Thursday's hockey: Leafs-Bruins going to Game 7; Hagens nears Kucherov's record

Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1] [2]

Toronto — William Nylander scored twice, Joseph Woll made 22 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday night to force a seventh game in the first-round Eastern Conference series.

"We battled and competed," said Nylander, who sat the first three games of the series because of an undisclosed ailment. "And Woller was incredible."

Toronto has overcame a 3-1 series deficit, also staving off elimination with a 2-1 victory in overtime in Boston on Tuesday night, to send the series back to Boston for a winner-take-all finale Saturday night. The series winner will face the Florida Panthers.

Morgan Rielly assisted on both goals.

Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who also blew a 3-1 lead against the Florida Panthers last year in the first round before losing in Game 7 following a record-setting regular season. Morgan Geekie spoiled Woll's shutout bid with 0.1 seconds left.

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery wants to see more from his team in the decider and called out forward David Pastrnak by name.

"Your best players need to be your best players this time of year," Montgomery said. "I think the effort is tremendous and they need to come through with some big-time plays in big-time moments. I think (captain Brad) Marchand has done that in the series. Pasta needs to step up."

Said Pastrnak: "I maybe didn't get enough shots. I should maybe have a little bit more of a shooting mentality. Usually, that always helps me."

Toronto was without Auston Matthews for the second straight game after the star center was pulled from Game 4 because of an illness.

Nylander opened the scoring with 54.8 seconds left in the second period. The Swedish winger took a pass from Timothy Liljegren in the offensive zone before weaving away from his check and firing a shot that glanced off Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in front and beat Swayman on the short-side.

"Big-time stuff," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "What you're looking for from a player of his calibre."

U.S. 4, Switzerland 0

Center James Hagens scored two goals and added an assist and goalie Nick Kempf recorded a 17-save shutout for Team USA in a 4-0 win against Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Thursday at the world U18 hockey championship in Espoo, Finland.

The U.S. will face Slovakia on Saturday in the semifinals (7 a.m./Hockey Network). In the other semifinal, Canada will play Sweden. The gold-medal game is Sunday (11 a.m./Hockey Network).

"We didn't have our best game, but good teams find a way to win," U.S. head coach Nick Fohr (Dexter) said. "Now it's on to rest and recovery as we get ready for the semifinals on Saturday."

Hagens, who was plus-3 with a team-high 23:42 of ice time, leads the tournament with 19 points, two points shy of Nikita Kucherov's record in 2011. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward had 21 points for Russia.

Hagens had six points against Finland, four points against Slovakia and three points each against Norway, Latvia and Switzerland. Overall, he has 99 points this year and is trying to become the ninth player in USA Hockey history to reach the century mark in a single season.

Hagens also set the scoring record for the world U17 Hockey Challenge last year with 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists).

Brind'Amour feels 'really good' about new deal

Raleigh, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour (Michigan State) said Thursday he feels "really good" that he will reach a new contract with the team, mirroring optimism from president and general manager Don Waddell a day earlier.

Brind'Amour - considered by many the face of the franchise with his long-running ties here that include being the captain of the 2006 Stanley Cup winner - is in the final year of a deal reached in 2021. His status has become a talking point around the league with multiple jobs open as Carolina prepares to face the New York Rangers in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

"Yeah, I had a great conversation yesterday with Don, and then again this morning," Brind'Amour said. "I feel really good that we'll figure it out quickly. Yeah, I'm not concerned."

That came a day after Waddell said he was "very confident" that the two sides would reach a deal.

"We talk daily about it," Waddell said in a Zoom call with reporters following the team's first-round series win against the New York Islanders. "I feel very confident as I've said before that this deal will get done. Rod wants to be a Hurricane for life."

In an interview earlier this week with The News and Observer of Raleigh, team owner Tom Dundon said he thought the two sides were "just getting through the last little stuff."

Brind'Amour, 53, arrived in Raleigh in a January 2000 trade from Philadelphia and played here until his retirement in 2010. He then spent seven seasons as an assistant coach before taking over as a first-time head coach in 2018.

At the time, he proclaimed "I bleed Hurricane red" - then went about turning Carolina into a perennial winner.

Brind'Amour is 6-for-6 in getting the Hurricanes to the playoffs after the franchise went nine years without a postseason berth. Carolina has twice reached the Eastern Conference Final in the past five seasons and ranked second in the NHL over the last four combined regular seasons in points and points percentage behind only Boston.

Tuesday's Game 5 win to close out the Islanders made Carolina the first team to win at least one series in six straight postseasons since Detroit did it from 1995-2000. Carolina entered the playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup according to Bet MGM Sportsbook,

Carolina center Sebastian Aho shrugged off any idea Thursday of Brind'Amour's status being a distraction.

"No, Roddy's coaching us this year," Aho said. "I'm sure they'll figure it out."

Shesterkin says he can be better

Igor Shesterkin has stopped 94 of the 101 shots he has faced so far this postseason and his play in net is a big reason the New York Rangers rolled through the first round and look like a Stanley Cup contender.

Says Shesterkin: "I could play better."

"I can do less rebounds, play more confident with the puck and in the net, too," Shesterkin added.

Up next for the Rangers are the Carolina Hurricanes in the secound round.

The humbling assessment from the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goaltender was no surprise to teammates who have seen him make one improbable save after another. Just from the opening series against Washington there was a post-to-post robbery of Max Pacioretty, a lunging stop to prevent Alex Ovechkin from scoring and countless others that allowed the Rangers to sweep.

"He can steal any game, really, (that) he wants to," captain Jacob Trouba (Michigan) said. "We know what we have back there. We don't want to rely on him. But when we do have breakdowns and mistakes, I think we have complete trust that he's there to have our backs."

Minutes later, forward Vincent Trocheck, who was the best skater on the ice in the series, echoed a similar sentiment: "Whenever we do have a little bit of a letdown, he's back there to save our butts."

Even when Shesterkin himself had a letdown, giving up a weird goal in Game 3 on hockey's equivalent of a diving curve ball, he was perfect the rest of the way.

"Not surprised," Trocheck said. "We need him to be the backbone of this team. He's been doing it for years now."

Coach Peter Laviolette sees a goalie who "seems to be tracking everything really well," seeing the whole rink from side to side and having good awareness of what's going on around him beyond the puck. Backup Jonathan Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in his first of two Cup runs with Los Angeles, appreciates the work Shesterkin has put in to be in the right position so frequently.

"Everyone sees the saves and how great he is athletically and stuff like that," Quick said. "But I think the part that stands out to me always is his ability to read plays, read what's going to happen."

Reinhart makes Panthers history

It has become a running joke with the Florida Panthers. Ask coach Paul Maurice about Sam Reinhart, and he will say something less than glowing about his team's top goal scorer.

These are actual examples:

"He's hard to deal with."

"He's got a terrible attitude."

"He's mean to small animals, squirrels especially."

To be clear, Maurice means absolutely none of those things. Reinhart can become a free agent on July 1, and the jabs - all done in jest - are Maurice's faux efforts to try and deter other clubs from signing the player who has put together the biggest goal-scoring season in Panthers history. Reinhart has 60, including three in the playoffs, topping Pavel Bure's mark of 59.

"It's a big, big number," Maurice said. "There isn't a cheat part in his game. And what's impressive about the 60 is he didn't hang out on the power play and if he was on the ice for empty-netters it was the right thing for him to be on the ice … that's not how he gets his goals. What's great about him is he scored 60 goals and that clearly is the headline, but it's not necessarily the best part of his game."

Here is what Florida's coach considers the best part, and there's no metric for this on the stat sheet: Maurice simply raves about how smart Reinhart is, saying he is one of the very smartest he's ever coached.

The way Reinhart took advantage of his openings this season sort of shows those smarts. He had 57 goals in the regular season while connecting on 24.5% of his shots that reached the net. Nobody in the NHL had done that - 57 or more goals, 24.5% or better shooting - since Mario Lemieux in 1988-89.

In fact, the 28-year-old Reinhart is one of only five players to ever put up those numbers. The others: Lemieux, Jari Kurri (who did it twice), Wayne Gretzky (who did it twice) and Mike Bossy. All four are in the Hall of Fame.

"He is awesome," Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. "He can score from any position. He's smart. He's not only scoring goals but he's a key player on the penalty kill as well and in the defensive zone. It's so much fun to see him have that success."

The Panthers - Stanley Cup finalists last season - are back in the second round of the playoffs for a third consecutive season, all coming with Reinhart on their roster since his arrival after seven seasons with Buffalo. They're awaiting either Boston or Toronto in Round 2.

"Best time of year," said Reinhart, who is from West Vancouver, British Columbia.

Vegas, Nashville face elimination

Home sweet home ice? For Vegas, maybe. Nashville, not so much lately.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights return home to their "Fortress" on the Strip looking to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after losing three in a row to Dallas. The Predators are back in "Smashville" trailing Vancouver 3-2 in that best-of-seven series.

Vegas went 9-3 at home on its title run last year. Nashville hasn't won at home in the playoffs since 2021. The challenge for each team is the same: win Friday night and force a deciding Game 7 this weekend.

"That's something we're certainly capable of," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "It's not this obstacle that we can't do. It's a home win, so let's get after it."

Eastern Conference playoff matchups

Rangers vs. Capitals

(Rangers win 4-0)

▶ Game 1: Rangers 4-1

▶ Game 2: Rangers 4-3

▶ Game 3: Rangers 3-1

▶ Game 4: Rangers 4-2

Bruins vs. Maple Leafs

(Series tied 3-3)

▶ Game 1: Bruins 5-1

▶ Game 2: Leafs 3-2

▶ Game 3: Bruins 4-2

▶ Game 4: Bruins 3-1

▶ Game 5: Leafs 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 6: Leafs 2-0

▶ Game 7: Saturday @ Boston, TBA*

Panthers vs. Lightning

(Panthers win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Panthers 3-2

▶ Game 2: Panthers 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 3: Panthers 5-3

▶ Game 4: Lightning 6-3

▶ Game 5: Lightning 6-1

Hurricanes vs. Islanders

(Hurricanes win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Hurricanes 3-1

▶ Game 2: Hurricanes 5-3

▶ Game 3: Hurricanes 3-2

▶ Game 4: Islanders 3-2 (2OT)

▶ Game 5: Hurricanes 6-3

Western Conference playoff matchups

Dallas vs. Vegas

(Stars lead 3-2)

▶ Game 1: Vegas 4-3

▶ Game 2: Vegas 3-1

▶ Game 3: Dallas 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 4: Dallas 4-2

▶ Game 5: Dallas 3-2

▶ Game 6: Friday at Vegas, TBA

▶ Game 7: Sunday @ Dallas, TBA

Winnipeg vs. Colorado

(Avalanche win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Jets 7-6

▶ Game 2: Avalanche 5-2

▶ Game 3: Avalanche 6-2

▶ Game 4: Avalanche 5-1

▶ Game 5: Avalanche 6-3

Vancouver vs. Nashville

(Canucks lead 3-2)

▶ Game 1: Canucks 4-2

▶ Game 2: Predators 4-1

▶ Game 3: Canucks 2-1

▶ Game 4: Canucks 4-3 (OT)

▶ Game 5: Predators 2-1

▶ Game 6: Friday @ Nashville, TBA

▶ Game 7: Sunday @ Vancouver, TBA

Edmonton vs. Los Angeles

(Oilers win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Oilers 7-4

▶ Game 2: Kings 5-4 (OT)

▶ Game 3: Oilers 6-1

▶ Game 4: Oilers 1-0

▶ Game 5: Oilers 4-3

Michigan-area hockey

Monday

▶ Saginaw 6, London 2

Tuesday

▶ NTDP U18s 9, Finland 4

Wednesday

▶ Rockford 5, Grand Rapids 1

▶ London 7, Saginaw 3

Thursday

▶ NTDP U18s 4, Switzerland 0

Friday

▶ Rockford at Grand Rapids, 7 (AHL/96.1)

▶ Saginaw at London, 7

Saturday

▶ NTDP U18s vs. Slovakia, 7 a.m.

Sunday

▶ Grand Rapids at Rockford, 5 (AHL/96.1)

▶ London at Saginaw, 2

American Hockey League playoffs

Central Division semifinal

(Series tied 1-1)

▶ Game 1: Grand Rapids 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 2: Rockford 5-1

▶ Game 3: Friday @ Grand Rapids, 7

▶ Game 4: Sunday, May 5 @ Rockford, 4

▶ Game 5: Friday, May 10 @ Grand Rapids, 7

ECHL

Central Division Semifinal

(Best-of-seven series)

▶ Game 1: Toledo 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 2: Toledo 5-2

▶ Game 3: Toledo 6-2

▶ Game 4: Toledo 4-2

Road to the Memorial Cup in Saginaw

(Saginaw hosts May 24-June 2)

▶ Friday, May 24: WHL vs. Saginaw, 7:30

▶ Saturday, May 25: OHL vs. QMJHL, 4

▶ Sunday, May 26: Saginaw vs. QMJHL, 7:30

▶ Monday, May 27: OHL vs. WHL, 7:30

▶ Tuesday, May 28: QMJHL vs. WHL, 7:30 

▶ Wednesday, May 29: Saginaw vs. OHL, 7:30 

▶ Thursday, May 30: Tie breaker (if necessary)

▶ Friday, May 31: Semifinal, 7:30

▶ Sunday, June 2: Final, 7:30

CHL playoffs in WHL, OHL, QMJHL

Western Hockey League

▶ Saskatoon Blades vs. Moose Jaw Warriors

▶ Prince George Cougars vs. Portland Winterhawks

Ontario Hockey League

▶ Oshawa Generals vs. North Bay Battalion

▶ London Knights vs. Saginaw

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

▶ Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. Cape Breton Eagles

▶ Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. Victoriaville Tigres