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Oilers officially decide on starter for Game 5

CTV News

The Edmonton Oilers were able to wrestle victory away from the jaws of defeat on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Kings, coming back from 0-3 and 3-4 deficits thanks to the game-tying tally from Evander Kane and subsequent overtime winner from Zach Hyman. The series is now a best-of-3, with Game 5 heading back to Rogers Place in Edmonton later tonight..

Earlier this afternoon, the Oilers announced that they’ll be going right back to goaltender Stuart Skinner between the pipes, despite his having been pulled in Game 4 in favor of Jack Campbell. 

“Stuart’s been our starting goaltender here the second half of the year, he’s played great and we expect a great game out of him today,” head coach Jay Woodcroft said.

“I start with the basis of understanding that we have two really good goaltenders, and that’s a luxury for a head coach to have,” he continued. “In the end, it’s the head coach’s decision.”

Skinner was sure to give a tip of the cap to Campbell for helping earn the victory in Game 4.

“He went in there cold, and I apologized to Jack for doing that to him,” said Skinner of Campbell. “You never get put into a great spot when you go in cold. He did a great job.”

“Unbelievable. He was stellar,” Skinner continued. “He made a huge, huge breakaway save (on Viktor Arvidsson with 5:46 to play), and after that we ended up scoring (to tie the game), and won it in overtime. You could say that stop won us the game.”

Skinner will be looking to improve his postseason numbers, which include a 1-2 record combined with a pedestrian 3.39 goals against average and .881 save percentage. Tonight’s Game 5 will begin at 9:30 PM EST. 

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New home for the Calgary Flames officially in the works!

Expedia

After nearly 40 years of playing in the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Calgary Flames will soon have a brand new home to call their own to replace the aging facility.

Minutes ago, it was announced that a deal has officially been struck to replace the venue that opened in 1983. The new complex, which is expected to be complete in 2027, will be getting almost $900 million in government funding. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had this to say: 

“Let me tell you, Calgary isn’t Calgary without the Flames and Alberta isn’t Alberta without the Battle of Alberta.”

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Rival NHL executives and coaches say Leafs are different this time

The Athletic

Something about this year’s edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs sure feels different, and rightly so. 

Their last two postseason games against the Tampa Bay Lightning have, traditionally, been the exact kind of games that they would ultimately fall short in – especially in last night’s Game 4 that saw them trailing by a 4-1 score midway through the third period. 

However, the Leafs are heading back home to Scotiabank Arena with the chance to advance to Round 2 for the first time in 19 years thanks to consecutive overtime victories, the latter of which was fueled by a three-goal offensive outburst followed by another dramatic celebration on the ice after the game-winning goal was tallied. 

We’re not used to seeing this from the Leafs, who have drawn considerable mockery from rival fan bases for their inability to close out a postseason series in each of their previous seven attempts. And while they did ultimately lose to the rival Montreal Canadiens in 2021 after enjoying a 3-1 series advantage, the 2023 edition of the Leafs isn’t giving off any kind of vibe for a similar collapse. In fact, just the opposite.

Take a look at what several anonymous NHL executives and coaches had to say about what Toronto has been able to do so far in the postseason. 

Executive No. 1: “I believe it is huge for the psyche. … (They) look like a focused group. To win you have to exorcise demons. (They’re) doing it the hard way, with full team commitment, getting contributions from the whole lineup. Winning games the way they did Monday night will give them belief. They will get tested again to test their resolve in this series. They look like they are facing their demons head-on — finally embracing the mental and physical commitment it takes to win a series. To win in playoffs the hard way is the easiest way to success!”

Executive No. 2: “It’s huge for their psyche. They’ve proven they’re never out of a game … But this is the game now (Game 5) they need their stars to really shine, to be the difference. Don’t let doubt creep back in. If (Andrei Vasilevskiy) steals the game but Leafs stars play well, that’s OK. If they don’t play well and Tampa wins and brings it to Game 7, the pressure might be debilitating.”

Head Coach No. 1: “This is the stuff you need to do in the playoffs if you want to keep playing or move on. The team is showing no quit, which is important. You need a never-quit attitude; in the playoffs, there are lots of ups and downs — just stay even-keeled (and) keep playing.”

Head Coach No. 2: “It’s not only the confidence that Toronto can gain from OT wins, because that surely gives them momentum … it’s the psyche of Tampa Bay that could be taking a bigger hit. After a Game 1 blowout (Lightning win), they were outscored in Game 2, a key player injured, goal called back, lost in OT on (a late-game) comeback and then last night a multiple-goal comeback OT loss. It certainly seems to be spiraling against the Lightning. Toronto has the edge. They have the momentum. But they have to take down the best team in the last five years! Up 3-1 … it still won’t be easy.”

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Gerard Gallant rips Rangers after listless effort vs. Devils

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The New York Rangers were in the drivers seat against their bitter rival New Jersey Devils, having dominated them in the first two games of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series at Prudential Center by a combined score of 10-2. You’d think that heading home to the rocking atmosphere of Madison Square Garden in Manhattan with a two games to none series lead would be a good thing for the Blueshirts. 

However, the Devils gave the Rangers a little taste of hell in New York, first defeating them in overtime thanks to a Dougie Hamilton snipe, and then continuing to stifle their offensive attack in last night’s Game 4 and tying things up at two games apiece. Goaltender Akira Schmid has been solid between the pipes, stopping 57 of the 59 shots the Rangers have fired his way since replacing Vitek Vanecek. 

For the Rangers to suddenly fall flat on home ice in the postseason is understandably not sitting well with head coach Gerard Gallant, who took his team to task in his postgame media remarks. 

“Not good. Not good enough. Not even close to good enough,” a visibly frustrated Gallant said. “Very disappointing.”

Gallant also didn’t care for, as he put it, his players caring more about voicing their displeasure with the performance of the linesman more than their own. 

“We didn’t show up,” Gallant said. We didn’t play hard enough. We didn’t compete hard enough. All we did was yap at the linesmen for getting thrown out of the faceoffs. A lot of bad things tonight.”

New York certainly wasn’t aided by their power-play units, which have gone completely dry and are mired in an 0-for-11 slump after initially starting the postseason red hot. 

The series now shifts back to Prudential Center in Newark, where the rejuvenated Devils will hope to gain the upper hand on the Rangers by seizing a one-game lead before returning to New York for Game 6. 

Game 5 between the two teams will take place Thursday night beginning at 7:30 PM EST. 

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Report: Red Wings defenseman looking to return to Europe

Hockey Feed

While the version of the Detroit Red Wings that hits the ice this fall for the 2023-24 NHL season has yet to be officially decided in terms of names on the roster, it appears as though one name from this most recent season that may not be back with the team will come from the blue line.

According to Swedish news reports, defenseman Gustav Lindstrom is allegedly looking to play next season overseas. 

The 24-year-old Lindstrom was selected by the Red Wings with the 38th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and appeared in 36 games during the 2022-23 season, scoring once while adding seven assists along with a -16 rating. He’s a veteran of 128 career NHL games, all with Detroit, and has a total of two goals and 23 assists along with a -33 rating. 

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Edmonton’s Zach Hyman scores a goal with his face

Twitter

Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman certainly knows a thing or two about scoring goals. After all, not only did he light the lamp 36 times during the regular season, but he also tallied the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 4 of his team’s Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings to knot things up at two games apiece. 

But tonight, Hyman achieved a career first – scoring a goal literally off his face. He deflected defenseman Evan Bouchard’s shot right off the grill and into the net past goaltender Pheonix Copley: 

The bounces are sure going Edmonton’s way tonight at Rogers Place as they try to take a three games to two series lead! 

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Lightning admit uncomfortable truth after shocking Game 4 loss

TampaBay.com

All the Tampa Bay Lightning had to do was win a period of hockey, and they’d be heading back to Toronto having tied their series at two games apiece with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, who are facing enormous scrutiny and pressure to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. 

However, the complacent Lightning saw their 4-1 lead midway through the third period dissolve thanks to a furious comeback effort by the Leafs, capped by the stunning power play goal in overtime by Alex Kerfoot. Suddenly, it’s the Lightning and not the Leafs who have their backs up against the wall. 

And Tampa Bay knows that it blew a golden opportunity.

“This is a difficult one to process at the moment,” Lightning forward Alex Killorn said. “Having that lead and letting it slip away is tough, but we’ve got to get over it. They’re a good team and their big-time players came through in a big way and I think we just sat back too much.

“We were a little too comfortable with that lead.” 

It’s the second straight overtime game that the Lightning have lost to the Leafs in which they initially enjoyed the lead. Game 3 saw Toronto tie the score with just over a minute remaining in regulation thanks to 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly, followed by a shot from the point by defenseman Morgan Rielly that inexplicably beat the suddenly very human Andrei Vasilevskiy. 

“We’ve scored enough goals to win, but in the end, you’ve got to keep them out of the net,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of his team’s performance in the series. “You can’t be giving up this amount of goals. I don’t care if it’s the regular season or playoffs especially.

“You put four on the board and that should be a win. But in the end, you’ve got to defend and keep the puck out of your net. We didn’t do it enough.”

The Lightning have no choice but to win, and then win two more straight games if they have any intention of once again sending the Leafs home for an early summer. Game 5 between the two teams will be back in Toronto on Thursday night.

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Sebastian Aho’s face being cut open leads to Isles goal

Twitter

The Carolina Hurricanes came into tonight’s Game 5 against the New York Islanders with thoughts of punching their ticket to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in front of their roaring fans at PNC Arena. 

However, the Islanders are refusing to cooperate, having built up a 2-0 lead over the host Hurricanes, which was made possible by the would-be tying Carolina goal being waived off due to offsides. 

And as if that wasn’t enough insult to injury, star Carolina forward Sebastian Aho was bloodied after being struck with the puck, which lead directly to his New York’s second goal: 

Thankfully, Aho has returned to action: 

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Marcus Foligno ejected after dirty knee-on-knee hit

Twitter

Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno has been assessed a major penalty after he caught Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa with a dirty knee-on-knee hit. 

Faksa had to be helped from the ice, while Foligno would soon be ejected from action. 

Take a look for yourself at the play:

The good news for Stars fans is that Faksa was able to avoid what could have been a significant knee injury and has returned to the game: 

The Stars are looking to take a 3-2 series lead over the Wild before the two teams return to Minnesota for what could be a deciding Game 6. 

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Jarome Iginla points to next Flames GM!

NHL.com / Flames

Hockey Hall of Famer and Calgary Flames’ legendary forward Jarome Iginla knows who should take over as general manager as the team looks for Brad Treliving’s replacement. He believes Craig Conroy should be in charge of the Flames’ front office and promoted from assistant GM to general manager in order to get the club back on track for the 2023-24 season.

“He’s a great competitor, played a thousand games, he’s a very smart hockey person,” Iginla said Tuesday during an appearance on Sportsnet 960. “I’m excited. I really hope he gets it. I think he’d do a great job. He loves Calgary.”

Iginla knows Conroy is a bit busy at the moment, but believes he is getting great experience at the moment at the annual IIHF Men’s World Championship. Conroy has been named to USA Hockey’s management group for the tournament. It was natural for Conroy to take the job alongside Chris Clark, who was his teammate in Calgary for several seasons.

Conroy has been part of Flames management since retiring as a player, and was named an assistant GM in 2014. He knows everything there needs to know about the team, knowing head coach Darryl Sutter and the organization inside out, from top to bottom.

“He’s a guy who’s great for relationships – I’ve never heard a person say a bad word about him – and in that type of role, it’s relationships all over,” Iginla said, before adding with a chuckle, “he can also be very fiery.”

Iginla had no hesitation supporting Conroy as the next Flames GM seeing that he knows the type of leader he can be. The Hall of Famer witnessed it on and off the ice. He is certain Conroy, who was a finalist for the Buffalo Sabres GM job several seasons ago, has what it takes to help the Flames become, once again, a strong contender, after another busy summer.

“He’d always talk hockey and he got to play with some really good teams and players: the St. Louis Blues, when they were the Presidents’ Trophy winners, and then came to Calgary and was a big leader on our team,” Iginla added. “He was always a guy that cared about everybody, and it’s so important for a team because some guys come (to the rink) and they work and are focused and lead by example, some guys they’re great personalities around the room, great jokesters and bring a team together that way. (Conroy) was a combination of both. He worked really hard, he was committed to it, but he was always a glue guy. He always knew what was going on with everybody in their lives and made them feel a part of the locker room, and if someone wasn’t feeling good, he’d find ways to pick them up.”

Do you agree with Iginla and believe the Flames should promote Conroy to team GM?

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