest.

Florida advances to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final to take on the winner of the Western Conference Final, with Edmonton leading Dallas, three games to one, in that series.

ADDENDUM: Edmonton ousted Dallas in five games to set up a rematch of last year's final, won by Florida in seven games.

Oilers Take Three-to-One Series Lead

Jake Oettinger (Boston University) made 29 saves in goal, but it wasn't enough as the visiting Dallas Stars fell to the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1, last night in Game Four of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series. Edmonton now leads the NHL's Western Conference final, three games to one, with a potential series-ending Game Five slated for Dallas on Thursday. 

Jake Walman (Providence) assisted on the final goal by Edmonton, one of two empty-net scores in the final minutes of play. The Oilers led 1-0 after one period and 2-1 after two periods, but lost Zach Hyman (Michigan) to injury in the opening stanza. Hyman tallied two goals in a 6-1 win in Game Three for Edmonton, and has five goals in all this postseason.

Minnesota Wins Second Straight PWHL Title

Liz Schepers (Ohio State) scored off a rebound 12 minutes into overtime to lift the Minnesota Frost to a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge in Game Four of their best-of-five PWHL final series on Monday. Minnesota took the best-of-five series, three games to one, to claim its second consecutive Walter Cup as league playoff champion, with Schepers scoring the clinching goal both years.

Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern) earned the Ilana Kloss Trophy as playoff MVP after making 36 saves in defeat. Tereza Vanisova (Maine) scored Ottawa's lone goal to force OT, after Kelly Pannek (Minnesota) tallied first for the Frost. Minnesota's Lee Stecklein (Minnesota) led all PWHL playoff scorers with eight points in seven games, on four goals and four assists.

Memorial Day 2025

 

USA Wins First Worlds Men's Gold in 92 Years

Tage Thompson (UConn) scored just over two minutes into 3-on-3 overtime to lift the United States to a 1-0 victory over Switzerland today in the 2025 IIHF World Championship gold medal game in Stockholm, Sweden. It is the first men's World's gold for the U.S. since 1933, while the Swiss finished second for the fourth time overall.

Logan Cooley (Minnesota) and Brady Skjei (Minnesota) assisted on Thompson's goal, while Jeremy Swayman (Maine) stopped 25 shots in net for Team USA. Sweden took third this year by defeating Denmark in the bronze medal game, while Canada, Czechia, Finland and Austria rounded out the top eight. Next year's tournament will be held in Switzerland.

Muckalt Takes Over at Michigan Tech

Former Michigan Tech assistant coach Bill Muckalt (Michigan) is the new head coach of the Huskies. He takes over for Joe Shawhan, who led Tech the last seven seasons and compiled an overall record of 154-120-29, plus four NCAA tournament berths.

Muckalt, 50, from Surrey, BC served as head coach of NCAA Division I independent Lindenwood last season, leading the Lions to an 8-22-2 mark. It was his first collegiate head coaching job after stops as an assistant at Tech from 2011 to 2015, and as associate at Michigan from 2017 to 2023. He also served as head coach in juniors with New Mexico (NAHL) and Tri-City (USHL), winning a Clark Cup championship with the latter. 

Muckalt played at Michigan from 1994 to 1998, winning two NCAA titles while recording 105 goals and 121 assists for 226 points before embarking on a five-year NHL career with Vancouver, the New York Islanders, Ottawa and Minnesota, in which he tallied 40-57—97 points in 256 regular-season outings. 

Cats Top Canes in Eastern Conference Opener

A.J. Greer (Boston University) notched the game-winning goal in the second period, and the defending NHL champion Florida Panthers routed the host Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2, in tonight's Eastern Conference Final opener. 

Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) picked up an assist on Florida's fourth goal, as the Panthers won for the ninth time this spring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Carolina's Jackson Blake (North Dakota) scored the game's final goal late in the third period on a power play, assisted by Shayne Gostisbehere (Union).  The Hurricanes outshot the Panthers, 33-20, on the night, but were behind by a goal after 20 minutes and down by three after 40 minutes.

Florida is in its third straight conference final, having won the last two plus last year's Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes have lost 13 straight conference final contests, an NHL record. Game Two is Thursday night in Raleigh.

Toronto, Winnipeg Stay Alive in NHL Playoffs

One Canadian NHL team has already moved on to the next round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while two others have managed to stay alive.

In Miami last night, the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs got 22 saves from Joseph Woll (Boston College) and an insurance goal by Max Pacioretty (Michigan) in blanking the defending champion Florida Panthers, 2-0, in Game Six of that Eastern Conference series. The deciding Game Seven will be played Sunday night in Toronto.

On Thursday, the host Winnipeg Jets stayed alive with a 4-0 shutout of the Dallas Stars in Game Five of that matchup. Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) stopped all 22 shots he faced, while Kyle Connor (Michigan) posted two assists for the Jets. Game Six is in Dallas tonight, with the Stars still leading the series, three games to two. The winner will face Edmonton, which ousted Vegas in five games, in the Western Conference final.

ADDENDUM: Hellebuyck made 18 saves, and Connor came up with another assist, but Winnipeg was eliminated by Dallas, 2-1, in overtime in Game Six. Florida ousted Toronto with a 6-1 victory in Game Seven of that series.

2025 Stanley Cup Second Round Rolls On

Three second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series have edged closer to completion.

On Monday, the host Carolina Hurricanes topped the Washington Capitals, 5-2, to take a three games to one lead in that Eastern Conference matchup. Carolina's Shayne Gostisbehere (Union) had a goal in that game, assisted by Eric Robinson (Princeton). Jack Roslovic (Miami) later assisted on the game-winning goal.

Also that night out west, the Edmonton Oilers took their own three games to one lead with a 3-0 shutout of the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. Zach Hyman (Michigan) assisted on Edmonton's second goal, and now has five assists and eight points through 10 playoff games so far this spring.

Last night, Jake Oettinger (Boston University) made 31 saves to lead the host Dallas Stars to a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, extending the Stars' Western Conference series advantage to three games to one. Kyle Connor (Michigan) assisted on Winnipeg's lone goal.

Edmonton will try to wrap up its series tonight, while Washington and Dallas will attempt to do the same tomorrow. Florida plays at Toronto tonight, seeking to take a three games to two lead in that affair. 

ADDENDUM: Defending champion Florida routed Toronto, 6-1, to move one win away from advancing. Nate Schmidt (Minnesota) had two assists for the Panthers. 

Kings, BGSU's Blake Part Ways

The Los Angeles Kings parted ways with former NHL defenseman Rob Blake (Bowling Green) last week after he served the past eight seasons as vice president and general manager. The Kings did not win a Stanley Cup Playoff series during his tenure, and were eliminated by Edmonton in the first round the last four years, despite 309 regular-season wins overall in his tenure as GM.

Blake, 55, played 20 years in the NHL, notching 240 goals and 537 assists for 777 points and 1,679 penalty minutes in 1,270 regular-season games with Los Angeles, Colorado, and San Jose before retiring in 2010. He also added 26-47—73 points and 166 PIM in 146 playoff outings, and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001. He won the Norris Trophy in 1998 as the NHL's best defenseman, and also earned an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2002, plus gold and silver medals at the IIHF World Championship in his career.

The 6-4, 220-pound blueliner from Simcoe, Ont., was drafted 70th overall by the Kings in 1988 following his freshman season at Bowling Green. In three seasons with the Falcons, he notched 39-65—104 points and 368 PIM in 131 appearances, while helping BGSU to three NCAA tournaments. He also earned First Team All-America accolades as a junior after collecting 23-36—59 points and 140 PIM in 1989-90 in his final NCAA campaign.

After retiring as an active player, Blake returned to the NHL in 2013-14 with the Kings as assistant general manager and vice-president of hockey operations, before being elevated to GM in 2018. He also served as general manager with Manchester (AHL) and Ontario (AHL) in his time with Los Angeles.

USA Blanks Denmark in 2025 Worlds Opener

Seattle's Matty Beniers (Michigan) scored twice in Team USA's 5-0 win over co-host Denmark yesterday to open the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship in Herning, Denmark. 

Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) and Boston's Mason Lohrei (Ohio State) each had a goal and an assist, as Utah's Michael Kesselring (Northeastern) set up both of their goals. Seattle's Joey Daccord (Arizona State) stopped all 26 shots he faced for the shutout.

The United States will next take on Hungary on Sunday at 6:20 a.m. ET (NHL Network), also at Jyske Bank Boxen.

ADDENDUM: The U.S blanked Hungary, 6-0, but then lost to Switzerland, 3-0. 

Woll, Oettinger Star in Stanley Cup Second Round

Two former Hockey East goaltenders staked their teams to series advantages in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night.

Joseph Woll (Boston College) made 25 saves as the host Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the defending NHL champion Florida Panthers, 4-3, to extend their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series lead to two games to none. The visiting Dallas Stars got 29 saves from Jake Oettinger (Boston University) as they edged the Winnipeg Jets, 3-2, in the opener of their best-of-seven Western Conference series.

The other two Stanley Cup series resume tonight, with Carolina at Washington in the East, and Edmonton at Vegas in the West.

Former NCAA Skaters Score NHL Playoff Winners

Zach Hyman (Michigan) notched the game-winning goal in the third period as the Edmonton Oilers rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to top the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-2, last night in Nevada. The Oilers, the defending NHL Western Conference champions, have now won five consecutive postseason games, and lead the second-round best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series, one game to none.

In the Eastern Conference, the visiting Carolina Hurricanes took a one-to-nothing series lead with a 2-1 overtime win last night over the Washington Capitals. Jacob Slavin (Colorado College) scored the game-winner in the extra session for the Canes, who have won their last three playoff contests.

Toronto Tops Florida in Series Opener

Matthew Knies (Minnesota) scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal with six minutes remaining in regulation, and Joseph Woll (Boston College) made 17 saves in relief to earn the win in the host Toronto Maple Leafs' 5-4 victory over the defending NHL champion Florida Panthers last night. The Leafs now lead the best-of-seven second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, one game to none.

Woll came in midway through the contest after starter Anthony Stolarz (Omaha), who had played every minute of the playoffs so far for the Maple Leafs, left with an injury and possible concussion after stopping eight of nine Florida shots. His return for Game Two in Toronto is questionable.

Max Pacioretty (Michigan) assisted on two goals as the Leafs took a 4-1 lead halfway through regulation. Nate Schmidt (Minnesota) assisted on Florida's third goal, which pulled the Panthers to within 4-3 at the time, before Knies, who also registered an assist on the night, finished off a partial breakaway less than 10 minutes later. 

Shots on goal were 29-29 overall, while Florida went 1-for-3 on the power play and Toronto finished 0-for-5. The Maple Leafs won the faceoff battle (36-24), and also blocked more shots (24-11).

Winnipeg Wins Game 7 vs. St. Louis in Double OT

The Winnipeg Jets are alive and well. The St. Louis Blues are finished for the season.

Down 2-0 early on, and behind 3-1 with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, the host Jets tallied two goals to knot matters, and then scored late in the second overtime to oust St. Louis, 4-3, in Game Seven of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series on Sunday night. Winnipeg advances to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs against Dallas, which defeated Colorado in seven games.

Kyle Connor (Michigan) set up three goals for the Jets, as did Neal Pionk (Minnesota-Duluth), with both assisting on the winning goal just over 16 minutes into the second extra session. Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) overcame a rough start to finish with 26 saves and pick up his fourth win of the 2025 postseason, all at home. Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) assisted on the first goal by the Blues, who won all three games in St. Louis in their return to the NHL postseason for the first time since 2023.

U.S. Wins 2025 U-18 Bronze Medal

Arizona State commit Ben Kevan scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the United States to a 4-3 victory over Slovakia in the 2025 IIHF U-18 Men's World Championship bronze medal game yesterday in Frisco, Texas. 

Will Moore, a Boston College commit who led all U.S. skaters in the tournament with three goals and eight assists for 11 points, posted three assists against Slovakia. Notre Dame commit Patrick Quinlan made 23 saves in goal in the victory, and finished with a 4-1 record in the tournament.

Canada won U-18 gold for the second straight season, blanking Sweden by a 7-0 count in the title contest.

Blues Force Game Seven with Jets

The St. Louis Blues have forced a deciding Game Seven to close out the first round of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The host Blues routed visiting Winnipeg, 5-2, on Friday night to knot their first-round series at three wins apiece. The home team has won every game in the best-of-seven Western Conference series so far.

Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota), Justin Faulk (Minnesota-Duluth), Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) and Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) all recorded assists for the Blues, who broke open a tie game with three consecutive goals in just over two minutes in their four-goal second period. Kyle Connor (Michigan) and Mason Appleton (Michigan State) set up goals for the Jets, who got 18 saves from Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) before he was pulled for the third straight game in Missouri, after surrendering all five St. Louis scores tonight.

Game 7 will be Sunday night in Winnipeg. The winner will go on to face the winner of the only other first-round NHL playoff series still being contested—Colorado and Dallas, who will play their own Game 7 tonight in Texas.

Three More NHL First Round Series Finished

The first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs is down to two series, after three others were decided Thursday night.

Toronto finished off host Ottawa, 4-2, to claim that series in six games. Max Pacioretty (Michigan) tallied the game-winning goal and also had an assist for the Maple Leafs, who had lost the last two games. Team captain Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) had one goal for the Senators, who were playing in the NHL postseason for the first time since 2017. Toronto will now take on defending Stanley Cup champion Florida in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Zach Hyman (Michigan) registered a goal and an assist for Edmonton as the Oilers topped Los Angeles, 6-4, to close out that series in six games. It marks the fourth year in a row that Edmonton has eliminated LA, which had won the first two games of this series, in the playoffs. 

Vegas finished off host Minnesota, 3-2, in the sixth and final game of that series. Jack Eichel (Boston University) notched a goal and an assist for the victorious Golden Knights, who will now face Edmonton in the Western Conference semifinals.

Colorado stayed alive with a 7-4 triumph over visiting Dallas. Cale Makar (Massachusetts) tallied three points and Brock Faber (North Dakota) had two assists for the Avalanche, who forced a winner-take-all Game Seven on Saturday night in Texas. Jake Oettinger (Boston University) finished with 41 saves for the Stars in defeat.

U-M, MSU Help Winnipeg to Win in Game Five

Kyle Conner (Michigan) scored one goal and set up two others, and Mason Appleton (Michigan State) had three assists as the Winnipeg Jets won Game Five of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, 5-3, over visiting St. Louis last night. The Jets now lead the best-of-seven series, three games to two.

Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) finished with 16 stops in earning the win for Winnipeg, after being pulled in the previous two games in St. Louis. Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota) scored the second goal yesterday for the Blues, who will try to stave off elimination tomorrow night at home in Game Six.

Two other series ended last night, both wrapping up in five games. Washington upended Montreal, 4-1, despite 24 saves by Jakub Dobes (Ohio State), while defending NHL champion Florida ousted Tampa Bay, 6-3. Carolina had previously advanced to the second round after besting New Jersey in five games, while the remaining four Stanley Cup Playoff series could all end tonight.