Hockey – Winnipeg Free Press

Wilfredo Lee / The Associated Press
‘You spend your life working to get into a position like this,’ says Oilers captain Connor McDavid.

Hearts racing as Oilers claw their way back into Stanley Cup final

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Yesterday at 6:25 PM CDT

EDMONTON — First, they had a pulse, as faint as it might have been. Now? Hearts are racing around here at the rapidly-increasing possibility the Edmonton Oilers are on the cusp of a historic comeback which culminates in a Stanley Cup and snaps a 31-year Canadian championship drought. “There’s no group that is more ready for the moment than this one here,” captain Connor McDavid told a massive swarm of media following his club’s practice on Thursday inside Rogers Place. Wilfredo Lee / The Associated Press ‘You spend your life working to get into a position like this,’ says Oilers […]

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Paul Maurice laughs off concerns after two consecutive losses

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Paul Maurice laughs off concerns after two consecutive losses

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Yesterday at 6:15 PM CDT

EDMONTON — While his general manager may be going viral thanks to a video of him launching a water bottle into a wall the other night, you won’t see any signs of panic or frustration coming from Paul Maurice these days.

The former Winnipeg Jets head coach — no stranger to the occasional eruption on the bench — is instead painting a picture of poise and patience despite the fact his Florida Panthers suddenly appear to be in peril.

After building a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers, Maurice’s troops have failed in two straight attempts to capture a first Stanley Cup. Now, a third opportunity to try and close it out presents itself Friday night in the very building where doubt began to creep in last Saturday after they were demolished 8-1.

Lose that, and it’s back to Florida for a do-or-die Game 7 Monday in which the Panthers face the dubious prospect of becoming the second team in NHL history — and the first since 1942 — to suffer such a spectacular collapse on hockey’s biggest stage.

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Yesterday at 6:15 PM CDT

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice speaks to media in Edmonton on Friday June 14, 2024. The Panthers take on the Edmonton Oilers in game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday June 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Florida Panthers get 3rd chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 6 at Edmonton before sellout crowd

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Florida Panthers get 3rd chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game 6 at Edmonton before sellout crowd

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 6:49 AM CDT

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.

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Updated: 6:49 AM CDT

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) congratulates left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) after Tkachuk scored a goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

McDavid, Oilers looking to continue Stanley Cup push in Game 6 against Panthers

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

McDavid, Oilers looking to continue Stanley Cup push in Game 6 against Panthers

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:21 PM CDT

EDMONTON - Connor McDavid has spent his entire life pushing toward the biggest moment on hockey's biggest stage.

The crisp winter nights on outdoor rinks. The countless hours inside arenas. The long bus rides. The training sessions in searing summer heat. The hours of skating, stickhandling, shooting.

The grind has taken the Edmonton Oilers captain, blessed with good genes and an unparalleled work ethic, from youngster to prodigy to superstar.

He now sits two wins from hoisting the Stanley Cup — and authoring an improbable, historic comeback.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:21 PM CDT

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) skates during practice in Edmonton on Thursday June 20, 2024. The Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers in game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup final on Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Hershey Bears beat Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 in Game 4 to tie AHL’s Calder Cup final

The Associated Press 3 minute read 12:05 AM CDT

PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Joe Snively broke a third-period tie on a power-play scramble and the defending champion Hershey Bears held off the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 4 to tie the American Hockey League's Calder Cup final.

After Ryker Evans tied it for Coachella Valley 32 seconds into the third, Snively beat goalie Chris Driedger at 4:21 to help the Bears hand the Firebirds their first home loss of the playoffs.

Game 5 is Saturday night in the California desert. The series then shifts back to Hershey for Game 6 on Monday night and, if necessary, Game 7 on Wednesday night.

Last season in the final, Hershey beat first-year Coachella Valley 3-2 in overtime in Game 7 for its record 12th title. Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma is in his final games with the second-year team before fully taking over as coach of the parent Seattle Kraken.

Winter in June, again: Oilers and Panthers send this hockey season stretching into summer

Tim Reynolds And Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Winter in June, again: Oilers and Panthers send this hockey season stretching into summer

Tim Reynolds And Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:18 PM CDT

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.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:18 PM CDT

Florida Panthers fans Jessyca and Joseph Grella of Hollywood, Fla., arrive at the arena before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann to row in Paralympic Games

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann to row in Paralympic Games

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:44 PM CDT

Jacob Wassermann says the transition from tending goal in hockey to rowing wasn't as difficult as people might think.

Wassermann, a survivor of a bus crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team in 2018, was named to Canada's Paralympic team Thursday in the sport of para rowing.

"One of the things I loved the most about being a hockey player was the people and being a part of a team," Wassermann said during a virtual media conference call Thursday.

"The transition to rowing has felt more natural than what some people might think it would be going from a team sport to an individual sport. Goalies are a little bit on their own and doing their own thing out there, so it seemed fairly straightforward to me."

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:44 PM CDT

Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender Jacob Wasserman, shown in a handout photo, has been named to Canada's Paralympic team and will compete in rowing this summer in Paris. Wasserman was among 13 survivors of a crash that killed 16 on April 6, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Rowing Canada **MANDATORY CREDIT**

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Stuart Skinner making timely saves to help the Oilers claw back in the Stanley Cup Final

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Stuart Skinner making timely saves to help the Oilers claw back in the Stanley Cup Final

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 4 minute read 5:01 AM CDT

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.

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5:01 AM CDT

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) deflects a shot on goal during the third period of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Oilers look to avoid elimination against visiting Panthers in Game 6 of Stanley Cup

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Oilers look to avoid elimination against visiting Panthers in Game 6 of Stanley Cup

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 7:29 AM CDT

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.

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Updated: 7:29 AM CDT

Edmonton Oilers' Corey Perry (90) moves the puck away from Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the first period of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Rebecca Blackwell

Oilers embracing Edmonton’s playoff fever: ‘The excitement’s high’

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Oilers embracing Edmonton’s playoff fever: ‘The excitement’s high’

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:17 PM CDT

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.

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Yesterday at 6:17 PM CDT

Oilers fans celebrate as the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Connor McDavid, by the numbers, and the historical significance of his 2024 playoff run

The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 4:23 PM CDT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is having one of the most productive postseasons in NHL history. A look at his numbers and their historical significance:

___

Points, one postseason

McDavid is right there with the absolute greatest who have ever played, and a record that has stood for nearly 40 years is within his reach.

Penguins re-sign goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a 2-year contract

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Penguins re-sign goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a 2-year contract

The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 4:17 PM CDT

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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Yesterday at 4:17 PM CDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic gloves a shot during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Pittsburgh, April 6, 2024. The Penguins re-signed Nedeljkovic to a two-year on Thursday that carries an average value of $2.5 million. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

Oilers hope to join ’42 Leafs as only team to win Cup after losing first three games

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Oilers hope to join ’42 Leafs as only team to win Cup after losing first three games

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:48 PM CDT

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

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Yesterday at 3:48 PM CDT

Los Angeles Kings right wing Justin Williams, right, scores against San Jose Sharks goalie Alex Stalock during the first period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series, Monday, April 28, 2014, in Los Angeles. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

Jets unveil six-game preseason schedule

Ken Wiebe 2 minute read Yesterday at 3:45 PM CDT

The Winnipeg Jets will open the 2023-24 NHL preseason against a Central Division rival.

As part of a six-game set to prepare the regular season, the Jets will host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The Jets will travel to Edmonton on Sept. 22 to take on the Oilers before hosting the team captained by Connor McDavid on the 25th.

A return match with the Wild is set for Sept. 27 at Xcel Energy Center before the Jets close out the preseason with a pair of games against the Calgary Flames, at Canada Life Centre on Oct. 2 and at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Oct. 4.

Is that Connor McDavid? Oilers fan decorates yard with life-size player paintings

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Is that Connor McDavid? Oilers fan decorates yard with life-size player paintings

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:21 PM CDT

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.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:21 PM CDT

Oilers fan Warren Sillanpaa shows support for his favourite team after decorating his house in Edmonton on Thursday June 20, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Senators sign defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo to one-year, two-way contract extension

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Senators sign defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo to one-year, two-way contract extension

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:59 AM CDT

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.

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Yesterday at 11:59 AM CDT

June 21, 2024

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