McDavid, Oilers looking to continue Stanley Cup push in Game 6 against Panthers - Hockey (2024)

The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2024 / 9:34 am | Story: 493525

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Jamieson Rees to a one-year, two-way contract extension, the NHL team announced Friday.

The contract carries a value of US$775,000 in the NHL and US$85,000 in the American Hockey League.

The Senators acquired Rees from Carolina in March in exchange for a sixth-round pick at this year's NHL draft.

The 23-year-old from Hamilton had four assists in 14 games with the AHL's Belleville Senators following the trade.

He had seven assists in a combined 51 AHL games with Springfield, Charlotte and Belleville in 2023-24.

The five-foot-11, 172-pound Rees has recorded 88 points (29 goals, 59 assists) and 194 penalty minutes in 206 career AHL games. He helped the Chicago Wolves win the Calder Cup in 2022.

Rees was selected in the second round, 44th overall, by Carolina in the 2019 NHL draft.

"Jamieson is a hard-working player with a proven track record of success," Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios said in a release. "He’s gritty, is capable of playing all forward positions, and someone we think will benefit from greater opportunity."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2024 / 3:01 am | Story: 493476

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Stanley Cup will be in the building once again on Friday night with the Florida Panthers getting their third chance to win the first championship in franchise history in Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers.

The Panthers led the series 3-0 before losing back-to-back games.

“There’s no way necessarily to prepare for that new experience," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Thursday in Fort Lauderdale before traveling back to Alberta. “Now, we’ve got kind of two games under our belt ... so we’re learning. We’re learning how to do this. We’re learning how to feel it.”

To close out the series and finally be atop the NHL, Florida will have to deal with Connor McDavid likely cruising to playoff MVP honors and a raucous sellout crowd of over 18,000 fans hoping to see their team force a Game 7 in South Florida on Monday night. Oilers fever is alive and well in the city of nearly a million people trying to will the their team back across North America.

"It’s been incredible to witness," said veteran winger Corey Perry, who is in the final for the fourth time in five seasons. "Everybody notices it. You can hear them honking the horns when we’re in our dressing room. You can hear everything. It’s pretty special, pretty tremendous to be here and going through that.”

They are back in Edmonton thanks in large part to McDavid, Edmonton's captain who had four points apiece in Games 4 and 5. He is the first player in league history with consecutive four-point games in the final, and his 42 are five shy of Wayne Gretzky's record set in 1985.

“Connor doing Connor things,” linemate Zach Hyman said. “That’s what makes him special. He’s able to elevate his game at the most important time — the biggest reason why we’ve come so far. We’re not here without him. He continues to drive the bus.”

Matthew Tkachuk drove it for the Panthers in Game 5, the second-best player on the ice behind McDavid with a long gap to who might have been third. Tkachuk scored a goal and assisted on another, sparking a comeback bid that fell just short despite his diving save to keep the puck out of an empty net in the final minute.

“He’s one of the best players in the world,” teammate Ryan Lomberg said. "He’s one of our main leaders. When guys like that lead by example, everybody else is well on board.”

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The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2024 / 3:01 am | Story: 493477

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Stuart Skinner sprawled to his right to glove a shot by Carter Verhaeghe on a 2-on-1 early in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final that maintained the Edmonton Oilers' lead. Less than a minute into Game 5, he lunged the same direction to deny Aaron Ekblad from scoring on yet another extremely high-quality scoring chance.

When the Oilers have needed him most, their mustached homegrown goaltender has been there for them. Since he and the team were pushed to the brink, falling behind 3-0 in the series against the Florida Panthers, Skinner has stopped 61 of 65 shots, making timely saves at critical times to keep the final going.

“He’s definitely stepped up,” alternate captain Leon Draisaitl said. “I think he’s been playing great for us, and we expect it coming down the stretch here. He’s one of those guys, one of those goalies who steps up in big moments.”

Skinner's resurgence is just the latest example of the 25-year-old responding to adversity, including a turnover of his in Game 3 that contributed to a third consecutive loss. He is 8-5 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage since returning to the net from being benched during the second round.

The Edmonton native who, until that point, had some of the worst playoff statistics at the position in the past two decades — a save percentage of .881 in his first 20 games — has gotten better as the stakes have gotten higher.

“It’s a byproduct of the experiences that I go through and what I do with them," Skinner said Thursday, roughly 18 hours before puck drop on Game 6 of the series in the city he grew up in. "It’s also a byproduct of how my team plays in front of me. These guys have been nothing but be supportive and playing good on both ends of the ice. ...

"It’s what you do when things kind of come your way, and whether it’s good or whether it’s bad, it’s all about how you respond. And I think for myself, it’s just trying to give this team a chance to win every night.”

Skinner has done so after a blip in Game 3 because his play, considered before the series one of the biggest unknowns, was not the reason Edmonton lost each of the first two of the final at Florida.

But, along with Connor McDavid producing at an MVP caliber level at the other end of the rink, Skinner has played an important role in the Oilers clawing back.

“It starts with your best players: If your best players are going and playing well, everyone else follows," coach Kris Knoblauch said. “When you look across (the locker room) and you see Stuart Skinner playing as well as he is, Connor McDavid putting up back to back four-point games, that gives your team a lot of confidence.”

There's no lack of confidence in Skinner, who also does not seem fazed by the high-pressure situation. TV cameras caught him bopping his head to the music playing in the arena.

“Yeah, sometimes you'll see me nod to the music, for sure,” Skinner said. “When I hear a tune that’s easy to go along with, sometimes you’ll see me bobbing my head. It’s just enjoying where you are in the moment, having some fun with it."

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The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2024 / 3:00 am | Story: 493474

EDMONTON — Another must-win game awaits the Edmonton Oilers Friday night.

Edmonton is set to host Game 6 against the Florida Panthers looking to stave off elimination once more in the Stanley Cup final.

The Oilers have won two straight to cut the Panthers' series lead to 3-2.

Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday in South Florida.

Edmonton is hoping to become the fifth NHL team to ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series.

The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team in league history to win a Stanley Cup coming back from such a deficit in the final series.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 4:17 pm | Story: 493427

EDMONTON — Mattias Ekholm got off the plane and headed to the pitch.

After the long journey from Florida to Edmonton — including a refuelling stop — the Oilers defenceman went to watch his son's soccer game Wednesday evening.

"Comes running up to me and he goes, 'Daddy, my teammate wants to meet you,'" Ekholm said. "We're embracing it and it's just fun. People love hockey here."

Such is life when the city's team is still playing as spring flips to summer.

Edmonton has battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup final against the Panthers with consecutive victories to force Game 6 on Friday. Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday in South Florida.

The Alberta capital — one of the NHL's outposts with rabid support similar to what the NFL's Green Bay Packers experience away from the limelight in Wisconsin — is awash in orange and blue.

Office workers head out on their lunch breaks sporting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl jerseys. Businesses have signs plastered over their windows in solidarity.

"It's just amazing for the city," Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner said. "People are having a lot of fun, just enjoying themselves."

The born-and-raised Edmonton product is also trying to stay out of the public eye away from the rink as much as possible.

"I'm letting my wife do the shopping right now, and she's been wonderful," Skinner said with a smile. "It's really hard to get into a situation like this, and being able to embrace this moment that you've worked so hard for is really all you can do."

Veteran forward Corey Perry played against the Oilers in the 2017 post-season and was again in the city during the COVID-19 pandemic when it hosted one of the NHL's bubbles, but has a different perspective from this side.

"Pretty incredible to witness," he said. "Coming in for the playoffs (as a visitor), you don't know because you're not from here, you don't really pay attention to it. You're just here to play a hockey game.

"But you really see what's going on around the city here now."

Perry, who spent most of his career in warmer U.S. markets, said the vibe is special.

"All the people coming down outside — the watch parties — everybody notices it," he said. "You can hear them honking the horns when we're in our dressing room. You can hear everything.

"Tremendous."

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch walked through the crowded streets around Rogers Place after beating the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference final.

"The excitement's high," he said. "Playing in that game where so many people are interested in what happens, we're thrilled to be a part of that. We're thrilled to be part of that last game being played in Canada (this season).

"But we'll also be very thrilled to be playing that last game, which is going to be a Game 7, hopefully."

Ekholm, who started his career with the Nashville Predators and made a run to the 2017 Cup final, is enjoying every moment.

Even an impromptu meet-and-greet at a local park.

"It's been different … especially this playoff round," Ekholm said. "People are excited, people are happy.

"It's just a great thing."

SHAKING IT UP

The Panthers will make at least one lineup change for Game 6, with forward Nick Cousins replacing Kyle Okposo.

Florida is also promoting defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the top power-play unit in place of Brandon Montour, whose turnover led to Connor Brown's short-handed opener for the Oilers in Game 5.

"The composure that he has at the top I think sets him apart, and he's relishing it," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Ekman-Larsson. "It's back in his wheel house."

DRAI SPELL

While McDavid has led Edmonton's attack with 11 points in the series — including eight over the Oilers' last two victories — Draisaitl has just two assists in five games.

"He's been playing well," Knoblauch said of the big centre. "He's been doing a lot of things for our team and just missing the goals and assists.

"Has to do with the luck factor."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 2:34 pm | Story: 493402

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 2:17 pm | Story: 493395

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Nedeljkovic is getting his wish. He's staying in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins re-signed the veteran goaltender to a two-year deal on Thursday that carries an average annual value of $2.5 million.

The 28-year-old Nedeljkovic went 18-7-7 with a 2.97 goals-against average in 38 games for the Penguins last season. The team relied on him heavily down the stretch and his play helped fuel a late-season surge that nearly carried Pittsburgh to the playoffs.

Nedeljkovic, a Cleveland native, had been scheduled to become a free agent next month. His return gives the team a reliable complement to starter Tristan Jarry, who struggled at times late in the season and spent a significant portion of the final two months watching Nedeljkovic from the bench.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 1:48 pm | Story: 493386

The Edmonton Oilers are entering territory few teams have charted in the NHL post-season, yet alone in a Stanley Cup final.

After dropping the first three games of the best-of-seven championship series to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers have won two straight and will host Game 6 on Friday night. An Edmonton win would force a deciding Game 7 on Monday evening in Sunrise, Fla.

The Oilers are hoping to become the fifth NHL team to come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series. Here's a look at the four other clubs that managed the playoff rarity:

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs

Led by Billy Taylor, Sweeney Schriner and Syl Apps, the Maple Leafs became the first team in league history to win a series after opening with three losses. It was also the only time a team has conquered an 0-3 deficit in a Stanley Cup final.

Detroit held Toronto to two goals in each of the first three games before the Maple Leafs' offence turned things around.

Nick Metz scored the game-winner midway through the third period of a 4-3 victory in Game 4 and his brother, Don Metz, had a five-point effort in a 9-3 rout in Game 5.

Goaltender Turk Broda, who played all seven games in the final, earned the shutout in Toronto's 3-0 win in Game 6. Schriner scored twice in the 3-1 clincher as the Maple Leafs won the first of five titles that decade.

1975 New York Islanders

The Islanders made their first trip to the NHL post-season a memorable one.

The Pittsburgh Penguins averaged nearly five goals a game over three straight wins to take a stranglehold in the quarterfinal showdown.

But the Islanders' defence tightened up and Glenn (Chico) Resch took over in net from Billy Smith in Game 4. Resch allowed only four goals over the rest of the series for a sparkling .969 save percentage.

After three straight wins, Resch and Ed Westfall were the heroes in a chippy, penalty-filled Game 7 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Westfall beat Gary Inness with about five minutes left in regulation and Resch made 30 saves for the shutout.

2010 Philadelphia Flyers

Former Flyers forward Daniel Briere said the first step in overcoming an 0-3 deficit is believing as a team that it's doable.

"When you've lost three in a row, very rarely do you feel that you can beat (a) team four games in a row," he told The Canadian Press in May 2023. "It's a really tough thing to believe in."

Briere helped anchor a Philadelphia team that qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the 2009-10 season. He said clearing that hurdle helped the team raise its level when facing elimination.

"We had that confidence that every time everything was on the line, when there was no place for a mistake, we felt we could elevate," he said. "When we got pushed by Boston that series and we were down 3-0, it was like a different team started showing up and it was like that the whole season for us."

Briere, now the GM of the Flyers, scored the game-tying goal in Game 7 of that Eastern Conference semifinal against the Bruins. Simon Gagne potted the power-play winner and Philadelphia held on for a 4-3 road win to advance.

2014 Los Angeles Kings

The opening-round Battle of California between the Kings and San Jose Sharks looked like a mismatch at the start as the Sharks rolled to a pair of comfortable wins on home ice.

Patrick Marleau scored the overtime winner on the road in Game 3 to give San Jose a commanding 3-0 lead.

Boosted by a pair of goals by Justin Williams, the Kings responded in Game 4 and never looked back. Los Angeles earned a 6-3 victory and held the Sharks to just two goals over the rest of the series, silencing the San Jose crowd in Game 7 with an emphatic 5-1 win.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 1:25 pm | Story: 493375

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — It's officially summer, and the best two teams in hockey during the winter months of the 2023-24 NHL season are still playing.

Whichever team wins Game 6 — and Game 7, if necessary — of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers that resumes in Alberta on Friday night will not only be a team for all time as hockey's champion. It will be a rare team for all seasons, too.

Let's explain: Summer began in the Northern Hemisphere on Thursday. That makes this the fourth time in the last five years that the NHL season has stretched into the summer months and the sixth time that it’s happened in league history.

But the Panthers or Oilers — or both — will join a very short list of teams to win games in fall, winter, spring and summer in the same NHL season.

“We’re incredibly lucky, for sure," Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg said. “We were talking about the other day, that teams that haven't made the playoffs have been at home for a couple months now.”

The first two instances of Cup final games getting played in summer — 1995 and 2013 — were because those seasons started late due to labor strife and no games were played in the fall. The 2019-20 season started in the fall 2019 and ended in the fall 2020, but saw no games played in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 season stretched into summer but didn’t start until mid-January so, again, no fall games were played.

There have been two teams in NHL history — the 2021-22 Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning — to win games in fall, winter, spring and summer in the same season. That year's schedule saw a slew of postponements because of the pandemic and the Stanley Cup Final stretched into the summer. Colorado went 2-1, Tampa Bay 1-2 following the June solstice that year.

The winner of Friday's Game 6 of this year's Cup final in Edmonton will become the third team in NHL history to win a game in fall, winter, spring and summer in the same hockey season. (And if it's the Oilers, that means the Panthers will have another chance to join that list in Sunrise, Florida, on Monday night in Game 7.)

For the record, if we look at the actual meteorological seasons within this hockey season, the Panthers and Oilers have been relatively close record-wise all year:

Games played in the fall — Florida 18-12-3, Edmonton 14-15-1.

Games played in the winter — Edmonton 27-6-4, Florida 27-7-2. (No team had a better record in the winter months this season than the Oilers and Panthers did.)

Games played in the spring, including playoffs — Florida 22-12-3, Edmonton 22-15-2.

“Incredibly lucky and fortunate to be in this position,” Lomberg said.

The only time the Stanley Cup has been handed out later in the calendar year has been seasons affected by a strike, lockout or the pandemic. The last time the Oilers won it, in 1990, it was May 24.

Kane skates

Evander Kane, who has been scratched the past three games because of the sports hernia he had been playing through, took part in Oilers practice on a fifth line, which would indicate he is not penciled in to play in Game 6.

Coach Kris Knoblauch was not ready to make any declarations, consistent with his behavior throughout the series, saying he had not yet talked to athletic trainer T.D. Forss to see how Kane was feeling.

“We have got some things to think about," Knoblauch said. "But we have possibilities.”

Game 6 History

Both teams are 2-0 in Game 6 so far in these playoffs. Edmonton beat Vancouver 5-1 and Dallas 2-1; Florida beat Boston and the New York Rangers, each time by a score of 2-1.

All-time, Edmonton is 17-9 in Game 6 and 10-7 at home in Game 6s. Florida is 6-3 all-time in the sixth game of a series, 2-3 when that contest is on the road.

Long Season

One team will set a record, the other will tie a record on Friday.

Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final is Edmonton's 106th contest of the season, tying the 2005-06 Oilers for the most in a season (including playoffs) in franchise history.

It will be the 105th of the season for the Panthers. That's a Florida single-season record; the 1995-96 Panthers played 104 games.

The NHL record for games in a season is 108, done on six occasions, most recently by the St. Louis Blues in their 2018-19 Stanley Cup title season.

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Reynolds reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 11:33 am | Story: 493356

EDMONTON — It's hard to miss Edmonton Oilers Captain Connor McDavid jumping over the white fence of Warren Sillanpaa's downtown home.

Sillanpaa, an extreme Oilers fan, created life-size paintings of McDavid and teammate Leon Draisaitl and glued them to the fence so it appears as if they're hitting the ice, ready for action.

"When you go by in a car, it looks like they're moving. So it's really cool," Sillanpaa said while standing outside his house.

Behind the players is a huge painting of a crowd of fans sitting behind the Oilers bench. Jerseys with the names and numbers of other Oilers players are painted on the fence as it stretches around the front yard.

"Some people like to come by with their kids and take pictures," said Sillanpaa.

The 60-year-old artist and graphic designer has also hung up large orange and blue Oilers flags on poles in the yard. Another fan donated them to the display after passing by the house when the Oilers beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

And then there's the oil derrick on the lawn, twice as tall as Sillanpaa, which he built from wood soon after he painted his mailbox orange. He lights up the torch on the top on game nights, and it stays bright for the night if the Oilers win.

Down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, the Oilers face off Friday in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers in Edmonton.

Sillanpaa said he hears about 40 honks a day from drivers passing by the house. Might be because of the sign that says, "Honk if you want the Cup."

Sillanpaa said he has done it all to show support and love for the team.

Back in 2006, the last time the Oilers made to the Stanley Cup final, against the Carolina Hurricanes, Sillanpaa also painted team jerseys on the fence.

"Back then, the energy in the city was electric too, but nothing like this year," he said.

Before that, he painted a copy of a classic photo from 1981 of actress Nastassja Kinski lying down with a boa constrictor.

Sillanpaa said a neighbour complained it was too vulgar and called police. He said officers asked him to take it down, because it was taller than allowed under the city's bylaw.

Sillanpaa painted over the sultry image, he said, but "she's still under the jerseys."

Signs of Edmonton's Stanley Cup frenzy are everywhere in the city.

Across from Sillanpaa's home, a Go Oilers Go banner hangs from a condo window. Elsewhere, flags poke out of car windows, and jerseys are displayed in front windows of other homes.

On game nights, some fans paint their faces in orange and blue. They hit the streets to party late into the night and high-five strangers.

Sillanpaa said he's confident the Oilers will win it all and, if they do, he hopes some players will drop by and sign his fence.

"I'll keep it all up until September if we win. And then if we lose, I'll take it down a couple weeks after."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 9:59 am | Story: 493317

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have signed defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo to a one-year, two-way contract extension, the NHL club announced Thursday.

The contract has a value of US$775,000 in the NHL and US$200,000 in the American Hockey League.

The 25-year-old from Espoo, Finland, had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and a team-high plus-15 rating in 67 games with the AHL's Belleville Senators last season.

He made his NHL debut in the Senators' 5-2 win at Pittsburgh on Oct. 28 and was held scoreless over four games with Ottawa.

Matinpalo was originally signed to an entry-level contract by the Senators as a European free agent on May 25, 2023.

The 2023-24 season was his first in North America.

“Nikolas is a steady defensive defenceman who impressed while making his transition to the North American game last season,” Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios said in a release. “He held a key shutdown role in Belleville, was a strong penalty killer and performed well in NHL games when he was recalled to Ottawa.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2024.

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The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2024 / 3:01 am | Story: 493278

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — There is no doubt Connor McDavid is the biggest reason the Edmonton Oilers have made it a series in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

Their other Connor has played a crucial role in the comeback bid, too.

Connor Brown set up the early short-handed goal that sparked the team in Game 4 on the way to an 8-1 rout that avoided a sweep, then scored one in Game 5 to send the series back across North America. Maligned for his lack of production in his first season with Edmonton, Brown finally looks like himself 20 months after tearing the ACL in his left knee, and that could not be coming at a better time for the Oilers.

“It’s so nice to see a guy stick with it after going through so much adversity,” coach Kris Knoblauch said Wednesday. “It just took him a while to build his game. This should be expected because of his injury, and he just continually got better throughout the season. ... His play right now has been exceptional."

Brown injured his knee Oct. 17, 2022, in just his fourth game with the Washington Capitals, who at the time were counting on him to bring some of the speed and scoring he showed throughout his first seven NHL seasons with Toronto and Ottawa. Instead, he leaned on short-time teammates John Carlson and Carl Hagelin and team staff to handle the mental aspect of such a traumatic injury.

“Obviously, it wasn’t an easy year for me,” Brown said on Cup final media day. "I come in, I’m in a situation where I don’t really know anyone, I’m just getting my feet wet and get injured. It was a big set of adversity for me, but it all kind of led me here.”

Brown, who turned 30 in January, signed an incentive-heavy contract with the Oilers that paid him the league-minimum $775,000 with $3,225,000 in performance bonuses. One of the reasons fans were critical of Brown putting up just 12 points in 71 games is that extra money counts against the team's salary cap expenditures next season.

He had four points through three rounds before making a major impact in the final.

“I think a lot of people lost faith, but he's an unbelievable player,” said top-line winger Zach Hyman, who overlapped with Brown for parts of four seasons with the Maple Leafs from 2016-19. “I played with him for a long time, so I knew how good he can be. He’s showing it every night. At the highest stage, he’s one of best players. Credit to him.”

Brown, a decade removed from starring in junior as a teammate of McDavid's and playing for Knoblauch with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters, knew he was not fully healthy at the start of this season and struggled to handle that limitation. Slowly, he felt the jump in his legs come back, feeding the speed he's now unleashing on the Panthers.

With the dark days of the injury and rehab behind him, Brown “just started to just play again," and suddenly hockey became fun again.

“Over the last bunch of months, it just doesn’t feel like work,” Brown said. "I’m excited to come to the rink day in, day out, especially with this group. It’s good to be back.”

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