Elias Pettersson took responsibility for a performance he feels cost his Vancouver Canucks a chance to win Game 2 against the Nashville Predators.

Pettersson made a couple of plays he regretted in the 4-1 loss. He hit the side of the goal with a wide-open cage and a golden opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds of the first period.

"I just knew I had an open net, and I think the puck stood on high edge, but either way, I've got to score," he said postgame.

Later, the Swede coughed up the puck at his own blue line, and Colton Sissons made him pay to give the Predators a 3-0 lead.

"I put us in a bad spot with my mistake on their third goal, (that) can't happen," Pettersson said before reiterating his regret about the open-net miss. "If I score in the first period, and it's a 1-1 game, maybe it's a different outlook."

Pettersson put the defeat squarely on his shoulders.

"I'm always my biggest critic, and I take a lot of blame for this one," he said.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet defended Pettersson but also offered some constructive criticism of the talented forward.

"He's a young kid," the bench boss said. "This is his first taste of pressure ... this is good for him ... He's got to dust himself off and be ready for Game 3. He's got to be very decisive with the puck. I want to see him shoot the puck ... but I think he'll be fine."

Pettersson will have a chance to redeem himself on Friday night when the Predators host the Canucks with the series tied at one game apiece.

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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko wasn't in the crease for Game 2 of their first-round series against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night due to injury. Veteran backup Casey DeSmith started in his place.

Demko is questionable for the rest of the series, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet added that Demko's latest ailment "wasn't the old injury" but a day-to-day issue, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.

Despite not being the same injury, it involves the same knee that caused him to miss 14 games late in the regular season, reports TSN's Farhan Lalji. Demko returned for the final two contests of the schedule, earning a win over the Calgary Flames last Tuesday and losing to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Demko didn't take part in the Canucks' optional skate Tuesday and didn't practice Monday. He also wasn't made available to reporters following Vancouver's Game 1 victory Sunday because he was receiving treatment.

Demko is a Vezina Trophy candidate this season. He posted a .918 save percentage while going 35-14-2 in 51 contests.

DeSmith went 12-9-6 with an .896 save percentage across 29 games in 2023-24. His only playoff experience to date was the "Spicy Pork and Broccoli" game in May 2022, which he exited with an injury, forcing Louis Domingue to come in and ultimately win for the Pittsburgh Penguins in triple overtime.

Rookie Arturs Silovs, the Canucks' other goalie, played five NHL games last season and four more this campaign. The 23-year-old Latvian went 3-0-1 with an .881 mark over his four appearances in 2023-24.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have inked backup goaltender Ivan Fedotov to a two-year contract extension at an average annual value of $3.25 million, the club announced Tuesday.

Fedotov joined the Flyers in late March after CSKA Moscow terminated his KHL pact. He got into three games in April, going 0-1-1 while allowing 10 goals on 53 shots. The Russian only started one of those contests, giving up four tallies in a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on April 5.

His new cap hit will be nearly $2 million more than that of Samuel Ersson ($1.45 million), according to CapFriendly. Ersson took the reins as the Flyers' No. 1 netminder this season. Ersson signed a two-year extension of his own last August.

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said upon Fedotov's arrival that Ersson was still the starter. While their roles for 2024-25 remain unclear, Fedotov's new deal all but guarantees he'll be part of the tandem going forward.

CSKA inked Fedotov to a two-year contract last July before terminating the agreement with one year remaining. He simultaneously had a pre-arrival pact with the Flyers after signing a two-year deal with them in May 2022. That made him a pending unrestricted free agent before he re-upped with Philadelphia on Tuesday.

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Sheldon Keefe believes his Toronto Maple Leafs simply weren't disciplined enough in their 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Saturday.

"Two high sticks, that's just carelessness," he said postgame, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ty Anderson. "This time of year, you can't allow your stick to get up like that."

Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi was called for a high stick on Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm late in the first period, and Auston Matthews was penalized for one on blue-liner Charlie McAvoy in the second. Toronto escaped the first unscathed, but Jake DeBrusk scored his first of two goals in the game to make it 3-0 with Matthews in the box.

Keefe also criticized Max Domi for slashing Bruins winger Brad Marchand on the wrist, saying Domi "can't do that," according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa.

The Bruins went 2-for-5 on the power play in the game. DeBrusk netted his second of the contest less than three minutes after his first on Domi's infraction.

Toronto was 0-for-3 with the man advantage, and Keefe said postgame his power-play units were "not good."

The Bruins ranked 14th with the man advantage in the regular season, while the Leafs slotted in seventh. Boston had the seventh-best penalty kill over the 82-game schedule, and Toronto ranked 23rd.

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Monday night at Boston's TD Garden.

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Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin made a rather startling revelation about Brock Faber as he met with the media Friday for the final time this season.

"Brock's been playing with fractured ribs for two months," Guerin said. "That's the type of kid he is. He never complained ... he could've been out of the lineup a number of times, and he just wasn't."

"I'll take him with one rib," Wild head coach John Hynes joked.

Earlier on Friday, Faber told reporters he's skipping the upcoming World Championship due to injuries.

Faber excelled as a rookie despite the injury. He led all players in the class in average ice time, logging 24:58 per contest - three and a half minutes more than fellow Calder Trophy contender Luke Hughes. Faber tied Connor Bedard for first among rookies in assists (39) and matched Hughes for second among the group in points (47).

Guerin praised the 21-year-old Wild blue-liner Friday for earning a critical role in his first NHL campaign.

"He has emerged as a top-pairing defenseman - he was our top defenseman this year," the GM said. "That is an unbelievably good thing for our organization going forward."

The Wild acquired Faber from the Los Angeles Kings along with a first-round pick (which they used to select Swedish forward Liam Ohgren) for winger Kevin Fiala in June 2022. The Kings drafted him 45th overall two years earlier.

Faber was born in the Wild's home state and played three seasons at the University of Minnesota, captaining the team in 2022-23 and leading it to the NCAA championship game.

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The Arizona Coyotes went out on a high note, prevailing 5-2 over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in what's likely the final game of this iteration of the franchise.

The crowd at Mullett Arena in Tempe cheered throughout the final minute, and the Coyotes broadcasters went silent for roughly the final 20 seconds.

The players took turns embracing a veteran team staffer and then gathered at center ice to salute the fans who held on until the end.

The players also stayed on the ice to give their jerseys to some fans.

Defenseman Sean Durzi potted an empty-netter with 4:15 remaining to score the Coyotes' final goal before the franchise relocates. Young phenom Dylan Guenther netted the club's last goal against a netminder, burying a power-play marker just over a minute earlier.

Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, and Liam O'Brien produced the other goals for Arizona. Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele tallied for the Oilers.

The Coyotes finish the season sitting second last in the Central Division at 36-41-5.

Earlier Wednesday, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith essentially confirmed the Coyotes' impending move to Salt Lake City and his imminent purchase of the club. The NHL Board of Governors is reportedly scheduled to meet Thursday at 3 p.m. ET to approve the sale.

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The Arizona Coyotes went out on a high note, prevailing 5-2 over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in what's likely the final game of this iteration of the franchise.

The crowd at Mullett Arena in Tempe cheered throughout the final minute, and the Coyotes broadcasters went silent for roughly the final 20 seconds.

The players took turns embracing a veteran team staffer and then gathered at center ice to salute the fans who held on until the end.

The players also stayed on the ice to give their jerseys to some fans.

Defenseman Sean Durzi potted an empty-netter with 4:15 remaining to score the Coyotes' final goal before the franchise relocates. Young phenom Dylan Guenther netted the club's last goal against a netminder, burying a power-play marker just over a minute earlier.

Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, and Liam O'Brien produced the other goals for Arizona. Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele tallied for the Oilers.

The Coyotes finish the season sitting second last in the Central Division at 36-41-5.

Earlier Wednesday, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith essentially confirmed the Coyotes' impending move to Salt Lake City and his imminent purchase of the club. The NHL Board of Governors is reportedly scheduled to meet Thursday at 3 p.m. ET to approve the sale.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes went out on a high note, prevailing 5-2 over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in what's likely the final game of this iteration of the franchise.

The crowd at Mullett Arena in Tempe cheered throughout the final minute, and the Coyotes broadcasters went silent for roughly the final 20 seconds.

The players took turns embracing a veteran team staffer and then gathered at center ice to salute the fans who held on until the end.

The players also stayed on the ice to give their jerseys to some fans.

Defenseman Sean Durzi potted an empty-netter with 4:15 remaining to score the Coyotes' final goal before the franchise relocates. Young phenom Dylan Guenther netted the club's last goal against a netminder, burying a power-play marker just over a minute earlier.

Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, and Liam O'Brien produced the other goals for Arizona. Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele tallied for the Oilers.

The Coyotes finish the season sitting second last in the Central Division at 36-41-5.

Earlier Wednesday, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith essentially confirmed the Coyotes' impending move to Salt Lake City and his imminent purchase of the club. The NHL Board of Governors is reportedly scheduled to meet Thursday at 3 p.m. ET to approve the sale.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes went out on a high note, prevailing 5-2 over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in what's likely the final game of this iteration of the franchise.

The crowd at Mullett Arena in Tempe cheered throughout the final minute, and the Coyotes broadcasters went silent for roughly the final 20 seconds.

The players took turns embracing a veteran team staffer and then gathered at center ice to salute the fans who held on until the end.

The players also stayed on the ice to give their jerseys to some fans.

Defenseman Sean Durzi potted an empty-netter with 4:15 remaining to score the Coyotes' final goal before the franchise relocates. Young phenom Dylan Guenther netted the club's last goal against a netminder, burying a power-play marker just over a minute earlier.

Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, and Liam O'Brien produced the other goals for Arizona. Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele tallied for the Oilers.

The Coyotes finish the season sitting second last in the Central Division at 36-41-5.

Earlier Wednesday, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith essentially confirmed the Coyotes' impending move to Salt Lake City and his imminent purchase of the club. The NHL Board of Governors is reportedly scheduled to meet Thursday at 3 p.m. ET to approve the sale.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes went out on a high note, prevailing 5-2 over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in what turned out to be the final game of this iteration of the franchise.

The crowd at Mullett Arena in Tempe cheered throughout the final minute, and the Coyotes broadcasters went silent for roughly the final 20 seconds.

"It was a great atmosphere, and the fans really made it unbelievable," star forward Clayton Keller said, per Coyotes team reporter Patrick Brown. "They've supported us through a lot of ups and downs, and through all the noise they've always had our backs. We're super thankful for that."

The players took turns embracing a veteran team staffer and then gathered at center ice to salute the fans who held on until the end.

The players also stayed on the ice to give their jerseys to some fans.

"It's super surreal," rookie Logan Cooley said. "There were a lot of emotions coming to the rink, and coming to Mullett for the last time. It was a little sad, (I) started my career here. It's pretty special, and the fans showed out so I'm happy we got the win for them."

Defenseman Sean Durzi potted an empty-netter with 4:15 remaining to score the Coyotes' final goal before the franchise relocates. Young phenom Dylan Guenther netted the club's last goal against a netminder, burying a power-play marker just over a minute earlier.

Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, and Liam O'Brien produced the other goals for Arizona.

"It was a great effort," Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny said. "Those guys were unbelievable. In the toughest environment, against top teams in the league, with a lot of adversity, a lot of questions, a lot of wondering, a lot of worries. ... The way they played, the way they fought, the way they focused on every game, and they played structured, they played with heart, and they played with passion. I'm impressed, and I'm really proud of them."

Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele tallied for the Oilers.

The Coyotes finish the season sitting second last in the Central Division at 36-41-5.

Earlier Wednesday, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith essentially confirmed the Coyotes' impending move to Salt Lake City and his purchase of the club.

The NHL Board of Governors met Thursday and formally approved the move.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.