The Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 series lead against the New York Islanders with a 3-2 win in Thursday's Game 3.
Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov found the back of the net in the first period to give the Hurricanes a lead they wouldn't surrender.
After starting Semyon Varlamov for the first two contests, the Islanders turned to Ilya Sorokin for Game 3. He was pulled before the halfway mark after allowing three goals on 14 shots.
Varlamov stopped all eight shots he faced in relief.
Carolina has earned one series sweep since the team moved from Hartford in 1997. The Hurricanes beat the Islanders in four games in the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New York looks to avoid elimination in Game 4 on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
The Winnipeg Jets are looking to prove the doubters wrong in the first round against the Colorado Avalanche.
"There's been some talk, obviously, that maybe we aren't where we're supposed to be, and we know that we are," forward Nikolaj Ehlerssaid Sunday. "So we wanna show ourselves and prove to each and every guy in here that we got what it takes to be a Stanley Cup champion."
Ehlers confirmed the team is using a comment from the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast as bulletin board material entering Round 1, according to TSN's John Lu.
"I had a player in the NHL on a team currently sitting in a playoff spot tell me that the Winnipeg Jets are the biggest frauds in the league and that they'll lose in the first round," podcast host and former NHLer Ryan Whitney said on the March 1 edition of the show.
Meanwhile, forward Mason Appleton reiterated his team's self-belief.
"This is the hungriest I've seen this group," Appleton said, per the Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre. "We really have a lot of belief in this room and in this team."
That belief goes all the way to head coach Rick Bowness, who noted he likes this iteration of his team more than last year's entering the postseason.
"This team is far better prepared going into the playoffs today this year than we were last year," Bowness said, according to The Athletic's Murat Ates. "As I mentioned, we were scrambling to get in, and it just felt like that scramble carried through, through the playoffs."
He added: "So again, I think it's a more confident group. It's a deeper group, it's a tighter group, and we'll see that come into play. And I just feel going into these playoffs that we're much better prepared."
The Jets face the Avalanche in Game 1 on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin will miss the entire first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets with a lower-body injury, the team announced Saturday.
Drouin scored 19 goals and a career-high 56 points in 79 games this season as he rekindled chemistry with junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon.
The 29-year-old left Colorado's regular-season finale Thursday and didn't return. The Avalanche were already locked into a matchup against the Jets.
Here’s what’s knocked out Jonathan Drouin. Didn’t look too bad, but guess we’ll see. Hope it’s just precautionary #GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/oYJ0LAtvZp
The Colorado-Winnipeg series commences Sunday. Should the series go the distance, Game 7 is scheduled for May 4.
Drouin has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times, most recently in 2020 with the Montreal Canadiens. He has six goals and 21 points in 33 career postseason contests.
The 2023-24 NHL regular season was one of the best in recent memory.
With chaos in the standings until the final days, unexpected breakouts from numerous players, and dramatic storylines with long-term impacts, it was truly a campaign to remember.
Here are six surprises from the regular season as we wait for the playoffs to begin Saturday.
Canucks soar to Pacific Division title
Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty
Coming into the season, the Vancouver Canucks were viewed as potential challengers for a wild-card spot but were considered firmly behind Pacific Division rivals like the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and L.A. Kings.
Even the team's staunchest supporters didn't see a division title and near Presidents' Trophy campaign in the offing. But here we are.
Vancouver's turnaround has been swift. With Jack Adams favorite Rick Tocchet at the helm, the Canucks have gotten star performances from top players Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser, with the first two legitimate contenders to win major end-of-season awards.
The Canucks' 26-point improvement from 2022-23 is the most league-wide, eight more than the Florida Panthers in second. It's a drastic jump, and it means Vancouver will host playoff games for the first time in nine years.
Devils crumble with injuries, goaltending woes
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The New Jersey Devils were among the most positive surprises a season ago, going from bottom five to top five in the league standings.
With a young roster boasting exciting offensive talent, most pictured the Devils to continue their rapid rise. In fact, New Jersey was the popular pick to claim the division in theScore's preseason predictions.
Progression isn't always linear, and the Devils found that out this season. New Jersey tumbled down the standings to finish the campaign with just 81 points - a massive 31-point drop from the year prior, the largest in the NHL.
Jack Hughes missed 20 games, but the key loss was ultimately Dougie Hamilton. The veteran defenseman was injured in late November and didn't play again, missing 62 games in total.
That absence, combined with abhorrent goaltending from Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Nico Daws, has given New Jersey a reality check heading into an important offseason.
Reinhart, Hyman surpass 50 goals
Megan Briggs / Getty Images Sport / Getty
If you asked someone in September to name the players who'd score 50 goals in 2023-24, you'd have waited a while for a mention of Zach Hyman. You'd probably still be waiting to hear Sam Reinhart's name.
The two wingers crushed their previous career bests with remarkable campaigns.
Reinhart, whose previous career high was 33, sniffed 60 with a 57-goal season. It was a contract year for the ages, as the 28-year-old finished second in the "Rocket" Richard Trophy race.
Then there's Hyman, who has netted over 25% of his career goals this year alone. The 31-year-old's 54-goal campaign is a great example of hard work paying off.
Oilers falter early, charge back into contention
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
The Oilers were 10 points out of a playoff spot at American Thanksgiving. A team that was expected to contend for the Stanley Cup was closer to the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks in points than the second wild-card spot.
And yet, the Oilers end the season second in the Pacific Division and will host a first-round playoff series.
It didn't come easy: Edmonton needed a near NHL-record 16-game winning streak to leap back into contention.
The early-season woes cost bench boss Jay Woodcroft his job. Connor McDavid's former OHL coach, Kris Knoblauch, was tabbed to take the reins, and the team has flourished under his watch.
As the Oilers gear up for the playoffs and celebrate McDavid's 100 assists and Hyman's 50 goals, it's easy to forget just how close 2023-24 came to utter disaster.
Welcome to the NHL ... Utah?
Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
An Arizona Coyotes relocation isn't a surprise in itself. Most assumed it was a matter of time if an arena solution didn't come to fruition.
But Arizona seemed to be in it for the long haul just a few weeks ago when the team announced a commitment to win a land auction and build an arena.
Then, out of left field, reports emerged that the NHL was preparing two schedules for the 2024-25 season: one with the Coyotes in Arizona, and one with the team in Salt Lake City. Within days, the relocation to Utah was all but officially announced.
The franchise had been surrounded by relocation rumors in recent years, but it's the sudden nature of the move that makes it one of the season's biggest surprises and certainly the one with the biggest long-term effect on the league.
Lindgren leads Caps back to playoffs
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
In the summer of 2022, the Washington Capitals signed two goaltenders to multi-year contracts.
The first, Darcy Kuemper, was coming off a Stanley Cup triumph with the Colorado Avalanche. Naturally, he received the headlines with his prior success and $26.25-million commitment.
The second flew under the radar. After a stellar season in the AHL and impressive NHL results in a tiny five-game sample, the Capitals rolled the dice on Charlie Lindgren on a three-year contract at a minuscule $1.1-million cap hit, presumably to be a backup.
Fast forward two seasons and it's Lindgren, not Kuemper, who's leading the Capitals back to the playoffs.
The numbers since March, as Washington pushed to make the postseason, are telling:
Player
Games
Record
SV%
Shutouts
Lindgren
22
13-7-2
.916
3
Kuemper
4
0-2-0
.869
0
Given Kuemper's experience and cap hit, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him take over if Lindgren falters early against the New York Rangers. But entering the postseason, there's no doubt it's Lindgren's crease.
Few saw the Capitals as a playoff team at the start of the season. Nobody envisioned it would be on the back of Lindgren.
The Montreal Canadiens have exercised head coach Martin St. Louis' option and extended him for an additional two seasons, the team announced Wednesday.
St. Louis is now under contract through the 2026-27 campaign.
"He's very impressive, he's the right person for what we're doing here, and not a day goes by we're not happy with him," vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton told reporters, including The Athletic's Arpon Basu.
St. Louis, 48, was hired by Montreal midway through the 2021-22 season after the firing of Dominique Ducharme. Since taking over, the Canadiens are 75-100-26 and have finished last in the Atlantic Division all three seasons.
The Hall of Famer has been lauded for his work with young players. Cole Caufield blossomed under St. Louis' tutelage after rookie season struggles with Ducharme, and first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky broke out in the second half this season.
Macklin Celebrini topped NHL Central Scouting's final rankings on Tuesday.
Celebrini maintains his spot at No. 1 among North American skaters from the mid-term rankings. The Vancouver native has been the projected first overall pick all season.
A standout at Boston University, Celebrini tallied 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games as a freshman this season. He became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award as the most outstanding player in NCAA men's hockey.
Celebrini also starred with Canada's world junior team in December, leading the squad with four goals and eight points in five games.
"It's truly impressive how he is able to thrive in every environment he plays, possessing that rare ability with his skills and passion to face every challenge head-on and generate results all the while making himself a better player," vice president of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said.
Here are the top 10 North American skaters:
Final Rank
Mid-Term Rank
Player
Position
Nationality
Team
1
1
Macklin Celebrini
C
🇨🇦
Boston University (NCAA)
2
2
Artyom Levshunov
RHD
🇧🇾
Michigan State (NCAA)
3
3
Cayden Lindstrom
C
🇨🇦
Medicine Hat (WHL)
4
4
Zeev Buium
LHD
🇺🇸
Denver (NCAA)
5
10
Zayne Parekh
RHD
🇨🇦
Saginaw (OHL)
6
5
Trevor Connelly
LW
🇺🇸
Tri-City (USHL)
7
7
Sam Dickinson
LHD
🇨🇦
London (OHL)
8
9
Berkly Catton
C
🇨🇦
Spokane (WHL)
9
11
Tij Iginla
C
🇨🇦
Kelowna (WHL)
10
19
Michael Hage
C
🇨🇦
Chicago (USHL)
On the international side, defenseman Anton Silayev jumps to the No. 1 spot after impressing in the KHL.
"It's not often you find a 6-foot-7, 211-pound defenseman capable of moving like him with his smooth and active skating stride," NHL director of European scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "He seems to be ready to play in the NHL almost immediately."
Here are the top 10 international skaters:
Final Rank
Mid-Term Rank
Player
Position
Nationality
Team
1
2
Anton Silayev
LHD
🇷🇺
Torpedo (KHL)
2
3
Ivan Demidov
RW
🇷🇺
SKA-1946 (MHL)
3
1
Konsta Helenius
C
🇫🇮
Jukurit (Liiga)
4
4
Adam Jiricek
RHD
🇨🇿
Plzen (Czechia)
5
6
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
RW
🇳🇴
Mora (SWE-2)
6
5
Emil Hemming
RW
🇫🇮
TPS (Liiga)
7
11
Leo Sahlin Wallenius
LHD
🇸🇪
Vaxjo (J20)
8
7
Aron Kiviharju
LHD
🇫🇮
HIFK (Liiga)
9
9
Igor Chernyshov
LW
🇷🇺
Dynamo (KHL)
10
16
Linus Eriksson
C
🇸🇪
Djurgarden (SWE-2)
Mikhail Yegorov of the USHL's Omaha Lancers paces North American goaltenders, while Finland's Eemil Vinni tops international netminders.
The 2024 NHL Draft takes place June 28-29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
"We have met with Logan Mailloux multiple times over the course of the last 8-10 months," the league said. "We are comfortable that he recognizes the gravity of his prior conduct and is committed to making better and more responsible decisions in the future."
Mailloux is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, his club announced.
In November 2020, Mailloux was charged and fined for invasion of privacy and defamation in Sweden after photographing a woman without consent during a sexual encounter, identifying her to teammates, and sharing pictures with them.
Montreal recalled Mailloux after Monday's overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings. He played three preseason games with the team in September.
The Canadiens controversially drafted Mailloux 31st overall in the 2021 draft. Mailloux had withdrawn from the draft, stating he didn't feel he'd demonstrated the maturity or character to have the privilege of being drafted, but Montreal still selected him.
Team owner Geoff Molson said the decision was a mistake days after the draft.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly noted in November 2022 that Mailloux wasn't yet eligible to play in the NHL.
Mailloux has 14 goals, 47 points, and 89 penalty minutes in 70 games this season with the AHL's Laval Rocket. He leads all AHL rookie defensemen in scoring.
The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Don Granato, the team announced Tuesday.
Granato, 56, took over as Sabres head coach midway through the 2020-21 campaign. Buffalo went 122-125-27 with him behind the bench, failing to make the playoffs all four seasons.
"I would like to thank Don for his time in Buffalo and commitment to the Sabres organization," general manager Kevyn Adams said. "He has been integral in the development of many of our players and has undoubtedly been the right coach to bring us to where we are now, but I felt it was necessary to move in a different direction at this point in time.
"My expectation is to be a consistent contender, and unfortunately, that goal has not been met."
The Sabres finished sixth in the Atlantic Division with 84 points and a 39-37-6 record. Buffalo was expected to challenge for a playoff spot after a strong end to the 2022-23 season. The team finished one point back of the Florida Panthers for the second wild-card spot last year.
Granato is the seventh head coach the Sabres have fired in the 13 straight years they've missed the playoffs. He joins Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, and Ralph Krueger.
The Downers Grove, Illinois, native was under contract through the 2025-26 season after inking a two-year extension in October 2022.
The Sabres also dismissed assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith.
The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Don Granato, the team announced Tuesday.
Granato, 56, took over as Sabres head coach midway through the 2020-21 campaign. Buffalo went 122-125-27 with him behind the bench, failing to make the playoffs all four seasons.
"I would like to thank Don for his time in Buffalo and commitment to the Sabres organization," general manager Kevyn Adams said in a statement Tuesday morning. "He has been integral in the development of many of our players and has undoubtedly been the right coach to bring us to where we are now, but I felt it was necessary to move in a different direction at this point in time.
"My expectation is to be a consistent contender, and unfortunately, that goal has not been met."
Hours later, Adams elaborated with more pointed remarks. The GM said his team is "craving accountability and structure," according to The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn.
Adams also had a message for his players.
"It's go time," he said. "It's time to perform on an individual level and a team level."
The executive added that previous NHL head coaching experience will be "important" as he chooses Granato's successor, per Spectrum News 1's Rachel Hopmayer.
The Sabres finished sixth in the Atlantic Division with 84 points and a 39-37-6 record. Buffalo was expected to challenge for a playoff spot after a strong end to the 2022-23 season. The team finished one point back of the Florida Panthers for the second wild-card spot last year.
Granato is the seventh head coach the Sabres have fired in the 13 straight years they've missed the playoffs. He joins Lindy Ruff, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, and Ralph Krueger.
The Downers Grove, Illinois, native was under contract through the 2025-26 season after inking a two-year extension in October 2022.
The Sabres also dismissed assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith.
The Florida Panthers announced Monday they signed general manager Bill Zito to a multi-year contract extension.
Zito, 59, also now becomes the Panthers' president of hockey operations.
"From his first day as a Panther, Bill has demonstrated his complete commitment to success both on and off the ice," owner Vincent Viola said. "He has worked steadfastly and tirelessly to establish a new standard of excellence for our franchise. The future has never looked brighter in South Florida and we are thrilled that Bill will continue to lead the way."
Zito was hired by the Panthers in 2020 after seven seasons as an assistant GM with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Florida has made the playoffs each season with Zito at the helm, including a Presidents' Trophy in 2022 and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2023.
The Pittsburgh native has twice been a finalist for the GM of the Year award. On Friday, he was named an assistant GM on Team USA's staff for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics.
Zito's marquee move to date is the acquisition of star forward Matthew Tkachuk in 2022, which sent franchise stalwart Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and a first-round pick to the Calgary Flames.
