Dallas — Connor McDavid had a breakaway goal and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers are going to their second Stanley Cup final in a row after beating the Dallas Stars, 6-3, on Thursday night in Game 5 to wrap up the Western Conference final.
Edmonton scored on its first two shots, and jumped ahead 3-0 in the first 8:07 on way to eliminating the Stars in the West final for the second year in a row, this time in one less game.
The Oilers now get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida after a seven-game series last June. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton.
Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen also had goals for Edmonton, the last being an empty-netter in the closing seconds. Leon Draisaitl and ex-Red Wing Jake Walman each had two assists.
Jason Robertson scored twice and Roope Hintz had a goal for the Stars, who ended their season in the West final for the third year in a row. Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley each had two assists.
Kraken hire ex-Wing Lambert as coach
Seattle – The Seattle Kraken hired ex-Red Wings forward Lane Lambert on Thursday night as the third head coach in team history.
Lambert replaces Dan Bylsma, fired after one season.
The 60-year-old Lambert was most recently a head coach for the New York Islanders from 2022 until he was fired on Jan. 20, 2024. He was 61-46-20 with the Islanders, and they qualified for the playoffs once during his tenure.
Last season, the former NHL forward was associate head coach with Toronto.
“I’m so excited to become the head coach of the Seattle Kraken,” Lambert said in a statement. “When it came time to writing a new chapter, I couldn’t think of a better fit.”
The hiring comes a little over a month after Bylsma was fired and the Kraken front office experienced a shakeup. Longtime general manager Ron Francis was promoted to president of hockey operations, with assistant Jason Botterill taking over day-to-day responsibilities.
Bringing aboard Lambert marked the first notable hire of his tenure as general manager. Botterill also confirmed April 22 that assistant coach Jessica Campbell will be retained for next season.
“After conducting an extensive search, we’re thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach,” Botterill said in a statement. “We cast a wide net for suitable candidates. Lane impressed us throughout the interview process with his strategy and vision for this team.”
Lambert will have his work cut out to improve a squad that finished seventh in the Pacific Division last season, but the future could be a bit brighter for the Kraken. The franchise has 10 picks across the first two rounds of the next three drafts.
“This team has a talented group of young players poised to take the next step and a core group of veterans with great leadership qualities,” Lambert said “… I can’t wait to get started.”
When addressing reporters at the end of April, though, co-owner Samantha Holloway expressed her dissatisfaction with cycling through two coaches in two years as the Kraken failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“What we would like to be is a sustained playoff team,” Holloway said at Kraken Community Iceplex.
As an assistant coach, Lambert’s teams have had no problem doing as much. Since 2015, teams Lambert has coached have advanced to the second round or better eight times. That includes a Stanley Cup championship in 2018 with the Washington Capitals.
Lambert spent part of six seasons in the NHL as a player with Detroit, the New York Rangers and Quebec.
Leafs GM Treliving says change is coming
Toronto – Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving says to expect changes in the offseason after another early exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
And not just to the roster – but “between the ears,” too.
Using the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers as an example, Treliving said at a season-ending news conference Thursday that there must be changes in the “DNA” of a team that continues to struggle in big playoff moments despite regular-season success.
“We’ve got to continue to change and evolve our mindset, and we’ve got to find a way to create the team … to be our very best at the most critical moments,” Treliving said.
Toronto finished the regular season in first place in the Atlantic Division and defeated the Ottawa Senators in the first round for just its second playoff series win in the past 20 seasons.
The Leafs looked poised for a breakthrough when they won the first two games of a second-round series against the Panthers and went up 3-1 in Game 3, before handing the momentum back to their opponent and losing in seven games.
Part of the collapse included painful 6-1 losses at home in Games 5 and 7, made more frustrating by a 2-0 win in Game 6 in Florida in what was perhaps the most complete Leaf performance of the season.
“Champions have the ability to be calm and at their very best when it matters the most,” Treliving said. “That is an area we have to improve in.”
Treliving said that the Game 7 loss “is going to live with me.”
“I felt really good that morning,” he said. “The vibe around the team … and then we had the result we had.”
Treliving credited Florida, which just eliminated Carolina in five games in the Eastern Conference final to advance to its third straight Stanley Cup Final, with always finding a way to perform in the moments that matter.
“There’s a reason why they’re the champions, there’s a reason why they’re going back again for their third crack at it,” Treliving said. “They’ve set the bar in our division, they’ve set the bar in the league. And that’s what we aspire to.”
The changes have already started in Toronto, with the team declining to renew the contract of president Brendan Shanahan after 11 seasons. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and chief executive officer Keith Pelley said he will not replace Shanahan and instead work more closely with Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.
Under Shanahan, the Leafs rebuilt a struggling team around the “Core 4” forwards of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares.
While the team found individual and regular-season success – the Leafs have advanced to the postseason in each of the past nine seasons and Matthews has won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and three Rocket Richard awards as the top goal scorer – the Leafs have faltered in the postseason.
They are 0-6 in Game 7s over the past eight seasons, with two of those defeats coming on Treliving’s watch. Players seem to struggle under the pressure to deliver for a rabid fan base that has not celebrated a Stanley Cup title since 1967.
Treliving made some changes before the season to try to address that issue, adding stalwart defenseman Chris Tanev and goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who had a fantastic season before being injured in Game 1 of the second round. Berube, a no-nonsense coach who led the St. Louis Blues to a Cup title in 2019, was brought in to replace the popular but ultimately unsuccessful Sheldon Keefe.
The changes this offseason are likely to be more significant, with both Marner and Tavares set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Marner is expected to be one of the top options on the market, and Treliving faces a tough task re-signing him – even if the Leafs front office believes he still fits into the team’s future plans.
Treliving called Marner, who has borne much of the Toronto fan base’s anger at the myriad of playoff failures, a “star.” And he called himself a “huge John Tavares fan.”
But his short answer when discussing the future of the UFAs – “We’ll see.”
“It’s emotional right now,” Treliving said. “My discussion with Mitch is ’Let’s all take a step back, let’s all take a deep breath. I need to decompress.”
Darche introduced as Islanders’ GM
New York – Mathieu Darche was all smiles Thursday as he was formally introduced as the New York Islanders’ executive vice president and general manager.
The 48-year-old former NHL forward, who spent the previous six seasons – including two Stanley Cups – with the Tampa Bay Lightning, takes control of the team’s hockey operations department from Lou Lamoriello.
Darche officially announced that Patrick Roy would return as coach next season and be able to hire his own assistants with John MacLean and Tommy Albelin not returning. Darche also said there would be a new coaching staff in Bridgeport, the team’s AHL affiliate. The Islanders missed the playoffs this season after bowing out to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round the previous two springs.
Darche, who played 268 NHL games from 2001-12 for five teams, is ready to get started.
“We want to create our own success going forward, build our own legacy,” said Darche, a Montreal native who mentioned watching the Islanders and his idol Mike Bossy win four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83. “I believe in best practices and seeing what I can bring.”
Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender, became coach of the Islanders in January 2024. He guided the Islanders into the postseason with a late surge in 2024 but the team fell short this time, missing the playoffs for the second time in four seasons since starting play at UBS Arena. Both Darche and Roy were born in the province of Quebec.
“Patrick is a winner,’’ said Darche, who met the 59-year-old Roy for the first time in recent days. “I am extremely comfortable and excited to be working with him. I know he’s passionate and he works hard.”
Islanders co-owner John Collins echoed the sentiments of his incoming head of hockey operations, who also has a business background away from hockey and a degree from McGill University in Montreal.
“There’s a championship legacy here that needs to move forward. We believe strongly that Mathieu Darche understands how to make that happen,’’ Collins said. “He has been an important part of Stanley Cup success in Tampa Bay and we see him as a team builder with a bright future for us.”
Darche does have plenty of work to do. He said he’s spoken to just about every player on the Islanders roster and will be focused on the upcoming draft – in which the Islanders have the No. 1 pick – plus pending free agents in the weeks ahead.
“You’ve entrusted me with hockey operations of this franchise and it’s not something I take lightly,’’ Darche said. “I want this team to be a perennial playoff team … It’s not always a straight line but every single day every decision I make will be not for Mathieu Darche – not for anybody else – but the best thing for the New York Islanders.”
Islanders captain Anders Lee, who turns 35 in July and will be starting his 14th season with the Islanders, said his early impressions of the new boss have been all positive.
“Mathieu will come in with a lot of ideas. He’s seen how things have worked in Tampa. He has a vision for this group and this organization,” said Lee, with a backdrop of the arena’s ice-free surface. “We all have the same goal here. We want to be playing games in May, knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup.”
Lee also credited the 82-year-old Lamoriello with having a key impact during his seven years at the Islanders helm.
“Lou meant a lot. He was a mentor and someone you could lean on, someone you could go to for things outside of hockey,’’ Lee said. ”Lou has seen it all and he’s done it with high character and great values. He’s a man of his word. He made a lot of guys in that room not just better hockey players, but better men.
Toews planning comeback after two-year hiatus
Jonathan Toews has informed his longtime agent he intends to come back to the NHL after missing the past two seasons.
Pat Brisson confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that Toews reached out to him on Wednesday to say he’s 100% ready to move forward on a comeback attempt.
Toews, 37, is a free agent now, and his camp can speak with any of the league’s 32 teams immediately. Free agency opens July 1.
A return to hockey would be a triumphant one if Toews can pull it off.
Chosen one of the NHL’s top 100 players from its first 100 years, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native played 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2007-23 and captained them to the Stanley Cup three times as one of the faces of the franchise. Toews also helped Canada win gold at back-to-back Olympics in 2010 and ’14.
Toews stepped away from hockey two years ago citing the effects of Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and long COVID. His exit coincided with Chicago trading fellow star Patrick Kane and going into a full-scale rebuild.
TSN first reported Toews’ attempt to return.
Flyers re-sign forward Foerster
Philadelphia – The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Tyson Foerster to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million.
General manager Daniel Briere announced the extension Thursday. Foerster will count $3.75 million annually against the salary cap in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 NHL seasons.
Foerster, 23, set career highs with 25 goals, 18 assists and 43 points this past season. He was set to be a restricted free agent July 1 and will be again after this deal expires.
The Flyers’ first-round pick in the 2020 draft at No. 23 overall, Foerster has 83 points in 166 career games in the league, all with Philadelphia. This spring, he represented Canada at the world hockey championships.
Conference Finals scheduleEastern ConferenceCarolina vs. Florida
(Panthers win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Florida 5-2
▶ Game 2: Florida 5-0
▶ Game 3: Florida 6-2
▶ Game 4: Carolina 3-0
▶ Game 5: Florida 5-4
Western ConferenceDallas vs. Edmonton
(Oilers win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Dallas 6-3
▶ Game 2: Edmonton 3-0
▶ Game 3: Edmonton 6-1
▶ Game 4: Edmonton 4-1
▶ Game 5: Edmonton 6-3
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