Rachel Olsen-Cooper

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs wrapped up Sunday with the Florida Panthers dominating the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a 6-1 win, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed only one of 20 shots past him. Goaltending could make or break a team's chances to hoist the Stanley Cup. Which goalies have the best chance of leading their teams to the finals? Here's a ranking in inverse order:. 4. Calvin Pickard/Stuart Skinner | Edmonton Oilers | Next: Game 1 at Dallas on Wednesday The second-round series between

Awards season is upon us in the NHL.  While teams are battling it out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL is also announcing nominees for the end-of-year awards. On Tuesday, the league named Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar and Zach Werenski as finalists for the Norris Trophy, given to the top defenseman in the NHL. Hughes and Makar are no strangers to the award, having won it in 2024 and 2022, respectively. This is Werenski’s first time being named a finalist.   All three players had exceptional seaso

Before this season, the last postseason clash between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators came in 2004, when the Leafs won a first-round series in seven games. So, naturally, there's a lot of pent-up emotions in this season's first-round series.  Game 1 Sunday in the "Battle of Ontario" did not disappoint. The Maple Leafs won a penalty-fest in Toronto 6-2, leading Senators captain Brady Tkachuk to note in a post-game interview that Ottawa must "be more disciplined.” Tkachuk was referring

The Pittsburgh Penguins (33-36-12) announced on Wednesday that defenseman Kris Letang has undergone successful heart surgery.  He is expected to miss the next four to six weeks, ending his season before the Penguins' final game against the Washington Capitals (51-21-9) on Thursday. The surgery was done to close the patent foramen ovale (PFO), which is a small hole in the heart. This hole is believed to be the cause of the 37-year-old’s initial stroke in 2014.  According to cardiologists who spok

Colorado Avalanche fans received some exciting news Wednesday morning: Gabriel Landeskog is one step closer to making a comeback. After raising the Stanley Cup in June 2022, the forward sat out the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury. In May 2023, he had cartilage replacement surgery — which can be career-ending for many players. Landeskog hasn’t played in the NHL since. Glimmers of hope started to swirl as Landeskog began to participate in Avalanche practices this year, but there were no signs

For the majority of his career, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin deemed Wayne Gretzky’s career goals mark impossible to beat. He even admitted it to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in a 2016 interview. But Ovechkin proved himself wrong Sunday, scoring his 895th goal, eclipsing Gretzky's mark 26 years after the retirement of "The Great One." And Ovechkin, 39, shows no signs of slowing. Will hockey fans have to wait another 26 years for another player to top Ovechkin's mark?  Among active play

Boston College lost to the Denver Pioneers on Sunday, ending its season short of the Frozen Four. This means that Eagles star goalie Jacob Fowler is eligible to be signed by the Montreal Canadiens, who need help in the nets.  The Canadiens (34-30-9, 77 points) are battling for a wild-card spot with problematic goaltending. Sam Montembeault (26-23-6, .898% save percentage) plays the majority of the games because of the backups' inconsistent play. Jakub Dobes (6-4-2, .897% SV) and Cayden Primeau (

On injured reserve starting Jan. 7, Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan has returned to the lineup — a significant boost for a team in wild-card contention.  In his first game back, a 4-3 win Monday over the New York Islanders, Monahan had two assists. Having a veteran player out of the lineup can play a role in any team’s dynamic. Monahan was a consistent scorer with 41 points in 41 games (14 goals, 27 assists) before his injury. The Blue Jackets went 18-17-6 in that span. While Monahan w

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is on his way to having his best NHL season yet.  With the Jets’ win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, Hellebuyck became the first goalie to tally 40 wins this season. He’s now the 14th goalie in NHL history to bank multiple 40-plus-win seasons. He reached 44 wins in the 2017-2018 and is on pace to crush his own personal best. There’s no doubt Hellebuyck is the reason the Jets (48-18-4, 100 points) are on top of the Western Conference. Outside of hi

By the final stretch of the NHL season, candidates for year-end awards typically are in sharp focus. But like the uncertainty of who will win the Hart Trophy, the annual award for league MVP, the voting for the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year still has many scenarios that could play out. Two names at the top of just about every list are Montreal's Lane Hutson and San Jose's Macklin Celebrini. They pad their Calder Trophy-worthy resumes seemingly with every game.  However, Calgary goalie Dus

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon made headlines Saturday by becoming the first player to reach 100 points this season. If the season were to end today, MacKinnon would be among the favorites for another Hart Trophy, awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to league MVP. He also won the award last season. Entering Tuesday's game against Minnesota, MacKinnon — who has the third-best odds to win MVP, per DraftKings — has 102 points. He's the 100th player in NHL hi