Oh ah Silfverberg, say oh ah Silfverberg. After 12 seasons in the NHL, Jakob Silfverberg announced his retirement from the NHL and returned to his native Sweden this past season, where he had quite the year. In his return to his boyhood club, the former Anaheim Duck led Brynäs in both goals scored (23) and points (47). He was also fourth in the SHL in both goals and points.

Brynäs finished top of the league in their return to the SHL after being promoted from the HockeyAllsvenskan, their first time outside of the top flight in over 50 years. After taking down Malmö in the quarter-final and making quick work of Skellefteå in the semi-final, they came within two games of winning the SHL Championship in their first year back.

With the series tied at two apiece, Luleå overwhelmed Brynäs with the duo of Pontus Andreasson and Brian O'Neill up front and Frédéric Allard on the backend. Silfverberg had 13 points in 17 playoff games, including two goals in the finals, but it wasn't enough.

Ducks' Silfverberg can be proud of impression he's leftJakob Silfverberg concludes his 12-year NHL career tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Despite the loss in the finals, Silfverberg's performance in his return to the SHL was recognized, as he won the SHL regular season MVP, Swedish Gentleman of the Year (Rinkens Riddare) and Årets schysstaste spelare, the SHL's version of the Lady Byng Trophy, which is voted for by players in the SHL. Silfverberg finished the regular season with zero penalty minutes, an impressive feat.

"I am extremely grateful that I get to coach such a humble and nice player as Jakob Silfverberg," Brynäs head coach Niklas Gällstedt said in a team statement (translated from Swedish).

His first season back in the SHL is almost everything Silfverberg could have asked for. He probably would say he wished that they could have won the league title to top it all off, but it was as perfect a return as it could have been otherwise. Silfverberg was presented with his SHL MVP and schysstaste spelare award by his parents, Christina and Jan-Erik, and was able to celebrate with his wife, Clara, and their two kids.

Silfverberg will play for Brynäs again in 2025-26 after originally signing a two-year deal following the 2023-24 season. He will play alongside Ducks prospect Lucas Petterson, who joins from MoDo. Former Brynäs star Nicklas Bäckström is also rumored to be returning to the team where he began his pro career, much like Silfverberg. Bäckström's contract with the Washington Capitals expires this summer, and while he hasn't played in a game in almost two years, a return home would be an appropriate way to conclude his playing career.

Ducks Prospect Swaps Swedish ClubsLucas Pettersson, a 2024 draft pick by the Ducks, has signed a two-year contract with Brynäs IF in the SHL.

"I think (Petterson is) in a good spot (in Brynäs)," Ducks assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting Martin Madden said. "He's going to be well surrounded by Silfverberg for sure."

“I’ve even said it from day one when we moved over,” Silfverberg said in April 2024. “We had a really special year my last year (with Brynäs). We ended up winning the championship with a fairly young team, a lot of guys that I played against in the NHL here and stayed in close touch with. I even said 12 years ago that before I get too old and too slow, I’d like to come back and make a strong push and do this again.”

Featured image caption: Apr 18, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg (33) celebrates with team mates after the Ducks defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Related articles:

Ducks Assistant GM Martin Madden Talks Prospects

Five Ducks Medal at 2025 Worlds

The Anaheim Ducks' Pitch to Mitch Marner in Free Agency

Alexander Nikishin is going to be a special player.

Three games into his NHL career and that already feels like a bygone conclusion.

Sure, he was one of the most hyped up prospects in a long time, but there's a huge difference between playing in the KHL and the NHL.

But honestly, based on what we've seen so far, we should perhaps just throw away the 'going to be' part, because this hasn't just been 'playing in the NHL.'

This isn't just some random mid-January game against the Anaheim Ducks, this is the Eastern Conference Final, in do-or-die games, yet Nikishin already like an NHL regular.

The rookie defenseman has played north of 18 minutes in back-to-back games, filling in on the team's top four in the absence of Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker.

He's looked calm, composed and just unfazed by the whole situation.

You'd never guess that he had just three North American games under his belt with no training camp nor preseason experience.

The play he made to spring Logan Stankoven for the game-winning goal in Game 4? Just ridiculous.

An absolute dart from Logan Stankoven 🎯😮‍💨

(via @NHL)pic.twitter.com/h5BywBdntE

— BarDown (@BarDown) May 27, 2025

And just the all around defensive game he showed against the defending Stanley Cup champs has been more than impressive.

"I just like that he's not rattled and that he's just going out there and playing," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Sometimes these young kids come over and come in, even rookies, they don't realize the moment and how big it is. They're just playing hockey. Sometimes it takes a couple years to realize, 'Oh this is pretty important,' you know? He looks like he's unfazed. I don't know. I can't really tell you, but he's doing a great job for us."

It wasn't like it was an immediate fit for Nikishin either, who had to wait several weeks for the chance to make his NHL debut.

He was the first guy to jump into the lineup when Chatfield went down with injury, but in that game against the Washington Capitals, he turned the puck over multiple times and was just constantly in the wrong spots.

"His first game wasn't very positive," Brind'Amour said. "It was a little rough. But now he looked like he's played more than one game in North America."

So what gives?

Well, for one, Nikishin has had plenty of time to learn the systems since coming over to North America in April.

"[Assistant coach Tim Gleason] has worked with him daily on how we want to play," Brind'Amour said. "He knows how to play even with the language issues. He's picking it up really quickly and it's been a month now. He's been here and everyday he's going through stuff. That's really encouraging for an organization standpoint and for us trusting him."

But there's also just the fact that he's had the opportunity to get the butterflies out and now he knows that he's being counted on in an important situation.

And at the end of the day, elite players rise to the occasions.

"I was really proud of how from one game to the next, it changed," Brind'Amour said. "We have a good one there for sure."

Hindsight is 20/20, but with the way Nikishin is playing, it really makes you wonder if he could have made a difference in those first two games.

"We went to him and it was a rough first outing, but obviously he's seizing the moment right now," Brind'Amour said.

"It's a tough time of the year to come in as a rookie and play minutes like that, so it's huge," said Jaccob Slavin. "The games that they played tonight were awesome and I'd say a big congrats to Niki on his first point. That's awesome and happy for him."

Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories!

Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.  

The Florida Panthers are heading back on the road again.

Florida had an opportunity to knock out the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night, but the Cats couldn’t get the job done.

Credit to the Hurricanes, who played their best game of the series while holding the potent Panthers scoreless, winning 3-0 after a couple empty-net goals.

It’s a step in the right direction for Carolina, who still have quite a bit of work to do if they’re going to climb back into this series.

The last time Florida held a 3-0 series lead, they were playing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final a couple weeks later. We’ll see how much they learned from that experience in the coming days.

Let’s get to the Game 4 takeaways:

PANTHERS TRIED TO BE PERFECT

During many of Florida’s offensive zone opportunities, the Panthers were unable to complete some pretty tough cross-zone passes and came up with nothing to show for them.

That was a recurring theme throughout the game, with Carolina doing an excellent job of clogging up the passing lanes while also blocking 15 shots.

When the Panthers try to do too much and come out of their usual fluid game, things can look a little deliberate and disjointed, and that’s what happened at times on Monday.

“We were looking for something, or looking for something better, and you will always play a slow game when you do that,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.

MUCH TO TAKE FROM LOSS

One thing Maurice has said often during his tenure behind Florida’s bench is that you learn far more from a loss than you do from a win.

Well, based off the Panthers performance in Game 4, the team’s collective IQ should be going up by a couple of points.

The night absolutely belonged to Carolina.

They imposed their will, their pace and their style of play on the Panthers during much of the night, and it showed in how ineffective Florida was compared to the rest of the series.

“I am exceptionally happy with the learning opportunity,” said Maurice. “I'm not screwing around with you. I believe there's consistent things in games that we don't love, and you cannot eradicate those. Give Carolina credit, they were quick, they closed the gap, blocked some shots, hustled real hard. They played a great game for them in terms of style, and when I say for them, I mean in terms of the style that they play, I thought they were very consistent with their game plan.”

POWER PLAY STRUGGLES

During the first two games of the series, Florida was lights out when on the man advantage.

The Panthers went 4-for-5 on the power play to start the series, and that’s saying something.

Carolina had the league’s best penalty kill during the regular season, and they kept for the first two rounds of the playoffs, killing off 28 of the 30 power plays they faced.

Well, it appears that the Canes have snapped back into form.

During the two games in Florida, the Panthers were a paltry 0-for-8 on the power play, generating a total of seven shots on goal during those opportunities.

“Our power play right now is slightly disjointed,” said Maurice. “When you lose Sam Reinhart, he’s a really big piece to that, but it has still found a way to get some action and score some goals. We still put good players out there. I also don't think against their kill, that formula of a power play is as important, because their kill is like ours. There's so much pressure there, it's broken play, you might as well just play like it's five on five and see what you come up with.”

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Hurricanes blank Panthers in Game 4 to stay alive in Eastern Conference Final

3 Panthers Who Must Shine In Game 4 vs. Hurricanes

Injuries causing Panthers to make several lineup changes ahead of Game 4 against Carolina

Panthers can punch ticket to third straight Stanley Cup Final with Game 4 win over Carolina

Panthers' Evan Rodrigues Makes Playoff History In Game 3

Photo caption: May 26, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) reaches for the puck during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With the IIHF Men's World Championship wrapped up - and Canada, shockingly, having lost Thursday to Team Denmark - Pittsburgh Penguins GM and POHO Kyle Dubas can shift his focus from managing Team Canada fully to the coaching search for his NHL club.

With a round of interviews already in the rearview, it's about time for a choice to be made. Dubas said upon Mike Sullivan's departure that a new coach would likely be named in early June.

And, on May 26, a clear frontrunner is seemingly emerging.

Mitch Love - assistant coach for the Washington Capitals - has already spoken with the Penguins and the Seattle Kraken about their head coaching vacancies. Dubas and company seemed to be impressed by Love in his first interview, which means he is likely headed for the next phase.

If the Penguins have the option to hire Love as their head coach - and he's willing to take the job - he's absolutely the right choice.

Love began his coaching career in 2011, when he helmed the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was with the Silvertips until 2018, when he became the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades and led the team to a playoff berth in his first season there. 

Two Names Emerge In Penguins' Head Coaching SearchThe NHL head coaching carousel is beginning to pick up some steam across the league, as the

He was in Saskatoon for three seasons - compiling a .667 win percentage - before he moved on to the Stockton Heat, who are now the Calgary Wranglers. Leading the Flames' AHL affiliate, this is when Love's coaching resume really solidified itself, as he won Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 and led the team to the ninth-best finish in AHL history in that first season.

His success in Calgary led to him landing a gig with the Capitals as their defensive coach in 2024-25, where he helped maximize the potential of blueliners like Jakob Chychrun, who had a career year with 20 goals and 47 points in 74 games. 

Love seems to check all the boxes. He has experience working with defensemen, and the Penguins' blue line is in dire need of some TLC. His resume spans more than a decade. He's a younger, fresh face at just 40 years old.

Coaching Conclaves: Who Should Be Annointed Next Penguins' Head Coach?The Vatican conclave to elect a new Pope has officially concluded, but there are other conclaves generating buzz around the National Hockey League.

And, perhaps, most importantly, he has a track record of success in developmental leagues, which is something Dubas has specified they would be looking for in a head coach.

“We'll have deep questions as we go through the process on what their experience has been developmentally,” Dubas said after Sullivan's departure. "Sully had that. Sully was in player development with Chicago, he coached in the American League, an [NHL] assistant coach...that's something I think, especially now in the salary cap era, you have to be developing your own guys."

There is a pretty good chance that Pittsburgh will hire the 23rd head coach in franchise history sometime within the next week. If that happens, don't be surprised if Love's name is the one announced.

'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike SullivanOn Monday,

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!       

EDMONTON – Put the brooms back in the closet, we have a series.

The Edmonton Oilers nearly discovered who they were (potentially) playing in the Stanley Cup Final – should they arrive there themselves.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. 

On Monday night, the Carolina Hurricanes kept their postseason alive with a 3-0 victory over the Florida Panthers. They were propelled to victory with goals from Logan Stankoven, Sebastian Aho, and Jordan Staal.

Goaltender Frederik Andersen is in the middle of a Stuart Skinner-esque comeback, earning a shutout on Monday night.

Trending Oilers Stories

4 Reasons There Needs To Be A Connor McDavid BiopicEDMONTON – Movies are forever.

'I F------ Love Bob': Troy Stecher's Unhinged In-Game Interview

Oilers Playoff Injury Report: Brown, Pickard, Ekholm

'He's Been Phenomenal': Oilers Show Love To Stuart Skinner

Connor McDavid Could Now Make Big Playoff History

Oilers Have To Make An Important Decision

REPORT: Oilers Not Signing Maxim Beryozkin Right NowEDMONTON – Well, that’s a curveball.

The Hurricanes have earned themselves another opportunity to keep their season alive, now that the series is at 3-1 in favor of the Panthers.

The Oilers are nowhere near being done with their series. However, with a 2-1 series lead and with the Alberta-based squad controlling every aspect of the game for the majority of the series, playing out the games seems like a formality at this point.

No matter which way the Hurricanes-Panthers series swings, the Oilers will get a rematch. If it’s the Panthers, they will play them for the second straight year for all of the marbles.

NHL Game 3 Highlights | Hurricanes vs. Panthers - May 21, 2025Logan Stankoven’s fifth of the playoffs turned out to be the game-winning goal before the Carolina Hurricanes added two empty net goals to win 3-0 over the F...

On the flip side, facing the Hurricanes presents another retribution opportunity – and a longer gestating one. 

The Hurricanes and Oilers met in the 2006 Finals, with the Oilers coming up short and the Hurricanes taking Lord Stanley’s Cup home. It would be a series with a longer history, but perhaps less intensity.

Either way, Oilers fans will need to wait at least one more game of the Eastern Conference Final to play out to see a clearer picture of the final round.

Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.

We’re not done quite yet.

The Florida Panthers couldn’t close out the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night, falling in Game 4 to the Carolina Hurricanes by a 1-0 final score.

Carolina played perhaps their strongest opening period of the series, outshooting Florida 11-7 and holding a 9-3 edge in scoring chances, but neither team was able to solve the opposing goaltender.

A quick transition play midway through the game brought us the night’s first goal.

Catching Florida in a line change, Alexander Nikishin found a cutting Logan Stankoven, who skated into the Panthers zone and beat Sergei Bobrovsky over the blocker to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with 9:15 left in the middle frame.

It was the first time in the series that Carolina held a lead.

Moments after a Panthers power play expired during the third period, the Hurricanes thought they took a 2-0 lead on a goal from Mark Jankowski.

Florida challenged the play for it being offside, and replay showed that the play was in fact not legal, so it remained a one-goal lead for Carolina.

Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal added empty-net goals in the final minutes, and that would end up being more than enough for Frederik Andersen, who kept the Panthers off the scoreboard and forced the series back to Raleigh.

On to Game 5.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Florida went 0-for-4 on the power play, while their penalty kill went 3-for-3.

Stankoven became the fifth rookie in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history to score a goal in an elimination game.

Alexander Nikishin became the sixth defenseman in the expansion era to record his first career point in an elimination game.

The Panthers are now 1-4 under Paul Maurice when holding a 3-0 series lead. 

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

3 Panthers Who Must Shine In Game 4 vs. Hurricanes

Injuries causing Panthers to make several lineup changes ahead of Game 4 against Carolina

Panthers can punch ticket to third straight Stanley Cup Final with Game 4 win over Carolina

Panthers' Evan Rodrigues Makes Playoff History In Game 3

Injured Panthers Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, A.J. Greer could all play in Game 4

Photo caption: May 24, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Scott Morrow (56) celebrate after scoring a goal during the second period in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images