Nashville, Tenn. — Ex-Red Wing Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
Nashville had a final chance to force overtime with a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was called for cross-checking Gustav Nyquist. But the Predators couldn’t beat rookie goalie Arturs Silovs before time expired, and Nashville captain Roman Josi slammed his stick to the ice.
Silovs made 27 saves to become the 14th rookie goalie in NHL history to finish off a series with a shutout and just the fifth in 30 years. He joined Akira Schmid (2023), Matt Murray (2017 against Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final winner), Carey Price (2008) and Ilya Bryzgalov (2006) in that select group.
Vancouver will play Edmonton. The Oilers finished second behind the Canucks in the Pacific Division and beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.
The Canucks continued the streak started in Game 2 of the road team winning each of the final five games. They won their first playoff series outside the pandemic bubble since 2011 when Vancouver reached the Stanley Cup Final, a run that included a Game 6 win over the Preds in Nashville.
The Predators have lost six straight playoff games on home ice, taking some of the luster off the franchise’s reputation as Smashville. They haven’t won a postseason series since 2018 after winning the Presidents’ Trophy a season after Nashville’s unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
Suter scored only his second of the series from in front off a pass from Brock Boeser.
Vancouver outshot Nashville for the first time in this series after being held to a combined 92 shots through the first five games. That was the second-fewest in a playoff series through five games since 1960 trailing only Washington (90) in the 1998 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Silovs got into the mix when Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko was declared week-to-week with an injury after winning Game 1. Casey DeSmith started Games 2 and 3 before his own injury, then Silovs made his postseason debut, winning Game 4 for a 3-1 lead.
Saginaw 4, London 2
The Saginaw Spirit stayed alive in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference final with a 4-2 victory against the London Knights in Game 5 on Friday at the Budweiser Gardens in London.
Hunter Haight had a hat trick, Rodwin Dionicio collected four assists and goalie Nolan Lalonde stopped 26-of-28 shots for the Spirit, who trail in 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Game 6 is Sunday at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw at 2 p.m.
The value of Nichushkin on display
Valeri Nichushkin is lifting the Colorado Avalanche after taking the time to help himself.
The hard-charging, fast-moving Russian forward was gone for nearly two months of the regular season as he received care from the NHLPA/NHL Player Assistance Program for issues that were not disclosed. This was on the heels of missing the final five games of a playoff loss last season for what the team explained as personal reasons.
When he is on the ice, Nichushkin is a goal-scoring force. Especially come playoff time, where he just had seven over five games in a first-round series win against the Winnipeg Jets. In Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup title run, he was third on the team with nine goals.
“Val is a beast,” said new Colorado addition Casey Mittelstadt, whose team will face either Dallas or Vegas in the second round. “An absolute beast.”
This version in particular, the one that’s “doing really well,” from a mental health standpoint, coach Jared Bednar said.
Nichushkin was unavailable to the team from Jan. 13 to Mar. 7. The 29-year-old became the second Avalanche player to enter the program this season, following defenseman Samuel Girard, who said in November that anxiety and depression led to alcohol abuse. Girard returned in mid-December.
Since his return, Nichushkin has been hard to stop, no matter what line he’s on. Lately, he’s been paired with Nathan MacKinnon, who’s in the running for the Hart Trophy, and Mikko Rantanen.
Nichushkin’s seven goals in the first round were tied for the most in a playoff series in franchise history. He joins the company of Rantanen (2023 first round), Hall of Famer Joe Sakic (1996 conference quarterfinals) and Réal Cloutier (1982 division finals).
“He’s doing great. He really is,” Bednar said of Nichushkin. “You want guys to be in good mental health and taking care of themselves, and he’s doing that.
“To be fair, he was playing really well when he wasn’t in great mental health. But I just think for long-term sustainability, you want your guys feeling great and at ease away from the rink. You want them to be having fun when they’re coming to the rink and they’ll be more productive. He’s certainly doing that.”
One thing Nichushkin doesn’t do much of is talk. He avoids interviews as much as he can, preferring to let his play do his speaking.
“He’s playing great. It’s huge for everybody – for himself and for us,” forward Andrew Cogliano said. “It’s good to see someone that obviously had some struggles and was able to get through it and come out on the other side and play amazing.”
Penguins fire assistant coach Reirden
The Pittsburgh Penguins fired assistant coach Todd Reirden on Friday, just over two weeks after the organization missed out on the playoffs for a second straight season.
Reirden was in charge of Pittsburgh’s power play. The Penguins struggled while on the man advantage all season despite having a star-studded unit that included Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh converted on just 15% of its power play opportunities, 30th in the 32-team NHL.
“Mike Sullivan and I have spent time over the past two weeks evaluating the coaching staff, and although these decisions are never easy, we agree that this change was in the best interest of the team moving forward,” general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement.
The firing ends Reirden’s second stint with the organization. He served as an assistant in Pittsburgh from 2010-14 before moving on to Washington. He spent two years as head coach of the Capitals from 2018-20 before returning to the Penguins.
Hurricanes missed Svechnikov last year
The memory of being unable to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs last year still stings for Andrei Svechnikov. He has opened this postseason like a man savoring every moment of his return.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who missed last year’s postseason with a knee injury had a strong first-round series against the New York Islanders, a physical presence with size and speed in the Hurricanes’ aggressive-forechecking style. Now, with the Hurricanes preparing to face the New York Rangers in the second round, the player known around the locker room as “Svech” is eager to keep things rolling.
“I just want to go there and enjoy it,” Svechnikov said. “Obviously I had a tough time missing playoffs. I’m sure I would’ve helped a little bit. I’m just going there and enjoying my game and trying to give it my best shot there.”
Svechnikov, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, developed into a talented contributor during the Hurricanes’ climb from a nine-year postseason drought to making six straight playoff trips. But roughly a month after playing in his first NHL All-Star Game, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in March 2023 and missed Carolina’s push for the Stanley Cup.
Ultimately, he could only help by cranking the “storm warning” siren announcing the Hurricanes’ charge onto the ice in front of a roaring home crowd for the playoff opener. The Hurricanes missed him badly when they ran up against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, losing four in a row by a one-goal margin.
That highlighted a longtime desire of Carolina to have more high-end finishers and scoring depth, but the impact was just as much about missing the 24-year-old’s physical, hard-skating style on a roster featuring speed and skill on the top lines. Beyond his scoring was his ability to win puck battles for a team that thrives on sustaining possession in the offensive zone.
“If you look at our team, he’s by far our best power forward,” president and general manager Don Waddell said. “He finishes his checks. He’s not afraid of anybody. He gives us some of that muscle up front that we missed last year.”
Svechnikov recovered from knee surgery in time to skate with the team to open training camp, and he made his season debut in the ninth game in late October. He finished with 19 goals and 33 assists in 59 regular-season games. He also showed some familiar flair with another of his lacrosse-style goals – scooping up the puck from behind the net and wrapping it around the pipes to jam it past the goalie – in a win at Boston in April.
Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, who centers the top line and had Svechnikov on the wing for much of the Islanders series, pointed to value beyond goals and points for a player who is plus-8 through his first 45 career playoff games. Svechnikov’s return is one of the reasons Carolina entered the playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook,
“He’s a beast out there,” Aho said.
Svechnikov scored his first goal of the postseason in the clinching Game 5 win. The Russian skated up the right side on the power play and attempted a pass to Aho near the crease, with the puck bouncing off the stick of Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo as Bortuzzo reached forward and tried to stay with Aho – an example of how Svechnikov’s play can push opponents into pressured and compromised positions.
“It just felt like every time he was on the ice, he was a force,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said afterward.
Eastern Conference playoff matchups
Rangers vs. Capitals
(Rangers win 4-0)
▶ Game 1: Rangers 4-1
▶ Game 2: Rangers 4-3
▶ Game 3: Rangers 3-1
▶ Game 4: Rangers 4-2
Bruins vs. Maple Leafs
(Series tied 3-3)
▶ Game 1: Bruins 5-1
▶ Game 2: Leafs 3-2
▶ Game 3: Bruins 4-2
▶ Game 4: Bruins 3-1
▶ Game 5: Leafs 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 6: Leafs 2-0
▶ Game 7: Saturday @ Boston, TBA*
Panthers vs. Lightning
(Panthers win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Panthers 3-2
▶ Game 2: Panthers 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 3: Panthers 5-3
▶ Game 4: Lightning 6-3
▶ Game 5: Lightning 6-1
Hurricanes vs. Islanders
(Hurricanes win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Hurricanes 3-1
▶ Game 2: Hurricanes 5-3
▶ Game 3: Hurricanes 3-2
▶ Game 4: Islanders 3-2 (2OT)
▶ Game 5: Hurricanes 6-3
Western Conference playoff matchups
Dallas vs. Vegas
(Stars lead 3-2)
▶ Game 1: Vegas 4-3
▶ Game 2: Vegas 3-1
▶ Game 3: Dallas 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Dallas 4-2
▶ Game 5: Dallas 3-2
▶ Game 6: Friday at Vegas, TBA
▶ Game 7: Sunday @ Dallas, TBA
Winnipeg vs. Colorado
(Avalanche win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Jets 7-6
▶ Game 2: Avalanche 5-2
▶ Game 3: Avalanche 6-2
▶ Game 4: Avalanche 5-1
▶ Game 5: Avalanche 6-3
Vancouver vs. Nashville
(Canucks win 4-2)
▶ Game 1: Canucks 4-2
▶ Game 2: Predators 4-1
▶ Game 3: Canucks 2-1
▶ Game 4: Canucks 4-3 (OT)
▶ Game 5: Predators 2-1
▶ Game 6: Canucks 1-0
Edmonton vs. Los Angeles
(Oilers win 4-1)
▶ Game 1: Oilers 7-4
▶ Game 2: Kings 5-4 (OT)
▶ Game 3: Oilers 6-1
▶ Game 4: Oilers 1-0
▶ Game 5: Oilers 4-3
Second round
Eastern Conference
Carolina vs. N.Y. Rangers
▶ Game 1: Sunday @ New York, TBA
Michigan-area hockey
Monday
▶ Saginaw 6, London 2
Tuesday
▶ NTDP U18s 9, Finland 4
Wednesday
▶ Rockford 5, Grand Rapids 1
▶ London 7, Saginaw 3
Thursday
▶ NTDP U18s 4, Switzerland 0
Friday
▶ Rockford at Grand Rapids, 7 (AHL/96.1)
▶ Saginaw at London, 7
Saturday
▶ NTDP U18s vs. Slovakia, 7 a.m.
Sunday
▶ Grand Rapids at Rockford, 5 (AHL/96.1)
▶ London at Saginaw, 2
American Hockey League playoffs
Central Division semifinal
(Series tied 1-1)
▶ Game 1: Grand Rapids 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 2: Rockford 5-1
▶ Game 3: Friday @ Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Game 4: Sunday, May 5 @ Rockford, 4
▶ Game 5: Friday, May 10 @ Grand Rapids, 7
ECHL
Central Division Semifinal
(Best-of-seven series)
▶ Game 1: Toledo 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 2: Toledo 5-2
▶ Game 3: Toledo 6-2
▶ Game 4: Toledo 4-2
Road to the Memorial Cup in Saginaw
(Saginaw hosts May 24-June 2)
▶ Friday, May 24: WHL vs. Saginaw, 7:30
▶ Saturday, May 25: OHL vs. QMJHL, 4
▶ Sunday, May 26: Saginaw vs. QMJHL, 7:30
▶ Monday, May 27: OHL vs. WHL, 7:30
▶ Tuesday, May 28: QMJHL vs. WHL, 7:30
▶ Wednesday, May 29: Saginaw vs. OHL, 7:30
▶ Thursday, May 30: Tie breaker (if necessary)
▶ Friday, May 31: Semifinal, 7:30
▶ Sunday, June 2: Final, 7:30
CHL playoffs in WHL, OHL, QMJHL
Western Hockey League
▶ Saskatoon Blades vs. Moose Jaw Warriors
▶ Prince George Cougars vs. Portland Winterhawks
Ontario Hockey League
▶ Oshawa Generals vs. North Bay Battalion
▶ London Knights vs. Saginaw
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
▶ Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. Cape Breton Eagles
▶ Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. Victoriaville Tigres
