The Stars found themselves in awe of Wyatt Johnston after the 20-year-old forward's dominant Game 3 performance prevented Dallas from going down 3-0 in its first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"What a player," head coach Pete DeBoer said after his team's 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night, according to The Associated Press. "He still can't get in the casino and play cards - he's not old enough. It's unbelievable."

"Really incredible play by one of ... the great young players, the next generation of stars of this league. I thought he was just outstanding tonight for a kid to be under 21 years old and be on that ice with that level of player and look like he did all night tonight, just an outstanding player."

Johnston scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, to get the Western Conference's top seed on the board in the series.

He's the youngest player in franchise history to score an OT postseason goal, surpassing Steve Ott, who was 21 years old when he played the hero during Game 3 of the 2004 Western Conference quarterfinals.

Johnston's excellent night wasn't limited to just the final scoresheet, either: He was credited with a team-high eight shots, nine scoring chances, and a whopping 15 shot attempts at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"Maybe he's gotta pass one of them, I don't know," veteran forward Tyler Seguin joked, per Bally Sports Southwest.

He added, "Seeing (Johnston) last year, and then how much he's evolved to this year - it's one thing being elite in the regular season but to do it in playoffs, at his age, that's great."

This is Johnston's second NHL campaign. He led the Stars with 32 goals and tied for third with 65 points in 82 contests during the regular season.

The Stars were up 2-0 at the midway mark of the middle frame Saturday, but the Golden Knights scored twice before the second intermission to tie things up. Vegas netminder Logan Thompson was outstanding, turning aside 43 of 45 shots before Johnston scored the dagger late in the extra frame.

"We have a kid here that's elite and won the game for us," Seguin said.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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The Stars found themselves in awe of Wyatt Johnston after the 20-year-old forward's dominant Game 3 performance prevented Dallas from going down 3-0 in its first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"What a player," head coach Pete DeBoer said after his team's 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night, according to The Associated Press. "He still can't get in the casino and play cards - he's not old enough. It's unbelievable."

"Really incredible play by one of ... the great young players, the next generation of stars of this league. I thought he was just outstanding tonight for a kid to be under 21 years old and be on that ice with that level of player and look like he did all night tonight, just an outstanding player."

Johnston scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, to get the Western Conference's top seed on the board in the series.

He's the youngest player in franchise history to score an OT postseason goal, surpassing Steve Ott, who was 21 years old when he played the hero during Game 3 of the 2004 Western Conference quarterfinals.

Johnston's excellent night wasn't limited to just the final scoresheet, either: He was credited with a team-high eight shots, nine scoring chances, and a whopping 15 shot attempts at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"Maybe he's gotta pass one of them, I don't know," veteran forward Tyler Seguin joked, per Bally Sports Southwest.

He added, "Seeing (Johnston) last year, and then how much he's evolved to this year - it's one thing being elite in the regular season but to do it in playoffs, at his age, that's great."

This is Johnston's second NHL campaign. He led the Stars with 32 goals and tied for third with 65 points in 82 contests during the regular season.

The Stars were up 2-0 at the midway mark of the middle frame Saturday, but the Golden Knights scored twice before the second intermission to tie things up. Vegas netminder Logan Thompson was outstanding, turning aside 43 of 45 shots before Johnston scored the dagger late in the extra frame.

"We have a kid here that's elite and won the game for us," Seguin said.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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The Stars found themselves in awe of Wyatt Johnston after the 20-year-old forward's dominant Game 3 performance prevented Dallas from going down 3-0 in its first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"What a player," head coach Pete DeBoer said after his team's 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night, according to The Associated Press. "He still can't get in the casino and play cards - he's not old enough. It's unbelievable."

"Really incredible play by one of ... the great young players, the next generation of stars of this league. I thought he was just outstanding tonight for a kid to be under 21 years old and be on that ice with that level of player and look like he did all night tonight, just an outstanding player."

Johnston scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, to get the Western Conference's top seed on the board in the series.

He's the youngest player in franchise history to score an OT postseason goal, surpassing Steve Ott, who was 21 years old when he played the hero during Game 3 of the 2004 Western Conference quarterfinals.

Johnston's excellent night wasn't limited to just the final scoresheet, either: He was credited with a team-high eight shots, nine scoring chances, and a whopping 15 shot attempts at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"Maybe he's gotta pass one of them, I don't know," veteran forward Tyler Seguin joked, per Bally Sports Southwest.

He added, "Seeing (Johnston) last year, and then how much he's evolved to this year - it's one thing being elite in the regular season but to do it in playoffs, at his age, that's great."

This is Johnston's second NHL campaign. He led the Stars with 32 goals and tied for third with 65 points in 82 contests during the regular season.

The Stars were up 2-0 at the midway mark of the middle frame Saturday, but the Golden Knights scored twice before the second intermission to tie things up. Vegas netminder Logan Thompson was outstanding, turning aside 43 of 45 shots before Johnston scored the dagger late in the extra frame.

"We have a kid here that's elite and won the game for us," Seguin said.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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Toronto Maple Leafs star winger William Nylander is back in the lineup for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Nylander sat out the first three games with an undisclosed ailment. It was reported Thursday that he's been dealing with severe migraines, though he opted not to shed any light on his injury when addressing the media Friday.

The Maple Leafs have been tight-lipped about Nylander's status, but Keefe explained there are reasons for secrecy in the NHL compared to other leagues.

"You're protecting your players," he said. "It's a very competitive and physical game, and you say guys don't target one another? Well, I've got news for you: They do. That's part of the game. So when you can protect the players and protect some information, why wouldn't you?"

Before the three games Nylander missed in this series, he last sat out with an injury in November 2016 when he was absent from a single contest due to an upper-body issue.

Nylander didn't attend Saturday's optional skate, but forgoing it is part of his normal game-day routine, per TSN's Mark Masters. He was a full participant in Friday's practice on a line with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok.

The 27-year-old tied a career high with 40 goals and set a new personal best with 98 points in 82 regular-season games.

Nylander has posted 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 50 playoff games since his debut in 2015-16. He collected two goals and seven points in 14 games during the two previous playoff series against the Bruins in 2018 and 2019.

The Bruins have a 2-1 series lead.

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The San Jose Sharks fired head coach David Quinn after two campaigns at the helm, the team announced Wednesday.

The Sharks finished in last place in the league this season with an abysmal 19-54-9 record.

"David is a good coach and an even better person," general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. "I would like to personally thank him for his hard work over these past two seasons. He and his staff did an admirable job under some difficult circumstances, and I sincerely appreciate how they handled the situation."

Grier added that there's no timeline to hire a new bench boss, per San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng. The executive hired Quinn to replace Bob Boughner in July 2022.

San Jose also parted ways with head athletic trainer Ray Tufts, who had been with the franchise since 1997-98.

Quinn had one season left on his contract, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

His second year behind the Sharks' bench was marred by two separate double-digit losing streaks, including an 11-game slump to start the campaign. San Jose then dropped 12 straight games in the winter.

Sandwiched between those two skids was an admirable 9-7-2 run.

The Sharks suffered through another horrendous stretch after the All-Star break in which they won just one game in 19 outings.

San Jose also became the first team to surrender 10 goals in back-to-back games since the 1965-66 Boston Bruins after being outscored 20-3 by the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins across two contests in early November.

The Sharks' .287 points percentage is the second-worst mark of the salary-cap era, beating just the 2019-20 Detroit Red Wings (.275).

The last time a team posted fewer than 20 wins in a full 82-game season was in 2001-02 when the Atlanta Thrashers went 19-47-11-5.

San Jose only had one 20-goal-scorer on its roster this season (Fabian Zetterlund), and only one player eclipsed the 50-point mark (Mikael Granlund).

"The roster was what it was," Grier told reporters Wednesday, including NBC Sports. "It wasn't a playoff team by any means. ... There were some things that I don't really want to get into too much that we would have liked to see (be) better. ... I just felt it was what we needed to do."

The rebuilding Sharks went 41-98-25 under Quinn's leadership and traded away several star players during his tenure, including Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl.

The 57-year-old coached the New York Rangers for three seasons (2018-21) prior to being hired by San Jose. The Rangers made the qualifying round in the 2020 playoff bubble but were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Sharks have missed the playoffs for five straight campaigns.

With Quinn's dismissal, there have been 16 NHL head coaching changes since the end of last season, per LeBrun.

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The Islanders will turn to goalie Ilya Sorokin for Thursday's Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes with New York down 2-0 in the series, head coach Patrick Roy announced Wednesday, per the New York Post's Ethan Sears.

Semyon Varlamov has started the first two games of the opening-round clash and has surrendered six goals on 63 shots, good for a .905 save percentage. The Hurricanes beat him twice in a span of nine seconds to seal the comeback victory in Game 2.

The 35-year-old has saved 2.2 goals above expected at all strengths in the series so far, per Natural Stat Trick.

"We knew we would have to use both goalies," Roy said, per NHL.com's Shawn P. Roarke. "They are both sharp and (Varlamov) faced a lot of shots in the last game, so it would be good to have someone fresh (Thursday)."

Sorokin posted a .909 save percentage and a 25-19-12 record during the regular season - a bit of a down year by his standards. He's appeared on the Vezina Trophy ballot in each of the past two campaigns and was the runner-up last season.

The Islanders leaned on Varlamov down the stretch as they forced their way into the playoff picture. He posted a sterling 8-1-1 record, .930 save percentage, and 2.09 goals against average in his last 10 games of the regular season. He had won his last five starts heading into the postseason.

Sorokin owns a career .925 save percentage, 2.70 goals against average, and 6-5 record across two playoff runs in 2021 and 2023.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are expected to be without defenseman Brett Pesce for the remainder of the series.

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Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce is expected to miss the rest of Carolina's first-round clash against the New York Islanders, head coach Rod Brind'Amour confirmed Wednesday, per the Raleigh News & Observer's Chip Alexander.

The blue-liner's status moving forward should Carolina advance to the second round is currently unknown, but he could be out of action for at least a few weeks with a noncontact, lower-body injury, a source told Alexander and Luke DeCock.

The Hurricanes hold a 2-0 series lead, with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Pesce exited during the second period of the Hurricanes' 5-3 comeback victory in Game 2. He appeared to be in some discomfort after a seemingly routine play in Carolina's zone and ended up being ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Brind'Amour told reporters after the game that Pesce's injury wasn't "looking good."

Pesce has pitched in with one assist and a team-leading three blocks in these playoffs so far.

The 29-year-old logged three goals and 13 points in 70 outings during the regular season while averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time per contest.

Pesce once again spent the bulk of his time on a pairing with Brady Skjei this season. The Hurricanes dictated 58.3% of the shot attempts and 53.2% of the expected goals with the duo on the ice at five-on-five, though they got outscored 40-37, per Natural Stat Trick.

Tony DeAngelo was paired with Skjei during Wednesday's skate.

The Hurricanes selected Pesce in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. He can become an unrestricted free agent this summer after playing out the final season of a six-year deal with a cap hit of $4.025 million.

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Brad Marchand is deeply familiar with Boston's first-round opponent, but he doesn't think these are the same Toronto Maple Leafs that his Bruins have dismantled in prior postseasons.

"They're playing a really good, playoff-type game right now," he said Tuesday. "You knew they would. They're built different than in the past years. They're playing a lot more physical, very committed to forechecking, playing very tight defensively. So, you've got to give them credit. They're one of the top teams for a reason. And then when you add their offensive ability on top of that, they're a tough team to play right now.

"We're seeing it. ... It's a very tight playoff series. We knew it was going to be a battle. They've shown up. They're playing for keeps. It's a good challenge."

Marchand has clashed with the Leafs in the playoffs three other times in his career, first in 2013 and then in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019. The Bruins won each of those series in seven games, and Marchand has totaled seven goals - including two game-winners - and 21 points in 21 contests over that span.

The veteran winger has logged three assists through two games so far in this series.

The Bruins took Game 1 in a 5-1 decision, but the Maple Leafs answered with a 3-2 victory on Monday. It's been a wildly physical affair so far, with the teams combining for exactly 200 hits. Boston holds a narrow edge with 103 hits to Toronto's 97.

Though the series is tied, the Maple Leafs have tilted the ice in their favor through the first two contests. Toronto has dictated 58.3% of the shot attempts, 68.2% of the scoring chances, 57% of the expected goals, and 65.8% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

Marchand said he doesn't think the Bruins have played up to their full capabilities just yet.

"We can be better for sure. ... We can definitely prove our game and put a better showing out there," he said.

The series shifts to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday.

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Lindy Ruff has already spent a combined 25 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres as a player and head coach, but his latest stint with the franchise is personal.

"I think I understand ... how great this city is when you have a successful hockey club. ... It would mean a lot to have this group of players experience what I was able to experience as a player and as a coach," the bench boss said Tuesday during his introductory press conference. "This building shook in some of the playoff series."

Ruff played 608 games with the Sabres from 1979-89, then returned to serve as head coach from 1997 to 2013. Buffalo made the playoffs eight times with him at the helm, including three trips to the conference finals and one to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Sabres extended their playoff drought to 13 seasons after missing out on the postseason by seven points. The last time they played beyond the regular season was in 2011 when Ruff was nearing the end of his first tour behind Buffalo's bench.

Ruff, whom the New Jersey Devils fired in early March, made it clear he didn't say yes right away when the Sabres called.

"I was questioning myself, 'Why would I do this?'" he said. "Then I came to a point, 'Why wouldn't I?' Because I'm a risk-taker. I think if there's no risk, there's no reward. I'm putting myself in that position."

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams spoke to double-digit candidates after firing Don Granato last Tuesday but soon landed on Ruff as the right person for the job.

"I truly believe that he's the person to take us to the next level," Adams said. "Our players are craving it, we're excited about it, and the hard work begins now."

Ruff knows that shifting the Sabres' culture to a winning one won't be easy, but he believes he's a "much better coach" now than when he first left Buffalo.

"The only thing we can say is, when we hit camp, we're going to prove that we're going to get to the next level," Ruff said.

"I want (the players) to love playing here," he added. "I want them to love playing for each other, and I want them to love being a Buffalo Sabre for Sabres fans that I think are some of the greatest in the league. How are we gonna get there? We're going to have to earn it from Day 1. ... We're gonna have to step on the ice when the season starts and earn the respect of everybody."

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The Los Angeles Kings' 7-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night marked their 14th playoff meeting in the last three years, and veteran defenseman Drew Doughty thinks it was his team's "poorest" showing yet.

"We're a much better team than that. We're a very good, solid two-way team," he said postgame. "We don't usually give up that many chances. We've always had good goaltending here, but we also do a good job making it easier for the goalie in this organization. Tonight, we did not. ... (Cam Talbot) made a ton of great saves, too, so you can't be putting any blame on him.

"It's all the guys in front of him."

The Oilers outshot the Kings 45-37 while holding a 23-16 edge in high-danger chances at all strengths, per Natural Stat Trick. Edmonton also converted on three of its four power-play chances, while the Kings failed to score on two opportunities.

All of those stats were uncharacteristic of Los Angeles in the regular season. The Kings boasted the NHL's second-best penalty kill (84.6%) while conceding the third-fewest goals per game (2.56) and fourth-fewest shots per contest (28). They also allowed 10.57 high-danger chances per 60 minutes at all strengths, placing them among the stingiest teams in the league.

Doughty said he was surprised by the amount of mistakes the Kings made against Edmonton.

"That's not our motto; that's not the way we play. It's frustrating," he said.

"We're letting their top guys get way too much speed and just go through the neutral zone like it's nothing," Doughty explained. "It's tough on the D when those guys are flying. We gotta fix that, and we know that."

The Kings won Game 1 against the Oilers in 2022 and 2023 but went on to lose both Game 2s and the series as a whole.

Doughty is looking forward to the opportunity Wednesday's rematch will bring.

"It's a seven-game series. You've got to (be the) first to four," he said. "We're down 1-0 but we can easily make it 1-1 next game. ... Just have a short memory and be ready to win the next one. That's it."

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