Tag: 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Islanders scored a goal after the puck deflected off Sebastian Aho’s face and it looked so painful

Thankfully, Sebastian Aho seemed to be okay after this nasty puck to the face.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Sebastian Aho paid a heavy price for this goal against.

During Tuesday’s Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Hurricanes and New York Islanders, the worst case scenario happened for the home team. The Islanders — down 3-1 in the series — held a 1-0 lead as the second period began, looking to stave off elimination in the first round.

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, the Islanders doubled up their lead to 2-0 after a fortuitous bounce made its way past Antti Raanta. The bounce in question, however, came off of Aho — no, not that one — who was standing guard in front of the net for the Hurricanes when he took a puck to the face before Brock Nelson was able to tap it home.

Warning: The video below features the sight of blood.

Thankfully, Aho returned to the Hurricanes bench later in the second period as he appeared to shrug off any significant injury after that scary incident. Talk about terrible luck all around for Aho and the Hurricanes.

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The Maple Leafs erased a 4-1 deficit in Game 4 to force OT and NHL fans all made the same joke

IT WAS 4-1!

The Toronto Maple Leafs will never be able to outrun the “it was 4-1” meme, but this moment against the Tampa Bay Lightning surely has to feel good.

On Monday, the Maple Leafs erased a 4-1 deficit in the third period of Game 4 to force overtime with the Lightning. Toronto was able to score three straight times in the third, with two goals from Auston Matthews and the tying tally from Morgan Rielly to drag themselves back into the fight.

In case you’ve forgotten — or are new to hockey — the Maple Leafs infamously experienced coughing up a three-goal lead of their own a decade ago. Back in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs lost a 4-1 lead to the Boston Bruins in Game 7, instantly spawning the “it was 4-1” meme that Toronto has never been able to shake.

But now, thanks to Rielly, the Maple Leafs finally invoked “it was 4-1” on someone else for a change!

Considering this is the first time the Maple Leafs rallied from three down since the 1993 playoffs, this has to be a moment of catharsis for Toronto fans.

As expected, NHL fans had so many jokes after the Maple Leafs climbed back from a 4-1 deficit in Game 4.

Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark nearly fought Matthew Tkachuk and NHL fans were so on board

LET THEM FIGHT!

The referees absolutely should have let Linus Ullmark and Matthew Tkachuk go at it here.

On Sunday, the Boston Bruins took a 3-1 series lead in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, putting the Florida Panthers one loss away from elimination in the first round. While early on in the third period, it looked like the Panthers were set to make Game 4 a close one, the Bruins scored three straight to put the game away 6-2 as the series pivots back to Boston.

Before the final buzzer sounded, however, tensions boiled over in a full on line scuffle between the two teams on the ice with a few minutes to play. And during the pandemonium, Bruins goaltender Ullmark threw down his gloves to tango with notorious Panthers pest Tkachuk!

Unfortunately, the referees stopped the pair from engaging in fisticuffs, but the moment was still awesome regardless.

Between this and the referees stopping a goaltender fight between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington not too long ago, hockey fans have truly been robbed of goalie brawls. Even still, NHL fans were so here for Ullmark wanting to throw down with Tkachuk in the heat of the moment.

Canes center Martin Nečas punched a random Islanders player after being pushed into the New York bench

Hurricanes center Martin Nečas wasn’t about to lose the perfect opportunity to … punch a random guy on the Islanders bench?

Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Nečas was not about to let a perfect opportunity pass him by to, well, punch a random member of the New York Islanders on Friday night.

As the Canes and Islanders squared off in the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Nečas got knocked into the New York bench by Isles center Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

Nečas decided to take advantage of the moment by getting a light punch in at New York center Brock Nelson before he went back to the ice.

Everyone on the Isles bench reacted with shock and annoyment as Nečas swiftly got away after landing his very quick punch, which wasn’t penalized by the referees.

This really is just one of those golden moments that only playoff hockey can give you. 

Like, that is just prime slapstick comedy. In real life, you should never punch someone under any circumstance. In a sport that’s known for its petty brawls, y’know, at least make it funny.

Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri did take the brief swipe at Nelson in stride.

Hey, hockey is hockey, and as long as nobody actually got hurt, this was pretty humorous. New York also won Friday’s game 5-1, so everybody wins?

Ranking the NHL jerseys in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, from worst to best

How do the 16 teams in the Stanley Cup Playoff stack up in a jersey ranking?

It’s officially Stanley Cup Playoff season in the NHL and you know what that means? It’s time to rank some jerseys!

Look, there’s a lot of hard-hitting analysis out there about the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. From everything casual hockey fans need to know to which teams have the best chance to win it all, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are being covered from every angle possible.

But if you’re looking for the real playoff content, look no further than right here! NHL jersey rankings always get the people talking, so we thought it best to take a look at all 16 playoff teams and where they stack up against one another.

MORE NHL JERSEY RANKINGS: Ranking all 32 current NHL home jerseys, from worst to best.

Here are all the teams in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs ranked by their jerseys, from worst to first.

Hockey fans roasted NHL on TNT’s Twitter for New Jersey-to-New York navigation blunder

Why would you take the George Washington Bridge when the Lincoln Tunnel is right there?

Navigating New York City and the surrounding areas can be a bit difficult as an outsider. That being said, NHL on TNT should definitely tweak their GPS after this travel blunder.

On Tuesday, the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round series got underway between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. Everyone loves a good local rivalry, and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the hatred gets amplified tenfold. Hilariously enough, however, Rangers and Devils fans overcame their hatred and banded together to roast NHL on TNT’s Twitter account.

Before Tuesday’s game, the NHL on TNT’s Twitter account posted a pump up video for the Hudson River Rivalry series. While describing the short jaunt between Manhattan and Newark, NHL on TNT stated that the teams used the George Washington Bridge to visit one another.

In case you’re not a local, the actual fastest way between the two locations is via the Lincoln Tunnel, not the George Washington Bridge! After witnessing such a blunder, hockey fans absolutely roasted the NHL on TNT’s tweet with a New Jersey-to-New York travel snafu.

NHL fans were furious after Matt Dumba’s vicious hit on Joe Pavelski only drew a minor penalty

Should Matt Dumba be suspended for this hit on Joe Pavelski?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t even a day old and already there’s controversy brewing.

On Monday, the Dallas Stars were hosting the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. With the Stars up 2-1 late in the second period as the team was moving deep into the offensive zone, Joe Pavelski was rocked by a hit from Matt Dumba that send both teams into a frenzy.

On the play, Dumba backed into Pavelski with a violent hit that caught him high in the shoulder, causing the Stars’ forward to fall hard on the ice. Pavelski had to be helped off the ice after the hit and did not return for the remainder of the second period.

Originally, Dumba was given a five-minute major for the hit, but after review — which is a new rule this season — the Wild defenseman was given a two-minute minor for roughing instead.

You never want to see a player go out with an injury like that, especially on a brutal hit from Dumba that felt unnecessarily late. We’ll have to see if Dumba is given extra from the Department of Player Safety, but given the ferocity of the hit, it feels like a suspension could very well be in the cards.

NHL fans were absolutely irate that Dumba’s vicious hit on Pavelski was downgraded to a minor penalty.

The casual hockey fan’s guide to the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are here!

Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year, hockey fans! That’s right, the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are here and the party is only just beginning.

It’s been a long 82-game season for the NHL this year. But now, it takes just 16 wins to claim one of the biggest prizes in all of sports: the Stanley Cup!

That being said, it’s more than okay if you’re really just tuning into the NHL for the first time this season for the playoffs. After all, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the most intense, most fun time of the year for hockey fans. For the next two months, NHL fans will be treated to the most heart-pounding and anxiety-inducing hockey of their lives. And who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all the information you could ever want about the playoffs, you’re in the right place! Here’s everything you — a casual fan — will need to know about the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

2023 Stanley Cup Playoff power rankings: Are the Lightning headed for an early exit?

Will the Lightning see an early exit from the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are already looking a bit different than normal.

Gone are some of the usual suspects in the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. The Seattle Kraken, meanwhile, will make their first-ever playoff debut in short order. And the impetus behind all of this seems to be the shifting powers across the NHL landscape that have coalesced behind one team in particular.

The first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins on Monday, with weeks of chaos sure to follow. One of the best parts of playoff hockey season is the massive upsets we bear witness to every spring and this year seems to be no different. One team in particular, the Tampa Bay Lightning, might just be set to fall out of favor earlier than expected. But don’t worry, we’ll get into it soon enough.

As the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway, here are our power rankings of all 16 playoff teams ahead of the chaos to come.

2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Every potential clinching scenario left ahead of the NHL playoffs

What Stanley Cup Playoff spots are still up for grabs?

Things are coming down to the wire at the end of the NHL regular season.

We’re just a few days from the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the postseason races are down to the last lap. Yes, that’s right, it’s scoreboard watching time for fans of teams still on the playoff bubble. If you’re one of those fans, I’m sorry for your stress, but for those who are enjoying the chaos, welcome to the fun!

The 2022-23 NHL regular season officially ends on Friday, April 12, with just a handful of games left before the playoff cutoff. Many of the playoff spots have already been locked in by teams, but there are some really intriguing races still left with some potentially absurd finishes if things break the right way.

So, what are those potential scenarios? Let’s dive in to every possible clinching scenario left ahead of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs!