BU’s Beanpot victory and the NCAA men’s hockey bubble
While the biggest prize in college hockey clearly is the national championship trophy, in one corner of the sport’s landscape, that accolade has a rival: the Beanpot.
The 72nd tournament, which features Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard, concluded Monday at TD Garden with BC facing BU in the championship game. And to paraphrase NESN announcer Tom Caron, BC is the No. 1 team in the country, but BU is No. 1 in Boston.
The Terriers upset the top-ranked Eagles 4-1, rallying from a lackluster first period and early 1-0 deficit to convincingly outplay BC over the last two periods.
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the country (BC is No. 1, BU is No. 9 in the most recent polls), but even in years when the Beanpot doesn’t have national implications of that magnitude, the energy, desire and hatred boil over for the schools and their fans.
This year’s final had a different twist, as nine of the players — six from BC, three from BU — were teammates at the IIHF World Junior Championship, where they won the gold medal for Team USA in January. At least one member of the Eagles or Terriers scored or assisted on all but one of the 37 goals the U.S. scored in the tournament.
Any friendships were on hold Monday night.
“It’s just understanding that you can’t have any friends out there,” BC freshman James Hagens told the Boston Globe last month. “You might play with them for a while. They might be your best buddies, but you just have to understand it’s a hockey game, and you have to go out there and win.”
BU’s Cole Eiserman expressed similar sentiments. “You battle with those guys, get close to those guys, but I think we’re all competitive guys,” he told the Globe. “We want to win for our own school.”
The teams met in a home-and-home series in January, with BC sweeping by scores of 6-2 and 2-0. But those results meant little to BU after its trophy-lifting win Monday night. The Terriers won its first Beanpot since 2022, while BC’s most recent championship was in 2016.
While Monday’s game will not count in the Hockey East standings, conference races are heating up around the country as the selection of the NCAA tournament field nears.
The NCAA field includes the winners of the six conference tournaments — Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC — and 10 at-large teams based on the PairWise rankings.
Conference tournament championship games are scheduled for March 22, with the NCAA tournament selections to be announced March 23. Regionals will be held March 27-30, with the Frozen Four on April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Every NCAA tournament game, including the selection show, will be on ESPN networks and streamed on ESPN+.
Here’s a look at where the NCAA field stands, with teams listed in order of the PairWise rankings as of Feb. 11.
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Frozen Four or bust
The head of the class this season, these teams are odds-on favorites to make it to St. Louis.
No. 1 Boston College
Record: 21-5-1, 13-3-1 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Beat Northeastern 8-2; won at New Hampshire 4-2
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. UMass
No. 2 Michigan State
Record: 22-5-3, 13-4-3 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Lost to Michigan 2-1; beat Michigan 6-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 vs. Penn State
No. 3 Minnesota
Record: 21-6-3, 12-4-2 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Did not play
Key games: Feb. 14-15 at Michigan; Feb. 21-22 vs. Ohio State
Safe and sound
These teams are all but assured a spot in the NCAA field as either a conference champion or via an at-large spot.
No. 4 Maine
Record: 18-5-4, 10-3-4 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Tied at Providence 3-3; won at Providence 1-0 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21 at UConn; March 7-8 at UMass
No. 5 Western Michigan
Record: 20-5-1, 13-2-1 NCHC
Last week’s results: Beat St. Cloud State 4-0 and 6-1
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. Omaha; Feb. 21-22 at Arizona State
No. 6 Boston University
Record: 16-10-1, 10-6-1 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Beat Harvard 7-1; lost at Merrimack 2-1 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. Providence
No. 7 Providence
Record: 16-7-5, 6-6-5 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Tied Maine 3-3; lost to Maine 1-0 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. BU; Feb. 22 vs. UMass-Lowell
No. 8 Ohio State
Record: 18-8-2, 11-6-1 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Won at Notre Dame 5-1 and 5-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Minnesota; Feb. 27-28 vs. Michigan
No. 9 UConn
Record: 15-10-3, 8-8-3 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Lost to UMass 5-4; beat UMass-Lowell 5-4 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21 vs. Maine; Feb. 25 vs. BU
No. 10 Denver
Record: 20-7-1, 9-6-1 NCHC
Last week’s results: Won at Arizona State 5-4 (OT); lost at Arizona State 6-5 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. North Dakota; March 7-8 home-and-home vs. Colorado College
In the field — for now
UMass-Lowell has slipped a few notches with three losses in four games, while Michigan and Arizona State improved their standing this past weekend with splits against Michigan State and Denver, respectively.
No. 11 UMass-Lowell
Record: 14-10-3, 7-8-2 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Lost to Vermont 5-3; lost at UConn 5-4 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 22 at Providence; Feb. 27-March 1 home-and-home vs. UMass
No. 12 Michigan
Record: 16-12-2, 10-9-1 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Won at Michigan State 2-1; lost to Michigan State 6-1
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. Minnesota; Feb. 27-28 at Ohio State
No. 13 Arizona State
Record: 17-10-1, 12-6-0 NCHC
Last week’s results: Lost to Denver 5-4 (OT); beat Denver 6-5 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21-22 vs. Western Michigan; Feb. 28-March 1 at Omaha
One-bid league champs
It’s looking more and more likely we’ll have three one-bid leagues — the ECAC, CCHA and Atlantic. Quinnipiac and Minnesota State are on the fringes of the at-large bubble, but if they fail to win their conference tournaments, the losses along the way seem likely to dash their at-large hopes.
Quinnipiac leads a tight ECAC race, with the top five teams within five points of each other, while Minnesota State has a solid hold on first place in the CCHA. So we’re penciling the Bobcats and Mavericks in the NCAA field for now.
In the Atlantic, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross and Bentley are within one point of each other in the league standings — although Holy Cross and Bentley have played two fewer games than Sacred Heart — and are bunched together in the PairWise. We gave the nod to the Crusaders, who are one spot ahead of Bentley in the PairWise, but as with the other three leagues in this group, it will all come down to the conference tournament.
Quinnipiac
Record: 17-9-2, 11-4-1 ECAC (No. 15 in PairWise)
Last week’s results: Beat St. Lawrence 6-1; lost to Clarkson 3-2 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14 at Union; Feb. 28 at Clarkson
Minnesota State
Record: 20-8-2, 15-5-2 CCHA (No. 17 in PairWise)
Last week’s results: Beat Augustana 4-1 and 2-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Lake Superior State
Holy Cross
Record: 17-11-2, 16-4-2 Atlantic (No. 30 in PairWise)
Last week’s results: Won at RIT 9-2 and 3-0
Key games: Feb. 20 vs. Bentley; Feb. 24 vs. AIC
On the bubble
Assuming there will be three conference champions outside of the top 16 in PairWise, teams below No. 13 will be out of luck in terms of grabbing an at-large NCAA bid. But the standings in this range are very tight, with positions changing with almost every result. These teams will have opportunities for key wins to gain critical PairWise capital, but the margin for error is slim.
No. 14 UMass
Record: 15-11-2, 6-8-2 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Won at UConn 5-4
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. BC; Feb. 27-March 1 home-and-home vs. UMass-Lowell
No. 16 Penn State
Record: 14-11-3, 5-10-3 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Won at Wisconsin 2-0 and 6-2
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Michigan State; Feb. 28-March 1 vs. Minnesota
No. 18 New Hampshire
Record: 11-12-3, 3-11-2 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Lost to BC 4-2; lost to Merrimack 5-4
Key games: Feb. 14-15 at Maine; Feb. 28-March 1 home-and-home vs. BC
HERNING, Denmark — The United States blew a three-goal first-period lead before beating Germany 6-3 at the ice hockey world championship on Saturday.
Conor Garland‘s power-play goal 4:50 into the third period proved to be the winner as the Americans moved level on points (11) with the Czech Republic, trailing Group B leader Switzerland by two points.
Tage Thompson struck 1:42 into the game on a power play for his fourth goal of the tournament. Frank Nazar doubled the advantage before Drew O’Connor made it 3-0 on a rebound with 5:43 left in the first.
But the U.S. is making a habit of squandering leads. The Americans lost a four-goal advantage before prevailing 6-5 over Norway in overtime Wednesday.
Germany scored three times in the second. Defenseman Erik Mic’s goal 8:43 into the period sparked the rally. Jonas Muller scored from the slot with 5:17 remaining and Wojciech Stachowiak tied it at 3-3 less than a minute later on a power play.
After Garland’s go-ahead goal, Logan Cooley made it 5-3 with 3:29 to go and Clayton Keller scored into an empty net with 1:53 left. Garland had three assists.
Germany has nine points.
In Stockholm, Finland defeated Latvia 2-1 to stay third in Group A with 11 points. Latvia has six points in fifth.
Later Saturday, Canada plays Slovakia and Sweden meets France in Stockholm, while the Czech Republic faces Kazakhstan in Herning, where Denmark takes on Norway.
The Dallas Stars were in position to win their series against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 on Thursday; instead, the Jets blanked them 4-0, extending their postseason by at least one more game.
That game is Saturday in Dallas (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+). Will the Stars punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals — and a rematch against the Edmonton Oilers? Or will the Jets force a Game 7 back on home ice Monday?
Read on for a game preview with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Friday’s game and the three stars of Friday from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets
Game 6 | 8 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+
With a 3-2 lead in the series, the Stars are -380 to win, per ESPN BET; the Jets are +290 to take the series. Dallas is +325 to win the Stanley Cup, while Winnipeg is +2200.
Including the series that have been completed this year, teams that have led 3-1 in a playoff series are 23-1 since 2023 (the only loser was the Bruins against the Panthers in the 2023 first round).
Can Connor Hellebuyck buck his nightmarish road/home split this postseason? He has gone 6-1 at home in the playoffs, with a 1.73 goals-against average and .916 save percentage; he’s 0-5 on the road, with a 5.84 GAA and .793 SV%.
Kyle Connor has been a reliable source of scoring for Winnipeg, with 16 points in 12 games. His 1.33 points-per-game rate is the third highest in a single postseason by an American-born player (minimum 10 games played), behind Jake Guentzel in 2018 (1.75) and Brian Leetch in 1995 (1.40).
Mikko Rantanen leads the goal- and point-scoring races this postseason, with nine goals and 19 points. His newly formed line with Mikael Granlund and Roope Hintz has outscored opponents 7-2 in 108:34 of ice time together.
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger has gone 17-6 with a 2.03 GAA and .924 SV% (with one shutout) in 23 career postseason games following a loss.
Öcal’s three stars from Friday
No. 34 scored the first goal of the game in the third period, which counts as the game winner. It was his first goal against the Panthers — and first against any team beyond the first round — in his postseason career.
2. Maple Leafs shot blockers
The Leafs blocked 31 shots in this game, including some key moments late in the third period, preserving a shutout for Joseph Woll and forcing a Game 7. This was Woll’s first career postseason shutout, and he got lots of help from his friends.
Pacioretty was responsible for the insurance goal in the third period, his third of the postseason as the veteran continues his quest for his first Stanley Cup.
Friday’s recap
Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Florida Panthers 0
Series tied 3-3 | Game 7 Sunday
With a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake for the Panthers — and a continuation of the playoff run on the line for the Leafs — the two teams remained scoreless through two periods, with memorable saves by both goaltenders. At 6:20 of the third period, Toronto captain Auston Matthews scored his first goal of the series, and that would prove to be all the team needed for the W; Max Pacioretty‘s goal at 14:17 added some reassurance. After a Game 5 he’d like to forget, Joseph Woll stopped all 22 shots he faced. The two teams head back to Toronto for Game 7 Sunday. Full recap.
0:48
Max Pacioretty backhands a clutch goal for Leafs
Max Pacioretty scores Toronto’s second goal of the third period to give them a 2-0 lead in a must-win Game 6 vs. Florida.
SUNRISE, Fla. — Auston Matthews hadn’t scored against Florida in more than a year. He ended the drought — and might have also saved Toronto’s season.
Matthews got his first goal of the series to break a scoreless tie in the third period, Joseph Woll stopped 22 shots and the Toronto Maple Leafs kept their season alive by beating the Florida Panthers 2-0 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series Friday night.
“Just a gutsy, gutsy win,” Matthews said.
Game 7 is Sunday night in Toronto. The winner will face Carolina in the East final.
“We played a simple game tonight,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said.
Simple, but effective. Toronto blocked 31 shots, plus killed off all four Florida power plays.
Max Pacioretty added an insurance goal for the Maple Leafs, who improved to 4-2 when facing elimination since the start of the 2023 playoffs.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 15 shots for the Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions who oddly are only 8-7 in potential closeout games over the past three postseasons.
“You win or you learn,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “Tonight, we learned.”
Florida coach Paul Maurice is 5-0 in Game 7s, including the final game of last season’s Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers are 3-1 all time in the ultimate game of a series — 2-0 on the road — while the Maple Leafs have lost each of their past six Game 7s. Of those, four were against Boston and now-Panthers forward Brad Marchand.
“We’re not going to show any video of those Game 7s,” Maurice said. “We’ll look at our game tonight and see where we can get better.”
It was the 68th game of this season’s playoffs — and only the second that was 0-0 after 40 minutes. The other was Wednesday night, when Edmonton eliminated Vegas with a 1-0 victory in overtime in Game 5 of that Western Conference semifinal series.
Toronto had five goals in Game 1, four more in Game 2 and had three by the early goings of the second period of Game 3. Add it up, and that was 12 in basically the first seven periods of the series.
From there, Toronto got basically nothing — until Matthews broke through.
The Toronto captain was 0-for-31 on shots against Florida this season, including the regular season. Bobrovsky had stopped 85 of the last 86 shot attempts he had seen in the series. And the Maple Leafs hadn’t had the lead in basically the equivalent of 3½ games — 216 minutes, 30 seconds, to be precise.
But when a pass got away from Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, Matthews had a slight opening — and that was all he needed. A low shot skittered along the ice and beat Bobrovsky for a 1-0 lead with 13:40 left.
“It’s a big win, from top to bottom,” Matthews said. “We earned that.”
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