EDMONTON – One moment can change everything. 

That certainly rings true for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

They booted the Los Angeles Kings out of the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. This time around, they eliminated them in six games.

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Adam Henrique, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Trent Frederic, Darnell Nurse, and Connor Brown scored goals for the Oilers in Game 6 to send the Kings packing.

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It was the cherry on top of a rewarding stretch of games for the Oilers. After dropping the first two contests, they came roaring back with four straight victories.

And it all started with one moment.

It was Game 3, and the Oilers were down 4-3 to begin the third period. With around seven minutes left in the period, the Oilers were cooking in the Kings' end with some good zone time. There was chaos around the net. McDavid came around the net and threw the puck toward the crease, and Evander Kane magically deposited it into the net.

The Moment That Changed Everything For The Oilers

After looking at the play, Kings’ head coach Jim Hiller decides to challenge the goal for goaltender interference. The referees review the sequence and then determine that there was no goalie interference. The Oilers go on the powerplay with the game tied 4-4.

Evan Bouchard tips a Leon Draisaitl shot for a goal, 10 seconds into the man advantage. The Oilers are now up 5-4. They would add two empty-net goals to secure a 7-4 victory.

For the rest of the series, after that moment, the Oilers dominated play for long stretches.

After a review for a kicking motion AND a challenge for goaltender interference, Evander Kane gets his first of the playoffs.

The official call is that Kane kicked the puck to his stick and was able to shoot it before it went in. pic.twitter.com/Aw0y3ZgMVJ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 26, 2025

Many people online wondered if that coach’s challenge would change the series. It looks like every single one of those people was right.

The Kings didn’t look the same after that play. After the first three games, Adrian Kempe, their top point producer, only recorded one assist in Games 4, 5, and 6.

The “Oilers Killer” had nine points in the first three games, four of which were goals.

Whether the Oilers played exceptional defense and neutralized the Kings, or the Kings lost steam and motivation against a team that has had their number for a long time (or a combination of the two), the two teams never looked the same.

And now, the Oilers face a new challenge: the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-2 in the opening round of the playoffs, setting themselves up for a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in six games despite losing the first two games of the series. Their opening-round matchup was filled with goals, shaky defence and at times, awful goaltending. The series was ultimately decided by the best player in the NHL, Connor McDavid, willing the Oilers to win.

The Golden Knights' opening round series was a bit different. It wasn't as tight checking as some may have thought it would have been, but the goal totals were far lower than what occurred in the Oilers series.

The Golden Knights' star forwards, Mark Stone and Jack Eichel, started the series very poorly. They were neutralized by Joel Eriksson-Ek, Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin, but as the series went along, they found their game.

In the final two games of the series, Eichel recorded a goal and three assists, and Stone added his own two goals and three points. 

The Golden Knights and Oilers have met in the playoffs before, with the Golden Knights defeating the Oilers in six games in the second round of the 2022-23 playoffs, going on to win the Stanley Cup. The teams traded wins in the first four games before the Golden Knights took over in Games 5 and 6, closing out the series. 

The series was headlined by the phenomenal play of Eichel. Although it's seemingly impossible to stop McDavid, Eichel did his best to make him work for every goal while matching his output. If the Golden Knights have any hope of doing so again, they'll need Eichel to play at the level he displayed in Games 5 and 6.

The Golden Knights and Oilers met four times this season, splitting the season series. The Golden Knights were victorious in the first two meetings, but the Oilers defeated the Golden Knights in the following two. 

The series will be fierce, as the two teams have built a bit of a rivalry with one another. The Oilers have suffered this season from their lack of depth, something the Golden Knights have an abundance of and will need to exploit to prevail.  

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Golden Knights' Forward Announced Day-To-Day With Undisclosed InjuryVegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev exited Game 5 against the

On Thursday, the Minnesota Wild suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in Game 6 to the Vegas Golden Knights, eliminating them in the first round for the eighth time in their last 10 postseason appearances. 

Even though the loss was a killer, there was some silver lining offered during and after the handshake line.

NHL Community Reacts To Marc-Andre Fleury's Final Moments Of His CareerMarc-Andre Fleury’s NHL playing career is over.

Former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury - backup goaltender to Filip Gustavsson for the Wild - took to the ice one final time in his NHL career following the loss. The 40-year-old goaltender has plans to retire following the 2024-25 season, and since Minnesota was eliminated, he was dressed on NHL ice for the last time on Thursday.

Even though Fleury didn't start the game - he did make an appearance in Game 5 after Gustavsson left due to illness - he was recognized by just about every single person who took the ice that evening - teammates and opponents alike.

The Golden Knights wait to give Marc-Andre Fleury a final salute before he leaves the ice for the final time. pic.twitter.com/klwN6qYYD1

— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) May 2, 2025

Fleury was the first overall draft pick by Pittsburgh in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Penguins, winning three Stanley Cups and earning 375 wins, which is the most by a goaltender in franchise history.

He was exposed to Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft and played four seasons there, winning the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender in 2020-21 before moving on to the Chicago Blackhawks. He was with Chicago until the 2022 trade deadline, when he was dealt to Minnesota. 

The four-time All-Star netminder finishes his NHL career second all-time in wins with 575, which should all but guarantee first-ballot entry to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

A career people will talk about forever 🌸 pic.twitter.com/xVh2tK98Wg

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) May 2, 2025

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This season’s ballot for the Selke Trophy has a bit of Florida Panthers flavor.

On Friday, the NHL announced the three finalists for the 2025 Frank J. Selke Trophy.

Last year’s winner, Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov, was expected to be among them, and he is.

While Barkov may be the favorite to repeat in many people’s eyes, his greatest challenge may come from somebody he’s quite familiar with.

Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who spent the majority of this season on Barkov’s right win, is also one of the three finalists.

It’s pretty remarkable that Florida has two of the absolute defensive forwards in the NHL on the same line, on the same power play and on the same penalty kill.

They are elite, and the only reason Reinhart isn’t discussed more as a top defensive player is because he plays directly next to Barkov.

Interestingly, the third finalist is also from the state of Florida. It’s Tampa Bay forward Anthony Cirelli.

Barkov is looking to become only the seventh player in NHL history to win the Selke in back-to-back years, potentially joining Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, Jere Lehtinen, Rod Brind’Amour, Pavel Datsyuk and Patrice Bergeron.

In addition to winning the Selke Trophy last season, Barkov also took home the award in 2020-21.

For both Reinhart and Cirelli, this is their first time as an NHL Awards finalist.

The winners will be announced at the NHL Awards ceremony, which this season takes place in Los Angeles on June 27.

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In the ever-evolving quest to find their next head coach, the Philadelphia Flyers appear to be keeping one hand on the big-name option—and one eye on a potential dark horse.

On the latest episode of his 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman provided new insight into Philadelphia’s still-active coaching search. While much of the conversation still centers on Rick Tocchet, Friedman introduced an intriguing new name into the mix: Jay McKee.

And suddenly, the Flyers’ coaching carousel just got a lot more interesting.

Tocchet: The Obvious Fit… if He Wants It

Let’s start with the name that refuses to go away—Rick Tocchet. It’s not hard to understand why he remains at the top of Philadelphia’s list. A former Flyer, beloved in the city, tough as nails, respected league-wide, and a Jack Adams Award-winning head coach with Vancouver Canucks. In theory, he checks nearly every box.

“Philadelphia—we talked on the last pod about Rick Tocchet, the feeling that he’s their number one guy, and I still believe that,” Friedman said. “But I will say this—there seems to be a growing belief that he will consider television next season… if the overall landscape isn’t as he wants it. But Philly’s definitely interested. I think he’s the first guy on their list.”

👀 https://t.co/yaYrBz9CZ1

— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) April 29, 2025

The Flyers’ interest makes sense. Tocchet brings instant credibility and knows the team's identity inside and out.

But there’s a catch: he may not be interested in another coaching position next season.

After a grinding season behind the bench in Vancouver, there's legitimate speculation that Tocchet may opt for the TV studio—at least temporarily—if he doesn’t feel the next situation is right.

That opens the door to more possibilities. And that’s where things get a little more curious.

Jay McKee: The Underrated Option with Ties to Brière

Enter Jay McKee, the former defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Pittsburgh Penguins turned OHL coaching mainstay.

If Tocchet is the headline act, McKee is the unexpected name tucked halfway down the marquee—but don’t let that fool you.

“I think another coach who could be on Philly’s radar, somebody mentioned him to me the other day,” Friedman said. “He’s got a history with Daniel Brière. They were teammates in the NHL. And that is Jay McKee, the former Buffalo Sabre, who has spent the last seven years coaching in the Ontario Hockey League.”

McKee’s coaching résumé isn’t NHL-level yet (although Brière has stated that experience level is not a dealbreaker in this search), but it’s far from thin.

He got his start as an assistant with the AHL’s Rochester Americans in 2011 before moving through the OHL ranks with Erie in 2014 and the Kitchener Rangers in 2015. By 2016, he was named head coach of the Rangers, leading them to the Western Conference Final in 2018.

Since 2021, he’s been behind the bench for the Brantford (formerly Hamilton) Bulldogs, where he’s already made a major impact—capturing both the Hamilton Spectator Trophy (the OHL's equivalent of the President's Trophy) and an OHL championship in 2022.

He’s known for a calm demeanor, a teaching mindset, and the kind of structured systems play that helps young players flourish.

Why It Might Make Sense

McKee isn’t the splashiest name. But there’s something about his candidacy that might appeal to where the Flyers are in their rebuild. He’s done the slow work of development. He knows how to cultivate culture. And most importantly, he understands the learning curve required for young talent to find their footing.

With what Brière called the "internal competition" rising as more Flyers prospect are turning pro, and the team's current young players poised to play key roles over the next few years, that kind of coaching profile could prove invaluable.

He’s also not far removed from the modern game. As someone who played in the NHL as recently as 2010 and has spent the last decade behind benches in two of hockey’s most competitive development leagues, McKee brings an understanding that could click in today’s NHL.

The Flyers’ Crossroads

So where does this leave the Flyers? In a holding pattern, for now.

They continue to look at all options, casting a wide net that includes established NHL coaches, up-and-comers from the NCAA, and now, thanks to Friedman, a promising figure from the junior ranks. 

If Tocchet is interested, the job sounds like it will be his to lose. But if he opts for a return to broadcasting, the Flyers may need to get creative.

And if creativity is the play, don’t be surprised if Jay McKee gets a long, serious look.