Round 1
Jets +115 takeout the Avalanche
Jets +115 takeout the Avalanche
NHL says single-season attendance record set in 2023-24.
NEW YORK -- The NHL said Tuesday that it set a single-season attendance record with more than 22.5 million fans filling arenas and stadiums this season.The league said the new mark of 22,560,634 was set with 18 games remaining in the regular season and that buildings so far have been filled 97% to capacity. The season ends Thursday and the playoffs begin Saturday.
The previous record was 22,436,532 in 2022-23. This is the third season with 32 teams.
Nearly 80,000 people watched the New York Rangers and Islanders play outdoors at MetLife Stadium in February, making it the most attended game in the NHL's 106-year history.
The record also included the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, and Global Series games played at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
This season is expected to produce record revenue of roughly $6.2 billion.
Capitals got the 8th spot.
Nothing is easy for the Rangers
These 2 teams have a serious playoff history
Nothing is easy for the Rangers
These 2 teams have a serious playoff history
NHL approves Coyotes sale, relocation to Salt Lake City.
The NHL is moving the team now formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes to Utah to begin play as a new franchise next season, the league announced Thursday.Ryan and Ashley Smith of Smith Entertainment Group bought the team and its existing hockey assets for $1.2 billion from Alex Meruelo, sources told ESPN. Meruelo had owned the Coyotes since buying the franchise for $300 million in 2019, but the league lost patience in his ability to find a long-term arena solution in Arizona and facilitated a sale.
The Smiths, who also own the NBA's Utah Jazz, initially built a relationship with commissioner Gary Bettman because they wanted an expansion franchise. However, over the past several months, the conversation changed and Bettman approached the Smiths about becoming a solution for the Coyotes instead.
According to Ryan Smith, things pivoted fast.
"I mean, if you would've told me at the beginning of the year that this is where we'd be, I'd say you were crazy," he told ESPN. "It was more of: 'Can you guys pull this off? Can you really pull it off?' It looks like [the Coyotes'] situation's going to be a little longer than everyone anticipated, and [the NHL] kind of had an issue. So our response is very much like, we want to be part of the league. We think we bring a lot. We think we can add a lot. We think we can give back more than we take and help grow the sport.
"It's unprecedented. This is a different process. I don't think anyone's ever done it or seen it. But we're in. We're all-in. And I have a lot of faith in the people in Utah and how they show up for things."
The sale was approved at a virtual NHL board of governors meeting Thursday afternoon.
"As everyone knows, Utah is a vibrant and thriving state, and we are thrilled to be a part of it," Bettman said in a statement Thursday. "We are also delighted to welcome Ashley and Ryan Smith to the NHL family and know they will be great stewards of the game in Utah. We thank them for working so collaboratively with the league to resolve a complex situation in this unprecedented and beneficial way."
The Coyotes' final home game at Mullett Arena on Wednesday night was emotional, with players and staff members pouring onto the ice for photos after a win against the Edmonton Oilers.
"It's been a hard 20 to 25 years, not knowing where home is going to be," said Coyotes rookie Josh Doan, son of franchise legend Shane Doan.
Players were largely kept in the dark on relocation until last Friday, when general manager Bill Armstrong met the team on the road in Edmonton. Players and coaches demanded answers in a team meeting, according to sources, and left that night understanding that the move was imminent.
The Coyotes' players, draft picks and hockey operations department will relocate to Utah, playing for a new yet-to-be-named franchise. Smith said there's a chance the team will play with a temporary name and logo for next season. SEG is using a branding agency and is canvassing the community for suggestions.
"It's OK if we take the full process and don't rush it, because we're going to have it forever," Smith told ESPN. "And look, it's not ideal for me. I would love to come in and have it all picked out and ready to go."
The Utah team will play at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, a facility the Smiths own and which is also home to the Jazz. SEG said it will work on improvements over the summer to outfit the arena for hockey, including building a hockey-specific locker room. According to Smith, the Delta Center will have 12,000 unobstructed seats for hockey games next season and SEG will work to expand after that.
"First of all, [the NHL] wanted to know if the arena can fit 17,000-plus, and that's what we've been able to confirm," Smith told ESPN. "We've got some internal work to obviously do with our city and state, too. I mean, we got a lot more people coming in now, and so we need to build the infrastructure also up and around the arena. That's a really big focus of ours -- so the entrance of the arena just isn't that front door; it's the entertainment around it and that kind of a thing."
Smith already has government support from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. A bill was passed in the Utah state Senate to help fund a renovated entertainment district downtown in anticipation of an NHL franchise.
Meruelo, meanwhile, received $1 billion in the sale, according to sources, and will maintain the name, intellectual property and historical records of the Coyotes -- which will now be considered an inactive franchise. Meruelo will have a five-year window in which he can try to build an arena and bring a team to Arizona, for an expected price tag of $1 billion.
The extra $200 million in this week's sale will be split among NHL teams.
"I agree with Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League, that it is simply unfair to continue to have our players, coaches, hockey front office, and the NHL teams they compete against, spend several more years playing in an arena that is not suited for NHL hockey," Meruelo said in a statement released Thursday.
"This is not the end for NHL hockey in Arizona. I have negotiated the right to reactivate the team within the next five years, and have retained ownership of the beloved Coyotes name, brand and logo. I remain committed to this community and to building a first-class sports arena and entertainment district without seeking financial support from the public."
The Coyotes had been playing at 5,000-seat Mullett Arena on Arizona State University's campus since the beginning of last season as Meruelo continued his quest to find a permanent home in Arizona. Meruelo has eyed a plot in the Phoenix area and intends to win a state-run land auction for it June 27. However, according to sources, the NHL grew skeptical of the timeline and decided it needed a better solution for next season. The league also convinced Meruelo that it wasn't fair to the players to continue playing at Mullett Arena for the foreseeable future.
"The NHL's belief in Arizona has never wavered," Bettman said in his statement. "We thank Alex Meruelo for his commitment to the franchise and Arizona, and we fully support his ongoing efforts to secure a new home in the desert for the Coyotes. We also want to acknowledge the loyal hockey fans of Arizona, who have supported their team with dedication for nearly three decades while growing the game."
When NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh was hired in 2023, finding a solution for the Coyotes was among his top priorities. The players' union, like the league, became frustrated when Meruelo blew by artificial deadlines to break ground on a new arena. While the league was losing money on the Coyotes, the players were too, as the two sides have a 50-50 split on hockey-related revenue.
Smith said he was conscious of how difficult the situation has been for players but is planning a warm welcome, including inviting players to get acclimated.
"We're here for them," Smith told ESPN. "We have an incredible Utah Jazz organization who are all onboard. I've got Lauri Markkanen, our All-Star, who literally sent me a picture today with him with skates on. I've got Will Hardy, our head coach, saying, 'Whatever you need.' I got [team CEO] Danny Ainge saying, 'Hey, do you want me to come down and help you?'
"I mean, that's the organization that they're being a part of. We have this saying called 'One Utah,' and they're really going to feel that."
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins meet in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2019, and even though it’s been a hot minute, any and every meeting between the two Original Six rivals is a crash course on and off the ice.
Boston swept the season series 4-0 and have topped Toronto in each of their past three postseason series. The Bruins are also the betting favorite in the NHL odds to advance to Round 2 this time around. Can the Maple Leafs finally flip the script and beat the Bruins, or will Boston send Toronto home in Round 1 again this spring?
Boston swept the season series 4-0 and have topped Toronto in each of their past three postseason series. The Bruins are also the betting favorite in the NHL odds to advance to Round 2 this time around. Can the Maple Leafs finally flip the script and beat the Bruins, or will Boston send Toronto home in Round 1 again this spring?
2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Hurricanes vs. Islanders Eastern 1st Round preview.
Hurricanes: 52-23-7, 111 pointsIslanders: 39-27-16, 94 points
Season series: CAR: 2-1-1, NYI: 2-1-1
The Carolina Hurricanes are hoping for more of the same, and the New York Islanders are looking to turn the tables when the teams meet in the 2024 Eastern Conference First Round, a rematch of their series in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Hurricanes won that series in six games, the first step in a journey that ended in a sweep by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
But the Hurricanes remember how hard that series was and say they think this Islanders team is playing just as well, if not better.
"They work hard, and they've got a heavy lineup," Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said. "They forecheck well up and down. It's a good team."
Said veteran forward Jordan Staal: "They're a very tough team to play against. Obviously, they can grind with the best of them. They've got a great goalie who can steal games as well and some scoring ability up front, too. They're in the playoffs for a reason, obviously a great team. They're a good challenge right from the start."
The teams have met one other time in the postseason, a sweep by the Hurricanes in 2019.
"We've seen them a lot; they're a great hockey team," Islanders forward Anders Lee said of the Hurricanes. "There's a reason why they were coming down to the last game for the Presidents' Trophy. So, we have a big task at hand. It's a complete team over there, but we've seen them a lot lately. We know what we need to do to have success, and part of that is executing everything we got to do and just playing our style of hockey."
The biggest change for the Islanders this time around could be behind the bench. Patrick Roy replaced Lane Lambert on Jan. 20 and went 20-12-5 in 37 games. The Islanders went 8-0-1 in April to move from outside the playoff picture into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
"[Roy] has got them playing really well," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I don't know if there's a ton of difference in the lineup necessarily, but they're playing certainly as a group of 20, and you can see that."
The Hurricanes finished the season by winning seven of their final nine games, with one of the losses coming in their last game, a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday when they rested eight of their regular skaters.
Each team won two games on the road in the season series: Carolina 4-3 in overtime Nov. 4 and 4-1 on March 19; and New York 5-4 in overtime Nov. 30 and 5-4 on Dec. 23.
"They're a really good team; they're playing fast," Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "You feel like they're on top of you everywhere on the ice. It's going to be the team that competes the hardest that's going to win.
"We know we can play with them, and we can compete with them, and we beat them this year during the season, so it's going to be a good battle, and I think if we play with our identity, which we were able to get back, which is never quit, always compete and battle, I like our team."
Game breakers
Hurricanes: Jake Guentzel, the marquee acquisition prior the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, was brought in to provide more offensive depth. The price was huge; the Hurricanes gave up forward Michael Bunting, forward prospects Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen, and Cruz Lucius, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft for Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith. The payoff has been bigger. Guentzel has settled in on the top line and has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 17 games. Sebastian Aho, his center, has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in the same span.Islanders: Mathew Barzal is the most skilled player on the team and, not surprisingly, he is their leading scorer. The forward has 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 80 games this season, the only point-per-game player on the roster. But it's not just his points, it is the speed at which he plays the game that gives fits to opponents. He can put a defense on its back foot and change a game plan. The Hurricanes will have to account for him each time he is on the ice.
Goaltending
Hurricanes: Carolina has not had a bona fide No. 1 goaltender in recent memory. Frederik Andersen played 52 games in 2021-22, the first Carolina goalie to play more than 50 games since Cam Ward played 61 in 2016-17. Since, they have been a platoon team, which has been a boon in the regular season and a struggle in the postseason. It's more of the same this season with no clear-cut favorite to start. Four goalies started games this season: Pyotr Kochetkov (40 games), Antti Raanta (20), Andersen (16) and Spencer Martin (six), but now it is a 1a-1b situation with Kochetkov and Anderson. Kochetkov went 23-13-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and four shutouts. Anderson, out long-term with a blood-clotting issue, is 9-1-0 with a 1.30 GAA, .951 save percentage and three shutouts since returning on March 4.Islanders: A late-season charge by Semyon Varlamov has unseated Ilya Sorokin as the No. 1 goalie. In his past 10 starts, Varlamov is 8-1-1 with a 2.09 GAA and a .930 save percentage. It's likely that Roy will go with the hot hand in Varlamov over Sorokin, who played in the All-Star Game last season when he was also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Varlamov played in 33 postseason games for the Islanders from 2019-21, going 18-14 with a 2.31 GAA and .922 save percentage. Sorokin played every minute against the Hurricanes in the first round last season and went 2-4 with a 2.60 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Numbers to know
Hurricanes: The Hurricanes rank second in the NHL on the power play (26.9 percent) and first on the penalty kill (86.4 percent). Simply put, Carolina has eaten other teams alive in special teams play throughout the regular season and it will be a clear advantage in this series. The Islanders rank 19th on the power play (20.4 percent) and last on the penalty kill (71.5 percent).Islanders: New York allowed 196 goals in the second and third periods during the regular season, a total only topped by five teams, each of whom missed the playoffs. In the second period, the Islanders allowed 107 goals. The San Jose Sharks (109), who finished last in the League standings, were the only team to allow more.
X-factors
Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov did not play in 2023 postseason after having surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee but the forward bounced back this regular season; he tied for the second-best points per game average of his NHL career (0.88; 52 points in 59 games) and is an important secondary scorer considering Carolina has been playing Guentzel on the top line with Aho. Svechnikov's goal-scoring upside (30 in 2021-22) makes him a potential difference maker. -- Pete JensenIslanders: Noah Dobson had a breakout season with an NHL career-high 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) in 79 games, seventh in the League among defensemen, but has missed the past three games because of an upper-body injury. Dobson ranks sixth among defensemen in assists this season and second at the position in primary assists (35) behind Roman Josi (38) of the Nashville Predators. Given the Islanders issues on special teams, Dobson's health and level of play at each end of the ice is crucial to their chances of upsetting the Hurricanes. -- Pete Jensen
They said it:
"This is the kind of group we've never had in here before. We've got all the skill and all the talent on our team. We know we can do this. It's just up to us if we do this or not."-- Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov"It feels like we played them a ton going back to the last couple of years. They play fast, they throw everything at the net. They got a lot of skill. Their defense is always involved. It's a good test for us. We match up well against them in a way that they're always intense, close games. And we're looking forward to that challenge." -- Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri
Will win if…
Hurricanes: They stick to the game plan. They are superior to the Islanders in almost every facet and have dominated the League for long stretches this season. Their plus-63 goal differential is the second-best in the League behind the Florida Panthers and their 216 goals against is fourth-best. They are deep, they are talented and they are disciplined. They haven't beaten themselves much this regular season and don't want to start in the postseason.Islanders: They figure out how to generate more offense, especially on their power play. New York averages 2.99 goals per game, the second-lowest output of any of the teams that qualified for the postseason behind the Washington Capitals (2.63). The Islanders drew 231 power-play opportunities, the fifth-lowest in the League and scored on 47 (20.4 percent). Among playoff teams, only the Winnipeg Jets (19.1) and Vegas Golden Knights (20.1) had worst conversion rates.
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2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Hurricanes vs. Islanders Eastern 1st Round preview
Metropolitan Division rivals to meet for 2nd straight season
© Mike Stobe/Getty Images
ByShawn P. Roarke
@sroarke_nhl NHL.com Senior Director of Editorial
4:44 PM
(2M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3M) New York Islanders
Hurricanes: 52-23-7, 111 pointsIslanders: 39-27-16, 94 points
Season series: CAR: 2-1-1, NYI: 2-1-1
Game 1: Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (MAX, truTV, TBS, SNP, SNW, SNE, SN360, TVAS)
The Carolina Hurricanes are hoping for more of the same, and the New York Islanders are looking to turn the tables when the teams meet in the 2024 Eastern Conference First Round, a rematch of their series in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Hurricanes won that series in six games, the first step in a journey that ended in a sweep by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
But the Hurricanes remember how hard that series was and say they think this Islanders team is playing just as well, if not better.
"They work hard, and they've got a heavy lineup," Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said. "They forecheck well up and down. It's a good team."
Said veteran forward Jordan Staal: "They're a very tough team to play against. Obviously, they can grind with the best of them. They've got a great goalie who can steal games as well and some scoring ability up front, too. They're in the playoffs for a reason, obviously a great team. They're a good challenge right from the start."
The teams have met one other time in the postseason, a sweep by the Hurricanes in 2019.
"We've seen them a lot; they're a great hockey team," Islanders forward Anders Lee said of the Hurricanes. "There's a reason why they were coming down to the last game for the Presidents' Trophy. So, we have a big task at hand. It's a complete team over there, but we've seen them a lot lately. We know what we need to do to have success, and part of that is executing everything we got to do and just playing our style of hockey."
The biggest change for the Islanders this time around could be behind the bench. Patrick Roy replaced Lane Lambert on Jan. 20 and went 20-12-5 in 37 games. The Islanders went 8-0-1 in April to move from outside the playoff picture into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
"[Roy] has got them playing really well," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I don't know if there's a ton of difference in the lineup necessarily, but they're playing certainly as a group of 20, and you can see that."
The Hurricanes finished the season by winning seven of their final nine games, with one of the losses coming in their last game, a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday when they rested eight of their regular skaters.
Each team won two games on the road in the season series: Carolina 4-3 in overtime Nov. 4 and 4-1 on March 19; and New York 5-4 in overtime Nov. 30 and 5-4 on Dec. 23.
"They're a really good team; they're playing fast," Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "You feel like they're on top of you everywhere on the ice. It's going to be the team that competes the hardest that's going to win.
"We know we can play with them, and we can compete with them, and we beat them this year during the season, so it's going to be a good battle, and I think if we play with our identity, which we were able to get back, which is never quit, always compete and battle, I like our team."
Game breakers
Hurricanes: Jake Guentzel, the marquee acquisition prior the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, was brought in to provide more offensive depth. The price was huge; the Hurricanes gave up forward Michael Bunting, forward prospects Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen, and Cruz Lucius, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft for Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith. The payoff has been bigger. Guentzel has settled in on the top line and has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 17 games. Sebastian Aho, his center, has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in the same span.
Play Video
CAR@BOS: Guentzel puts a shot on net that gets put in by a defender
Islanders: Mathew Barzal is the most skilled player on the team and, not surprisingly, he is their leading scorer. The forward has 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 80 games this season, the only point-per-game player on the roster. But it's not just his points, it is the speed at which he plays the game that gives fits to opponents. He can put a defense on its back foot and change a game plan. The Hurricanes will have to account for him each time he is on the ice.
Goaltending
Hurricanes: Carolina has not had a bona fide No. 1 goaltender in recent memory. Frederik Andersen played 52 games in 2021-22, the first Carolina goalie to play more than 50 games since Cam Ward played 61 in 2016-17. Since, they have been a platoon team, which has been a boon in the regular season and a struggle in the postseason. It's more of the same this season with no clear-cut favorite to start. Four goalies started games this season: Pyotr Kochetkov (40 games), Antti Raanta (20), Andersen (16) and Spencer Martin (six), but now it is a 1a-1b situation with Kochetkov and Anderson. Kochetkov went 23-13-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and four shutouts. Anderson, out long-term with a blood-clotting issue, is 9-1-0 with a 1.30 GAA, .951 save percentage and three shutouts since returning on March 4.Islanders: A late-season charge by Semyon Varlamov has unseated Ilya Sorokin as the No. 1 goalie. In his past 10 starts, Varlamov is 8-1-1 with a 2.09 GAA and a .930 save percentage. It's likely that Roy will go with the hot hand in Varlamov over Sorokin, who played in the All-Star Game last season when he was also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Varlamov played in 33 postseason games for the Islanders from 2019-21, going 18-14 with a 2.31 GAA and .922 save percentage. Sorokin played every minute against the Hurricanes in the first round last season and went 2-4 with a 2.60 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Numbers to know
Hurricanes: The Hurricanes rank second in the NHL on the power play (26.9 percent) and first on the penalty kill (86.4 percent). Simply put, Carolina has eaten other teams alive in special teams play throughout the regular season and it will be a clear advantage in this series. The Islanders rank 19th on the power play (20.4 percent) and last on the penalty kill (71.5 percent).Islanders: New York allowed 196 goals in the second and third periods during the regular season, a total only topped by five teams, each of whom missed the playoffs. In the second period, the Islanders allowed 107 goals. The San Jose Sharks (109), who finished last in the League standings, were the only team to allow more.
X-factors
Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov did not play in 2023 postseason after having surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee but the forward bounced back this regular season; he tied for the second-best points per game average of his NHL career (0.88; 52 points in 59 games) and is an important secondary scorer considering Carolina has been playing Guentzel on the top line with Aho. Svechnikov's goal-scoring upside (30 in 2021-22) makes him a potential difference maker. -- Pete JensenIslanders: Noah Dobson had a breakout season with an NHL career-high 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) in 79 games, seventh in the League among defensemen, but has missed the past three games because of an upper-body injury. Dobson ranks sixth among defensemen in assists this season and second at the position in primary assists (35) behind Roman Josi (38) of the Nashville Predators. Given the Islanders issues on special teams, Dobson's health and level of play at each end of the ice is crucial to their chances of upsetting the Hurricanes. -- Pete Jensen
Play Video
NSH@NYI: Dobson nets his 10th goal of season
They said it:
"This is the kind of group we've never had in here before. We've got all the skill and all the talent on our team. We know we can do this. It's just up to us if we do this or not."-- Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov"It feels like we played them a ton going back to the last couple of years. They play fast, they throw everything at the net. They got a lot of skill. Their defense is always involved. It's a good test for us. We match up well against them in a way that they're always intense, close games. And we're looking forward to that challenge." -- Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri
Will win if…
Hurricanes: They stick to the game plan. They are superior to the Islanders in almost every facet and have dominated the League for long stretches this season. Their plus-63 goal differential is the second-best in the League behind the Florida Panthers and their 216 goals against is fourth-best. They are deep, they are talented and they are disciplined. They haven't beaten themselves much this regular season and don't want to start in the postseason.Islanders: They figure out how to generate more offense, especially on their power play. New York averages 2.99 goals per game, the second-lowest output of any of the teams that qualified for the postseason behind the Washington Capitals (2.63). The Islanders drew 231 power-play opportunities, the fifth-lowest in the League and scored on 47 (20.4 percent). Among playoff teams, only the Winnipeg Jets (19.1) and Vegas Golden Knights (20.1) had worst conversion rates.
How they look
Hurricanes projected lineupJake Guentzel -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Jordan Martinook -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Martin Necas
Andrei Svechnikov -- Jordan Staal -- Teuvo Teravainen
Stefan Noesen -- Jack Drury -- Jesper Fast
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
Scratched: Bradly Nadeau, Brendan Lemieux, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Tony DeAngelo, Scott Morrow, Dylan Coghlan, Max Comtois, Spencer Martin
Injured: None
Islanders projected lineup
Casey Cizikas -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal
Hudson Fasching -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Pierre Engvall
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Cal Clutterbuck
Alexander Romanov -- Sebastian Aho
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly -- Robert Bortuzzo
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Scratched: Samuel Bolduc, Oliver Wahlstrom, Simon Holmstrom
Injured: Noah Dobson (upper body)
Panarin feels ‘much better’ for Rangers entering this postseason.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Artemi Panarin, as he typically does, opened with a joke about what is different about him going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season as opposed to last year."I feel the same," the New York Rangers forward said. "It kind of sounds not great if I feel same. I mean, maybe I play the same, but I hope not."
Then Panarin smiled. He knew what he was doing, basically deflating what is a memory from the playoffs last season that he'd like to forget.
Panarin's comment came after the Rangers won 4-0 against the Ottawa Senators on Monday to clinch the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team in the regular season. It was after he had 18 shot attempts, seven on net, looking to become a 50-goal-scorer for the first time.
He finished with 49 goals, 71 assists and 120 points in 82 games, 20 more goals and eight more assists than he had in the same number of games last season.
But Panarin followed last season's 92-point regular season by getting just two assists in a seven-game series loss to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference First Round. He picked up his two assists in a 5-1 win in Game 1. He was shut out the rest of the way.
The Rangers didn't lose solely because Panarin couldn't score, but his absence on the scoresheet hit them hard.
"It's mental and I feel terrible," Panarin said after the Rangers were eliminated.
On Thursday, nearly a year later and after the Rangers’ first practice in preparation of opening the playoffs with Game 1 against the Washington Capitals in the first round at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (3 p.m, ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS), Panarin clarified how he really feels going into the playoffs this year versus how he felt last year.
"More confidence," he said. "That's the difference, 28 points. I feel exactly that much different, exactly that much better."
Panarin had his best regular season by a landslide, scoring at least one point in 67 games, finishing in the top five in goals (fifth), assists (fifth) and points (fourth). He should at least be a part of the voting for the Hart Trophy as the League's most valuable player to his team. To no one's surprise, he was voted the Rangers team MVP.
But the playoffs have arrived so all of that is moot, except for Panarin's confidence.
"I feel motivation because hockey is my life and that's why I play," Panarin said. "I like the emotions. Of course, if we win it's better than if we lost, the emotions. Sometimes you need losses to see the difference."
The way last season ended hurt him. Panarin is hopeful that he's better for it.
"Maybe," he said. "I'm not sure. Regular season, yes. But we'll see. Mentally, of course, if you have 28 more points you feel better, but the playoffs is a different tournament so it's hard to know now."
The one thing Panarin does know is that he felt great this season and still does, joking that he feels like he's 16 again.
He's 32.
"Pretty fun season," he said. "I slept well this regular season, almost every night. It's good to have that experience in life, but no time for relaxing."
Panarin said his path to being consistently elite this season was paved by his chemistry with linemates Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière, by being pushed by the first-year coaching staff led by Peter Laviolette, by the success of the team that set franchise records with 55 wins and 114 points, by his faith, and by luck.
"Everything came together I would say," he said.
It did, Laviolette said, because of Panarin's desire to be elite.
"He's a fierce competitor," Laviolette said. "What's on display oftentimes is his playmaking ability, his game, his ability to score, but when you watch him compete on a daily basis in practice and then for an extended season when your eyes are on your team from a coaching standpoint, I think you appreciate his competitiveness."
Laviolette didn't have that appreciation for Panarin before this season because he'd only coach against him a handful of times each season.
Panarin had 341 points (100 goals, 241 assists) in 268 games across his first four seasons with the Rangers, good for fourth in the NHL from 2019-23, but even center Mika Zibanejad, his teammate for his entire time in New York, noted that Panarin was different this season.
"He's always been one of the best, but he's really, and it's weird to say, taken another step and it's awesome to see," Zibanejad said. "He's going to be a big player for us going forward here."
