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The Tampa Bay Lightning had their own March madness this year. With a March mantra to boot: Just win, baby.

And no surprise — the Lightning did. A lot.

Tampa Bay went 9-1-1 last month, saving their best run of the season (so far) for the stretch drive toward playoffs. It’s not the first time the Lightning have hung back, only to flip the proverbial switch right when points and positioning are paramount.

It’s a sound strategy when successful — even if Tampa Bay isn’t exactly aiming to be so dramatic.

“We’re obviously not trying to wait that long [to get going],” defenseman Victor Hedman said with a laugh. “But yeah, that’s just how things have played out. But we’re always confident in ourselves and we’re confident in the core group that we are going to be able to sustain a high level of play from here for a deep playoff run.”

Tampa Bay certainly knows what it takes to go on one. The Lightning were back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in 2020 and 2021, and reached the Final again in 2022. The accumulation of acclaim made their first-round exit against Toronto in 2023 all the more disappointing — but even additional offseason rest didn’t help the Lightning transition to a new year.

In fact, Tampa Bay downright struggled to start this season. Without goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy — who was sidelined by offseason hip surgery until late November — the Lightning struggled to barely get above .500 and were 18-15-5 on Dec. 31. The Lightning had at that point also lost top-pairing defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to an upper-body injury and were looking for a clear direction.

That was uncharted territory for Tampa Bay after being rapidly locked in to its postseason fate a season ago.

“I think last year at Christmas we knew we were playing the Leafs [in the first round],” Jon Cooper said last week. “This year at Christmas, we knew we weren’t playing the Leafs. It’s been one of those years. I don’t know what our point total was [at this point] last year. But we’re not too far off. It’s just we got to this point in a different way.”

Cooper was right: Tampa Bay had 96 points on April 3, 2023; the Lightning were at 91 points on April 3, 2024, and holding the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.

So, what changed for Tampa Bay to take it from writhing to thriving? Because finding a way to sneak up on — and slip past — the competition is a tall order even for recent two-time champions. But the Lightning are doing it and hitting their stride after weathering a few storms.

And maybe those past achievements are also pushing Tampa Bay — on and off the ice — to embrace the ride.

“These guys have really in the month of March put them in a spot that you maybe on March 1 we weren’t thinking was going to be like this,” Cooper said. “I’m proud of the guys for what they’ve done. Because you know, every year is different.”


DOWNTIME DURING THE SEASON isn’t usually a bad thing.

Unless you’re the Lightning.

Tampa Bay had just cruised through January at 8-1-0 to arrive at its 10-day layoff between the bye week and All-Star activities. When the Lightning resumed play, though, it was under increasingly choppy seas.

“For whatever reason, our team hasn’t been good coming out of [All-Star] breaks in recent years, and we were true to that this year,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “We went into the break on a good tear. Then we had a couple of games where things really kind of went sideways in terms of what our identity is. We got away from it.”

The first wave hit when Sergachev — back in the lineup on Feb. 7 after a 17-game absence — suffered multiple tibia fractures that same night. He immediately had surgery, and Cooper said Tampa would have to go “deep” in the playoffs to see Sergachev rejoin the team.

The Lightning went downhill from there, finishing February 5-6-1 while barely clinging to a playoff spot.

Their slump presented a significant challenge. Would they let that crack turn into a crevice, swallowing the season whole? Or could they start patching what holes were in front of them?

Tampa Bay chose the latter.

“The coaching staff has a good feel on [what we needed],” Stamkos said. “You have those meetings where things aren’t necessarily pretty watching the video as a player, but it’s one of those moments whereas a group collectively, you have to man up and be better and just pay attention to more details when you don’t have the puck. Those are the harder things to do, but that’s the stuff that wins in playoff time, and the core group of this team knows what that takes.”

That’s not to say losing Sergachev hasn’t stung, or that the Lightning believe they’re in top form without him patrolling their blue line. Forging ahead without Sergachev is just another obstacle in Tampa Bay’s path.

“We’re a much better team when he’s in than out,” Cooper said. “We’ve had to learn to live with it and move on just as years ago when we lost [Stamkos] for a long time in a [2019] playoff run or we lost [Nikita Kucherov] for a year [in 2020-21]. You just have to adapt. The pity party can last for a day, but then you have to move on.”

Fortunately for Tampa Bay, Kucherov has been the molten-hot core of its nucleus this year. The dazzling winger has dominated as a frequent league-leader in points, generating a Hart Trophy-worthy campaign to buoy the Lightning through their inevitable ebbs and flows. It especially kept Tampa Bay afloat while Vasilevskiy rebounded into form.

The Lightning have yearly leaned on Vasilevskiy’s excellence, but the injury clearly set their Vezina Trophy winner back: After his first month in the crease, Vasilevskiy was 7-7-0 with an .899 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average. Tampa Bay oscillated between Vasilevskiy and backup Jonas Johansson until Vasilevskiy began to look like himself again right around (wait for it) March into April, when he was outstanding at 9-2-1 with a .918% and 2.33 GAA.

Kucherov’s other teammates eventually caught on, too, and the uptick in production across the board made every difference.

By the end of March, Brayden Point had 12 goals in 12 games, Stamkos punched in 17 points in 13 games and Hedman added 12 points in 12 games.

Oh, and Kucherov hit another high note, too, collecting 26 points in 13 games. Casual.

If it weren’t for Kucherov’s consistency, the Lightning would have had an even steeper climb up the standings. He’s without question the team’s MVP, and Hedman believes that candidacy should expand past their dressing room walls.

“[There’s] no debate in my mind [who should win the Hart],” Hedman said. “Just the way he’s carried this team through the adversity we’ve faced and the tough start that we had, he kept producing and trying to get us out of the slump. Now that we have, he’s still producing at an incredibly high level and he’s played big minutes. He’s the smartest player in hockey.”

Lightning GM Julien BriseBois had to be intelligent, too, in supporting Kucherov & Co., but Brisebois’ position heading into the trade deadline was (unsurprisingly) familiar: depth roles having to be filled, with little salary cap space with which to do it.

Stop if you’ve heard this one before, but Tampa Bay found its solutions again.


THE LIGHTNING HAVE A WAY of welcoming fresh faces.

In 2019-20, the Lightning brought in Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow at the trade deadline to help Tampa Bay lift the Cup. The Lightning did it again in 2020-21 with the addition of David Savard. In 2021-22, it was Nicholas Paul and Brandon Hagel joining Tampa Bay’s ranks, and they’ve continued to thrive with the Lightning since.

So BriseBois knew the benefit of bringing in veterans. He found them in landing Anthony Duclair from the San Jose Sharks for a prospect and 2025 seventh-round draft choice, and Matt Dumba (plus a 2025 seventh-round pick) from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2027 fifth-round selection. Both trades followed a typical Tampa Bay pattern of identifying key, depth-related needs and targeting the ideal players to address them.

Naturally, they’ve been a hit already. Since the March 8 deadline, Duclair has emerged as a top-line winger, collecting five goals and 10 points in 11 games, while Dumba has settled into a reliable, third-pairing role.

“The trade deadline [this year] I think was huge,” Hedman said. “For us, we added some pieces, and that’s kind of when our game started to click at a top level. We’ve had some runs throughout the year but for us mostly, after the trade deadline, we’ve been able to kind of cement ourselves with the way we want to play.”

Tampa Bay has remained loyal to many players from its championship run, but there were inevitable cap casualties, too, such as Yanni Gourde, Ryan McDonagh, Alex Killorn, Coleman and Goodrow. Replacing those players year after year is hardly a straightforward task, but somehow the Lightning have become masters of the craft.

“It’s so hard to win in this league,” Stamkos said. “Even the core guys that are still here, as many guys as we’ve lost, we brought in guys that have that same pedigree and management has always done an unbelievable job of just giving us that added boost come trade deadline with making moves. This year, maybe we didn’t have the capital that we had in other years to make big trades but for us, those were big moves. You add a top-six forward and reliable defenseman, and that’s exactly what we need and both those guys bring an element of obvious skill on the ice but character in the room, too. You lose some of those players over the years who just are glue guys in the room, and those [new] guys have fit in really well and sparked us I think.”

The Lightning’s second-half surge wouldn’t have been complete without a little youth movement. Rookie Emil Lilleberg, 23, has been stationed next to Dumba on Tampa’s blue line, and freshman Mitchell Chaffee, 26, can lately be found in a third-line slot with Paul and Michael Eyssimont. They, along with Max Crozier in previous stretches, have been a shot in the arm for the club’s overall mood.

“The youthful energy that has been brought into this room has been great,” Stamkos said. “They’ve done an amazing job on the ice but just that anxiousness, that nervousness, that energy that you have in the room for these young guys, I think that has been a help as well, maybe a little jolt. They’ve certainly played extremely well for us.”

Tampa Bay has used skaters old and new to up the ante on special teams. Going back to March 1, the Lightning own the league’s fifth-ranked power play (28.2%) and it’s No. 1 penalty kill (95.0%), and are tied for the lead in shorthanded goals (3).

The stars have, to put it mildly, aligned for the Lightning. Clinching a seventh consecutive playoff berth seems inevitable. And no, Tampa Bay doesn’t care which team it faces in the first round.

It’s the getting back there that counts — and the incomparable journey that awaits.


SOME EXPERIENCES IN LIFE might have a shelf life. Competing for a Cup isn’t one of them.

That’s what makes the Lightning’s current trajectory so fun — and all the hard days behind (and potentially ahead) of them so worthwhile.

“When you’ve been to the top of the mountain and you have that feeling, it’s almost like an addiction,” Stamkos said. “You want it again because it feels so amazing. You’ve accomplished your ultimate dream and then for the guys who have done that, that’s what drives you to do it again. And I think for the most part, the guys that are still here from those teams still feel that way.”

The exhilaration of winning might never fade, but players themselves do. Careers end in all sorts of ways, and the saddest one is with regrets. That thought alone is enough to fuel those lucky enough to remain in the fight.

“It’s the hunger that doesn’t stop,” Hedman said. “We’re not going to play this game until we’re 45 or 50. It’s a short lifespan, and you’ve just got to embrace every opportunity that you have, and you can’t take anything for granted just because you had success in the past. It’s just making sure that you embrace every situation, embrace every year and you look at it like it might your last chance. And that hunger we have in this room is what’s impressed me the most.”

Cooper’s perspective on winning it all spans beyond just the Lightning lens. It goes out to an appreciation for the fact that Tampa Bay didn’t see its early exodus last spring as a sign of its inevitable demise. It was more like a wakeup call about what’s at stake — and that’s extending the Lightning’s window long past what even they initially believed might be possible.

Tampa Bay has the formula down. Just win, baby.

“It was devastating when we lost to Toronto,” Cooper said. “It’s [lost] time in the league. Not everybody’s blessed to get to play for 15, 20 years. Guys get to play six, seven, eight and in that time, you’ve got to hope you play on a team that makes the playoffs. There are some guys in this league that haven’t had that experience. And they [never] get to have the experience. We’ve had that experience, but you cherish it because you don’t know when you go back. You just don’t know.”

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Who has won the Kentucky Derby? All-time winners list

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Who has won the Kentucky Derby? All-time winners list

Since its inception in 1875, the Kentucky Derby has become one of the most prestigious horse races in the world. In 2024, Mystik Dan won in a photo finish. This year, Journalism is the morning line favorite for the 2025 edition.

Here are the all-time winning horses and jockeys in Kentucky Derby history.

  • 2024: Mystik Dan, Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr.

  • 2023: Mage, Javier Castellano

  • 2022: Rich Strike, Sonny Leon

  • 2021: Mandaloun, Florent Geroux

  • 2020: Authentic, John Velazquez

  • 2019: Country House, Flavien Prat

  • 2018: Justify, Mike Smith

  • 2017: Always Dreaming, John Velazquez

  • 2016: Nyquist, Mario Gutierrez

  • 2015: American Pharoah, Victor Espinoza

  • 2014: California Chrome, Victor Espinoza

  • 2013: Orb, Joel Rosario

  • 2012: I’ll Have Another, Mario Gutierrez

  • 2011: Animal Kingdom, John Velazquez

  • 2010: Super Saver, Calvin Borel

  • 2009: Mine That Bird, Calvin Borel

  • 2008: Big Brown, Kent Desormeaux

  • 2007: Street Sense, Calvin Borel

  • 2006: Barbaro, Edgar Prado

  • 2005: Giacomo, Mike Smith

  • 2004: Smarty Jones, Stewart Elliott

  • 2003: Funny Cide, José Santos

  • 2002: War Emblem, Victor Espinoza

  • 2001: Monarchos, Jorge Chavez

  • 2000: Fusaichi Pegasus, Kent Desormeaux

  • 1999: Charismatic, Chris Antley

  • 1998: Real Quiet, Kent Desormeaux

  • 1997: Silver Charm, Gary Stevens

  • 1996: Grindstone, Jerry Bailey

  • 1995: Thunder Gulch, Gary Stevens

  • 1994: Go for Gin, Chris McCarron

  • 1993: Sea Hero, Jerry Bailey

  • 1992: Lil E. Tee, Pat Day

  • 1991: Strike the Gold, Chris Antley

  • 1990: Unbridled, Craig Perret

  • 1989: Sunday Silence, Pat Valenzuela

  • 1988: Winning Colors, Gary Stevens

  • 1987: Alysheba, Chris McCarron

  • 1986: Ferdinand, Bill Shoemaker

  • 1985: Spend a Buck, Ángel Cordero Jr.

  • 1984: Swale, Laffit Pincay Jr.

  • 1983: Sunny’s Halo, Eddie Delahoussay

  • 1982: Gato Del Sol, Eddie Delahoussay

  • 1981: Pleasant Colony, Jorge Velásquez

  • 1980: Genuine Risk, Jacinto Vasquez

  • 1979: Spectacular Bid, Ronnie Franklin

  • 1978: Affirmed, Steve Cauthen

  • 1977: Seattle Slew, Jean Cruguet

  • 1976: Bold Forbes, Ángel Cordero Jr.

  • 1975: Foolish Pleasure, Jacinto Vásquez

  • 1974: Cannonade, Ángel Cordero Jr.

  • 1973: Secretariat, Ron Turcotte

  • 1972: Riva Ridge, Ron Turcotte

  • 1971: Canonero II, Gustavo Avila

  • 1970: Dust Commander, Mike Manganello

  • 1969: Majestic Prince, Bill Hartack

  • 1968: Forward Pass, Ismael Valenzuela

  • 1967: Proud Clarion, Bobby Ussery

  • 1966: Kauai King, Don Brumfield

  • 1965: Lucky Debonair, Bill Shoemaker

  • 1964: Northern Dancer, Bill Hartack

  • 1963: Chateaugay, Braulio Baeza

  • 1962: Decidedly, Bill Hartack

  • 1961: Carry Back, Johnny Sellers

  • 1960: Venetian Way, Bill Hartack

  • 1959: Tomy Lee, Bill Shoemaker

  • 1958: Tim Tam, Ismael Valenzuela

  • 1957: Iron Liege, Bill Hartack

  • 1956: Needles, David Erb

  • 1955: Swaps, Bill Shoemaker

  • 1954: Determine, Raymond York

  • 1953: Dark Star, Henry Moreno

  • 1952: Hill Gail, Eddie Arcaro

  • 1951: Count Turf, Conn McCreary

  • 1950: Middleground, William Boland

  • 1949: Ponder, Steve Brooks

  • 1948: Citation, Eddie Arcaro

  • 1947: Jet Pilot, Eric Guerin

  • 1946: Assault, Warren Mehrtens

  • 1945: Hoop Jr., Eddie Arcaro

  • 1944: Pensive, Conn McCreary

  • 1943: Count Fleet, Johnny Longden

  • 1942: Shut Out, Wayne Wright

  • 1941: Whirlaway, Eddie Arcaro

  • 1940: Gallahadion, Carroll Bierman

  • 1939: Johnstown, James Stout

  • 1938: Lawrin, Eddie Arcaro

  • 1937: War Admiral, Charley Kurtsinger

  • 1936: Bold Venture, Ira Hanford

  • 1935: Omaha, Willie Saunders

  • 1934: Cavalcade, Mack Garner

  • 1933: Brokers Tip, Don Meade

  • 1932: Burgoo King, Eugene James

  • 1931: Twenty Grand, Charley Kurtsinger

  • 1930: Gallant Fox, Earl Sande

  • 1929: Clyde Van Dusen, Linus McAtee

  • 1928: Reigh Count, Chick Lang

  • 1927: Whiskery, Linus McAtee

  • 1926: Bubbling Over, Albert Johnson

  • 1925: Flying Ebony, Earl Sande

  • 1924: Black Gold, John Mooney

  • 1923: Zev, Earl Sande

  • 1922: Morvich, Albert Johnson

  • 1921: Behave Yourself, Charles Thompson

  • 1920: Paul Jones, Ted Rice

  • 1919: Sir Barton, Johnny Loftus

  • 1918: Exterminator, Willie Knapp

  • 1917: Omar Khayyam, Charles Borel

  • 1916: George Smith, Johnny Loftus

  • 1915: Regret, Joe Notter

  • 1914: Old Rosebud, John McCabe

  • 1913: Donerail, Roscoe Goose

  • 1912: Worth, Carroll Shilling

  • 1911: Meridian, George Archibald

  • 1910: Donau, Frederick Herbert

  • 1909: Wintergreen, Vincent Powers

  • 1908: Stone Street, Arthur Pickens

  • 1907: Pink Star, Andy Minder

  • 1906: Sir Huon, Roscoe Troxler

  • 1905: Agile, Jack Martin

  • 1904: Elwood, Shorty Prior

  • 1903: Judge Himes, Harold Booker

  • 1902: Alan-a-Dale, Jimmy Winkfield

  • 1901: His Eminence, Jimmy Winkfield

  • 1900: Lieut. Gibson, Jimmy Boland

  • 1899: Manuel, Fred Taral

  • 1898: Plaudit, Willie Simms

  • 1897: Typhoon II, Buttons Garner

  • 1896: Ben Brush, Willie Simms

  • 1895: Halma, James Perkins

  • 1894: Chant, Frank Goodale

  • 1893: Lookout, Eddie Kunze

  • 1892: Azra, Alonzo Clayton

  • 1891: Kingman, Isaac Murphy

  • 1890: Riley, Isaac Murphy

  • 1889: Spokane, Thomas Kiley

  • 1888: Macbeth II, George Covington

  • 1887: Montrose, Isaac Lewis

  • 1886: Ben Ali, Paul Duffy

  • 1885: Joe Cotton, Erskine Henderson

  • 1884: Buchanan, Isaac Murphy

  • 1883: Leonatus, William Donohue

  • 1882: Apollo, Babe Hurd

  • 1881: Hindoo, Jim McLaughlin

  • 1880: Fonso, George Lewis

  • 1879: Lord Murphy, Charlie Shauer

  • 1878: Day Star, Jimmy Carter

  • 1877: Baden-Baden, Billy Walker

  • 1876: Vagrant, Robert Swim

  • 1875: Aristides, Oliver Lewis

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    Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Two elimination games on tap, and a pivotal Game 5 in Jets-Blues

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    Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Two elimination games on tap, and a pivotal Game 5 in Jets-Blues

    The first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has heated up, and the end of many series is approaching. How many teams will move on with clinching games Wednesday night?

    There are two potential elimination games on the docket. First up is Montreal CanadiensWashington Capitals (7 p.m., ESPN), with Alex Ovechkin & Co. on the verge of sealing the deal over the Habs.

    Staggered just 30 minutes later is the possible final game of the 2025 edition of the Battle of Florida (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). Will the Florida Panthers get win No. 4, or can the Tampa Bay Lightning draw the series to 3-2?

    Finally, the St. Louis Blues visit the Winnipeg Jets (9:30 p.m., ESPN) in a series that sits at 2-2 following the first four, including major intrigue as leading Vezina Trophy candidate Connor Hellebuyck continues to struggle in goal.

    Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down in Monday’s games, and the Three Stars of Monday Night from Arda Öcal.

    Matchup notes

    Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
    Game 5 (WSH leads 3-1) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN

    Historically, teams that have a 3-1 series lead have gone on to win the series 90.8% of the time in Stanley Cup playoff history. The Capitals’ record in that scenario is 8-5, which is 62%.

    Cole Caufield is taking many shots. His 21 shots on goal are the second most in the playoffs (trailing Nathan MacKinnon, with 31), and he has had 11 shot attempts blocked, which is tied for second most in the playoffs, behind Jack Eichel.

    Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson is the sixth first-year blueliner in playoff history to record at least five assists in his first postseason series, joining Ray Bourque (1980), Janne Niinimaa (1997), Erik Karlsson (2010), Marc-Andre Gragnani (2011) and Quinn Hughes (2020).

    Alex Ovechkin has scored the most goals in NHL regular-season history, and he is 13th on the all-time playoff list with 75. His next will tie Mario Lemieux for 12th.

    Anthony Beauvillier is the first player in Capitals history to record an assist in each of his first four playoff games with the club, and the fourth with at least one point, following Dave Christian (five GP in 1984), Adam Oates (four GP in 1998) and Mike Knuble (five GP in 2010).

    Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
    Game 5 (FLA leads 3-1) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

    In the 2025 playoffs, home teams have a 23-10 record. That script has flipped in the Battle of Florida series as the road team has won three of four games.

    The Panthers are 5-0 all time when leading a playoff series 3-1, closing out three of the previous series in Game 5. The Lightning are 1-5 all-time in a best-of-seven series when trailing 1-3.

    Lightning forward Jake Guentzel is tied with Brad Marchand for the fourth most playoff goals since 2017 (40), behind Nathan MacKinnon (51), Leon Draisaitl (44) and Brayden Point (44).

    Andrei Vasilevskiy has been doing his part: He allowed five goals combined in Games 2-4 (.936 save percentage) after allowing six goals in Game 1 (.647).

    Matthew Tkachuk is tied with Nate Schmidt for the Panthers’ goal-scoring lead this series (three), and has 20 in 48 career playoff games with Florida; that is third most in franchise history, behind Sam Reinhart (22 in 59) and Carter Verhaeghe (27 in 65).

    With each game and win, Sergei Bobrovsky adds to his lead in each category since the start of the 2023 playoffs (47 games played, 31 wins).

    St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets
    Game 5 (series tied 2-2) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

    Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has encountered another postseason rough patch. He allowed 11 goals combined in the past two games, and has now allowed four-plus goals in 10 of 14 starts the past three postseasons. That is a 71% rate, and his regular-season rate for that same stat is 17% in the same three-season span.

    After starting the series hot — with five points in the first two games, both wins for the Jets — Mark Scheifele has been pointless in the two losses in Games 3 and 4. Kyle Connor has been just slightly better, with four points in the first two and just one goal in the ensuing two.

    Although the Jets outshot the Blues 31-23, Jordan Binnington was up to the task in Game 4, stopping all but one. Overall this postseason, Binnington has a .907 save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average. In the Blues’ Stanley Cup run in 2019, he finished with a .914 save percentage and 2.46 goals-against average.

    In-season trade addition Cam Fowler is playing in his first postseason since 2017, and he’s making up for lost time, leading the Blues with eight points (one goal, seven assists) through four games. Fowler’s career-high postseason point total was 10 in 16 games in the 2015 playoffs.


    Arda’s three stars from Tuesday night

    Ullmark recorded his first career playoff shutout, becoming the second goalie in Senators franchise history (with Craig Anderson) to secure a shutout in a potential elimination game.

    Two goals, including the overtime winner, to cap a three-point night to send the Hurricanes to the second round with a 5-4 win. The Canes scored three goals in four minutes in the second to tie the game after going down 3-0 early. This was Aho’s 10th career postseason power-play goal, which ties Eric Staal for the franchise record.

    Tkachuk and Stutzle are the first Senators teammates to have three points when facing elimination in franchise history. They’ll get another chance at it Thursday at home.


    Tuesday’s scores

    Ottawa Senators 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 0
    TOR leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday

    Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark faced questions heading into this postseason, as his playoff career performances had not been up to par with his regular-season success. On this night at least, he was stellar. Ullmark stopped all 29 shots the Maple Leafs directed at him, and the Senators got goals from Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens, with empty-netters by Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk capping the evening. Full recap.

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    0:32

    Dylan Cozens doubles lead for Senators in Game 5

    Dylan Cozens’ goal in the third period gives the Senators some breathing room in Game 5 vs. the Maple Leafs.

    Carolina Hurricanes 5, New Jersey Devils 4 (2OT)
    CAR wins 4-1, plays winner of WSH-MTL

    It was a wild one Tuesday night in Raleigh, with eight goals between the two teams through two periods. The goalies shut it down for 40 minutes thereafter, with the teams going scoreless in the third period and first overtime. It wasn’t until 4:17 of the second OT when Sebastian Aho scored the game- and series-winning goal. Full recap.

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    0:43

    Sebastian Aho slots in a goal for Hurricanes

    Sebastian Aho answers with the Hurricanes’ fourth goal of the second period to tie the game 4-4 vs. the Devils.

    Vegas Golden Knights 3, Minnesota Wild 2 (OT)
    VGK leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday

    The teams traded a pair of goals early on the same Minnesota power play — William Karlsson scoring short-handed and Kirill Kaprizov notching the power-play tally — and Mark Stone capped off the first period with a goal at 13:24. The score would remain 2-1 Knights until 3:31 of the third, when Matt Boldy tied things the game at two. The Knights needed just 4:05 of the first OT period to score the game-winner off the stick of Brett Howden. Full recap.

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    1:09

    Brett Howden nets OT winner for Golden Knights to seal Game 5

    Brett Howden’s close-range snap shot finds the back of the net to win it in overtime for the Golden Knights and claim a 3-2 series lead vs. the Wild.

    Edmonton Oilers 3, Los Angeles Kings 1
    EDM leads 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday

    After wins in the first two games of the series, the Kings are now looking up at the Oilers — the team that has beaten them the past three postseasons. The Kings were on the board first via an Andrei Kuzmenko power-play goal in the second, but Evander Kane would tie things up less than three minutes later. The eventual game-winner came off the stick of Mattias Janmark 7:12 into the third, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added an empty-net goal to put the game further out of reach. Full recap.

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    0:40

    Mattias Janmark puts the Oilers ahead in the 3rd

    Mattias Janmark scores off the rebound to give the Oilers the lead in the third period vs. the Kings.

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    Can the Winnipeg Jets join others that defied the Presidents’ Trophy curse?

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    Can the Winnipeg Jets join others that defied the Presidents' Trophy curse?

    Will the Presidents’ Trophy curse claim a new victim this year?

    For the past 11 NHL seasons, the winner of the trophy — awarded to the team with the most regular-season points — has failed to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, none of the last 11 Presidents’ Trophy winners have even played in the Stanley Cup Final.

    All told, of the 38 seasons when the trophy has been awarded, just eight of its victors have also lifted the Stanley Cup. With the Winnipeg Jets‘ series against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs knotted at two games apiece, could the curse be looming large again?

    Here’s a look at the eight squads the Jets will be hoping to emulate that defied the curse:

    Chicago Blackhawks, 2012-13

    The most recent team to take home both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks earned the regular-season crown in a campaign that didn’t start until January due to lockout. Patrick Kane would go on to earn Conn Smythe Trophy honors after a postseason in which he posted nine goals (tied for second on the team) and 10 assists (third on the team).


    Detroit Red Wings, 2007-08

    Winning the Central Division by an impressive 24-point margin, the Red Wings bolstered the best goals-against record in the league and raced to an impressive 115-point regular season. Henrik Zetterberg, the team’s top goal scorer in the regular season, won the Conn Smythe after a 27-point postseason.


    Detroit Red Wings, 2001-02

    Not to be outdone by their franchise counterparts six years later, the Red Wings turned in a regular season that not only saw them win the Central Division by 18 points, but top the overall league standings by a 15-point margin as well. The Conn Smythe went to Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidström, capping off the third of his three Stanley Cup triumphs in Detroit.


    Colorado Avalanche, 2000-01

    Combined with the Red Wings’ subsequent title, Colorado’s Stanley Cup win marks the only time in league history teams won both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in back-to-back years. Goalkeeper Patrick Roy was awarded his third Conn Smythe — a record that still stands today.


    Dallas Stars, 1998-99

    Dallas led the league in goals allowed, a trend that continued into the postseason. In just one of the Stars’ 12 postseason wins did the team concede more than two goals. Centers powered the squad’s offense — Mike Modano’s 81 regular-season points led the team by a sizable margin, while Joe Nieuwendyk earned the Conn Smythe.


    New York Rangers, 1993-94

    After the regular season saw the Rangers beat local rivals the New Jersey Devils to both the Atlantic Division crown and the Presidents’ Trophy, New York’s postseason didn’t lack for rivalry thrills either.

    The Rangers met New Jersey in the Eastern Conference finals, coming away victorious in a seven-game series that featured three games decided by double overtime. New York’s subsequent Stanley Cup Final series with the Vancouver Canucks would go seven games as well, with Conn Smythe winner Brian Leetch scoring the opener in the decisive final game.


    Calgary Flames, 1988-89

    The 1988-89 NHL season was all about Calgary and the Montreal Canadiens, who posted 117- and 115-point regular seasons respectively — no other team in the league amassed more than 92. Fittingly, the two squads met in the Stanley Cup Final, where the President Cup champion Flames bested Montreal again, topping the Canadiens in six games. Defenseman Al MacInnis racked up 24 postseason assists en route to Conn Smythe honors.


    Edmonton Oilers, 1986-87

    Led by Wayne Gretzky at his peak, Edmonton raced to a 106-point regular season as Gretzky led the NHL in goals, assists and plus/minus as he earned his eighth Hart Trophy. Unsurprisingly, Gretzky was a driving force in the Oilers’ postseason march as well — he totaled 29 assists as Edmonton won its third Stanley Cup in what would end up being a run of four Cups in five years for the franchise.

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