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).

NCAA Players Step Up in 2025 NHL Playoffs

Three more Stanley Cup Playoff series were extended on Saturday, with contributions from several former NCAA players.

Vegas topped Minnesota, 4-3 in overtime on the road, knotting that best-of-seven series at two wins apiece, as Reilly Smith (Miami) assisted on the game-winning goal. Jack Eichel (Boston University) assisted on the game-opening goal for the victorious Golden Knights. 

In Colorado, the host Avalanche tied their series at two games each with a 4-0 blanking of Dallas as Brock Nelson (North Dakota) set up two goals for the home team. Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) also had an assist for the Avs, while Jake Oettinger (Boston University) stopped 31 of 34 shots for the visiting Stars before giving way to Casey DeSmith (New Hampshire), who stopped 13 of 14 shots. 

Host Ottawa staved off elimination with a 4-3 OT win over Toronto, which had won the first three games of the series. Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) scored the game-winner from long distance in the extra session, and also assisted on the Senators' first goal, as did team captain Brady Tkachuk (Boston University). Shane Pinto (North Dakota) scored a shorthanded goal for the Sens, while Adam Gaudette (Northeastern) assisted on Ottawa's third goal. Matthew Knies (Minnesota) scored Toronto's second goal, while Anthony Stolarz (Omaha) finished with 17 stops in goal for the Maple Leafs.

Tampa Bay topped defending NHL champion Florida, 5-1, on Saturday in Game Three of their series, thanks to a goal and two assists from Jake Guentzel (Omaha), while Luke Glendening (Michigan) also scored for the Lightning. The host Panthers, who got an assist from Evan Rodrigues (Boston University) still leads the series, two games to one.

Two Series End, Two Go On in 2024 NHL Playoffs

Two first-round NHL playoff series were extended, and two other series ended tonight in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The visiting Toronto Maple Leafs stayed alive with a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins in overtime Tuesday. Matthew Knies (Minnesota) notched the game-winning goal in the extra session, while Joseph Woll (Boston College) made 27 saves in all for Toronto, which had lost the last two games to the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman (Maine) had 31 stops for Boston, which now leads the Eastern Conference series, three games to two. The winner will take on the defending conference champion Florida Panthers, who eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning last night in Game Five of that series.

The visiting Nashville Predators edged the Vancouver Canucks, 2-1, to stay alive in their Western Conference series. Quinn Hughes (Michigan) assisted on the Canucks' lone goal, while Gustav Nyquist (Maine) helped set up Nashville's game-winning goal in the third period. The road team has won the last four games so far in the series, with Vancouver now leading, three games to two. The victor will meet the winner of the Edmonton Oilers-Los Angeles Kings series, with Edmonton currently ahead there, three games to one.

The Winnipeg Jets saw their 2023-24 campaign come to a close with a 6-3 loss to the visiting Colorado Avalanche in Game Five of their Western Conference tilt. The Avalanche, who won the last four games of the series after dropping the opener nine days prior, got two assists from Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) and one apiece from Cale Makar (UMass) and Casey Mittelstadt (Minnesota). Kyle Connor (Michigan) notched one goal for Winnipeg, while Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 26 saves for the Jets, who outshot, outhit and won more faceoffs on the night than Colorado. The Avs will await the winner of the Dallas Stars-Vegas Golden Knights series, which is tied at two games apiece.

The host Carolina Hurricanes ousted the New York Islanders with a 6-3 win in Game Five of their Eastern Conference series. Jack Drury (Harvard) scored the game-winner early in the third period for the Hurricanes, who tallied the game's final three goals after the Islanders had rebounded to force a three-all tie after 40 minutes of play. Brady Skjei (Minnesota) had two assists in the final 20 minutes for Carolina, which scored eight seconds apart in that stanza to regain the lead. Brock Nelson (North Dakota) scored one goal and set up another for New York, which was eliminated by the Hurricanes in the first round for the second straight spring. Carolina will now face the top-seeded New York Rangers, who swept the Washington Capitals in their first-round matchup.

Hughes, Faber, Knies Sign with NHL Clubs

The exodus of NCAA hockey underclassmen to the NHL continues.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) signed an entry-level contact with the New Jersey Devils last week after Michigan was eliminated by Quinnipiac in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday. The 19-year-old defenseman from Canton, Mich. leaves Michigan having tallied 27 goals and 60 assists for 87 points in 80 career games over the last two years. A first-team All-America choice this season as a sophomore, he led the Wolverines to two Big Ten Tournament titles and two Frozen Four appearances, and was drafted fourth overall by New Jersey in 2021.

Brock Faber (Minnesota) left college hockey after three seasons by signing with the Minnesota Wild shortly after the Golden Gophers fell to Quinnipiac in overtime in the NCAA title game on Saturday. A 20-year-old defenseman from Maple Grove, Minn., who was drafted 45th overall in 2020, Faber notched 7-46—53 points in 97 career outings with the Golden Gophers. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons in helping Minnesota to two Frozen Fours, earned 2022-23 First Team All-America accolades, and also represented the United States at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.

Also signing recently was sophomore Matthew Knies (Minnesota), who inked an entry-level deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Drafted 57th overall in 2021, the 20-year-old forward from Phoenix, Az. collected 36-39—75 points in 73 career appeaances with the Golden Gophers, and along with linemate Logan Cooley was a top-three finalist this season for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top player. Knies was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year and a First Team All-American this season, and was a 2022 U.S Olympian.

Hughes and Faber are both products of the U.S. National Team Development program in Plymouth, Mich., while Knies played junior hockey with Tri-City (USHL). All three skaters are expected to make their NHL debuts this week as the league's regular season concludes, with the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning next Monday.

ADDENDUM: Hughes made his pro debut in New Jersey's 6-2 win over visiting Buffalo on April 11. Two nights later, he tallied his first NHL goal/point, scoring the game-winner in overtime to lift the Devils to a 5-4 victory at Washington. Faber went scoreless in his first two games with the Wild, while Knies had one assist over his first three appearances with Toronto.

2023 Hobey Hat Trick Announced

The three finalists for the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey have been announced. All three candidates in the Hobey Hat Trick are forwards from the Big Ten Conference, and all three will play in the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa next week in search of a national championship.

Logan Cooley (Minnesota), a freshman from Pittsburgh, ranks second in the NCAA with 57 points, on 20 goals and 37 assists through 37 games, and leads the nation with a plus-37 plus-minus rating. Selected third overall by Arizona in the 2022 NHL Draft, Cooley, 18, helped Minnesota to its second straight Big Ten regular-season title this year, and posted a goal and four assists in the Fargo (N.D.) Regional won by the Golden Gophers last weekend.

Adam Fantilli (Michigan), a freshman from Nobleton, Ont., leads the nation in scoring with 64 points, and is second with 29 goals in 35 games. He helped Michigan to its second  straight Big Ten tournament title earlier this month, and had two goals and an assist in two games as the Wolverines won the Allentown (Pa.) Regional last weekend. Fantilli, 18, is eligible for this summer's NHL Draft.

Matthew Knies (Minnesota), a sophomore from Phoenix, has notched 21-20--41 points through 38 contests this season.  Drafted 57th overall by Toronto in 2021, Knies, 20, has put up 36-38—74 points in 71 total outings so far with the Golden Gophers.

The Hobey Baker Award will be presented to this year's winner on April 7, between the NCAA semifinals and the national title game. Michigan faces Quinnipiac in the first game on April 6 at 5 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena, followed by Minnesota versus Boston University. The two semifinal winners will meet on April 8 for the NCAA championship.

U.S. Men's Hockey Edges Germany at Beijing OIympics

The United States men's hockey team outlasted Germany by a 3-2 count on Sunday at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. The Americans thus finished round-robin pool play with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record, and also finished first in Group A following earlier victories over host China and rival Canada.

After spotting Germany an early one-goal lead, the Americans responded with three consecutive scores from Steve Kampfer (Michigan) in the first period, Matt Knies (Minnesota) in the second stanza, and then Nathan Smith (Minnesota State) in the final frame to offset a late German goal in regulation for the victory. Smith became the first Florida native to ever score a goal in Olympic hockey, while U.S. goaltender Drew Commesso (Boston University) made 24 saves for his second win in as many career Olympic starts.

Team USA is scheduled to meet the winner of Germany and Slovakia in the quarterfinals, beginning on Feb. 16 at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium.

Canada, U.S. Win 2022 WJC Openers

Both Canada and the United States got off to winning starts at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta on Sunday.

Powered by a hat trick from defenseman Owen Power (Michigan), host Canada began matters with a 6-3 victory over the Czech Republic. The top draft choice in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Power scored two power-play goals, and is the first Canadian defenseman to ever score three goals in a single WJC contest. 

The U.S., the defending WJC champion, opened up the new tournament by edging Slovakia, 3-2. Matthew Knies (Minnesota), Matthew Samoskevic (Michigan) and Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame) scored goals for Team USA, while goaltender Drew Commesso (Boston University) finished with 23 saves.

The Americans will now take on Switzerland in Red Deer on Wednesday, while Canada will face off with Austria in Edmonton later that same day.

ADDENDUM: Team USA has forfeited its game to Switzerland, after two American players tested positive for COVID, which forced a mandatory team quarantine. According to IIHF.com, "the result of the game will be recorded as a 1-0 win for Switzerland by forfeit in accordance with the IIHF Rule Book." The U.S. is tentatively scheduled to play Sweden on Thursday.