The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is underway after a memorable — and frankly, wild — first two weeks. I’ve spent that time traversing the East Coast, spending hours at the rinks having conversations with players, coaches, front office executives and people around the game. Here’s some info I’ve gleaned:
• The Toronto Maple Leafs–Florida Panthers series will pit the two most electric American players against each other: Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk. And they’re seemingly at full strength, which wasn’t the case all season. Matthews’ production dipped following his 2021-22 MVP campaign, but a large part of that was because of a hand injury he nursed and played through earlier in the season.
When I asked Sheldon Keefe about it last round, the Leafs coach admitted his star center had some discomfort in his wrist and hand, but said he also thought it put a mental block on Matthews. Once it healed, the coaching staff noticed Matthews’ skating became freer and faster. Entering the playoffs, Keefe said Matthews “looks like a guy who is ramping up, and perhaps knows that it was worth saving himself for now, which is the most important time for our team.”
There’s no doubt Tkachuk was getting under the skin of Bruins players in the first round — heck, goalie Linus Ullmark, who was on my ballot for the Lady Byng, almost got into a fight with him. But Tkachuk proved this season he is most effective when he dials it back. In his first 34 games with the Panthers, Tkachuk had 17 minor penalties (59 penalty minutes). As the team made its big push after the All-Star break, especially from March on, Tkachuk was dialed in. Over the past five weeks of the season, Tkachuk had just six penalties while scoring 28 points in 18 games.
Tkachuk has been everything the Panthers anticipated in terms of skill and physicality, and he’s provided an emotional boost to the room. Coach Paul Maurice and general manager Bill Zito both made a point to say how good of a teammate Tkachuk is. It’s the little things: If he’s walking across the room for a Gatorade, he’ll ask if he can get anyone else one. He holds doors open. He thanks the flight attendants. Tkachuk was the perfect player at the perfect time for Florida, as the team reshaped its identity from playground hockey to a new commitment to competitiveness and structure.
• The playoffs so far have been all about the upsets. From a TV ratings perspective the big markets — New York, Boston, Los Angeles — plus the defending champion Colorado Avalanche being eliminated isn’t ideal. However, it’s also a celebration of the smaller markets that have been quietly building up their fan bases.
The Canes’ organic growth has been noted for a few years, and this season they set a record with 33 regular-season sellouts. GM Don Waddell told me ahead of Game 5 he spent all morning on the phone apologizing to people because he didn’t have access to tickets. Meanwhile, Devils fans are celebrating their team’s rebuild being over. New Jersey set revenue records in ticketing, sponsorship, groups, entertainment and food and beverage. The Devils have a 99% retention rate on season tickets and have already sold 1,500-plus season tickets for next year, which is more than they sold all of last season. For context, 1,500 new season tickets would have been good for the seventh most in the NHL last season.
• It’s been a devastating season on the injury front for Carolina, which has continued to find a way to win despite its depth slowly being depleted. Max Pacioretty (Achilles) and Andrei Svechnikov (ACL) are not options this postseason. But Teuvo Teravainen might be. The veteran forward underwent surgery on a broken left hand suffered in Game 2 of the first round. Doctors told the team it requires a minimum four-week recovery. The team doesn’t want to put pressure on Teravainen, knowing all athletes heal differently and a variety of factors impact recovery. But by that timeline, he could return as soon as the conference finals, should the Canes advance.
• Will we see Luke Hughes in these playoffs? The No. 4 pick of the 2021 draft, who joined New Jersey late last month after his collegiate season in Michigan ended, has been putting in work with the Devils coaches and development staff. Hughes played only two games at the end of the regular season. The organization viewed the first game as just OK. The second was much better, but it was a different intensity level, against a team (Washington) that already had packed it in for the season. Jack Hughes‘ little brother is viewed as a depth option this postseason, with New Jersey keeping an eye on the bigger picture and the impact he’ll make for the organization in the coming years.
At this point, the Devils believe the younger Hughes could get into a playoff game and fare well enough defensively and make a positive impact offensively. However, it would be unfair to thrust him into certain situations. He wasn’t going to start on the road at Madison Square Garden. He wasn’t going to be put into a Game 5 or Game 7. The biggest roadblock for Hughes is that someone would have to sit to make a spot available for him. The organization feels deference to the players who have been there all season.
• The Boston Bruins‘ first-round exit is still unexplainable. Fans have scrutinized Jim Montgomery’s line changes — and lineup changes — during the Panthers series. Even the coach himself admitted he would have done some things differently, such as starting Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand together for Game 5. However, earlier in the series, he revealed why he shuffled his lines so often. “The reason I do it is because if we get to a third period of a Game 6 or a Game 7, the players are not thinking I’m panicking,” Montgomery said. “It’s just, I think it might give us an edge.”
• The New York Rangers‘ moves this season backfired, and there will be fallout this summer. Coach Gerard Gallant is expected to be the fall guy, but a roster reshape is likely as well. It was especially hard to watch Patrick Kane, who so desperately wanted to make an impact after willing the trade out of Chicago once he found out the Blackhawks didn’t have interest in re-signing him.
Kane was available to members of the media nearly every day, sitting at his stall, fielding questions from a scrum of reporters, no matter how uncomfortable. Even though Kane downplayed his hip injury, people in Chicago told me how much treatment and prep he required just to get on the ice. I texted with a few of his former teammates during the playoffs, and one said it best: “That’s not Showtime out there. Don’t recognize him.” An offseason of rest — and potentially surgery — should help Kane regain his form, and he’ll be one of the more interesting free agency cases this summer.
• One of the coolest things I’ve noticed being at rinks is how supportive goalies have been to their partners, even after losing the starting job. When Alex Lyon started the series in Boston, Sergei Bobrovsky was the most animated player on Florida’s bench anytime Lyon had a big stop, standing up and banging on the boards. New Jersey’s Vitek Vanecek is often waiting for Akira Schmid when he gets off the ice, with the hugest smile before he gives him a hug. And we all saw how Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman supported each other in Boston throughout the season.
• The future of Patric Hornqvist in the NHL is unknown after the 36-year-old Florida winger was shut down in December due to concussions. However, he’s still making an impact on the Panthers. Hornqvist is on the ice early before practices, warming up the goalies — I hear he has been especially helpful with Lyon since his call-up. He then assists running the skaters for the extras. It would be easy for Hornqvist, at this point in his career to just take it easy. But when he’s on the ice, he’s really pushing the players, yelling, trying to light a fire under them — the exact same way he played.
• The Taylor Hall trade to Arizona in 2019 became extremely fruitful for the Devils. It landed them a draft pick they used on Dawson Mercer, a draft pick they used to acquire Jonas Siegenthaler, and Kevin Bahl. Coach Lindy Ruff said when he first inherited Bahl, he would have been on the lower end of a scale from 1 to 10. Bahl is 6-foot-6 and has offensive touch, handles and moves the puck well, and has quick feet. But the Devils believe he’s scratching the surface because now is he playing to his size. The physicality he has added to his game is a result of extra sessions with assistant coach Ryan McGill. As someone in the organization said to me: “Nobody wants to fight a 6-foot-8 guy.” If the Devils move on from Ryan Graves this summer, Bahl is set as their in-house replacement.
Landeskog, who returned in Game 3 of this Western Conference first-round series after missing nearly three seasons while recovering from a knee injury, scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in a multi-point performance that saw the Avalanche tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4 at Ball Arena. Game 5 is Monday in Dallas.
“It means a lot,” Landeskog told reporters after the win. “Obviously, I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. There obviously days when I didn’t know if I was ever going to score again. It obviously feels good. It’s a tight playoff series in a big game here at home. To get to do it here at home in front of our fans obviously means a means a lot. Super exciting. Hopefully more to come.”
A short-handed goal from Logan O’Connor midway through the first period followed by a late power-play goal from Nathan MacKinnon staked the Avalanche to a 2-0 lead entering the second period.
That set the stage for Landeskog, who was in the slot when Brock Nelson fed a pass that the 32-year-old winger launched for a one-timer that beat Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger for a 3-0 lead.
Landeskog, who was playing on the second line, was instantly mobbed by his teammates on the nice such as Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews and Nelson, who joined the Avalanche at the NHL trade deadline.
As Landeskog returned to the bench, he was congratulated by the entire team which also included a hug from a smiling MacKinnon, who along with Landeskog, have been with the franchise for more than a decade.
“I was just proud of him again,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game. “I was proud of him regardless of if he scores or not because I know what he’s gone through, and I know how difficult that was. I think that takes it to another level. You know he wants to come back and contribute like he did in the past and he’s off to a great start.”
Landeskog’s goal was the latest milestone in what’s been a lengthy recovery from a chronically injured right knee. He missed what amounted to 1,032 days since his last NHL game.
In that time, the Avalanche have remained in a championship window but have dramatically altered their roster. The Avs have nine players from that championship team who have remained with the franchise and have since reshuffled a roster that led to them re-acquiring defenseman Erik Johnson, one of Landeskog’s closest friends, in their bid for the fourth title in franchise history.
Even with all the changes, there were still questions about when they could see Landeskog return to the lineup. And if Landeskog did return, what he could look like?
His first professional game in three years came April 11 with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate where he logged 15 minutes. Landeskog would then score a goal and get an assist in his second and final game.
And much like his AHL stint, all it took was two games for Landeskog to score and have another two-point performance.
While Landeskog’s goal became the most celebrated moment of the evening, what he did to help create the Avalanche’s fourth goal was an example of why he’s so crucial to their title aspirations.
Landeskog played a pass to Nelson who then found a Girard for a shot from the point that gave the Avs a 4-0 lead in the fourth. In the time Landeskog passed the puck, he anchored himself at the net front to gain position on 6-foot-7 Stars defensemen Lian Bichsel to screen goaltender Casey DeSmith, who replaced Oettinger for the third period.
Jockeying with Bichsel, who is six inches taller and 16 pounds heavier, allowed Landeskog to test both his strength and that right knee to gain leverage.
The result? Girard’s shot found space in traffic with Landeskog making it hard for DeSmith to see the puck.
“He’s a big boy,” Landeskog said with a smile. “He’s a big strong guy, a physical player and hard to play against. I was trying to get in front of their goal, and he was trying to get me out of there. It was a good battle.”
The Seattle Mariners placed right-hander Logan Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right elbow flexor strain.
The All-Star pitcher left his start Friday night against the Miami Marlins after three perfect innings because of right forearm tightness.
An MRI revealed a Grade 1 flexor strain, the team said. Gilbert won’t throw for two weeks, at which point he’ll be reevaluated.
Gilbert, 24, entered Friday’s game with a 1-1 record, 2.37 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 20⅓ innings. He is 42-31 with a 3.55 ERA in five big league seasons, all with the Mariners.
In other moves announced Saturday, Seattle recalled left-hander Tayler Saucedo and right-hander Troy Taylor from Triple-A Tacoma, and designated righty Casey Lawrence for assignment.
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
CHICAGO — Cubs manager Craig Counsell gave a blunt assessment of Ben Brown‘s start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday after the righty gave up six runs in the fourth inning on the way to a 10-4 loss.
“We need better, frankly,” Counsell said.
Brown cruised through the first three innings, striking out five, but then fell apart after hitting Kyle Schwarber to lead off the fourth. After Nick Castellanos hit an 0-2 pitch for a single to left field, the Phillies began piling on.
Brown went from getting ahead of hitters, inducing swings and misses and soft contact, to giving up six hits and six runs in the inning. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, which has been a trend in his starts.
“It’s the length in the game that we need more from, and whether it’s pitches within innings that kind of get you in trouble or an inning like today as a starter, you got to be able to navigate and limit damage,” Counsell said. “Give up runs, yeah, it’s going to happen. But you got to be able to navigate the damage to get your way [through] the game.”
Brown has completed at least five innings in just two of his five starts this season. Counsell noted that the Cubs have had a lot of off days and so they’ve been able to navigate the shorter outings, but that won’t be the case all season.
Brown concurred.
“Even last week with the four innings against Arizona, the team needs better out of me,” he said. “The bullpen needs a break when they can get it, and I think I was cruising towards that today, and what happened just didn’t seem like there was an end in sight, which is unfortunate.”
Saturday’s outing raised Brown’s ERA to 6.04, though he has shown the ability to miss bats, especially with his curveball. He has 31 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings this season but simply isn’t going long enough into games.
“So there’s been some bright spots here and there,” Counsell said. “The inning just snowballed a little bit on him, and that’s where the big inning comes from.”
Brown was excited to face the Phillies, who traded him to the Cubs in the summer of 2023. It looked like he was in for a pitchers’ duel against Philadelphia starter Jesus Luzardo as the game was scoreless after two innings. Instead, a hit batter, five singles, a double and a sacrifice fly ended his afternoon.
The Phillies snapped a five-game losing streak.
“I’m not going to go out there and try to reinvent it myself and try to be someone else,” Brown said. “I’m going to go out there and just keep executing pitches.
“I have to wake up tomorrow and do my best to get out there in six days and give that length that the bullpen needs and that the team needs.”