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The Florida Panthers stunned the Boston Bruins with a 4-3 overtime win in Wednesday’s Game 5, defiantly avoiding what could have been the first elimination of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Matthew Tkachuk‘s goal at 6:05 of overtime gave new life to the Panthers, who had dropped consecutive games at home — games in which Boston was without its top two centers — to fall behind 1-3 in the best-of-seven series.

“We were supposed to get swept this series, right? Everyone was saying,” said Tkachuk, who had two points in the win. “I don’t think anybody really gave us a chance after losing two games in a row at home. Coming here, it just seemed like the series was over before the game even started.

“Now they’re coming down to Florida. We know there can’t possibly be a Game 7 in their mind right now, and everybody here in Boston’s minds. So it’s up to us to see you guys back here in a few days.”

Game 6 is Friday night.

Boston entered the postseason as the top seed in the Eastern Conference after setting new NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in a single season. Florida was the second wild-card team in the East.

The Bruins failed to close out the series due to a few uncharacteristic miscues, including on the game-winning goal in overtime.

Goalie Linus Ullmark had a miscommunication with his defenseman and turned the puck over to Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe, whose quick shot Ullmark kicked to the slot. Tkachuk collected the puck and, with Ullmark on his back, maneuvered around the Bruins defenders to score the game winner.

“I thought we had really good offensive zone pressure. We tried to move the puck over to the defenseman but we had made a change so the puck went all the way down. We just had a mishandle on our goalie/defenseman communication on the puck and it ended up getting jacked into our net,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said.

The Panthers’ other win in the series was a 6-3 victory at TD Garden in Game 2.

“We tend to make big mistakes right now. I don’t know why, but the last two games at home we don’t manage the ice or manage the puck, it’s one of the two,” Montgomery said.

The Panthers took the lead at 8:26 of the first period on another uncharacteristic turnover by Boston. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi sent the puck in front of his own net, where it was intercepted by Verhaeghe. He sent a pass from behind the goal line to a cutting Anthony Duclair, who smacked it down to the ice and into the net.

“For us to come out with the start we did speaks a lot about our team, our preparation and our belief in each other,” Tkachuk said.

The Bruins tied the game on the power play at 2:27 of the second period. With Sam Bennett in the box for holding, defenseman Charlie McAvoy found Brad Marchand alone in front of Sergei Bobrovsky. The goalie saved the initial shot but Marchand’s second effort knotted the game at 1-1.

But with 1:08 left in the second period, Florida struck again thanks to Verhaeghe. He found Bennett in the slot for his third goal of the playoffs.

The game marked the return of Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, who missed the first four games of the series after suffering an upper-body injury in the team’s regular-season finale at Montreal on April 13. Boston continues to be without second-line center David Krejci, who missed his third straight game.

Bergeron made his presence felt at 4:33 of the third period, tipping home a Marchand pass for a power-play goal. But Sam Reinhart responded just 41 seconds later with a power-play goal of his own, after Boston’s Jakub Lauko took a holding penalty on Tkachuk just 6 seconds after Bergeron’s goal. Tkachuk assisted on the Reinhart goal to make it 3-2.

The Bruins roared back to take the lead thanks to another strong play by Taylor Hall. After defenseman Brandon Carlo fired the puck from the left post, Hall collected the rebound. Instead of shooting immediately, he skated back in the slot and then sent the puck past Bobrovsky. Hall now has five goals and three assists in the postseason.

In the waning seconds of regulation, Bobrovsky stopped Marchand on a breakaway to preserve the tie and give the Panthers a chance to win in overtime. Bobrovsky made 44 saves for his first win of the series.

Montgomery said the Bruins spent too much energy chasing the lead during regulation and didn’t think they were sharp in the overtime period as a result.

“Our effort was good. But it’s really hard to win that fourth game,” Montgomery said. “We’ll regroup tomorrow and see if we can get the job done on Friday that we didn’t get done tonight.”

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NHL playoff watch: The Rangers’ path to the postseason

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NHL playoff watch: The Rangers' path to the postseason

Hockey fans often hear about the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover, when a team falters in the season after their championship. But a Presidents’ Trophy hangover?

Last season, the New York Rangers finished on top of the regular-season standings. This season, it’s looking less likely by the day that they’ll even make the playoffs.

When play begins Monday, the Rangers will be six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With only six games left, they’ll need to come close to running the table, and will also need help from Montreal’s opponents.

Monday’s game is home against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Lightning have clinched a berth but will still be playing hard as they have a chance to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

After the Lightning, the Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers, then have three straight road games, against the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. They close out the season with another matchup against the Lightning.

As noted, New York will need to gin up a winning streak here to bolster its chances. As for the Canadiens, they close out with a somewhat easier schedule: home against the Detroit Red Wings, at the Ottawa Senators and Maple Leafs, then home for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Hurricanes.

So that’s the task ahead for the Blueshirts. Will they come through?

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Clinching scenarios
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota Wild
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis Blues
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers


Clinching scenarios

The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion, AND the Calgary Flames lose to the San Jose Sharks in regulation.

The St. Louis Blues will clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Winnipeg Jets in regulation, AND the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation.


Monday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets, 7:30 p.m. (NHLN)
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks, 10:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.


Sunday’s scoreboard

New York Islanders 4, Washington Capitals 1
Minnesota Wild 3, Dallas Stars 2 (OT)
Ottawa Senators 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Detroit Red Wings 2, Florida Panthers 1
Buffalo Sabres 6, Boston Bruins 3
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Montreal Canadiens 2, Nashville Predators 1
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Vancouver Canucks 2


Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 105.7
Next game: @ FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 101.4
Next game: @ NYR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 98.0
Next game: vs. TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 95.8
Next game: @ CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 90.5
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 79.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 85.2
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 5.4%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 79.8
Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 74.6
Next game: @ NJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Metro Division

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 103.6
Next game: @ BUF (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 94.8
Next game: vs. BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 85.2
Next game: vs. TB (Monday)
Playoff chances: 8.5%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 84.2
Next game: @ NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 2.5%
Tragic number: 5

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: vs. OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 4.5%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 77.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 75.6
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Central Division

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 115.0
Next game: vs. STL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 105
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 111.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 103.0
Next game: vs. VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 97.8
Next game: @ ANA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 95.7
Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 86.4%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 87.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.2%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 66.0
Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 57.5
Next game: @ PIT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Pacific Division

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 108.6
Next game: @ COL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 104.7
Next game: vs. SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 100.3
Next game: @ ANA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 91.7
Next game: @ SJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 12.6%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 88.4
Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 1.4%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 79.8
Next game: vs. EDM (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 76.7
Next game: @ LA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 54.0
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27

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Utah HC to open new training facility in Sept.

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Utah HC to open new training facility in Sept.

The Utah Hockey Club will open a new practice and training facility for team use on Sept. 1, the team announced Monday.

The 115,780-square-foot facility, built on the southeastern end of a Sandy shopping mall, will house two NHL standard ice sheets. It will also include training, medical and dining facilities as well as team locker rooms.

Building a practice facility quickly was one of the immediate challenges Utah owner Ryan Smith faced in bringing an NHL team to the Beehive State. The Utah Olympic Oval, which is primarily used for speedskating events, served as the team’s practice facility this season, but it was intended to be only a temporary solution.

“We want to be competitive in the NHL, and to do that you got to have a place where these guys can practice and they can recover, and it’s home,” Smith said. “We did a miraculous job with the Oval, but at the same time that’s not this.”

Players on Utah’s roster had input on the practice facility’s design from the dining areas to the locker rooms. The facility incorporates many of their suggestions.

“We tried to involve them as much as we can in every part of this,” Smith said.

Utah’s practice facility will also be ready for public use next January. It will feature event venues, eight community locker rooms, equipment rentals and a team store. The ice rinks will be available to the public when not in use by the team.

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Putin congratulates Ovechkin on breaking record

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Putin congratulates Ovechkin on breaking record

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Alex Ovechkin for setting an “outstanding record” as the NHL’s top career goal scorer.

In a message after Ovechkin’s 895th career goal broke a tie for the record with Wayne Gretzky in the Washington Capitals‘ game Sunday against the New York Islanders, Putin said the achievement was something Russians would celebrate.

“I congratulate you on your outstanding record. You have surpassed legendary masters in the number of goals scored in National Hockey League regular-season games,” Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday.

Breaking Gretzky’s record “has become not only your personal success, but also a real celebration for fans in Russia and abroad,” Putin added. “I wish you health, good fortune [and] fighting spirit to conquer new heights in life and in sports.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Putin and Ovechkin had not yet spoken by phone but that Putin’s message of congratulations showed the president “highly values Ovechkin’s sporting result.”

Ovechkin has been a backer of Putin in the past and in 2017 set up a group called Putin Team on social media to show support for the Russian president, who was reelected the following year.

At the time, Ovechkin told The Associated Press and The Washington Post, “I just support my country,” and said, “It’s not about political stuff.”

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev referred to that moment in his own statement of congratulations after Ovechkin broke the record Sunday.

He posted on social media that Ovechkin “remains a member of the Putin team and at the same time one of the main faces of world hockey, a favorite of millions and the NHL top scorer.”

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