The Edmonton Oilers are, so far, the only Canadian team to punch their ticket to the second round of the NHL playoffs.
The Vancouver Canucks can make it two teams with a victory Friday in Nashville, or Sunday in Vancouver.
The only game in the NHL tonight is in Toronto, where the Boston Bruins can finish off the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, or make plans for another Game 7 showdown at TD Garden.
Here are five things to know about the NHL playoffs:
OILERS COMPLETE PLAYOFF 鈥楬AT TRICK鈥�
The Los Angeles Kings have seen this unhappy movie before. In fact twice before.
Bust their hump all season, make the playoffs, and then get bounced by the Edmonton Oilers. The Oil trumped the Kings in six games in 2023 and seven in 2022. This year it took five.
But Leon Draisaitl, who scored two goals last night in Edmonton鈥檚 4-3 series-clinching victory, said the Kings are a good grinding team and a tough out and could have won Game 4 in which the Oilers only managed 13 shots but somehow won 1-0.
LEAFS AIM TO BEAR DOWN
The Toronto Maple Leafs might be without 69-goal scorer Auston Matthews again tonight when they fight for their playoff lives against the visiting Boston Bruins, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.
But the Leafs, coming off an inspired 2-1 overtime win Tuesday in Boston, appear more confident that they can get the job done no matter who is or isn鈥檛 in the lineup.
Bruins鈥� captain Brad Marchand, well aware of Boston鈥檚 history for blowing leads, said the hardest win in any series is always the last one. He felt the Bruins played their worst game of the season on Tuesday and almost won, so he鈥檚 not panicking heading into tonight鈥檚 contest.
OVER THE HUMP DAY
They say everything is bigger in Texas. You won鈥檛 get much hissy fit about that from the Dallas Stars, who ya鈥檒l know couldn鈥檛 take advantage of home-ice advantage in the first two games of their opening-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Well dang, the Stars have the defending Stanley Cup champions on the ropes now after beating the visitors 3-2 last night to grab a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference showdown.
Game 6 goes Friday in Vegas, where the Knights have yet to win, but it鈥檚 not their first rodeo playing under pressure at T-Mobile Arena.
SERIES UP IN THE AIR
One of the concerns for the Vancouver Canucks in these NHL playoffs is travel fatigue. The West Coast team racks up lots of regular-season mileage, so there鈥檚 added incentive to keep series as short as possible.
J.T. Miller, for example, tried to motivate the Pacific Division champions before Game 5 in Vancouver by saying they could save an important 10 hours by knocking off the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at Rogers Arena. Due to a 2-1 setback, they鈥檙e back in the air with Game 6 Friday in Music City.
Compare that to the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning series, with a 35-minute flight between cities, and you can understand the Canucks having sleep doctors on speed dial.
Vancouver might want to embrace Kyshona Armstrong鈥檚 new hit song Comin鈥� Out Swingin鈥� as inspiration, which offers up the relatable line: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 come this far only to come this far.鈥�
STICKING WITH STAMMER TIME?
Steven Stamkos wants to hoist the Stanley Cup again 鈥� with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 34-year-old captain, who can become a free agent this summer, said yesterday he鈥檇 like to remain with the only franchise he鈥檚 played for in his 16-season career.
GM Julien BriseBois said the Bolts 鈥渄efinitely鈥� want him back. Stamkos is the Lightning鈥檚 career leader in points (1,137) and goals (555), a seven-time All-Star and a two-time winner of the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy as the league鈥檚 leading goal-scorer. He helped the Lightning win consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021, and finished with 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games this season.
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