Kraken was led to the victory by center Alex Wennberg, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, while goalie Philipp Grubauer made 34 saves to stop Avalanche’s high-octane offense from getting on the scoreboard more than once.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Wennberg said while the team enjoyed their first playoff win, they will not get carried away.

“Obviously, we played a good game, getting the first franchise win in the playoffs. But right now, this is Game 1,” Wennberg said. “Obviously, we are happy about this performance, but we’ve got to do it again and do it again.”

Kraken finished the 2022-23 regular season, their second in NHL, with a 46-28-8 record, and entered the postseason as a seventh seed. Many believed that being matched with the Avalanche in the first round would lead to Kraken having an unceremonious exit from the postseason, but it doesn’t look so now. Even if the lack of playoff experience gets the better of them later in the series, they have shown that they deserved their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the league, for that matter.

The post Seattle Kraken Stun Colorado Avalanche to Get a 3-1 Win in Playoff Debut appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“Their mindset is all about winning right now,” Leivo stated upon completing the move. “They’re a team that looks good on paper, so we’ve got to go out there and show it on the ice. And I think I can be a big part of that. I’m a pretty easy, meat-and-potatoes-type guy. I like to get into the dirty areas, get to the front of the net, and I think I’ve got a pretty good shot that can beat any goalie in this league. … It’s an exciting time to be a Flame.”

The 2019-20 NHL season saw Leivo score 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) for the Vancouver Canucks. This was despite the fact that he was unable to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to fracturing his kneecap on December 21, 2019.

Leivo’s NHL career began back in 2011, when he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the NHL Draft. He has scored a total of 65 points (31 goals, 34 assists) in 165 games for the Maple Leafs and the Canucks.

The post Leivo Signs One-Year Contract with Calgary Flames appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Brayden Point opened the scoring for Lightning at 12:23 of the first period, capitalizing on his own rebound, while Blake Coleman doubled Lightning’s lead at 7:01 of the second period. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy enjoyed a standout performance, making 22 saves for his first shutout of the postseason.

“It’s the best moment of our hockey lives,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman exclaimed. “So many emotions. It’s going to take months for it to sink in, but we’re going to be champions forever, we’re going to be on that Cup forever. … It’s what you imagine all your life.”

Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored 10 goals and 12 assists in 25 games. Nikita Kucherov, who assisted Point’s goal, topped the NHL leaderboard with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 25 games.

Point had the following to say about Kucherov, “He’s such a special player and he sees the ice so well and he works so hard on different skills or different plays that he thinks can be translated into games”.

This is Tampa Bay Lightning’s first Stanley Cup victory since 2004 when they defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in the final game of a thrilling seven-game series.

The post Tampa Bay Lightning Wins Stanley Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Steven Stamkos scored with his first shot in his postseason debut, while Victor Hedman supplied a top-class performance, providing a goal and two assists.

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Ondrej Palat each provided a goal and assist apiece to round out Tampa’s tally, while Jason Dickinson and Miro Heiskanen scored for the Stars.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was another standout performer, making 22 saves in what was a high-intensity clash.

“It was just an amazing experience to share with my teammates,” Stamkos exclaimed. “There’s been a lot of hard work and different things going on behind the scenes. Just to be able to get out in a game and have an impact in a game which a month ago may have never been possible. It was amazing to be part of a huge win for us. I was just really happy to obviously contribute in a game that I didn’t play too much.”

Game 4 takes place on Saturday 26th of September at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

The post Lightning Takes Lead in Stanley Cup Final Following Game 3 Win appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Having performed admirably throughout the season, Robin Lehner may become an unrestricted free agent after the season ends on October 9th. What would make the loss of Lehner even more devastating is that he took over the role of primary goaltender from Marc-Andre Fleury.

While Fleury is still under contract with the Golden Knights for another two years, his age is now an issue. Fleury turns 36 on November 28, thereby bringing his longevity into question.

Age aside and there is another potential issue that the Golden Knights may have with Fleury, which is his distaste with the franchise. While nothing concrete has come to light, Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, tweeted a picture of a sword, bearing the name of Vegas coach Peter DeBoer, going into Fleury’s back. The post was taken down the following day at Fleury’s request.

According to Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon, there is no strain in the relationship between himself and Fleury, dismissing the tweet as a nonissue. “I don’t think it affected anything in our dressing room. I don’t think it affected performance, which obviously was the most important thing.”

McCrimmon also confirmed that re-signing Lehner is currently a top priority for the franchise.

The post Vegas Golden Knights Face Pressure Amid Uncertain Future of Goalies appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Having previously led 3-1 on aggregate, Lightning would have secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Final had they defeated the Islanders. Instead, the Islanders bring the score to 3-2 on aggregate.

It was the Islanders who opened the scoring, with Ryan Pulock scoring a power-play goal at 15:41 in the first period. Lightning hit back fairly quickly, with Victor Hedman levelling the score at 4:00 in the second period.

The match proved to be particularly tight, with the Islanders emerging victorious in a particularly dramatic fashion. Jordan Eberle secured victory for the Islanders at 12:30 in the second overtime.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz had the following to say after the game, “Our guys didn’t waver. They just kept grinding. We kept grinding and grinding. You can get some energy from it, there’s no question.” 

As for Lightning coach Jon Cooper, accepting defeat proved particularly difficult, “You can’t sit here and say we didn’t get looks. We had some looks. They didn’t go in. It’s hockey, sometimes it happens. … The way you win those games is to defend the way we’ve been defending. And if we keep doing that, I’ve got a lot of faith in this group.”

The post Islanders Avoid Elimination in Game 5 Thriller appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Tampa’s goals came from Blake Coleman, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Pat Maroon. Point also grabbed himself and assist, while Nikita Kucherov made two assists of his own. Tampa forward Blake Coleman had the following to say about Brayden Point, “I’d go as far to say [Point is] the most dangerous guy in the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs this year. He’s a special talent. He tilts the ice every time he’s out there. Anytime you have a guy like that in your lineup, you have a better chance of winning hockey games.” 

While proud of his squad’s performance, Lightning coach Jon Cooper warned them about becoming complacent, “Just because you’re one game away doesn’t mean you’re in.

You’re still one game away, and we’re going to have to match an effort that we’ve watched [the Columbus Blue Jackets] give and [the Boston Bruins] give, and I’m sure the Islanders are going to give. But we’ve gone through this. We know what we have to do, and we just got to be ready to do it.”

The post Tampa on the Verge of Sealing Place in Stanley Cup Final appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski scored for Dallas, while goaltender Anton Khudobin made 32 saves to help Dallas extend their lead to 3-1 on aggregate.

While Dallas won the first game 1-0, Vegas bit back to defeat Dallas 3-0. Since then, Dallas has made a stellar comeback, winning Games 3 and 4 by scorelines of 3-2 and 2-1 respectively.

“We understand where we are at and we haven’t done anything yet,” Dallas Stars’ Joe Pavelski explained. “We’re in position. We’re one step closer, but nothing’s been accomplished yet, so we’ll just stay focused, try to play our best game of the series (in Game 5).”

Stars’ coach Rick Bowness had the following to say regarding his team’s performance, “Gave us a big lift and gave us some energy. Very happy with how we gutted it out in the third period. … When the game is on the line like that and your players respond like we did tonight, from a coaching perspective, we’re pretty happy with that. They gutted that out.”

Game 5 takes place on Tuesday, 15 September at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

The post Stars on the Brink of Progressing Following Game 4 Triumph appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Vegas goalie Robin Lehner enjoyed a standout performance, making a grandiose 24 saves to earn the title of the first star of the game. This was his second consecutive shutout and fourth overall in his last seven starts.

Paul Stastny was named the second star of the game due to grabbing a goal and an assist while William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek wrapped up the scoring. Zach Whitecloud was named the third star as a result of his impressive possession numbers (12 shots for and one against at even strength).

Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer had the following to say regarding his team’s victory, “We didn’t play our game in Game 1. Tonight, we got our game back, and once we got that first goal, I thought we looked like we normally do, which is making plays and sticking pucks in the net.”

The Golden Knights and Dallas Stars face off yet again on Friday, in Game 3 of the Best of 7 series.

The post Golden Knights Shut Out Stars in Game 2 Thriller appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“He’s not available. He didn’t skate today. Not going to play in the series,” Cooper told reporters.

Stamkos initially suffered a core muscle injury in March but recovered in time to participate in Tampa’s voluntary workouts before the 2019/20 season restart. However, the 30-year-old captain re-aggravated the injury during one practice and hasn’t returned to ice since.

Cooper previously acknowledged that Stamkos could be back in the lineup at some point during the playoffs, but it appears Lighting will have to get to Stanley Cup Finals in order for this to happen.

Stamkos was one of the Tampa Bay’s most productive skaters during the regular season, contributing with29 goals and 37 assists for a total of 66 points. This earned him his sixth NHL All-Star appearance.

While Lightning won’t have Stamkos against the Islanders, the team still received some positive news lately. Despite being injured in the series against Boston Bruins, the 2019’s Hart Memorial Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov is ready to go for this round. Kucherov has been crucial for Tampa’s run this postseason, scoring five goals and dishing 16 assists in 14 games.

The post Lightning Won’t Have Captain Steven Stamkos for Eastern Conference Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Kraken was led to the victory by center Alex Wennberg, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, while goalie Philipp Grubauer made 34 saves to stop Avalanche’s high-octane offense from getting on the scoreboard more than once.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Wennberg said while the team enjoyed their first playoff win, they will not get carried away.

“Obviously, we played a good game, getting the first franchise win in the playoffs. But right now, this is Game 1,” Wennberg said. “Obviously, we are happy about this performance, but we’ve got to do it again and do it again.”

Kraken finished the 2022-23 regular season, their second in NHL, with a 46-28-8 record, and entered the postseason as a seventh seed. Many believed that being matched with the Avalanche in the first round would lead to Kraken having an unceremonious exit from the postseason, but it doesn’t look so now. Even if the lack of playoff experience gets the better of them later in the series, they have shown that they deserved their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the league, for that matter.

The post Seattle Kraken Stun Colorado Avalanche to Get a 3-1 Win in Playoff Debut appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“Their mindset is all about winning right now,” Leivo stated upon completing the move. “They’re a team that looks good on paper, so we’ve got to go out there and show it on the ice. And I think I can be a big part of that. I’m a pretty easy, meat-and-potatoes-type guy. I like to get into the dirty areas, get to the front of the net, and I think I’ve got a pretty good shot that can beat any goalie in this league. … It’s an exciting time to be a Flame.”

The 2019-20 NHL season saw Leivo score 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) for the Vancouver Canucks. This was despite the fact that he was unable to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to fracturing his kneecap on December 21, 2019.

Leivo’s NHL career began back in 2011, when he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the NHL Draft. He has scored a total of 65 points (31 goals, 34 assists) in 165 games for the Maple Leafs and the Canucks.

The post Leivo Signs One-Year Contract with Calgary Flames appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Brayden Point opened the scoring for Lightning at 12:23 of the first period, capitalizing on his own rebound, while Blake Coleman doubled Lightning’s lead at 7:01 of the second period. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy enjoyed a standout performance, making 22 saves for his first shutout of the postseason.

“It’s the best moment of our hockey lives,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman exclaimed. “So many emotions. It’s going to take months for it to sink in, but we’re going to be champions forever, we’re going to be on that Cup forever. … It’s what you imagine all your life.”

Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored 10 goals and 12 assists in 25 games. Nikita Kucherov, who assisted Point’s goal, topped the NHL leaderboard with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 25 games.

Point had the following to say about Kucherov, “He’s such a special player and he sees the ice so well and he works so hard on different skills or different plays that he thinks can be translated into games”.

This is Tampa Bay Lightning’s first Stanley Cup victory since 2004 when they defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in the final game of a thrilling seven-game series.

The post Tampa Bay Lightning Wins Stanley Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Steven Stamkos scored with his first shot in his postseason debut, while Victor Hedman supplied a top-class performance, providing a goal and two assists.

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Ondrej Palat each provided a goal and assist apiece to round out Tampa’s tally, while Jason Dickinson and Miro Heiskanen scored for the Stars.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was another standout performer, making 22 saves in what was a high-intensity clash.

“It was just an amazing experience to share with my teammates,” Stamkos exclaimed. “There’s been a lot of hard work and different things going on behind the scenes. Just to be able to get out in a game and have an impact in a game which a month ago may have never been possible. It was amazing to be part of a huge win for us. I was just really happy to obviously contribute in a game that I didn’t play too much.”

Game 4 takes place on Saturday 26th of September at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

The post Lightning Takes Lead in Stanley Cup Final Following Game 3 Win appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Having performed admirably throughout the season, Robin Lehner may become an unrestricted free agent after the season ends on October 9th. What would make the loss of Lehner even more devastating is that he took over the role of primary goaltender from Marc-Andre Fleury.

While Fleury is still under contract with the Golden Knights for another two years, his age is now an issue. Fleury turns 36 on November 28, thereby bringing his longevity into question.

Age aside and there is another potential issue that the Golden Knights may have with Fleury, which is his distaste with the franchise. While nothing concrete has come to light, Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, tweeted a picture of a sword, bearing the name of Vegas coach Peter DeBoer, going into Fleury’s back. The post was taken down the following day at Fleury’s request.

According to Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon, there is no strain in the relationship between himself and Fleury, dismissing the tweet as a nonissue. “I don’t think it affected anything in our dressing room. I don’t think it affected performance, which obviously was the most important thing.”

McCrimmon also confirmed that re-signing Lehner is currently a top priority for the franchise.

The post Vegas Golden Knights Face Pressure Amid Uncertain Future of Goalies appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Having previously led 3-1 on aggregate, Lightning would have secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Final had they defeated the Islanders. Instead, the Islanders bring the score to 3-2 on aggregate.

It was the Islanders who opened the scoring, with Ryan Pulock scoring a power-play goal at 15:41 in the first period. Lightning hit back fairly quickly, with Victor Hedman levelling the score at 4:00 in the second period.

The match proved to be particularly tight, with the Islanders emerging victorious in a particularly dramatic fashion. Jordan Eberle secured victory for the Islanders at 12:30 in the second overtime.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz had the following to say after the game, “Our guys didn’t waver. They just kept grinding. We kept grinding and grinding. You can get some energy from it, there’s no question.” 

As for Lightning coach Jon Cooper, accepting defeat proved particularly difficult, “You can’t sit here and say we didn’t get looks. We had some looks. They didn’t go in. It’s hockey, sometimes it happens. … The way you win those games is to defend the way we’ve been defending. And if we keep doing that, I’ve got a lot of faith in this group.”

The post Islanders Avoid Elimination in Game 5 Thriller appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Tampa’s goals came from Blake Coleman, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Pat Maroon. Point also grabbed himself and assist, while Nikita Kucherov made two assists of his own. Tampa forward Blake Coleman had the following to say about Brayden Point, “I’d go as far to say [Point is] the most dangerous guy in the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs this year. He’s a special talent. He tilts the ice every time he’s out there. Anytime you have a guy like that in your lineup, you have a better chance of winning hockey games.” 

While proud of his squad’s performance, Lightning coach Jon Cooper warned them about becoming complacent, “Just because you’re one game away doesn’t mean you’re in.

You’re still one game away, and we’re going to have to match an effort that we’ve watched [the Columbus Blue Jackets] give and [the Boston Bruins] give, and I’m sure the Islanders are going to give. But we’ve gone through this. We know what we have to do, and we just got to be ready to do it.”

The post Tampa on the Verge of Sealing Place in Stanley Cup Final appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski scored for Dallas, while goaltender Anton Khudobin made 32 saves to help Dallas extend their lead to 3-1 on aggregate.

While Dallas won the first game 1-0, Vegas bit back to defeat Dallas 3-0. Since then, Dallas has made a stellar comeback, winning Games 3 and 4 by scorelines of 3-2 and 2-1 respectively.

“We understand where we are at and we haven’t done anything yet,” Dallas Stars’ Joe Pavelski explained. “We’re in position. We’re one step closer, but nothing’s been accomplished yet, so we’ll just stay focused, try to play our best game of the series (in Game 5).”

Stars’ coach Rick Bowness had the following to say regarding his team’s performance, “Gave us a big lift and gave us some energy. Very happy with how we gutted it out in the third period. … When the game is on the line like that and your players respond like we did tonight, from a coaching perspective, we’re pretty happy with that. They gutted that out.”

Game 5 takes place on Tuesday, 15 September at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

The post Stars on the Brink of Progressing Following Game 4 Triumph appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Vegas goalie Robin Lehner enjoyed a standout performance, making a grandiose 24 saves to earn the title of the first star of the game. This was his second consecutive shutout and fourth overall in his last seven starts.

Paul Stastny was named the second star of the game due to grabbing a goal and an assist while William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek wrapped up the scoring. Zach Whitecloud was named the third star as a result of his impressive possession numbers (12 shots for and one against at even strength).

Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer had the following to say regarding his team’s victory, “We didn’t play our game in Game 1. Tonight, we got our game back, and once we got that first goal, I thought we looked like we normally do, which is making plays and sticking pucks in the net.”

The Golden Knights and Dallas Stars face off yet again on Friday, in Game 3 of the Best of 7 series.

The post Golden Knights Shut Out Stars in Game 2 Thriller appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“He’s not available. He didn’t skate today. Not going to play in the series,” Cooper told reporters.

Stamkos initially suffered a core muscle injury in March but recovered in time to participate in Tampa’s voluntary workouts before the 2019/20 season restart. However, the 30-year-old captain re-aggravated the injury during one practice and hasn’t returned to ice since.

Cooper previously acknowledged that Stamkos could be back in the lineup at some point during the playoffs, but it appears Lighting will have to get to Stanley Cup Finals in order for this to happen.

Stamkos was one of the Tampa Bay’s most productive skaters during the regular season, contributing with29 goals and 37 assists for a total of 66 points. This earned him his sixth NHL All-Star appearance.

While Lightning won’t have Stamkos against the Islanders, the team still received some positive news lately. Despite being injured in the series against Boston Bruins, the 2019’s Hart Memorial Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov is ready to go for this round. Kucherov has been crucial for Tampa’s run this postseason, scoring five goals and dishing 16 assists in 14 games.

The post Lightning Won’t Have Captain Steven Stamkos for Eastern Conference Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.