• The Canadian Press

    Auston Matthews to miss second straight playoff game with Leafs facing elimination

    TORONTO — Auston Matthews was back on the Scotiabank Arena ice. That won't be the case when his Maple Leafs once again face elimination Thursday night. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said following the morning skate the star sniper would be unavailable for Game 6 with Toronto down 3-2 in its first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. Matthews was pulled from Game 4 with an illness and didn't suit up in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime road victory at TD Garden as the Leafs kept their hopes alive. The

  • The Canadian Press

    Vegas and Nashville face elimination in Game 6 showdowns vs. Dallas and Vancouver

    Home sweet home ice? For Vegas, maybe. Nashville, not so much lately. The defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights return home to their “Fortress” on the Strip looking to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after losing three in a row to Dallas. The Predators are back in “Smashville” trailing Vancouver 3-2 in that best-of-seven series. Vegas went 9-3 at home on its title run last year. Nashville hasn't won at home in the playoffs since 2021. The challenge for each team

  • The Canadian Press

    NHL players are refining the art of the bank shot via ricochet off the masks of the goaltenders

    Off the goaltender's mask, off a defenseman's back, nothing but net. Well, at least in the net. That is how Colorado's Casey Mittelstadt got his first goal of the NHL playoffs this year, and it is not the only one. Several players have scored by ricocheting the puck in off a goalie's head, including Dallas' Evgenii Dadonov against Vegas earlier this week. It is an art that is becoming more and more refined as skaters find ways to score against the best netminders in the world. Sniping goals in f

  • The Canadian Press

    Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews to miss Game 6 of first-round series against Bruins

    TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews will miss Thursday night's Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. Coach Sheldon Keefe said following Thursday's morning skate that Matthews would be unavailable with Toronto trailing 3-2 in its first-round playoff series. Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals in the regular season, was pulled from Game 4 with an illness and didn’t play in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime victory in Boston with the Leafs facing elimination. The 26-year-old center