NHL Rumor Mill – May 9, 2023

by | May 9, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – May 9, 2023

Check out the latest on the Bruins and Canadiens in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON THE BRUINS

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cited an NHL source claiming big roster changes are coming for the Bruins during this offseason. Given all their unrestricted free agents and their limited cap space, the source believes Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will have to make some trades he otherwise wouldn’t do.

Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov and Nick Foligno are among those eight pending UFAs. Murphy cited Puck Pedia showing the Bruins will be over next season’s projected $83.5 million cap by $1.5 million due to bonus overages incurred this season.

Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (NHL Images).

Goaltender Linus Ullmark recently surfaced as a possible trade candidate but his value in the trade market could be affected by a recent report claiming he was battling a debilitating and painful injury. Murphy listed Taylor Hall, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort and Jakub Zboril as possible trade bait.

THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa was peppered with questions from readers about possible trades by the Bruins during his latest mailbag segment.

Shinzawa doesn’t rule out trading the 31-year-old Hall or perhaps Jake DeBrusk, who is eligible for UFA status next summer. He acknowledged Grzelcyk could be moved with one year left on his contract.

The Bruins will have to look into replacing Bergeron and Krejci if both retire. Centers who might be available include Winnipeg’s Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary’s Elias Lindholm and Philadelphia’s Kevin Hayes. Shinzawa doubts they have sufficient assets to put together a competitive bid unless Jeremy Swayman, Mason Lohri, Fabian Lysell or Trent Frederic are heading the other way.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sweeney has some difficult decisions to make. Much depends on what Bergeron and Krejci want to do. It’ll take some clever wheeling and dealing on his part to find suitable replacements.

The Bruins GM must shed salary to clear sufficient space to ice a 23-man roster for 2023-24. Hall, Grzelcyk or DeBrusk could be skating with other clubs next season.

UPDATE ON THE CANADIENS

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Before Monday’s NHL draft lottery, Stu Cowan reported Canadiens GM Kent Hughes was asked if he was willing to make a blockbuster trade for Connor Bedard if his team didn’t win the lottery.

Hughes seemed to dismiss that notion. He pointed out that the Eric Lindros trade between the Quebec Nordiques and Philadelphia Flyers in 1992 saw the Flyers give up a lot to get him. “It ended up going in one team’s favor when it looked like the other team.”

Cowan was skeptical that whatever team won this year’s lottery would be willing to trade Bedard.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Chicago Blackhawks won the lottery last night. They’re not parting with that pick no matter what. The Canadiens are in a good position (fifth overall) in a deep draft to land another solid asset to their prospect pipeline.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marco D’Amico believes the Canadiens are more likely to shop the 2023 first-rounder they received from the Florida Panthers as that pick drops in the draft order.

Should the Panthers be eliminated from the second round, that pick will be 17th overall. If the Panthers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, it drops to 29th overall. The Habs also hold the 37th overall pick so moving one or the other won’t be a big loss if it fetches a notable return.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 9, 2023

by | May 9, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 9, 2023

The Golden Knights regain their series lead over the Oilers while the Blackhawks win the draft lottery. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS DEFEAT OILERS IN GAME 3

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights regained the lead in their second-round series over the Edmonton Oilers with a 5-1 victory on Monday evening. Jonathan Marchessault scored twice while Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist. Adin Hill made 24 saves for the win relief of Laurent Brossoit, who suffered what appeared to be an injured right leg in the first period. Warren Foegele replied for the Oilers while Stuart Skinner got the hook after giving up four goals on 23 shots.

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word yet regarding the severity of Brossoit’s injury. An update is expected sometime today. Hill did a fine job covering off for his sidelined teammate while the Golden Knights limited their trips to the penalty box, silencing the Oilers’ vaunted power play. They also effectively neutralized their opponents at even strength.

This was the worst performance by the Oilers in this postseason. They scored the first goal but spent the rest of the game on their heels, struggling to generate quality scoring chances while making costly mistakes in their own zone. They’ll need a much better effort in Game 4 on Wednesday or face returning to Las Vegas on the brink of elimination.

BLACKHAWKS WIN 2023 DRAFT LOTTERY

The Chicago Blackhawks won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery, earning the right to select top prospect Connor Bedard in the first round of the draft on June 28. The Blackhawks had the third-best odds (11.5) of winning the lottery.

The Anaheim Ducks had the best odds (18.5) but slipped to second overall while the Columbus Blue Jackets (13.5) will pick third.

The Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick was 12th overall. As per the conditions of the Jakob Chychrun trade on March 1, that pick belongs to the Arizona Coyotes (stick tap to Cap Friendly).

1. Chicago Blackhawks

2. Anaheim Ducks

3. Columbus Blue Jackets

4. San Jose Sharks

5. Montreal Canadiens

6. Arizona Coyotes

7. Philadelphia Flyers

8. Washington Capitals

9. Detroit Red Wings

10. St. Louis Blues

11. Vancouver Canucks

12. Arizona Coyotes (via Ottawa Senators)

13. Buffalo Sabres

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Nashville Predators

16. Calgary Flames

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Choosing Connor Bedard will positively affect the Blackhawks on and off the ice. He’ll help to improve the on-ice product while giving their fans a watchable star as the club continues its rebuilding program.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bedard on his own won’t turn the Blackhawks back into Stanley Cup contenders again. Management still faces the daunting task of surrounding him with a strong supporting cast via the draft, trades and free agency over the next several years. Nevertheless, Bedard gives them a solid foundation on which to base their rebuild.

There was a negative reaction on social media over the Blackhawks winning this lottery. The conspiracy-minded believe it was rigged to help the Hawks, though these are the type of people who would claim the lottery is on the level if their team had won.

Many were angry that the Blackhawks hadn’t had their 2023 pick stripped away as part of their punishment after an investigation two years ago revealed the club covered up Kyle Beach’s allegations that he was sexually assaulted in 2010 by the team’s video coach. General manager Stan Bowman was forced to step down for his role in the cover-up as did former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville from his job as Florida Panthers head coach.

Given the Hawks odds, everyone knew they had a good chance of winning the lottery but no concern was raised before the event. While the outrage is understandable it probably wouldn’t have been on the same level had the Hawks got the second or third-overall pick or if they wound up much lower in the draft order.

NEW YORK POST: ESPN insider Kevin Weekes inadvertently revealed the Blue Jackets had fallen to No. 3 before deputy commissioner Bill Daly officially revealed it. The incident occurred just before the network went to a commercial break.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some folks on social media saw this as proof that the lottery was rigged. They overlooked the fact that the lottery had been held well beforehand and not in real time on the air as Daly announced each position in the draft order. The network knew the results before the show went on the air and wrote their script accordingly. It was likely a technical error that led to Weekes’ accidentally revealing the Jackets’ position.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is listed as day-to-day after being struck in the face by a puck during Game 3 of his club’s second-round series with the Seattle Kraken. He is not in concussion protocol but is uncertain for Game 4 tonight in Seattle.

TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov is feeling better and will undergo tests (including an MRI) to determine his status for Game 4 against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Samsonov suffered an upper-body injury during Game 3 after teammate Luke Schenn accidentally fell on him trying to break up a play near the Leafs net.

New Jersey Devils winger Tomas Tatar was fined $5,000.00 for high-sticking Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho during Game 3 of their second-round series on Sunday.

CBS SPORTS: Speaking of the Hurricanes, goaltender Antti Raanta participated in practice yesterday after missing the last two games due to illness.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers signed prospect Mackie Samoskevich to a three-year entry-level contract.

ILLEGAL CURVE: Winnipeg Jets winger Nino Niederreiter will play for Switzerland in the upcoming IIHF World Championship

SPORTSNET: The Vancouver Canucks were fined $50,000.00 for violating the NHL’s offseason training rules. They reportedly held on-ice sessions with a number of players in mid-April after the season ended, which is a violation of the CBA.

NHL.COM: Former NHL winger Vic Stasiuk passed away over the weekend at age 93. Stasiuak spent 14 seasons in the league from 1949-50 to 1962-63 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. In 745 regular-season games, he scored 183 goals and 437 points along with 34 points in 68 playoff games. Between 1969-70 to 1972-73, he was head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, California Golden Seals and Vancouver Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Stasiuk’s family, friends and former teammates.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 8, 2023

by | May 8, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – May 8, 2023

With the Leafs on the brink of playoff elimination, the speculation about their offseason has already begun. Check out the latest as well as updates on the Jets and Kings in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

OFFSEASON SPECULATION ALREADY STARTED FOR LEAFS

TORONTO SUN/THE ATHLETIC: With the Maple Leafs down 0-3 in their second-round series with the Florida Panthers, the Sun’s Steve Simmons and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun and James Mirtle are already wondering about the club’s offseason moves.

The trio pondered whether general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe will be replaced. Dubas is in the final year of his contract and could garner interest from other clubs if his bosses decide not to re-sign him.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

They also noted that Auston Matthews is a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility. Does he sign a lengthy and expensive contract extension or decide his future belongs elsewhere?

Simmons mused over whether Leafs president Brendan Shanahan survives after yet another solid regular season dissolved into another unimpressive playoff run.

Meanwhile, Mirtle took note that William Nylander is also a year away from UFA status and wondered if Nylander or Matthews becomes the priority to re-sign. He also wondered which players on the current roster under expiring contracts will be brought back given that next season’s salary cap is expected to remain flattened.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This seems like feasting on a carcass while it’s still barely breathing but it’s understandable given the rarity of clubs overcoming 0-3 postseason series deficits.

There was talk about Dubas and Keefe having saved their jobs during those giddy days following the Leafs series victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. All of that has disappeared in this series against the Panthers.

Barring a miraculous comeback those issues will be paramount in the minds of Leafs Nation.

What does the future hold for Dubas, Keefe and Shanahan? Will it be Dubas attempting to open contract extension talks with Matthews and Nylander or someone else?

Are those players interested in staying in Toronto? Have they grown weary of the fishbowl existence and postseason underachievement and intend to their sights elsewhere?

The answers to some of those questions could be coming by the end of this week if the Leafs get swept on Wednesday.

POTENTIAL TRADE DESTINATIONS FOR HELLEBUYCK

SPORTSNET: Ryan Dixon recently looked at seven potential off-season trade suitors for Connor Hellebuyck. The 29-year-old Winnipeg Jets goaltender is a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility. He indicated during his end-of-season interview that he’s not interested in a roster rebuild if Jets management goes that route.

Topping Dixon’s list is the Los Angeles Kings if they decide to part ways with trade-deadline acquisition Joonas Korpisalo. Taking on Hellebuyck, whose annual average value is $6.16 million, would be more expensive than re-signing Korpisalo. However, the former Vezina Trophy winner could help the Kings finally reach their potential.

Atlantic Division clubs like the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators could be among the suitors. The Sabres and Senators appear primed to become serious playoff contenders with the right goaltender.

Perhaps a current playoff club that comes up short comes calling. The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils could fall into that category depending on the outcome of their current series.

Canes goalies Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta are UFAs this summer. Meanwhile, the Devils lack an experienced and reliable starter.

Dixon also included the Maple Leafs in his list. However, their limited cap space would probably take them out of the running.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We don’t know yet whether the Jets’ ever-cautious management will shake things up or attempt to bolster their depth around core players like Hellebuyck for one more run next season.

Nevertheless, Hellebuyck will garner plenty of interest if he hits the trade block. Several of those aforementioned clubs are bound to come calling. I would also include the Pittsburgh Penguins in that bunch.

LATEST ON THE KINGS

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens recently looked at what the offseason could hold for the Los Angeles Kings following their second-straight first-round exit at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

Trade-deadline acquisition Vladislav Gavrikov was a terrific fit for the Kings. While his teammates went to bat for him to return, Kings GM Rob Blake noted his club has just $2.5 million in cap space for next season. Stephens believes Blake must make a cost-cutting trade to keep Gavirkov.

Defenseman Sean Walker could be a trade candidate. He appeared in just two of the six playoff games against the Oilers and was a healthy scratch at times in the second half of the season. Walker carries a $2.65 million cap hit for 2023-24.

Stephens also noted the Kings’ goaltending situation remains unsettled. Trade deadline pickup Joonas Korpisalo is slated to become a UFA this summer and Blake was noncommital over whether he’ll re-sign him.

Pheonix Copley is signed through next season. Meanwhile, the Kings might have no choice but to try and improve Cal Petersen, who struggled in the first season of his three-year contract with its $5 million annual cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Walker was a frequent subject of trade speculation this season as a cost-cutting candidate. It seems likely he’ll be on the move to clear space for Gavrikov if the latter is willing to stay and doesn’t seek an unreasonable raise over his current $2.8 million cap hit.

Korpisalo seemed certain to be re-signed by the Kings following his strong play down the stretch and early in that series with the Oilers. However, he struggled as that series went on which would explain Blake’s seeming reluctance to include him in his future plans.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 8, 2023

by | May 8, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 8, 2023

The Panthers take a stranglehold on their series with the Leafs while the Kraken and Devils get lopsided wins in their respective series. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Sam Reinhart gave the Florida Panthers a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and a 3-0 stranglehold lead in their best-of-seven second-round series. Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe scored while Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for the Panthers.

Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (NHL Images).

Sam Lafferty and Erik Gustafsson tallied for the Leafs, who also lost goaltender Ilya Samsonov to an upper-body injury when Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn accidentally slid into him in the second period. Game 4 is Wednesday evening in Florida.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Now the Leafs’ season is truly on the brink as they try to become only the fifth team in Stanley Cup playoff history to overcome an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series. If they play in that game as they did in Game 3 they’ll be booking their tee times for the weekend.

The Leafs’ best players – Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander – came up small in this must-win game. Credit the Panthers for doing a great job in shutting down the Leafs’ high-scoring foursome. Maybe some of those guys are playing hurt which would also explain that poor effort in Game 3. Nevertheless, they need a better effort in Game 4 or this series is over.

It remains to be seen if they’ll have to do it without Samsonov as there’s no word yet regarding the seriousness of his injury or how long he’ll be sidelined. Joseph Woll did his best coming in cold to replace Samsonov but his teammates let him down with their poor defensive play on Reinhart’s goal. The Panthers forward was untouched as he gained the Leafs’ zone to create the play that led to his game-winning tally.

The Seattle Kraken are two games away from reaching the Western Conference Finals with a 7-2 drubbing of the Dallas Stars. They pulled away from the Stars with a five-goal second period. Matty Beniers, Justin Schultz, Eeli Tolvanen and Alex Wennberg each had a goal and an assist while Philipp Grubauer turned in a 24-save effort for the win. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger got the hook after giving up five goals on 17 shots.

Game 4 goes Tuesday night with the Kraken holding a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series. Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen left the game in the second period after being struck in the face by the puck seconds before Kraken winger Jordan Eberle opened the scoring.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars seemed rattled by Heiskanen’s departure and the Kraken quickly capitalized to put the game out of reach before the period had ended. Stars coach Peter DeBoer said the defenseman suffered “a pretty bad cut” but there was talk that he might’ve returned to this game had the score been closer. That suggests he’ll be back in the lineup for Game 4.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes had two goals and two assists while brother Luke Hughes collected two assists in an 8-4 romp over the Carolina Hurricanes. Dawson Mercer had three assists for the Devils, who cut the Hurricanes’ series lead down to two games to one. Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes. Game 4 is Tuesday night in New Jersey.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes became the fourth team in NHL history to score three shorthanded goals in a playoff game. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome a Devils team motivated to avoid falling further behind in this series. Canes goalie Frederik Andersen was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov after giving up four goals on 12 shots.

IN OTHER NEWS…

TSN: Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine will skip the upcoming IIHF World Championships. He hasn’t fully recovered from a strained triceps that forced him to miss the Jackets’ final dozen games of the regular season.

HOCKEYSVERIGE.SE: Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg hopes to one day return to his hometown club of Brynäs IF in the Swedish Hockey League. The 32-year-old forward played for them prior to beginning his 12-year NHL career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Silfverberg has one season remaining on his contract with the Ducks. He could be eyeing a return to Brynäs IF when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next July.










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – May 7, 2023

by | May 7, 2023

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – May 7, 2023

A look at rumored candidates for the Rangers’ head-coaching job plus the latest Penguins speculation in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

WHO REPLACES GERARD GALLANT AS RANGERS HEAD COACH?

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks wondered who would replace Gerard Gallant after he and the Rangers mutually agreed to part ways on Saturday.

Brooks reports Joel Quenneville will not be among the candidates. He remains under an unofficial and open-ended suspension by the NHL for his failure to act responsibly in the Kyle Beach sexual assault issue while coaching the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. The Rangers will not approach the league to ask commissioner Gary Bettman to lift his suspension.

New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury (NHL.com).

General manager Chris Drury and his staff have begun compiling a list of candidates but there is so far no clear front-runner. It’s uncertain whether candidates such as Patrick Roy who didn’t get an interview two years ago will be in the mix now.

Prior to Gallant and the Rangers parting company, a source suggested former Calgary Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter to Brooks. However, he doubts that a coach who alienated part of his roster this season while failing to reach the playoffs would be a candidate for the Blueshirts’ coaching gig.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This being one of the notable head coaching jobs in the NHL, we’re likely to hear plenty of rumors in the coming weeks over who will be Gallant’s replacement. I agree with Brooks that Sutter probably won’t be a candidate after the season he had with the Flames.

It’ll be interesting to see who the Rangers bring in. Will they go with an experienced NHL coach or look toward someone from the minors, junior or college ranks? We’ll likely know before the NHL Draft (June 28-29) as I daresay they’ll want that position filled before then.

LATEST PENGUINS SPECULATION

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Nick Horwat recently suggested the Pittsburgh Penguins look toward the Winnipeg Jets as possible offseason trade partners.

The Jets could be looking at shaking things up this summer following their disappointing performance down the stretch and their first-round elimination by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Connor Hellebuyck could be of interest to the Penguins, who need an upgrade in goal. The former Vezina Trophy winner is 30 and has a year left on his contract with a cap hit of $6.1 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Horwat believes Hellebuyck would be worth every penny for the Penguins. Cap Friendly shows them with over $20 million in cap space for 2023-24 so they can afford to acquire him.

Hellebuyck also lacks no-trade protection. If the Jets decide to shop him, their asking price could include the Penguins’ 2023 first-round pick.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski was asked by several readers if Hellebuyck or Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson could be in play in the offseason trade market.

Kingerski doubts the Ducks will peddle Gibson if they get a top-two pick in this year’s draft. If they do make him available, he doubts the Penguins can afford to acquire him, suggesting the Ducks could seek two first-round picks and more in return.

Hellebuyck, on the other hand, could be a different story. He believes the Jets might be amenable to a player-for-player trade, though the Penguins convincing one of their players with a no-trade or no-move clause to accept a move to Winnipeg could be a problem.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kingerski also noted the Ottawa Senators are reportedly interested in Gibson but can outbid the Penguins. However, the Senators might not be on his list of acceptable trade destinations.

Recent rumors suggest the Ducks are willing to help Gibson find a suitable trade destination, preferably one that isn’t rebuilding. The Pittsburgh native could accept coming home to play with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The Penguins will likely have to give up their first-rounder in the deal but the rest of the asking price might not be that expensive. The Ducks already have six picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft and in next year’s as well. They could be more interested in moving Gibson’s contract, which has four years remaining with an annual cap hit of $6.4 million.

Horwat also suggested center Mark Scheifele and defenseman Neal Pionk as trade targets. He admits the 29-year-old Scheifele might be hard to fit in on a club already deep with centers but felt he’s the kind of talent you find a solution for. Horwat considers Pionk more obtainable, suggesting he’d be a good replacement for Jeff Petry.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Scheifele is talented and could skate on the wing alongside Sidney Crosby or perhaps he could center the second line with Evgeni Malkin shifted to the wing. Like Hellebuyck, he has a year remaining on his contract. Scheifele has also faced criticism in recent years for his inconsistent play.

Pionk would be a good replacement for the aging Petry provided the Penguins can find a taker for him to clear his $6.25 million annual cap hit from their books. That’s assuming the Jets are willing to move Pionk.

Horwat also looked at possible buyout candidates. The first choice would be Jeff Carter but he’s on a 35-plus contract, meaning his annual cap hit would still count in full against the Penguins’ salary cap.

Jeff Petry and forward Mikael Granlund are other possibilities. However, there’s also the concern that those buyouts could become anchors if the rest of the roster is built incorrectly.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins appear stuck with Carter for the final season of his contract. They can’t buy him out and he’s got a full no-movement clause.

I suspect the Penguins would prefer trading Petry and/or Granlund even if they have to retain a portion of their salary rather than buy them out. Whether they go either route remains to be seen. New management could see how both perform next season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 7, 2023

by | May 7, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 7, 2023

The Oilers down the Golden Knights to tie their second-round series, Gerard Gallant is out as Rangers’ head coach and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers thumped the Vegas Golden Knights 5-1 in Game 2 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each scored twice, Zach Hyman collected three assists and Stuart Skinner kicked out 30 shots for the win. The series is tied at a game apiece as it shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 on Monday.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers dominated the Golden Knights from the opening drop, rolling to a 4-0 lead in the first period and never looking back.

Once again, their power play was lethal, scoring three goals with the man advantage. The Oilers’ power-play success rate is a phenomenal 56.0 percent in these playoffs thus far.

They were also dangerous on the penalty kill with one of McDavid’s goals scored while shorthanded.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers announced Saturday that they and head coach Gerard Gallant have mutually agreed to part ways. This comes less than a week after the Rangers were eliminated from the opening round of the playoffs by the New Jersey Devils.

Gallant was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award last season after coaching the Rangers to a 110-point performance. They also reached the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. They finished this season with 107 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers have now gone through three head coaches since 2018. Gallant’s status was the subject of media speculation for most of last week. He fact criticism over his strict adherence to his coaching system and supposed inability to adjust to in-game situations.

Speculation has already started regarding Gallant’s replacement. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumors update.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano acknowledged his recent play “hasn’t been good enough.” The 39-year-old blueliner is playing in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. He’s been on the ice for 11 even-strength goals against during this postseason.

TSN: Rookie defenseman Luke Hughes will be in the lineup for the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hughes replaces Ryan Graves, who suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Ben Pope wondered who will take over as Blackhawks captain when Jonathan Toews departs via free agency on July 1. Seth Jones or Connor Murphy would be suitable candidates but Pope also wondered if the club might not bother naming a captain for next season.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of team captains, Steve MacFarlane wondered if offering the Flames’ captaincy to Mikael Backlund might convince the 34-year-old center to sign a contract extension. He’s slated next summer to become an unrestricted free agent.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars signed defense prospect Lian Bichsel to a three-year entry-level contract. The 2022 first-round pick is currently recovering from a broken ankle.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks have signed 2022 first-round pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki to a three-year entry-level deal.

OTTAWA SUN: Another celebrity has joined another group bidding for the Ottawa Senators. Canadian music star Abel Tesfaye (also known as The Weeknd) has agreed to partner with Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group to purchase the club.

Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and superstar rapper Snoop Dogg are also part of two other groups bidding for ownership of the Senators. The deadline for final binding bids is reportedly May 15.