The last three playoff series for the Minnesota Wild that started with two road games, resulted in the Wild winning game one. 

Minnesota opened the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road again, this time in Vegas to face the Golden Knights. The Wild opened the 2021 playoffs in Vegas and won 1-0 in overtime on a Joel Eriksson Ek goal. 

This game was a little different.

Thomas Hertl opened the scoring in the first period after he outworked Brock Faber in the slot and fired a shot over Filip Gustavsson's right shoulder, short side, 

Matt Boldy was able to answer back not long after and tie the game up at 1-1. Vegas got the next two goals to make it 3-1 before Boldy scored to make it a one-goal game. 

Vegas was able to score with the empty net, on the power play, with 0.1 seconds left. They walked away with a 4-2 win. 

In the second period, Eriksson Ek was called for a high-stick. This sent Vegas on the power play. Five seconds later, Pavel Dorofeyev, who was making his NHL Playoffs debut, scored to give Vegas a 2-1 lead. 

Dorofeyev unloads a bomb 5 seconds in to the powerplay! 💣 pic.twitter.com/p3gNClyV48

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 21, 2025

It came after Hertl beat Freddy Gaudreau on the face-off. Gaudreau then went to go to the point but was interfered with by Hertl. This left Marcus Foligno and Jake Middleton out of position trying to make up for Gaudreau on the ice after Hertl took him out. 

Vegas controlled the puck on the point, with no attacker because he was on the ice, and found Dorofeyev wide open at the top of the circle for the one-timer. 

Wild head coach John Hynes was asked if he thought that was interference on Gaudreau.

"Yes," Hynes said bluntly. 

Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights + Referees (Part 1) pic.twitter.com/69tcjnLbDd

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 21, 2025

In the first period, Ryan Hartman was skating through the Wild's defensive zone, without the puck-I might add, he was blindsided by Ivan Barbashev. No penalty call. Hartman skated to the bench very slowly and didn't take his next shift for a little bit.

Wild bench wanted a penalty but never got one.

Later in that period, Eriksson Ek was interfered with in the offensive zone after he got picked by one of the Vegas players.

A pick is when an opposing player just happens to skate right in front of the other team and causes that player not to make a play. 

Harmless play to say the least, but it is an interference penalty if we are looking at the rule book. 

Later in the third, Hartman is battling along the boards with Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague. The puck is to the right of Hartman. Hague then turns around and sticks the shaft of his stick into Hartman's face and follows through with a body slam. 

WWE Wrestlemania was on Saturday and Sunday night in Vegas. Maybe Hague was inspired and wanted to try a move of his own.

No penalty call by referee Furman South, who could not have been closer to the play.

This was not called a penalty pic.twitter.com/tTjvdwfqsu

— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) April 21, 2025

The Wild showed up to play. They were more physical and had their chances. According to MoneyPuck, the Wild had 2.43 expected goals to Vegas's 2.67. They had their chances, but weren't able to put it together. 

Credit to Adin Hill, he played a great game in net for the Golden Knights. 

Vegas led the league in the fewest penalty minutes during the regular season. Whether that be a testament to their discipline or penalties that just weren't called, the Wild need to put that behind them for game two on Tuesday or they are in danger of being down 2-0 coming back home were they went 22-17-2 in the regular season. 

How long is the Maple Leafs' NHL-record Stanley Cup drought? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Toronto Maple Leafs own the second-most Stanley Cup titles in NHL history. But it’s been well over a half-century since their last championship triumph.

The Leafs saw their record Stanley Cup drought extended with a second-round loss to the defending champion Florida Panthers in the 2025 NHL playoffs.

Toronto, the Atlantic Division’s No. 1 seed, eliminated the wild-card Ottawa Senators in six games this postseason before jumping out to a 2-0 series lead over Florida. The Panthers then responded with three straight wins, but the Leafs won Game 6 on the road to keep their season alive.

But, in a decisive Game 7 at home, the Leafs were booed off the ice as an ugly 6-1 defeat pushed the storied franchise’s championship drought even closer to six decades.

When was the last time the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup?

The Leafs’ most recent Stanley Cup championship came in the 1966-67 season.

What’s the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history?

Toronto’s current championship drought is the longest in NHL history at 58 years.

The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks both are mired in title droughts of 50-plus years, as well. Buffalo and Vancouver joined the NHL in the 1970-71 season and neither has won a Stanley Cup in the 54 years since. The Canucks have reached three Stanley Cup Finals (1982, 1994, 2011) and the Sabres have reached two (1975, 1999).

When was the last time the Maple Leafs made the Stanley Cup Final?

The Leafs’ 1966-67 championship campaign also stands as their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. That means the Original Six franchise hasn’t reached the Cup Final in the expansion era (since the 1967-68 season).

The Leafs last appeared in the conference final in the 2002 postseason.

How many Stanley Cup Finals have the Maple Leafs made?

Toronto has reached the Cup Final 21 times, trailing only the Montreal Canadiens (33 appearances) and Detroit Red Wings (24 appearances) for the most in NHL history.

How many Stanley Cups have the Maple Leafs won?

The Leafs were victorious in 13 of those 21 Cup Finals. Only the 23-time champion Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than Toronto.

Here’s a full look at Toronto’s Stanley Cup Final history (years listed are when Cup Finals were played):

• 1967: Beat Montreal Canadiens
• 1964: Beat Detroit Red Wings
• 1963: Beat Detroit Red Wings
• 1962: Beat Chicago Blackhawks
• 1960: Lost to Montreal Canadiens
• 1959: Lost to Montreal Canadiens
• 1951: Beat Montreal Canadiens
• 1949: Beat Detroit Red Wings
• 1948: Beat Detroit Red Wings
• 1947: Beat Montreal Canadiens
• 1945: Beat Detroit Red Wings
• 1942: Beat Detroit Red Wings
• 1940: Lost to New York Rangers
• 1939: Lost to Boston Bruins
• 1938: Lost to Chicago Blackhawks
• 1936: Lost to Detroit Red Wings
• 1935: Lost to Montreal Maroons
• 1933: Lost to New York Rangers
• 1932: Beat New York Rangers
• 1922: Beat Vancouver Millionaires
• 1918: Beat Vancouver Millionaires

Editor’s note: This story was first published on April 21.

Mitch Marner shimmied left and right before flipping the puck over Linus Ullmark's shoulder and celebrating his first goal of the playoffs with his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates.

Although the Maple Leafs have had playoff heartbreak in the past, their experience paid dividends in their Game 1 win over the Ottawa Senators.

The big four of Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander combined for nine points in Sunday's 6-2 win. Seven other Maple Leafs tallied one point in the win, which began with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Marner finding the back of the net in the first period.

'I Can't Say Enough About Matthew Knies and JT In Those Areas': Maple Leafs Explode For 3 Power-Play Goals To Down Senators In Game 1The Toronto Maple Leafs exploded for three power-play goals against the Ottawa Senators in a 6-2 victory in Game 1 of their first-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

There were questions about how Toronto's top players would play in this series. The big four combined for 12 points in their first-round exit last spring against the Boston Bruins and have, at moments, not produced at key times.

One player in particular, though, has been under the microscope more than any other on the Maple Leafs this season, and that's Marner. He had three points in seven games against the Bruins last playoffs and entered this season without renewing his contract.

If there was anyone who needed a strong season, which he had, and a great start to the playoffs, it was him. One goal and two assists later, Marner is already tied for the most points among players in the playoffs, albeit it's only one game.

'He Made Big Saves': How Anthony Stolarz Won Game 1 Of The Goalie Battle Against Senators' Linus UllmarkAnthony Stolarz showed up and showed out against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario, which the Toronto Maple Leafs won commandingly, 6-2.

The experience of the 4 Nations Face-Off with Canada in February, where Marner tallied an overtime-winning goal and set up another overtime-winner against Team USA, helped him enter his ninth playoffs with Toronto with a sense of "calmness," he said.

"That tournament was pretty quick. It was obviously very, very intense, and that's kind of what playoffs is," Marner admitted after taking a 1-0 series lead over the Senators.

"It kind of happens quickly, games go by fast, and then you've got to look forward to the next one and realize that it's going to be even harder. So, yeah, I don't know, just calmness and confidence, obviously, from that tournament, which helps."

MITCH MARNER 🚨

BREAKAWAY GOAL! IT'S 2-0! pic.twitter.com/DHdwUKtdNb

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 20, 2025

It wasn't just filling the back of the net, though, where Toronto's playoff experience shone through. Ottawa took penalty after penalty in the game, allowing the Maple Leafs to score three power play goals, two more than they had all last series against the Bruins.

Entering the final minutes of the third period, the Maple Leafs had seven power plays to the Senators' two. This game was proof that Toronto had more playoff experience than Ottawa.

"Like I said, we're disciplined. We're going to keep being disciplined. We're going to play hard between the whistles, the right way, and keep being physical, but we're not going to get involved in all the antics after the whistles or whatever," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said.

"Listen, refs call games, they call penalties for whatever reasons. I thought we checked well with our feet and our sticks tonight. We were hard on our net, doing things right to stay out of the box.

"You put yourself in the penalty box when you get on the wrong side of things and have to make desperate situations, and like I said, we're pretty clean overall with our physicality part of the game. And we gotta keep doing that."

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On Monday night, the puck will drop on a Montreal Canadiens playoff hockey game for the first time in four years. The visiting Habs are kicking off the Spring dance by taking on the Eastern Conference champions, the Washington Capitals. They are wearing the underdog tag, which doesn’t scare Martin St-Louis, because you still have to play the games.

Playoffs Primer: Canadiens Vs. Capitals
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For St-Louis, the playoffs are sure to help Juraj Slafkovsky play to his identity. When asked where he saw the most significant growth in the former first-overall pick’s game this season, the pilot replied:

Understanding his biggest asset is his size and his physicality. When that’s at the forefront of his game, the rest comes with it.

- Martin St-Louis on Juraj Slafkovsky's biggest growth. 

For the Canadiens to win this series, they will need a significant contribution from their first line. If Slafkovsky is engaged and dialed in physically, Nick Suzuki’s and Cole Caufield’s jobs become much easier.

Washington won the season series between the two teams, winning twice and losing once. That loss came after the Canadiens had turned a corner and become a much more confident team.

After a few tough seasons injury-wise, it looked like the 2024-25 campaign would be more of the same for the Habs when Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher went down to knee injuries in a preseason game. Still, thankfully for St-Louis’ men, those and Kaiden Guhle’s skate cut were the most significant injuries of the season.

The Canadiens are ready to go on Monday and have no significant injuries, while it looks like the Capitals will be without Aliaksei Protas at least to start the series. The fourth-year center had a coming-out party this season with 66 points in 76 games, playing a significant part in Washington’s offense. However, he suffered a skate cut at the start of April and only started skating again on Sunday.

There has also been no confirmation about goaltender Logan Thompson’s availability, and not having your number one goaltender in the playoffs is hardly a comfortable position to be in.

There’s no uncertainty on the Canadiens’ net as Samuel Montembeau will get the nod. The netminder has played six times against the first-round foe and has a 2-3-0 record against them, alongside a 3.49 goals-against average and a .893 SP.

Samuel Montembeault pic.twitter.com/vPt9jgWgjG

— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) March 18, 2025

Thompson is 1-0-1 against the Canadiens with a 3.04 GAA and a .889 SP, while Lindgren, a former Hab, is 3-1-0 against them with a 2.51 GAA and a .899 SP. Goaltenders Clay Stevenson and Hunter Sheppard have each played a game for the Caps this season, with the former allowing five goals and the latter seven. One can safely assume Carbery would likely prefer not to go there.

Throughout the season series, Cole Caufield has been the Canadiens’ top scorer with five points in three games, followed by Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson, who both have four. Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, David Savard, Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle had a single point while everyone else was kept off the scoresheet. Needless to say, the Habs will need to spread the offense around if they want to win.

The attack was much more spread out for Washington, with gritty winger Tom Wilson and youngster Protas leading the way with four points apiece in three games. Ovechkin, center Dylan Strome, and right winger Taylor Raddysh all had three points, but the captain did it in two games, missing one of the duels. Connor McMichael, Pierre-Luc Dubois, John Carlson, Jacob Chychrun, and Trevor Van Riemsdyk all scored two points in the season series, demonstrating that the Capitals have more offensive contributors.

St. Louis has already announced his lineup, and there will be no change from the end of the season. In other words, there's still no room for Arber Xhekaj on the blueline. With Wilson playing for the Caps, it's an interesting decision. 

The puck drop is set for 7:00 PM and this is one match-up you won’t want to miss…

Lights Will Guide You Home

A little something to get everyone ready and excited for Monday. Something special about this team.

First Habs playoff run in 4 years, thought I’d come out of video editing retirement,

Hope you all enjoy! And #GoHabsGo ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qsUSekdDRX

— x - danielle (@d_lapidated) April 18, 2025

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LAS VEGAS -- It takes 16 wins to hoist Lord's Stanley Cup.

One down, 15 to go.

The Golden Knights opened their 2025 postseason campaign with 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night to take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-seven set.

Brett Howden scored twice and Adin Hill made 18 saves for the Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev also scored for Vegas, his first career playoff goal, while Tomas Hertl found the slimmest of margins for his 26th career playoff score.

Matt Boldy scored both of Minnesota's goals while Filip Gustavsson made 23 saves.

Vegas opened the scoring late in the first period when Hertl simply outmuscled Minnesota's Brock Faber to grab the puck and lift it short side and beat Gustavsson.

WHO WANTS IT MORE THAN TOMAS HERTL????? pic.twitter.com/BH0wkCxQae

— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 21, 2025

Boldy tied the game a little more than two minutes later when he one-timed Kirill Kaprizov's cross-ice pass to the doorstep past Hill.

The Knights retook the lead late in the second period, just five seconds into a power play, when Shea Theodore dragged the puck down the line, faked a shot and fed Dorofeyev, who fired a missile into a wide-open net to make it 2-1.

Howden pushed the lead to two goals early in the third period when he took a pass from Nic Roy inside the blue line during an odd-man rush and lasered a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle.

The Wild closed the gap again when Kaprizov's shot caromed behind the net, and Boldy was there to gather the puck on one side and deliver a nifty wraparound to the other and make it a one-goal game.

Howden's second of the evening, into an empty net as time expired, provided the final margin.

Here are three takeaways from Sunday's game:

NO PRESSURE: Dorofeyev, who led the Golden Knights with 35 goals during the regular season, may have done himself a favor by notching his first-ever playoff goal in his second career playoff game. One, the jitters are out after getting on the stat sheet, and two, any confidence that poured in from the regular season was exemplified when his blast beat Gustavsson.

"I think it's important to get that out of the way, so good for him," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Real good play by Hertl all around, wins the draw, picks, releases, screens a goalie. He's done that a number of times this year, opened up plays for the guys. And Pav, I mean, he didn't miss. Even if the goalie does track the puck and get across, it might still go in. ... Happy for Pav as a young guy that has scored a lot, you don't want that to have to answer those questions as a playoff goes along, if you can help it."

THE FIRST #StanleyCup PLAYOFF GOAL OF HIS CAREER!!!!! 🚪 pic.twitter.com/RGLgJtR0x7

— y-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 21, 2025

MINNY MUSCLE: The Wild played an exceptionally physical game, looking to establish their presence immediately while hoping to bully the Knights. Minnesota outhit Vegas, 54-29, marking the Wild's second-highest postseason total in franchise history. The highest? That came on May 16, 2021, also against Vegas, with 71.

"Yeah, obviously, I think they were pretty physical today," Vegas forward Nic Roy said. "But we got a big team. We're not just gonna look for a number of hits. I think we're always gonna be a physical team. We're gonna win our battles. That's the most important thing. And I think the guys that have that in them to be physical are gonna be physical. And the guys that are going to make plays, are going to make plays and obviously raise their the intensity and winning their battles. It's just the way we approach it."

PLAYOFF ADIN: In his 20th career playoff appearance, and 18th start, Hill faced his second-fewest shots (20). The only time he faced fewer shots was his first-ever appearance, when he relieved Laurent Brossoit on May 6, 2023, and played just the third period. Hill has now allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of his 20 playoff games. He has a career goals-against average of 2.08 and a save percentage of .931.

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Monday is day three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It’s been a fun start to the best postseason in all of sports, and now we’ll start getting into the drama of a seven-game series as we’ve already got a pair of Game 2’s.

By the time the night is over, only the series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will have yet to begin.

When the puck finally does drop on Game 1 between the Cats and Bolts, it’ll kick off one of the more anticipated matchups of the opening round.

While the longer wait can be frustrating for a fanbase frothing at the mouth to defend their Stanley Cup title from a season ago, the Panthers are embracing the additional time before the madness begins.

Remember, Florida was far from full strength down the stretch of the regular season.

Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice regularly rested his players over the past few weeks, and made no secret about his intention to have the Cats as healthy as possible for the start of the playoffs.

Among the players given nights off to allow extra healing and rest time were Sam Bennett, Sasha Barkov, Gus Forsling, Sam Reinhart and several others.

Maurice has since said that every player on the active roster should be good to go for Game 1 against Tampa Bay, but that does not include Florida’s All-Star who remains on LTIR.

Matthew Tkachuk practiced with the Panthers on Saturday for the first time since he suffered an apparent groin injury during the 4 Nations Face-off in February.

He should be back on the ice with Florida on Monday, barring any setbacks following Saturday’s skate.

If all goes well, thanks to this late series start date, there is still hope that Tkachuk will be ready in time for Game 1 on Tuesday.

As Maurice explained earlier this week, the team is doing their best to use the extra days to their advantage.

“We’ll get an extra day skate, and it lets us accomplish both things: we’ll get the right amount of rest and also be on the ice enough that we can stay sharp,” he said. “To balance those two things, the extra days allow us to accomplish both.”

The Panthers will head up to Tampa after their practice in Fort Lauderdale on Monday.

Before they leave, we’ll likely get an update on Tkachuk, as Maurice also previously said that Monday would be a decision day regarding his status for Game 1.

Stay tuned.

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At the NHL trade deadline in 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins took their first major step in shifting toward a rebuild when they dealt their best winger, Jake Guentzel, to the Carolina Hurricanes.

It was a decision that weighed heavily at the time, and there was a lot of pushback once the final trade details were announced.

But one year later, things might not be looking so bad after all.

So, let's revisit the trade - and whether or not the Penguins may actually come out on top of it.

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The full trade

Carolina Hurricanes get:
-  F Jake Guentzel
-  D Ty Smith

Pittsburgh Penguins get:
-  F Michael Bunting
-  F Ville Koivunen
-  F Vasily Ponomarev
-  F Cruz Lucius
-  Conditional 2024 first-round pick
-  Conditional 2024 fifth-round pick

Bunting was traded to the Nashville Predators at the 2025 trade deadline for defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tommy Novak. Schenn was then flipped to the Winnipeg Jets for a second-round pick.

The conditions were not met for the 2024 fifth-round pick.

TRADE: Penguins Flip Luke Schenn to Winnipeg following Trade with PredatorsFormer Nashville Predators defenseman Luke Schenn is on the move for the second time this week, with multiple reports indicating that the Pittsburgh Penguins have traded him to the Winnipeg Jets for a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

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Will the Penguins end up winners in the trade?

More than one year later, it's interesting to see how this trade has panned out. Guentzel did not end up remaining with the Hurricanes, as his UFA rights were traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he signed a seven-year, $63 million contract extension. The 30-year-old winger registered 41 goals and 80 points in 80 games this season with the Lightning.

Yes, Guentzel is one of the game's elite wingers, and there are many who posit that he should have returned a sure first-rounder when the Penguins dealt him. 

Maybe that's true to an extent. But given what both Koivunen and Brunicke - who, by several different accounts, may have gone in the first round if not for an injury during his draft year - have shown in short sample sizes over the course of this season, it's hard not to have some hindsight bias and like the early returns on the trade. 

Koivunen, 21, was one of the AHL's top rookies this season, recording 21 goals and 56 points in 63 games to finish third in rookie scoring. At the time of his call-up, Koivunen led all rookies in scoring and was top-three in goals.

And his call-up proved impressive, too. Seeing playing time alongside both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, Koivunen ended the season on a five-game point streak and had seven points in his first eight NHL games - which is the most points by a Penguins' rookie in their first eight games since Guentzel in 2017.

But Koivunen's hockey sense, offensive zone smarts, and playmaking acumen were what stood out most, as the details in his game are more advanced than expected at this point. He meshed beautifully with Crosby, especially, and his smarts are a bit remniscent of Guentzel in some ways.

'I Have No Doubt This Thing's Going To Be Turned Around Quickly': After Lost Season, Penguins Optimistic About FutureFor one final time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins gathered at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. - this, time, for locker cleanout day.

As far as Brunicke, he had an impressive training camp with the Penguins that nearly earned him a nine-game trial run as an 18-year-old. He fractured his hand during his junior season with the Kamloops Blazers and missed two months of action, but he still managed to produce five goals and 30 points in 41 games. 

Brunicke got the call to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - a few weeks ago. And while there was a bit of a learning curve in terms of getting up-to-speed and decision-making, he has seen a lot of growth over the course of his 10 games at the AHL level. 

He has spent most of his time on a second pairing with Filip Kral, and he has two points and 18 penalty minutes and is a minus-4 in those 10 games. He is starting to make better reads, his decision-making is improving, and he's using his biggest strength - his skating - to his advantage to beat opponents in all three zones. 

Even when looking at just Koivunen and Brunicke, the Penguins have legitimate top-six and top-four potential in them - perhaps even top-line and top-pairing potential. Of course, that's the ceiling for those players, but it's looking more and more like a tangible possibility because they are ahead of the development curve and haven't looked a step out of place against NHL competition. 

When watching those two players, it's easy to separate them from their peers. The fact that Koivunen was nearly point-per-game in his first taste of the NHL and that Brunicke has well-exceeded expectations already, it's fair to wonder whether or not the Penguins might actually come out on top of this one. 

If Koivunen does hit his peak potential as a top-line winger? If Brunicke does reach his ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman? If Novak can be a serviceable third-line center? If Ponomarev can be a really solid fourth-line center? If Lucius can even be an option as an AHL call-up for the Penguins?

'He's Grown A Ton': Ponomarev Looks To Build On Learning Experience With PenguinsIt has been a whirlwind year for Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect Vasily Ponomarev.

Yes, that's a lot of "ifs," but the picture is coming more into focus. And it's looking more and more like the Penguins may have, at least, two crucial parts of their future because of this trade, and, at most, two stars in the making.

If either ends up happening? That's not so bad. Not bad at all, actually.

Guentzel is one of the best wingers in Penguins' history, and he was probably Crosby's greatest winger. Nothing can replace that. But the decision to trade him may just end up turning out far more than okay for the Penguins.

Time will only tell how these prospects - and Novak - pan out. But, as of now, the future looks a whole lot brighter than it did just one year ago on March 8.

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