The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reacting To The Oilers' Dominant Win Over The Stars In Game 3

Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Mike Augello, Adam Kierszenblat and Stephen Kerr react to the Edmonton Oilers beating the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 3 of the Western Conference final to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Share your thoughts in the comments, and the hosts may discuss your message during the stream.

Check out the show right now.

Promo image credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Oilers Prospects Wins Opening Memorial Cup Match In OT

The London Knights won their opening game at the Memorial Cup in overtime, beating the Moncton Wildcats 3-2 in overtime. Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O'Reilly scored the game-winning goal in overtime. 

While the Knights are widely considered the favorites at the tournament, this was a close game from beginning to end. 

Moncton went blow for blow with London through the opening period. After 20 minutes the shots were 15-14 in favor of the Wildcats and the score was tied at one. 

O'Reilly, who eventually scored the game winner, also scored London's opening goal of the match just a minute and a half into the game. He redirected Sam Dickinson's blast from the point past Mathis Rousseau to take the early lead. 

Moncton stuck with it, avoided London's potent neutral-zone forecheck and gaining significant time in the offensive zone. with just over 13 minutes left in the first period, Etienne Morin fired a well placed shot past Austin Elliott to tie the game at one. It wouldn't be the last goal the London goaltender surrendered from the point.

CHL Hosts Meet The Coaches Press Conference Ahead of Memorial CupCHL Hosts Meet The Coaches Press Conference Ahead of Memorial CupEarlier today, London Knights Head Coach Dale Hunter took part in a pre-tournament press conference alongside the Head Coaches of the other three participating teams. The panel consisted of Hunter, Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat), Gardiner MacDougall (Moncton) and Joël Perrault (Rimouski).

London took control of the game in the second, nearly doubling Moncton's shots on goal in the period. The teams once again exchanged goals, with San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen scoring for London while Dyllan Gill scored for Moncton. 

Though there was no scoring in the third period, London dominated the final frame, outshooting the Wildcats 16-3. Rousseau had a fantastic game for Moncton, stopping multiple grade-A scoring chances for London. 

You could feel London warming up into the game as time went on. Period by period they took over, eventually dominating the Wildcats in the third period, however, it was not enough to escape overtime. 

The two teams exchanged chances in overtime before Sam O'Reilly, who started the scoring in this one, tipped home Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan's backhand pass in front of the net. 

OHL Heavily Represented in Craig Button's Recent Mock DraftOHL Heavily Represented in Craig Button's Recent Mock DraftThe 2025 NHL Draft is just around the corner, and many pundits are starting to project what the first round will look like. Craig Buttons' recent mock draft projects the OHL to be well represented in the opening round of the 2025 NHL Draft. 

O'Reilly had a fantastic season in the OHL after being selected at the end of the first round by Edmonton at the 2024 NHL Draft. In 62 games this season, he recorded 21 goals and 71 points with London. 

The two goals he scored in game one at the Memorial Cup mark is progression as a player while simultaneously vindicating the Oilers' faith in the young prospect.

 A win in their opening game of the tournament sets London up for success. They will move on to play their second game tonight against the hosting Rimouski Oceanic. Puck drop for that game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.


On This Day In Penguins Playoff History: May 25

The Pittsburgh Penguins just wrapped up their 57th season, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season. Despite their recent lack of success, the franchise has appeared in the playoffs 37 times and won five championships.

Our newest series will reflect on how the Penguins performed on specific days leading up to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Today, May 25, Pittsburgh has compiled a 2-0 record in two games on this date.

  • 1991 - Game 6 Win vs. Minnesota North Stars (8-0)
  • 2017 - Game 7 Win vs. Ottawa Senators (3-2 OT)

Notable Penguins Performances On This Day

May 25, 1991 - The Penguins win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history in Game 6 by defeating the North Stars 8-0 at the Met Center. As of 2025, this game remains the largest goal differential in a championship-clinching game in NHL history.

With 44 points in 23 games, captain Mario Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. In Game 6, he had four points with a goal and three assists. Meanwhile, Joe Mullen (two goals and an assist) had three points, while four other players had two points, including Larry Murphy, Ulf Samuelsson, Kevin Stevens, and Peter Taglianetti. 

What Will Owen Pickering's Role Be In 2025-26?What Will Owen Pickering's Role Be In 2025-26?Next season will present a prime opportunity for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects to crack the NHL roster.

In the Cup-clinching game, the Penguins got points from Bob Errey, Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr, Jim Paek, and Bryan Trottier.

May 25, 2017 - Chris Kunitz scores his only two goals of the 2016-17 playoff run by tallying the first goal of Game 7 in the first period before advancing the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final with an overtime winner at 5:09 of the second overtime. 

As Pittsburgh's sixth leading scorer during the championship run, Kunitz had a three-point contest in Game 7 against the Senators, assisting on Justin Schultz's third-period power-play goal. Schultz returned the favor in overtime, setting up Kunitz for the winner. 

From Dominant To Doomed: Goaltending Woes Have Derailed Hurricanes In Eastern Conference Final Against Panthers

Heading into the Eastern Conference final of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes were in a very good place. They demolished the New Jersey Devils in five games in the first round, then eliminated the Washington Capitals with relative ease by sending them home in a five-game second-round victory. And the ‘Canes did it with defense, allowing only seven goals to the Caps, and just 11 goals to the Devils.

With that in mind, it was fair to presume the Hurricanes would put the squeeze on the defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers in the Eastern final. But instead, the opposite has happened, with the Panthers generating 16 goals in the first three games against the Hurricanes, and Florida staking out a commanding 3-0 series lead over Carolina after romping to a 6-2 win in Game 3.

While you can’t pin down just one reason for the Canes’ struggles against the Panthers, we’ve already seen Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour changing up his goaltending picture, pulling starter Frederik Andersen after two letdown games, and going with backup Pyotr Kochetkov, to no avail, in Carolina’s Game 3 loss.

The disappointment has put Andersen in a particularly bad spot, as he had signed a one-year contract extension at the start of May. The 35-year-old looked terrific against the Devils and Capitals, posting a save percentage of .905 or higher in seven of his nine games in the first two rounds. But the bottom fell out of Andersen’s game against the Panthers, as he posted an a save percentage of .750 in both Games 1 and 2 before Brind’Amour put him on the bench in favor of Kochetkov in Game 3.

Small wonder, then, that the Hurricanes have lost all three games against Florida thus far in their Eastern final series. Kochetkov has put up a save percentage of .886 or worse in three of his four playoff appearances this year, and he had nothing going for him in Game 3, as the Panthers hung up six goals on 28 shots on him for a bleak .786 SP.

The Panthers were always going to be a tough opponent for Carolina, but when their goaltending hasn’t been up to snuff, the Hurricanes have been on the wrong end of three blowout games. If the ‘Canes are swept by the Panthers, it would be a letdown of the highest order for a team many believed would be significantly better this season. But they’re now on the verge of being swept in the Eastern final for the second time in the past three seasons, and they still haven’t won even a single Eastern final game since they won a Cup in 2005-06. 

Meanwhile, Brind’Amour sure sounded like a coach who is seeing his season sunk before his eyes because of sub-par goaltending.

“I don’t blame Freddie on any of the goals that went in,” Brind’Amour said after the Game 2 loss. “Obviously, save percentage is not great, if you look at that. We do need some saves, but I can’t blame him on any.”

Clearly, Brind’Amour was engaged in some mixed messaging there. He doesn’t blame Andersen, but his save percentage is “not great." Carolina does “need some saves”, but Brind’Amour isn’t blaming him for any of the goals he allowed. If that sounds like a coach desperate to not totally jump all over his goalie despite plenty of evidence he’s not doing his job between the pipes, that’s because it is. But that doesn’t mean Andersen and Kochetkov don’t have to own their role in three straight losses to the Panthers.

Frederik Andersen (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

If and when the Hurricanes are eliminated by Florida, Carolina GM Eric Tulsky is going to be faced with some very difficult decisions about his goaltending next season. It doesn’t matter how good the ‘Canes look at forward and on ‘D’ if Carolina’s goalies can’t outperform their opponent's netminder when they get to the Eastern final. 

It also doesn’t matter that Andersen and Kochetkov are relatively underpaid next season, with Andersen set to make $2.75 million, and Kochetkov signed at a salary cap hit of $2 million. When the games have mattered most in this series, Andersen and Kochetkov have failed in their duties. That’s not a criticism, that’s a fact, and absent some miracle turnaround against the Panthers, the Hurricanes need to make some serious changes to their lineup next year.

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What Will Owen Pickering's Role Be In 2025-26?

Jan 11, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering (38) skates up ice with the puck against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Next season will present a prime opportunity for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects to crack the NHL roster.

And one blueline prospect should get a pretty good look.

21-year-old defenseman Owen Pickering - drafted 21st overall by the Penguins in 2022 - got a small taste of NHL experience in 2024-25 and figures to take on a bigger role next season.

With the Penguins shorthanded on left-side defense, Pickering could play a crucial role heading forward. In 25 games with the Penguins last season, he registered one goal and three points and played some minutes in a top-four role next to Kris Letang.

Even though he experienced those top-four minutes last season - and did well for a while in them - Penguins’ POHO and GM Kyle Dubas is aware that Pickering is not quite ready to be thrust into a full-time top-four role.

“He's got to have a great summer,” Dubas said. “We can't have him same as we had him go down, settling into a 12-13 minute a night role. He needs to come in and push his way into 17-18-19-20 minutes and earn that.”

Dubas added: “He played for the team this year, but is he ready to step into one of those roles? I don't think so.”

'I Would Love To Come Back': After Career Year, Grzelcyk Hopes To Stay In Pittsburgh'I Would Love To Come Back': After Career Year, Grzelcyk Hopes To Stay In PittsburghWhen defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made the decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer, he did so with the mindset that he'd come in and be granted some opportunity to rediscover his game.

Given that declaration by Dubas - coupled with the likely departure of pending-unrestricted free agent Matt Grzelcyk - the Penguins are probably going to seek external help to bolster the left side on their blue line. Even if they do acquire a top-four defenseman, however, there will still be an opening for one of the top-four left defensive slots.

The other left defensemen on the Penguins' roster - Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, and Vladislav Kolyachonok - have been logging primarily bottom-pair minutes and, ideally, would remain in a bottom-pair role, at least when Pickering has earned his way into top-four minutes.

In other words, the spot is there for the taking for Pickering, but - as Dubas said - he'll have to earn his way into those minutes. And he wants to work on continuing to be a player the coaching staff can rely on. 

"Obviously, being up [in the NHL], you kind of learn what it takes.," Pickering said. "Coming from juniors and all the way in your first year pro, the coaches have to trust you. And that's something I feel like I've been working on and that I feel has gotten better, and something I'm trying to improve."

4 Left Defensemen The Penguins Should Target This Summer4 Left Defensemen The Penguins Should Target This SummerDuring his postseason press conference on Apr. 21, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas provided a glimpse into what the summer could look like for the organization.

And Pickering defintely worked on that rebliability aspect in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after he was re-assigned there on Jan. 25. He finished the AHL season with two goals, 13 points, and a plus-18 rating in 47 games, often logging top-pair minutes and playing in all situations.

But, make no mistake: Pickering does not want to be playing AHL hockey next season. He wants to be rolling with the big club, and he is aware of the opportunity that lies in front of him heading into training camp.

"You never want to get sent back," Pickering said. "You always want to be in the NHL. I feel like I proved to myself that I can play in the NHL.

"I want to be full-time next year, I want to be [in Pittsburgh] the whole year. That's the goal."

   

With Byram On Trade Market, Penguins Need To Take NoticeWith Byram On Trade Market, Penguins Need To Take NoticeIn his season-ending press conference on Apr. 21, Pittsburgh Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas specified that the team would look to bolster the left side on defense from outside the organization.

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