Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo won’t return in 2023, the school announced Sunday.
Niumatalolo is the winningest coach in program history, going 109-83 in 15 seasons after succeeding Paul Johnson in 2008.
“Our sincerest gratitude to Coach Ken for what has been a distinguished and impactful legacy at the Naval Academy,” Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said in a statement. “Navy football flourished for many years under his leadership. He will forever be remembered for the influence he has had on the lives of those who played for him. We all have great respect and appreciation for his 25 years of service to the Academy.”
Niumatalolo, who played quarterback at Hawai’i from 1987 to 1989, had two stints in Annapolis, coaching running backs (1995-96), serving as the offensive coordinator (1997-98) and serving as the assistant head coach (2002-07).
He led the Midshipmen to three double-digit-win seasons (2009, 2015, 2019), beat Army 11 times, won six Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies and led the program to a record six bowl victories.
Navy lost 20-17 to Army in double overtime Saturday in the first overtime game in the 123-year series; the Mids went 4-8 for a second straight season.
Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry was named the interim coach.
The NHL has reached Showdown Saturday, with less than a week to go in the season — and exactly one week before the start of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs!
The identity of 12 of the 16 playoff clubs is known, but final seeding remains up for grabs, along with the race for the Presidents’ Trophy as the No. 1 overall seed and positioning in the draft lottery order.
There are 11 games on the schedule throughout the day. Here’s what is at stake in each matchup:
The Islanders are close to being eliminated and the Flyers have been out of the mix for some time now, but there are draft lottery implications here. The Flyers begin the day in the No. 5 spot — tied in points with the Boston Bruins, one ahead of the Kraken — while the Isles are 10th, two ahead of the Detroit Red Wings and one behind the Anaheim Ducks.
Alex Ovechkin‘s goal-record chase is complete, but watching him down the stretch will be fun as he looks to bolster that record even further. The Caps begin the day having clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but three points behind the Jets for the Presidents’ Trophy. The Blue Jackets are six points behind the Canadiens in the race for the final wild-card spot and 13th in the draft lottery order.
Speaking of the Presidents’ Trophy, last season’s winners are on their last leg of the playoff hunt and are six points behind the Canadiens for wild card No. 2 in the East. They will need to win out (and get A LOT of help) to qualify for the playoffs. On the other side, the Hurricanes are locked in at the No. 2 spot in the Metro Division and will host their first-round series against the New Jersey Devils.
It’s impossible for the Avalanche to win their division, and they’ll most likely finish third in the Central. The Kings still have a shot at the Pacific Division title, but it’s more likely they’ll stick in the No. 2 slot. What do both teams have in common? Both are finishing strong, and will make for tough outs this postseason. This game could be a preview of the Western Conference finals.
It’s going to be another spring outside of the playoffs for the Sabres, although a recent 8-2-0 run does inspire some hope for the future. They sit in the No. 7 spot in the draft lottery order as play begins Saturday. The Panthers remain in the hunt for the Atlantic Division title, two points behind the Lightning and four behind the Maple Leafs.
Playoff hockey is (very likely) returning to la belle province! The Canadiens are six points ahead of the Blue Jackets, Red Wings and Rangers, with a magic number of three. As for their rivals from Toronto, the Leafs are fending off the hard-charging Lightning and Panthers to retain the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division. Toronto enters this game with a two-point cushion over Tampa Bay, and four over Florida.
Two teams at different ends of the standings table square off here. The Jets hold a three-point lead over the Capitals for the NHL’s No. 1 overall seed heading into the playoffs — and a six-point lead over the Stars for the Central’s No. 1 seed (yes, they still haven’t clinched the division). A win here clinches the division and bolsters their hold on the Presidents’ Trophy.
The Blackhawks will finish no worse than No. 2 in the draft lottery order, as they can finish with no more than 62 points, and the Predators already have 66. Will they reach No. 1? The Sharks are five ahead (at 51), with four games remaining. This could come down to the wire.
The first season of hockey in Utah resulted in the Hockey Club sticking around in the playoff race until the penultimate week, which is better than what a team called the Arizona Coyotes did with a very similar group of players last season. The UHC is No. 14 in the draft lotto order, four points back of the Blue Jackets and Rangers. As noted above, the Stars can still catch the Jets for the Central’s No. 1 seed, although they’d need to win out and have the Jets lose the rest of their games.
The Wild looked wobbly for a stretch there in March, but the return of Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek has them back on track. They begin play on Saturday as the West’s No. 1 wild card, with a three-point edge on the Flames. Vancouver went from Pacific Division champs in 2023-24 to out of the playoffs entirely in 2024-25, and currently they sit 15th in the draft lotto order, two points behind the UHC.
One of the original Golden Misfits, Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP the year the Knights won the Stanley Cup. This will be his first game back in Vegas wearing a different team’s uniform, so while this game won’t have much of an impact on the standings, it’s notable for that reunion!
The Preds are locked in at the No. 3 spot in the draft lottery order, while the Knights lock up a division title with a regulation win.
A recent two-game skid for the Blues might have increased the amount of hope in Calgary, but Jordan Binnington & Co. hold a three-point advantage over the Flames for the final Western wild card heading into this one. Seattle begins play sixth in the draft lottery order, a point back of Philly and Boston.
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.
Points: 90 Regulation wins: 29 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 93.4 Next game: vs. SJ (Sunday) Playoff chances: 7.5% Tragic number: 3
Points: 87 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 90.3 Next game: vs. MIN (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 78 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 81.0 Next game: vs. COL (Sunday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 74 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 2 Points pace: 75.9 Next game: vs. STL (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 51 Regulation wins: 14 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 52.9 Next game: @ CGY (Sunday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Note: A “z” means that the team has clinched the top record in the conference. A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. 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. More details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
The 2025 men’s Frozen Four is down to two teams: NCHC champion Western Michigan Broncos and the Boston University Terriers of Hockey East.
In Thursday’s first semifinal, reigning national champion Denver’s bid to defend its title fell short, as the Pioneers were beaten by Western Michigan 3-2 in double overtime. The Broncos, who are in the Frozen Four for the first time, also beat Denver in double overtime in the NCHC championship game. The teams split two meetings in the regular season.
For BU, the third time was the charm as the Terriers beat Penn State 3-1 to advance to the title game after losing in the national semifinals the last two years.
The Broncos and Terriers will play for the national title at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be on ESPN2, and streaming on ESPN+.
Western Michigan is the only one of the top four overall seeds to make the Frozen Four, marking the first time since 2011 that only one of the top four seeds has made it this far. Boston College, Michigan State and Maine all were eliminated in regional play.
In terms of NHL talent, a combined 38 players have been drafted from the Frozen Four teams. BU leads the way with 14, Denver has 13, Western Michigan eight and Penn State three.
Below is a look at what needs to go right for each team to win the national title, with insight from ESPN college hockey analysts Colby Cohen and Andrew Raycroft, as well as players to watch and key statistics from ESPN research.
Western Michigan (33-7-1)
How the Broncos got here: Western Michigan dominated Denver over the first 40 minutes, holding a 2-0 lead and 32-8 shot advantage after two periods. The defending national champs wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as the Pioneers controlled the third period and tied the game 2-2 with 2:39 to play in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, the Broncos struck 26 seconds into double OT, with Owen Michaels roofing his second goal of the game to win it.
Regional recap: The top seed in the Fargo Regional, Western Michigan needed double overtime to beat Minnesota State 2-1, advancing on Grant Slukynsky’s goal, then beat UMass 2-1, erasing a 1-0 deficit with power-play goals by Liam Valente and Tim Washe on the same five-minute major penalty. The Broncos then had to kill off a five-minute major of their own to fend off the Minutemen.
Numbers to know: Western Michigan is playing for the national championship in its first trip to the Frozen Four. Excluding the first NCAA men’s hockey tournament in 1948, only three teams have won the national title in their Frozen Four debut: Denver in 1958, Cornell in 1967 and Lake Superior State in 1988. …The Broncos, who have a team-record 33 wins, are on a nine-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. … Western Michigan is among the most balanced teams in the country, averaging 3.95 goals per game (second only to Denver’s 4.00), while allowing just 2.05 goals per game, fourth fewest in the nation. … Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukynsky entered the Frozen Four having allowed just two goals in 147:14 for a 0.82 goals-against average, the best among all tournament goalies. He then held Denver to two goals over 80:34 in WMU’s semifinal win.
How Western Michigan can win the national title
Forward depth delivers: There is not much of a drop-off from the first line to the fourth line for the Broncos. They will need to roll over the four lines to try to wear their opponent down, beginning with the Pioneers.
Hampton Slukynsky stands on his head: The freshman goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots in both games in Fargo, then had 20 saves against Denver, holding on during the Pios’ third-period push before keeping them off the board in overtime. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick has a 18-5-1 record and will have to be at his best for Western Michigan to hoist the trophy.
Player to watch: Liam Valente. The Swedish winger factored in on three of his team’s four goals in Fargo. He has an absolute rocket for a shot and will need to find ways to get it off. — Andrew Raycroft
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0:46
Cole Eiserman doubles Terriers’ lead
Cole Eiserman scores to give Boston University a 2-0 lead over Penn State.
Boston University (24-13-2)
How the Terriers got here: After BU and Penn State felt each other out in the first period, the Terriers took control in the second. Jack Hughes got BU on the board at 1:35, taking advantage of a miscue by Nittany Lions goalie Arsenii Sergeev and poking home a loose puck. Midway through the period, Cole Hutson and Cole Eiserman broke free for a 2-on-1 break, with Hutson setting up Eiserman for a pretty goal to make it 2-0. Penn State came out strong in the third period, scoring at 2:12 to cut BU’s lead in half, but Mikhail Yegorov (32 saves) held the fort, with Jack Harvey sealing the win with an empty-netter.
Regional recap: The No. 2 seed in the Toledo Regional, BU blitzed Ohio State with six unanswered goals en route to an 8-3 win, then secured its third straight trip to the Frozen Four on Quinn Hutson’s goal 6:25 into overtime, edging No. 4 seed Cornell 3-2. Freshman Mikhail Yegorov made 37 saves for the Terriers in his 16th career game.
Numbers to know: BU’s win over Penn State was its 50th in NCAA tournament play, making the Terriers the fifth program to reach that mark, joining Minnesota (62), Michigan (59), North Dakota (53) and Boston College (53). … BU coach Jay Pandolfo is a combined 10-0 in NCAA regional games as a head coach and player, resulting in seven trips to the Frozen Four. Pandolfo is the third Division I men’s hockey coach to reach the Frozen Four in each of his first three seasons, joining Doug Woog (Minnesota) and Dave Hakstol (North Dakota). … Despite their recent success, the Terriers haven’t reached the national title game since 2015. This is BU’s 12th championship game appearance, tied for third most all time. … Brothers Quinn and Cole Hutson are BU’s top two scorers this season (Quinn 50 points, Cole 47), with Cole the points leader in NCAA tournament play with seven. Cole’s 33 assists are tied for the most by a BU freshman over the last 10 seasons with his brother Lane, who had 33 in 2022-23.
How BU can win the national title
Create off the rush: BU is a dynamic offensive team that loves to make plays on the rush. The Terriers are fast and get going quickly in transition, and they’ve had a lot of success in the tournament creating off the rush.
Take care of the house: BU has not been known for its defense, but against Cornell, the Terriers buckled down around their net and limited second and third chances. Goalie Mikhail Yegorov typically will stop the first one, so if BU takes care of its own end, it has a great chance to play for a championship.
Player to watch: Cole Hutson. Cole is one of the most dynamic players in the sport of hockey, not just the NCAA. I have not seen a player since Cole’s brother Lane — BU alum, current member of the Montreal Canadiens and a favorite to win the Calder Trophy — have the poise and offensive instincts that Cole has. Big moments seem to be where Hutson shines brightest — the Beanpot, the gold medal game of World Juniors, the Toledo Regional and again against Penn State — so it will be exciting to see what he brings to the national title game. — Colby Cohen
LOVELAND, Colo. — For the first time in 1,020 or so days, Gabriel Landeskog has some fresh game tape to examine. Game tape of him hitting players, taking hits, being called for a penalty and even putting someone in a headlock.
“A headlock,” he said with a grin Friday night, “wasn’t necessarily planned when I woke up this morning.”
His emotional journey back from a serious knee injury took center ice as he suited up in a professional game for the first time in nearly three years when he joined the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.
The longtime Colorado Avalanche captain is on loan to the Eagles as part of a minor league conditioning assignment. He participated in the morning skate Friday at Blue Arena, and was given the green light to make his Eagles debut against the Henderson Silver Knights.
He went through pregame drills — without his helmet so his blond hair was easy to spot — to cheers and was serenaded with chants of “Landy, Landy, Landy” just before puck drop. The fans cheered when he left the ice after his first shift, which lasted about 46 seconds, and again after he went to the penalty box, with his image shown on the big screen (he waved to the crowd).
He soaked in every moment over the course of an evening filled with checks, spills, a hooking penalty called on him and all the applause.
“I’m excited about what the future looks like for me,” Landeskog said after the Eagles’ 2-0 win in which he played just under 15 minutes.
Landeskog received praise from several Silver Knights players, including one who told him before a faceoff, “It’s great to have you back.”
“It’s what makes this game so great — you go out and put somebody in a headlock, and then the next faceoff, somebody says something nice to you,” Landeskog said. “It’s pretty cool. The support, even from players around the league, and obviously here as well, it means a lot.”
This was a pricey ticket, too (around $200). His just-unveiled Eagles No. 92 sweater was coveted as well, with fans waiting in a long line that snaked around the concourse for a chance to purchase one. His Avalanche jersey was a popular sight all over the venue.
Landeskog has been sidelined since he helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 because of a knee injury and subsequent surgeries.
If all goes well with his Loveland stint, the 32-year-old gritty forward from Sweden could be activated for Game 1 of Colorado’s first-round playoff series. The Avalanche enter the postseason locked into the Central Division’s No. 3 seed and will open on the road.
“I have high expectations of myself. I’m also realistic in knowing what I’ve gone through, and how much time is missed,” said Landeskog, who has been nearly a point-a-game player in six playoff runs with the Avalanche. “I don’t want to look too far ahead. But I do know that I feel good today, hopefully I feel good tomorrow and we can keep working. I can keep practicing and we’ll see where it takes us.”
This was just another step along what’s been an arduous journey.
“I’m excited for him and his family,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday before the team left for its two-game trip to California to close out the regular season. “To finally get back on the ice in a game situation, I’m just thrilled for him.”
Some of his Avalanche teammates, such as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, made the roughly 50-mile trek north to Loveland in order to catch a glimpse of No. 92 in an Eagles sweater. MacKinnon and Makar were among several players skipping Colorado’s final trip to get some rest before the playoffs.
“He put a lot of work in, a lot of time,” defenseman Erik Johnson, a longtime friend of Landeskog, recently said. “It’s something he didn’t have to put his body through but wanted to for the team. To have him get this far in his recovery is exciting for us.”
Landeskog’s injury dates back to the 2020 “bubble” season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.
The procedure was similar to the one performed on Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball in March 2023. Ball returned to the court for a preseason game in October, which hinted at a possible timeline for Landeskog’s return.
Landeskog’s comeback has been the subject of a documentary series called “A Clean Sheet: Gabe Landeskog” that’s airing on TNT and TruTV.
“It felt a little bit surreal driving up here for morning skate,” Landeskog said. “[The game] couldn’t come fast enough. I was really excited. It’s an odd feeling when you’ve been looking forward to something for so long, and then all of a sudden you get to do it.”
As for the plan moving forward, Landeskog’s not fully sure. He might play again Saturday — if his knee feels up to it.
For now, he’s just appreciative of all the support.
“I never thought this was going to get to this point and get this big and get this much attention,” Landeskog said. “I was just trying to fight my way back, and here we are.
“It was a fun night. Now, I’m tired. I’m looking forward to sleep.”