2025-'26 NHL Season

The Canadiens survive, beating the Sabres in Buffalo in Game 7 in OT despite being outplayed for much of the game. Buffalo has a solid young team and should be a playoff participant for a while now. It was a very entertaining and well-played series. Would be nice to see the Sabres or Bills actually win a championship as Buffalo has suffered like no other city when it comes to annual letdowns.

Carolina-Montreal and Colorado-Vegas in the conference finals. A Carolina vs. Colorado finals almost seems inevitable but one never knows with playoff hockey.
 
the Habs have already exceeded expectations and can play loose. Don’t be stunned if they advance to the cup finals!

Go Habs Go!
 
Vegas sweeps Colorado in the Western Conference final. To win the series was unexpected but to do it in four games was shocking. Vegas scored 26 fewer points than the Avalanche during the regular season but were methodical in pulling off the huge upset.

The Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy, one of the most highly thought of coaches in the NHL, toward the end of the season and brought in veteran coach John Tortorella. The move paid off as the team has gone 19-5 under Torts.

There's never been a pro expansion team as successful as Vegas. They were in the Stanley Cup finals in their first year and will be in the finals for the third time in their nine year history. Now we'll see if they play Carolina or Montreal for the right to hoist the greatest trophy in sports.
 
Don Wassall said:
Vegas sweeps Colorado in the Western Conference final. To win the series was unexpected but to do it in four games was shocking. Vegas scored 26 fewer points than the Avalanche during the regular season but were methodical in pulling off the huge upset.

The Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy, one of the most highly thought of coaches in the NHL, toward the end of the season and brought in veteran coach John Tortorella. The move paid off as the team has gone 19-5 under Torts.

There's never been a pro expansion team as successful as Vegas. They were in the Stanley Cup finals in their first year and will be in the finals for the third time in their nine year history. Now we'll see if they play Carolina or Montreal for the right to hoist the greatest trophy in sports.
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Crazy turn of events. Colorado was stacked this year!
 
Vegas humiliating Carolina in Game 3. They have four goals already in the second period, including a hat trick by Mitch Marner, plus two that were disallowed, six in all. The Hurricanes are allowing one odd man break after another, it's like watching the Penguins' "defense" in recent years.

Game 3, like the first two, is being nationally televised in prime time by ABC.
 
The Hurricanes lead Vegas 3-1 after two periods in Game 5 in Raleigh in what continues to be a great Stanley Cup Finals. Jordan Staal has scored in all five games in the series, six overall, the first player to do so in the Finals in 53 years.

Drafted second overall in the 2006 draft by the Penguins at the age of 17, Jordan is the youngest of the legendary Staal hockey brothers. At the age of 20 he was a key player in the Pens' Stanley Cup win in 2009 and now 17 years later is a grizzled veteran and long-time captain of Carolina. At 6'4" 220 lbs. he's always been a physical presence and remains one of the outstanding two-way players in the NHL.

This goal in Game 4 while on his stomach is emblematic of Staal's skill and tenacity.


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Edit: Carolina wins 4-2 to go up three games to two.
 
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella vowed that the Stanley Cup Final would return to Raleigh for Game 7 after the Carolina Hurricanes pushed his team to the brink of elimination.

"We'll be back here. We're just going to do it in a different order," Tortorella said after the Golden Knights' 4-2 loss in Game 5 on Thursday night, putting them down 3-2 in the series to the Hurricanes. "I'm going to leave my clothes here. That's for sure. They'll be in the hotel."

Vegas will have to beat the odds if it is to rally for the Stanley Cup. The winner of Game 5 in a Cup Final tied at 2-2 has gone on win the series nearly 75% of the time. When a home team wins Game 5, as Carolina did Thursday night, that winning percentage increases to 80%. Teams that go up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final have a 37-8 series record and have won 10 straight series.

Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas.
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Tortorella is easy to like. I've never managed to progress past the most casual hockey fandom, even though the playoff hockey is consistently enjoyable. Some of the biggest personalities (and most recognizable faces) seem to be the coaches.
 
Trying to win the Cup on the road, Carolina leads Vegas 2-0 going into the third period of Game 6. Vegas didn't have a single shot on goal for the last 16 minutes of the second period so they need to rally big time to take the series to a Game 7.

It's on ABC if anyone's interested. Watching a team win the Stanley Cup is one of the best celebrations in sports, also the handshakes between the teams after it's over.
 
Don Wassall said:
Trying to win the Cup on the road, Carolina leads Vegas 2-0 going into the third period of Game 6. Vegas didn't have a single shot on goal for the last 16 minutes of the second period so they need to rally big time to take the series to a Game 7.

It's on ABC if anyone's interested. Watching a team win the Stanley Cup is one of the best celebrations in sports, also the handshakes between the teams after it's over.
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Hey Don. I actually watched the entire game. I must say it was quite exciting. My wife was even watching, somewhat. She asked me what icing meant. I don't think I've watched an entire Hockey game since the 1980 Olympics when USA won gold. My sons watch quite a bit and have been to several games. Maybe, I'll get out to Raleigh next year to see a game live. Was really impressed by the Canes goalie Bussi
Congratulations Carolina Hurricanes!
 
Carolina Speed said:
Hey Don. I actually watched the entire game. I must say it was quite exciting. My wife was even watching, somewhat. She asked me what icing meant. I don't think I've watched an entire Hockey game since the 1980 Olympics when USA won gold. My sons watch quite a bit and have been to several games. Maybe, I'll get out to Raleigh next year to see a game live. Was really impressed by the Canes goalie Bussi
Congratulations Carolina Hurricanes!
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They're an excellent team, very well coached, lots of quality players, and had been "knocking on the door" for several years as one of the top teams in the league. Very glad to see them win, I mentioned Jordan Staal above, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. Rod Brind'Amour was a heckuva player for many years, always an unselfish team first player and was the team captain when Carolina won the Cup in '06, and does a great job now as coach. Well earned, well deserved.
 
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