Off-Day Thread: May 2nd
The rebuild is finally, truly, over.
As is the case with nearly every team in the NHL, the Ottawa Senators' 2024-25 season had a disappointing conclusion. Unlike some other teams, however, the season as a whole was a success, what with actual hockey games to watch in the month of May for the first time in 8 years. With 10 of 16 teams remaining, here's a rundown of playoff action outside of Ontario:
Golden Knights 3 - Wild 2
VGK wins 4-2
Thanks to a 29-save performance from Adin Hill and 2-point efforts from Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, the worst possible Stanley Cup Final matchup is still possible. Vegas will face the Edmonton Oilers in the second round for the second time in three years, in large part due to a dumb playoff format, but also the continued incompetence of many Pacific Division clubs.
Oilers 6 - Kings 4
EDM wins 4-2
Not just 4 straight years, but a 7-series losing streak to the Oilers dating back to 1990. Ouch. Not even we can fathom something like that. Edmonton led in shots once again, albeit by a smaller margin of 29-27, and were led offensively by an Erie Otters legend named Connor, but not named McDavid. Yes, it was former Ottawa Senator Connor Brown with a massive Game 6 consisting of the empty-netter and a pair of assists. Calvin Pickard let in 4 goals on 27 shots because he's Calvin Pickard, but he still won the game because he's an Edmonton Oilers goaltender. Whether he'll be enough to knock out Vegas again remains to be seen. Now, I'm someone who spends more time cheering for the Orlando Solar Bears than any Canadian NHL team outside of the Sens, but Oilers in four for the love of god.
Avalanche 7 - Stars 4
Series tied 3-3
A battle worthy of a Conference Final is instead taking place in the first round. Not that I'm complaining because it's playoff hockey and it's entertaining as hell. Mikko Rantanen factored into all 4 Dallas goals, but relinquished their series lead thanks to 4 unanswered goals from Colorado, led by – you guessed it, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Today's Games:
- Game 6: WPG @ STL (WPG leads 3-2) - 8:00 pm EST (CBC, Sportsnet)
Connor Hellebuyck is good enough to steal a game for any team, against any team, but despite coming off a win, he wasn't in top form and could still be seeing the effects of being overplayed in the regular season. With their backs to the wall, can the Blues take advantage? Also, Cam Fowler has 9 points. Good for him, he was stuck blocking pucks as a Duck and out of luck for far too long.
