By Michael Russo, Daniel Nugent-Bowman and Chris Johnston EDMONTON — Mattias Ekholm, who missed the playoffs until the final game of the Western Conference final, made his return to the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup loud and clear Wednesday night by causing a Rogers Place eruption in the third period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup … Read more
EDMONTON — Of course it was Sam Bennett. When the first whiff of controversy arrived in this Stanley Cup Final, it did so with the Florida Panthers wrecking ball taking up residency in the Edmonton Oilers’ crease when the puck crossed the goal line. Except Bennett’s first-period goal was allowed to stand after a review … Read more
The Athletic has live coverage of Panthers vs. Oilers Game 1 from the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The true hallmark of sports greatness lies in the wake of destruction, the aftermath from the other side. It’s the feeling of smallness next to a giant — in this case, the Florida Panthers, a team nearing perfection … Read more
EDMONTON — For Sam Bennett, appearing in the Stanley Cup Final is no longer a goal. It’s become the norm. Bennett has played for the Florida Panthers for four full seasons and parts of five. In the past three, he has reached the Cup Final. On Wednesday night, with the rest of his close-knit teammates, … Read more
The Stanley Cup Final begins tomorrow, and media day was a success. Also, trade rumors are heating up, and the busiest part of the season is inching closer. All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 3. Colorado Hockey Now Aside from signing Ilya Nabokov to an entry-level contract, the Avalanche … Read more
Welcome to my 2025 NHL Draft board! This final top 100 ranking, presented and packaged within our sortable user interface, follows my way-too-early top 28, my preseason top 32, my preliminary top 64, my February top 64, my March top 64 and my May top 64. My year-end ranking is made up of 66 forwards (36 … Read more
The calendar has flipped to June, which means we’re into NHL free agency talk in a big way for the next four weeks. And in a shallow year for UFAs, Mitch Marner is going to be the big fish that most of the league pursues on July 1. By my count, as many as 15 … Read more
Brad Marchand boils over in third period and pays the price with game misconduct (Image Source: Getty Images) Florida Panthers’ Brad Marchand was ejected from Game 1 of the playoff series versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Tuesday evening of the third period it happened. Marchand got into a brawl with Hurricanes defender Shayne Gostisbehere following a … Read more
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Brad Marchand could be a marketing mastermind. After this Eastern Conference final, the Florida Panthers vet could wind up with sponsorships from Dairy Queen and now a honey company. Asked by The Athletic on Monday morning if he has landed a Dairy Queen endorsement yet, Marchand said with a wink, “Working … Read more
Taylor Hall refuses to sugarcoat as Hurricanes inch toward 20 year disaster (Image Source: Getty Images) The Carolina Hurricanes are in serious trouble. They’ve lost 14 consecutive Conference Final games since 2006, and the 2025 series against the Florida Panthers is not much different.Down 0-2, the Canes need to answer some questions fast. Left-wing Taylor … Read more