Monday, 15 June 2026
Sunday, 7 June 2026
GOLDEN KNIGHTS BEAT HURRICANES IN 2OT'S, TAKE 2-1 STANLEY CUP LEAD
June 6 (UPI) -- Paralyzing tension stuffed T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, as the Vegas Golden Knights weathered a chaotic comeback and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The typically stingy Hurricanes held the Golden Knights to just two shots in a scoreless first period at T-Mobile Arena. Forward Mitch Marner then scored the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history in the second, steering the home team in firm control. But the visitors surged for four fourth-period scores to force overtime.
A lucky bounce for the Golden Knights ended Game 3, as a Shea Theodore shot ricocheted off a wall and net minder Brandon Bussi's pad and landed in the goal for the game-winner in the second bonus period.
"We just let our foot off the gas," Theodore said on the ABC broadcast. "I think we have to be sharper in the third, but I like the resiliency of the group."
With the win, the Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series. They will host Game 4 on Tuesday at home.
The Golden Knights outhit the Hurricanes 66-42. They held a 35-33 lead in shots and 30-14 advantage in blocks.
Marner registered an assist, in addition to his three goals in a record 6-minute, 12-second span. Fellow forward Tomas Hertle and Theodore logged a goal and assist apiece.
The Hurricanes trailed 4-0 when forward Jordan Martinook scored their first goal with 12:57 remaining. That score sparked the fastest string of three goals by one team in Stanley Cup Final history, with the Hurricanes finding the net two more times over a 39-second period.
Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal added the next two Hurricanes goals, cutting the deficit to one. Fellow forward Andrei Svechnikov scored the Hurricanes' final goal with 1:42 remaining in regulation.
"That can't happen again," Theodore said. "Just the bounces. Defensively we have to be sharper. ... I was fortunate to get a bounce there in overtime."
The Golden Knights had two goals disallowed early in the second period. Hertl broke the deadlock 10:26 into the frame, teeing up Marner's melee on the Hurricanes net.
Marner beat goalie Frederik Anderson for his first goal just 16 seconds later for a 2-0 Golden Knights lead. He found the net again with 5:28 remaining in the period for the Golden Knights' third goal.
Marner completed his hat trick with slap shot less than two minutes later.
The Hurricanes pulled Anderson in exchange for Bussi to start the third period. Martinook started their rabid rally by beating Carter Hart for the first time of Game 3. Hall followed with the Hurricanes' second goal 26 seconds later. Jordan Staal beat Hart for a third Hurricanes score with 12:18 remaining.
Svechnikov tied the score with a fourth consecutive score with 102 seconds remaining in regulation. Neither Alex Butlerteam scored in the resulting overtime period, triggering the second bonus period.
Defenseman Brayden McNabb slid the puck across the blue line for a Theodore one-timer attempt on the game's final sequence. The blast sailed wide of the net, but drilled the back boards, found the bottom of Bussi's left pad and flipped into the net, ending the thriller.
The Golden Knights will host the Hurricanes in Game 4 at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Las Vegas. Game 5 will be Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.
- Alex Butler
Monday, 1 June 2026
Friday, 16 January 2026
DONALD TRUMP TAKES ANITHER SHOT AT CANADA WHILE CELEBRATING FLORIDA PANTHERS
U.S. president congratulated the Florida Panthers on their Stanley Cup win during a ceremony at the White House.
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| Members of the Florida Panthers look on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to honour the 2025 Stanley Cup champions on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2026. Getty Images |
Donald Trump has never been shy about firing off an unprovoked shot or two whenever he can.
The U.S. president had one ready and waiting on Thursday, a little dig at his neighbours to the north during a ceremony celebrating the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
While speaking during the champions’ traditional White House visit, Trump made sure to make note of how long it has been since a Canadian franchise has hoisted the Cup.
“You denied Canada the Stanley Cup for the 32nd straight year,” Trump said during the ceremony, referencing the Cup drought of teams from the Great White North.
“We have a little competition with Canada,” Trump continued after applause. “They’re great people, though. They’re great people.
“We’re doing much better than Canada, but that’s OK, right? We want them to do well and they’re gonna do well.”
The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup final last summer for the second consecutive season. Connor McDavid and Co. were attempting to become the first Canadian team to hoist the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens won in 1993.
It should also be noted that while a Canadian-based franchise hasn’t won the Cup in more than three decades, the Panthers current roster features 13 players from Canada and that Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett hails from Holland Landing, Ont.
The Panthers made their White House visit during a rare three-day break in their busy schedule. They’ll be back in action on Friday night, playing in Raleigh against the Carolina Panthers. They then return to Washington on Saturday for a game against the Capitals.
Trump’s rivalry with Canada
This wasn’t the first time Trump has remarked on the on-ice rivalry between Canada and the U.S. The 79-year-old head of state waded into the discourse during last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, an event that came at a time when Trump had been calling for Canada to become the ‘51st State’ and referred to then-prime minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor” of Canada.
Team Canada beat the Americans in the final of the tournament, but the 4 Nations was marred by the booing of the rival country’s national anthem in both Montreal and Boston.
It wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that there will be animosity between the Canadian and American teams should they meet at next month’s Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy.
What else did Trump say?
As he has in past championship celebrations at the White House, Trump gushed over the players’ physiques and good looks.
“Good-looking people, young beautiful people, I hate them,” he said, alluding to the NHLers stealing his spotlight.
“You hate standing here with all this power behind you. But I got power too. It’s called the United States military.”
Trump, who has outfitted with the White House with much golden decor, was gifted a golden hockey stick by the team.
After spotting the stick during his speech, Trump admitted to wanting it before joking that as president, he could take it if he wanted to.
- Dan Bilicki
Saturday, 22 June 2024
Saturday, 15 June 2024
OILERS LOOK TO STAVE OFF ELIMINATION IN GAME 4 VS. PANTHERS
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| USA TODAY Sports |
The Florida Panthers can raise their first Stanley Cup in team history with a win against the host Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 on Saturday night.
The Panthers didn't come close in their previous two Stanley Cup final appearances, getting swept by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
Florida's now in position to post the first finals sweep since the Detroit Red Wings ran over the Washington Capitals in 1998.
"It's there for us, but you don't think about it," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said after his team's 4-3 win in Game 3 on Thursday night. "You can't think about it. All we have to do is just take, like, one moment at a time. .... (Friday), we need to recover and get ready for the game. That's about it. We never think too much ahead."
In the Edmonton dressing room, the Oilers are trying to figure out how they've gone from being in position to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, to the first Canadian team trying to avoid getting swept since the Oilers in 1983.
Only one NHL has overcome a 3-0 deficit to win the Stanley Cup, the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942.
"It is disappointing being down 3-0," Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner said. "I'm not too sure what the stats are coming back on it, but if anyone can do it, it's the Oil."
Edmonton's dire situation isn't for lack of opportunities. The Oilers outshot the Panthers 35-23 in Game 3 and 32-17 in the 3-0 loss in Game 1.
"We're firing a lot of shots, we just can't seem to put it over the goal line," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "We're not sustaining enough pressure."
The leading scorers for Edmonton have been mostly silent.
Draisaitl, who was seventh in the NHL in points during the regular season and is second in the postseason, hasn't produced a point in the finals. Zach Hyman, who scored 54 goals during the regular season, hasn't scored either.
Superstar captain Connor McDavid has three assists, but no goals in the series.
"We can't score on the outside on these guys," McDavid said. "We have to get to the middle."
Florida forward Sam Bennett said slowing down the Edmonton offense has been a team effort.
"Every single guy is committed to playing that defense first and that system of coming back supporting each other," Bennett said. "That's what you need to have success. It's really been just a full commitment from the entire group."
The big guns for the Panthers, meanwhile, have been doing their damage in the series.
Sam Reinhart, who scored 57 goals during the regular season, has a goal and two assists against Edmonton -- including one of each in the Game 3 win.
Barkov had a goal and an assist in the last game after producing two assists in Game 1. He did not play the final 9:28 of Game 2 after taking a hit from Draisaitl.
"I can't say enough good things about the guy," Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said of Barkov. "Just plays the game the right way. Everything about him. He's just down to earth. The best human being. He's our leader. He's our leader for a reason."
Tuesday, 11 June 2024
PANTHERS NOW 2 WINS FROM STANLEY CUP, TOP OILERS 4-1 FOR 2-0 LEAD ON TITLE SERIES
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SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl knocked Florida's Aleksander Barkov out of the game. The Panthers made sure they responded by landing the bigger blow.
And the Stanley Cup Final took a heated turn Monday night.
Evan Rodrigues had a pair of third-period goals, Niko Mikkola and Aaron Ekblad also scored and the Panthers used yet another airtight finishing kick to pull away and beat the Oilers 4-1 for a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 18 shots for Florida, which was 1-8 all-time in Cup final games before this series started — and now is two wins away from capturing its first championship. Score through two games: Florida 7, Edmonton 1.
“A six-man job against the best players in the world,” Ekblad said.
But the win came with a price for Florida as the Panthers lost Barkov, their captain when Edmonton forward Draisaitl launched toward him midway through the third period and hit him in the head. Barkov remained down for some time, needed help getting to the bench and went down the tunnel for the Florida locker room for further evaluation.
Florida coach Paul Maurice offered no update on Barkov's condition, and was far more tight-lipped than he tends to be after wins.
“This isn’t The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Maurice said of the Barkov hit. “My feelings don’t matter.”
Mattias Ekholm scored and Stuart Skinner stopped 25 shots for the Oilers, who now have to buck some serious history.
Edmonton has only successfully rallied from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series once — against San Jose in Round 2 of the 2006 playoffs. And teams that start the Stanley Cup Final down 2-0 have come back to win only five times in 54 previous situations.
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“I think we feel that we came here and played well enough that we should have a split," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It doesn’t always happen.”
The series resumes with Game 3 in Edmonton on Thursday night.
“We can certainly be better,” Draisaitl said. “It starts with me. ... I certainly have a lot more to give. Not my best tonight. Obviously, owning that.”
Draisaitl was given only a minor penalty for roughing on the hit that knocked Barkov from the game. Rodrigues got a tip-in goal to make it 3-1, the first power-play score Edmonton allowed in its last 34 times being down a man.
Connor McDavid had a chance to get Edmonton within one on a breakaway with about 6 minutes left. He got stopped by Bobrovsky, and then he and Matthew Tkachuk tussled a bit along the boards after the play — the Panthers still steaming over the hit on Barkov.
“I have no response or comment on that,” Tkachuk said when asked what he thought of Draisaitl's hit on Barkov, and if he had a level of concern that Florida's captain could miss time.
Said McDavid of the hit: “I thought it was part of the game.”
And added Ekblad: “We're hoping he'll be fine.”
Emotions were high all night. Edmonton’s Warren Foegele was ejected in the first period for a knee-on-knee hit that knocked Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen from the game briefly; that ejection, plus an injury to Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse left them with only 11 forwards and five defensemen for much of the game.
Rodrigues scored early in the third off a turnover for a 2-1 lead, setting the tone for yet another Florida comeback. The Panthers — who trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes — are now an NHL-best 5-2 when trailing after one period in these playoffs.
Ekblad sealed it with an empty-netter with 2:28 left.
“It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be difficult,” McDavid said. “I'm excited to see what our group's made of.”
Just like Game 1, one team cashed in on its first shot. It was Florida on Saturday, and Edmonton this time.
There wasn't much to it: Ekholm skated nearly the full length of the ice with the teams playing 4-on-4, taking a harmless-looking shot that got between Bobrovsky's leg pads and squirted into the back of the net. McDavid — playing in the building where he got drafted in 2015 — got one of the assists on the goal, his 27th assist of this postseason.
Midway through the second, the Panthers knotted it up. Mikkola had two shots on a shift; one was at the wrong net, and the other more than atoned for that near-blunder.
Moments after he inadvertently wheeled a backhand toward Bobrovsky — who was alert enough to save his teammate from the embarrassment of an own goal — Mikkola handled a delivery from Anton Lundell and blasted it past Skinner to pull Florida into a 1-1 tie.
“Bob was awake,” Mikkola said.
Shots were 22-7 Florida after 40 minutes, the Oilers — who led the league in shots on goal this season — being held to a season-low entering the third. Bobrovsky was tested a ton more in the third than he was in the first two periods, but was up to the task again and yielded two goals or fewer for the 12th time in his last 13 games.
And Florida, for the first time, is two wins from the Cup.
“It's special,” Rodrigues said. “Trying to embrace it. Trying to stay in the moment. That's two big wins for our team, but I think we've already turned the page and are getting ready for Game 3.”
- TIM REYNOLDS
Sunday, 9 June 2024
BOBVROVSKY MAKES 32 SAVES AS THE PANTHERS SHUT OUT THE OILERS 3-0 IN GAME 1 OF STANLEY CUP
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| AP |
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky turned the puck over on the first shift and recovered. He lost his stick for 30 seconds at one point and still made saves. Connor McDavid put six shots on net, and none of them went in.
Bobrovsky put on a masterclass against McDavid and every other player who dared test him and his teammates pounced when given the chance. As a result, the Florida Panthers are off and rolling in the Stanley Cup Final.
With the goalie everyone simply calls “Bob” unbeatable in stopping all 32 shots he faced from every angle and in every situation in one of the most memorable playoff goaltending performances in recent history and thanks to goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues, the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 on Saturday night in Game 1 of the NHL’s best-of-seven championship series.
“It’s fun to play those guys, those elite guys and it’s a fun atmosphere," Bobrovsky said. "I am just alive for the opportunity, and I enjoy every second of it.”
Chants of “Bobby! Bobby!” repeated themselves over and over as Bobrovsky turned aside multiple breakaways, stopped McDavid when the reigning and three-time MVP went into turbo mode and flew all around and outside the crease to make Florida’s net an impenetrable fortress.
Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner for his stellar regular-season play registered his second shutout of this run and third in the playoffs over his 14-year career. Thanks to him, the Panthers have a lead in the Cup final for the first time in franchise history and are now three wins away from hoisting hockey’s hallowed trophy for the first time.
It didn’t even matter that they were outshot 32-18. Back in the final for a second consecutive season and healthier and more prepared for the moment than in the five-game loss to Vegas a year ago, Florida showed experience on this stage does matter, handling pressure and tense moments throughout like most of its players have been here before.
“We kind of know what it takes this year,” Verhaeghe said. “We know how challenging it is, the ups and downs of playoffs and the grind of it. I think that makes us more equipped this year.”
The goals by Verhaeghe and Rodrigues came on the first five shots on net against Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner, who was left out to dry by a slow backcheck and a lost race to the puck. Skinner, who has had his ups and downs this postseason and whose play looked like the biggest question in the series, was hardly to blame for either one.
“Lots to like," McDavid said. “We didn’t give up too much, (but) what we did give up was dangerous.”
Edmonton controlled much of the game 5 on 5, extended its streak of penalties killed to 30, and its power play did just about everything right except score. Despite all that, the Oilers find themselves trailing in this core group led by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s first appearance in the final.
“We know that we're going to have to get even better,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “There are things we're going to have to look at and try to increase those chances.”
It’s a series featuring the furthest distance between teams meeting for the Cup, eclipsing the previous record set in 2011 by Boston and Vancouver. The trophy was brought out on to the ice prior to puck drop, similarly to what the league did by shining a spotlight on it in the empty stands in Edmonton four years ago when the playoffs went on in pandemic bubbles.
“Wasn’t really expecting that,” Rodrigues said of an NHL first of the Cup at ice level before the final for the first time since the 1960s. “That was a little bit of chills and a pretty cool moment. It was a pretty nice touch, I’m not going to lie.”
This was the polar opposite of that more recent eerily quiet scene from 2020, with a sellout crowd of 19,543 screaming fans juiced up for a fifth consecutive final featuring a team from the Florida. While 20 playoff games have been played in Canada over the past 20 seasons, this was the 22nd in the Sunshine State over that time.
Another is set for Monday when these teams return for Game 2.
“It’s a long series,” Bobrovsky said. "We’re going to reset, refocus and get ready for the next fight.”
Friday, 31 May 2024
PANTHERS BEAT RANGERS 3-2 IN GAME 5 TO MOVE WITHIN WIN OF STANLEY CUP FINAL RETURN
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| AP Photo |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Florida Panthers are on the verge of going back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year and third time in franchise history because they are finding ways to win the tight ones.
Anton Lundell broke a tie with 9:38 left and the Panthers beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 5 of of an Eastern Conference final where the teams have been separated by one goal the past four games. Unlike the previous three, this one didn't need extra time.
Gustav Forsling and Sam Bennett also scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to help the Panthers — who lost to Vegas last year for the title — win their second straight in the best-of-series series.
Bennett said the Panthers aren't talking about a return trip to the Cup final. They are focused on one game at a time, although, the memory of last season is a positive.
“I think it helps a lot," Bennett said. “Just to know the grind. How hard it is. How much it takes to have success — to make it this far — it takes a lot. We learned a lot last year.”
Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin made 34 saves in another magnificent effort. The Presidents’ Trophy winners need to win two straight to return to the final for the first time since 2014. Mike Zibanejad had two assists.
The Panthers can end the series Saturday in Florida. If a seventh game is necessary, it will be at Madison Square Garden, where the Panthers have won twice this series.
This is the first time the Rangers have faced elimination in the playoffs this season.
“There is nothing to say,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. “Your back is against the wall. We have to bring our best game to survive another day.”
The go-ahead goal came after the Rangers lost the puck in the Florida end. Eetu Luostarien got the puck, found Lundell at the Rangers' blue line. His shot from the right circle beat Shesterkin.
While it appeared the puck was deflected, many of the Panthers gave veteran Vladimir Tarasenko credit for attempting to tip the puck in front of Shesterkin. They thought it might have affected the goaltender.
“We had chance after chance and just kept grinding," said Lundell, who along with Luostarinen was stopped in close by Shesterkin on shots made between their legs earlier in the period. "We had some great chances. Finally we got the goal.”
Bennett added an empty-net goal with 1:52 left and it proved necessary when Lafreniere scored with 50 seconds to play. The Rangers never got another shot.
“As the emotion increases in this series - the closer you get to the end, every single play, small play counts," said Florida coach Paul Maurice, who team blocked 17 shots and had one giveaway.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said the series has been tight.
“We need to capitalize on some of the ones (chances) that we did generate and we weren’t able to do that tonight,” he said. "It was like I said, it was tight. The game was tight. I thought we had looks and I thought we had chances and they didn’t go in. Came down to one goal. So it’s a 2-1 game.”
Kreider and Zibanejad, who were scoreless in the first four games of the series, combined to give New York the lead with a short-handed goal at 2:04 of the second period.
Kreider broke up a Florida play at the blue line, nudged the puck to Zibanejad and then took a return pass entering the offensive zone and beat Bobrovsky with nifty backhand move, evoking a roar that seemed to have Madison Square Garden shaking.
It was Kreider eighth goal of the playoffs and the Rangers’ sixth short-handed, tying the team postseason record set in 1978-79. New York went on to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to Montreal in five games.
Forsling tied it a little more than six minutes later, taking a perfect pass from Bennett and beating Shesterkin with a backhander that the goalie deflected but not enough to keep it out of the net. It was the defenseman's fourth goal and 11th point of the playoffs.
Both teams had great chances in the scoreless first period with Bobrovsky stopping Filip Chytil and Vincent Trocheck in close, and Shesterkin turning aside Kevin Stenlund and getting a little help from a post on Bennett's backhander from point-blank range.
- TOM CANAVAN
Wednesday, 14 June 2023
GOLDEN KNIGHTS' MARCHESSAULT NAMED STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS MVP
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| USA TODAY Sports |
Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs after helping his team to their first championship on Tuesday.
Marchessault, who has been with the Golden Knights since their inaugural 2017-18 season, is the first undrafted player to win the award since Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky in 1988.
VEGAS HITS THE JACKPOT | BEATS FLORIDA TO WIN STANLEY CUP
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| USA Today Sports |
The Vegas Golden Knights hit the ultimate National Hockey League jackpot on Tuesday by crushing the visiting Florida Panthers 9-3 to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in the expansion franchise's six-year history.
With the victory, the Western Conference's top-seeded Golden Knights closed out the best-of-seven championship series 4-1, triggering celebrations in and around the hotels and casinos along the famed Las Vegas Strip.