Stanley Cup Playoffs Central: Conference final highlights, schedule

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2023

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The 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs are here, as 16 teams compete for the most magnificent trophy in sports.

The record-setting Boston Bruins were the No. 1 overall seed, but they were ousted in Round 1 by the Florida Panthers. Out West, the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche hoped to continue their reign atop the league, but they were upset by the Seattle Kraken in the latter club’s first trip to the postseason.

And now, we’re down to the final four: the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers in the East, while the Dallas Stars take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the West.

What will happen next? Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.

More: Playoff schedule
Conference final preview
Conn Smythe Watch
Top 50 players in the playoffs
Wyshynski’s bracket
Experts picks

Conference final round

Jump to:
East: CAR-FLA
West: VGK-DAL

Eastern Conference

Deja Vu! Panthers win on Matthew Tkachuk’s OT goal again

Matthew Tkachuk scores his second overtime winner in a span of two games as the Panthers take a 2-0 series lead vs. the Hurricanes.

Earlier results:

Hurricanes: Defeated Islanders in six, Devils in five
Panthers: Defeated Bruins in seven, Maple Leafs in five

Leading scorers:

Schedule:

Game 1 (at CAR): Panthers 3, Hurricanes 2 (4OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at CAR): Panthers 2, Hurricanes 1 (OT) | Recap
Game 3 (at FLA): Mon., May 22: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 4 (at FLA): Wed., May 24: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 5 (at CAR): Fri., May 26: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 6 (at FLA): Sun., May 28: 8 ET (TNT)
Game 7 (at CAR): Tue., May 30: 8 ET (TNT)

Western Conference

Chandler Stephenson’s OT winner gives Golden Knights 2-0 series lead

Chandler Stephenson nets the winning goal in overtime as the Golden Knights take a 2-0 series lead vs. the Stars.

Earlier results:

Golden Knights: Defeated Jets in five, Oilers in six
Stars: Defeated Wild in six, Kraken in seven

Leading scorers:

Schedule:

Game 1 (at VGK): Golden Knights 4, Stars 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2 (at VGK): Golden Knights 3, Stars 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3 (at DAL): Tue., May 23: 8 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Game 4 (at DAL): Thu., May 25: 8 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Game 5 (at VGK): Sat., May 27: 8 ET (ABC/ESPN+)
Game 6 (at DAL): Mon., May 29: 8 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)
Game 7 (at VGK): Wed., May 31: 9 ET (ESPN/ESPN+)

Second round

Jump to:
Atlantic: TOR-FLA
Metro: CAR-NJ
Central: DAL-SEA
Pacific: VGK-EDM

Atlantic Division

Nick Cousins’ OT winner advances Panthers to East finals

Nick Cousins scores in overtime to eliminate the Maple Leafs as the Panthers advance to the East finals.

First-round results:

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Maple Leafs

Consensus pick: Maple Leafs

Metro Division

Canes advance to East finals with OT winner

The Hurricanes eliminate the Devils with an OT winner by Jesper Fast in Game 5.

First-round results:

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Devils

Consensus pick: Devils

Central Division

Stars defeat the Kraken in Game 7 to advance to the WCF

Stars take care of business at home to defeat the Kraken in Game 7 as they advance to take on the Vegas Golden Knights.

First-round results:

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Kraken

Consensus pick: Stars

Pacific Division

Marchessault’s natural hat trick sends Vegas to Western Conference final

Jonathan Marchessault scores three consecutive goals for the natural hat trick as the Golden Knights advance to the Western Conference finals.

First-round results:

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Oilers

Consensus pick: Oilers

First round

Jump to:
Atlantic: BOS-FLA | TOR-TB
Metro: CAR-NYI | NJ-NYR
Central: COL-SEA | DAL-MIN
Pacific: VGK-WPG | EDM-LA

Atlantic Division

Carter Verhaeghe ends Bruins’ season in OT

The Florida Panthers end the Boston Bruins’ season with a stunning OT goal from Carter Verhaeghe.

Regular-season records:

Bruins: 65-12-5, 135 points
Panthers: 42-32-8, 92 points

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Bruins

Consensus pick: Bruins (28 of 29 picks)

Maple Leafs advance for 1st time in 19 years off Tavares’ OT winner

John Tavares scores in overtime as the Maple Leafs advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Regular-season records:

Maple Leafs: 50-21-11, 111 points
Lightning: 46-30-6, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Lightning

Consensus pick: Maple Leafs (22 of 29 picks)

Metro Division

Canes eliminate Islanders with OT winner

Paul Stastny nets the game-winner in overtime to move the Hurricanes on to Round 2.

Regular-season records:

Hurricanes: 52-21-9, 113 points
Islanders: 42-31-9, 93 points

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Islanders

Consensus pick: Tied (14 of 28 picks for each team)

Erik Haula slaps home one-timer to pad the Devils’ lead

Erik Haula puts the Devils up 3-0 in the third period of Game 7.

Regular-season records:

Devils: 52-22-8, 112 points
Rangers: 47-22-13, 107 points

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Rangers

Consensus pick: Rangers (18 of 29 picks)

Central Division

Kraken knock off defending champion Avs to advance

The Kraken become the first expansion franchise to win their first playoff series against a defending champion with a 2-1 win vs. the Avalanche in Game 7.

Regular-season records:

Avalanche: 51-24-7, 109 points
Kraken: 46-28-8, 100 points

Leading scorers:

Avalanche: C Nathan MacKinnon, 111 points (42 G, 69 A)
Kraken: LW Jared McCann, 70 points (40 G, 30 A)

Schedule:

Keys to the offseason for the Avalanche

Consensus pick: Avalanche (27 of 29 picks)

Mason Marchment beats the buzzer to extend Stars lead

Mason Marchment scores a goal on the breakaway with 0.5 seconds remaining in the second period as the Stars lead 3-0.

Regular-season records:

Stars: 47-21-14, 108 points
Wild: 46-25-11, 103 points

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Wild

Consensus pick: Stars (22 of 29 picks)

Pacific Division

Golden Knights defeat Jets with ease to advance in Stanley Cup playoffs

The Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 and advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Vegas wins series, 4-1

Regular-season records:

Leading scorers:

Results:

Consensus pick: Golden Knights (25 of 29 picks)

Keys to the offseason for the Jets

Kostin’s 2nd goal puts the Oilers ahead

Klim Kostin nets his second goal of the game as the Oilers take a 4-3 lead vs. the Kings.

Regular-season records:

Oilers: 50-23-9, 109 points
Kings: 47-25-10, 104 points

Leading scorers:

Results:

Keys to the offseason for the Kings

Consensus pick: Oilers (27 of 29 picks)

Sports

Sources: BoSox send rookie Campbell to minors

Published

1 hour ago

June 19, 2025

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Sources: BoSox send rookie Campbell to minors

The Boston Red Sox are sending rookie Kristian Campbell to Triple-A, paving the way for the return of outfielder Wilyer Abreu off the injured list, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Campbell, the reigning Minor League Player of the Year, signed an eight-year, $60 million contract extension before the beginning of the season and won American League Rookie of the Month in April, hitting .301/.407/.495. Since May, he has struggled offensively, hitting .159/.243/.222, and defensively as the Red Sox’s everyday second baseman.

The reset for Campbell, who turns 23 on June 28, comes in the wake of Boston trading star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The return of Abreu and eventual return of third baseman Alex Bregman from a right quadriceps strain are expected to fortify a lineup that ranks fifth in the major leagues with 358 runs scored.

Campbell rocketed to the big leagues after a 2024 in which he hit .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs over three minor league levels. Boston entered spring training hopeful he would earn the second base job, and despite hitting .167/.305/.271, the Red Sox were confident enough in Campbell’s ability to succeed that they locked him up to a deal that with two club options can run through 2034.

With a unique stance, Campbell managed to produce top-end exit velocities, and the Red Sox banked on that ability to make up for his lack of minor league at-bats. A fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2023, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Campbell responded with four multihit games among his first seven in the big leagues and finished April with four home runs and 12 RBIs.

May and June have proven far more difficult, with just four multihit games among the 38 he has played. Campbell spent the first eight days of May in the cleanup spot but has been dropped to the bottom of the order in June. In his last big league game Wednesday, he batted eighth and played center field.

Abreu, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is expected to rejoin the Red Sox 10 days after hitting the injured list with a strained oblique. He went 1 for 4 in a rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday and would head to San Francisco for the Red Sox’s series against the Giants that begins Friday.

In his third big league season, Abreu is hitting .245/.321/.471 with 13 home runs, just two shy of his career best in 2024. He joins a crowded outfield, with Gold Glove candidate Ceddanne Rafaela — who can also play in the middle infield — in center, All-Star Jarren Duran in left and top prospect Roman Anthony in right. Anthony is currently hitting third, the spot Abreu regularly occupied before his injury.

Sports

Ohtani to pitch against Nationals on Sunday

Published

1 hour ago

June 19, 2025

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Ohtani to pitch against Nationals on Sunday

Associated Press

Jun 19, 2025, 01:50 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani will next pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

The two-way superstar made his mound debut for the Dodgers on Monday against the San Diego Padres, throwing one inning and allowing one run and two hits. He also batted leadoff as the designated hitter and had two hits.

Ohtani faced Padres sluggers Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in his 28-pitch outing.

The Dodgers conclude their four-game series with San Diego on Thursday night, looking for a sweep and their sixth straight victory.

Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season while with the Los Angeles Angels and missed all of the 2024 season after which he signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers.

Sports

Jac jack: Royals’ Caglianone belts first MLB HR

Published

1 hour ago

June 19, 2025

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Jac jack: Royals' Caglianone belts first MLB HR

Associated Press

Jun 19, 2025, 03:59 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jac Caglianone has his first career home run just shy of two weeks after his debut with the Kansas City Royals, and a day after the 22-year-old prospect sat out of a big league game for the first time.

Caglianone won a lefty-lefty matchup by pulling a 95.5 mph fastball from Jacob Latz into the Texas Rangers bullpen in right-center field to give the Royals a 3-0 lead in the second inning Thursday.

Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run shot off Texas starter Shawn Armstrong in the first inning of a bullpen game for the Rangers.

The sixth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft out of Florida, Caglianone went 0-for-5 in his big league debut at St. Louis on June 3. His average was at .196 after going 0-for-4 in the opener of a series at Texas and sitting out the second game.

Caglianone, who played his first six games on the road before making his home debut against the New York Yankees, swung at Latz’s 2-2 pitch above the strike zone, and pointed toward center field as he rounded second base after his 387-foot drive.

The 6-foot-5 Caglianone hit 15 homers in 50 games combined with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha before getting called up.