The Vegas Golden Knights booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.
The idea of an expansion team reaching the big show is difficult to comprehend. So when the Golden Knights actually made it happen, Twitter was left astonished.
Sweden walked away with its second consecutive World Championship gold medal Sunday evening in Denmark, but that wasn't the only hardware being handed out by the IIHF.
The federation also announced the tournament award winners, which were led by Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane, who earned the honors as MVP after racking up eight goals and 12 assists for Team USA.
Toronto Maple Leafs and Denmark netminder Frederik Andersen was voted as best goaltender. Dallas Stars rearguard John Klingberg was voted best defenseman after putting up six points and a plus-six rating for Sweden, while Carolina Hurricanes and Finnish forward Sebastian Aho was voted as the tournament's best forward after turning in nine goals and nine assists in eight games.
The media All-Star team was also revealed:
Goaltender: Anders Nilsson (SWE)
Defensemen: Adam Larsson (SWE), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (SWE)
Forwards: Rickard Rakell (SWE), Patrick Kane (USA), Sebastian Aho (FIN)
Next year's tournament gets underway on May 3 from Slovakia.
Filip Forsberg scored the shootout winner as Sweden beat Switzerland 3-2 to win its second straight World Championship gold.
Sweden overcame a scare against the underdog Swiss team, who led twice in the game before Mika Zibanejad's game-tying goal in the second period.
For Switzerland, this marks the team's second silver medal in six years after coincidentally losing to Sweden in the final in 2013.
Vancouver Canucks netminder Anders Nilsson stopped 26 of 28 shots in regulation and overtime and another four shots in the shootout to get the win. Meanwhile, Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni did all he could turning away 43 shots in the game and another two on four shots in the shootout.
With the win, Sweden has now captured gold in three of the last six editions of the tournament and medaled in four.
This will mark Kulikov's first appearance since March 8, as he missed the final 15 regular-season contests and every playoff game to date while recovering from a back injury.
The Jets trail the Golden Knights 3-1 in the Western Conference Final.
Team USA defeated Team Canada 4-1 on Sunday to claim the bronze medal at the World Championship.
After a 0-0 first period, New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider opened the scoring for the Americans midway through the middle frame, notching his ninth point of the tournament when he picked up a turnover courtesy of Canada's Connor McDavid before tucking the puck past netminder Curtis McElhinney.
Canada got on the board with less than two minutes remaining in the second period, as San Jose Sharks blue-liner Marc-Edouard Vlasic slipped into the offensive zone to bury one by American goaltender Keith Kinkaid.
A power-play marker by U.S. forward Nick Bonino with less than seven minutes remaining in the third period sealed the victory for the Americans, as he knocked a backhand rebound by McElhinney.
Anders Lee and Kreider added a pair of empty-netters to bump the final score to 4-1. Kreider was named Player of the Game for the Americans, while McElhinney took home the same honor for Canada.
The bronze marks Team USA's first medal finish at the World Championship since 2015, when the Americans defeated the Czech Republic to capture third place. The United States has not played in the gold medal game since 1960.
Stats legend: GV = Giveaways TK = Takeaways ATOI = Average time on ice per game CF% = Percentage of shot attempts team took while player was on the ice at even strength (Rel) = CF% of player compared to when he's not on the ice
10. Mike Green
Position: Defense Age on July 1: 32 2017-18 cap hit: $6M 2017-18 team: Red Wings
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
66
8
25
33
68
29
22:05
47.8 (-1.2)
Green's best days are likely over, but as a right-handed shooting defenseman in a thin free-agent pool, he'll have a list of teams lining up to sign him. He can still play second-pairing minutes with a sturdy partner, and can quarterback a power play efficiently.
9. Joe Thornton
Position: Center Age on July 1: 38 2017-18 cap hit: $8M 2017-18 team: Sharks
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
47
13
23
36
55
33
18:21
54.4 (+3.4)
Thornton will be 39 on July 2 and tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee (2016-17) and right knee (2017-18) over the last two seasons. A return to the Sharks on a one-year deal with a significant pay cut seems likely. However, if he does leave San Jose, you can bet a few contending teams will overlook his mileage while offering him a deal as a second- or third-line center.
8. Carter Hutton
Position: Goaltender Age on July 1: 32 2017-18 cap hit: $1.125M 2017-18 team: Blues
GP
Rec.
GAA
SV%
SO
32
26-17-7
2.09
.931
3
Hutton chose a great time to have a career year. He'll be by far the best goalie available, and at 32, it's possible teams will still view him as a short-term No. 1, even though Hutton has never handled a starter's workload. The Sabres, Flyers, and Islanders are among the clubs that could give him a shot as an undisputed starter.
7. David Perron
Position: Left wing Age on July 1: 30 2017-18 cap hit: $3.75M 2017-18 team: Golden Knights
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
70
16
50
66
33
48
17:49
49.7 (-1.7)
Perron is also coming off a career-best campaign. The 2017-18 season was his first 60-point year, a mark reached even while missing 12 games. Returning to Vegas seems to be his best option to replicate that success, but he'll be looking to cash in as the third-highest scorer among UFAs.
6. James Neal
Position: Left wing Age on July 1: 30 2017-18 cap hit: $5M 2017-18 team: Golden Knights
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
71
25
19
44
32
49
17:11
51.5 (+0.4)
Even though Perron had 22 more points than Neal, the latter is an accomplished pure goal-scorer and will likely generate more interest. He's potted 20-plus goals in each of his 10 NHL seasons, and that type of consistent production could lead to a larger-than-expected contract for the 30-year-old winger.
5. James van Riemsdyk
Position: Left wing Age on July 1: 29 2017-18 cap hit: $4.25M 2017-18 team: Maple Leafs
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
81
36
18
54
38
30
14:54
55.6 (+7.4)
Van Riemsdyk is a one-dimensional player, but he does that one dimension better than anybody in the league. Nobody deflects pucks and provides a better net-front presence than JVR, as he finished third in goals per 60 minutes during the 2017-18 season, according to Natural Stat Trick. However, his lack of ice time was due to defensive flaws despite a high CF percentage, which can be attributed to his 62.7 offensive-zone start percentage. Regardless, Van Riemsdyk will get paid handsomely for his scoring prowess.
4. Paul Stastny
Position: Center Age on July 1: 32 2017-18 cap hit: $7M 2017-18 teams: Blues/Jets
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
82
16
37
53
19
43
18:18
54.2 (+3.8)
Stastny is boosting his already high value with an impressive playoff run with the Jets. He's an incredibly smart player, and his age won't be a deal breaker because of the demand for centers. Born in Quebec City while his father was playing for the Nordiques, Stastny should be an obvious target for the center-needy Canadiens if they whiff on John Tavares.
3. Evander Kane
Position: Left wing Age on July 1: 26 2017-18 cap hit: $5.25M 2017-18 teams: Sabres/Sharks
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
78
29
25
54
50
40
19:35
51.5 (+5.0)
Kane is the youngest UFA on this top-50 list, and is a rugged, physical winger with annual 30-goal potential. He recorded nine goals and 14 points in 17 games after joining the Sharks, providing a glimpse of the untapped potential he can provide on a good team. Even some previous character issues shouldn't get in the way of Kane's search for a massive contract this offseason.
2. John Carlson
Position: Defense Age on July 1: 28 2017-18 cap hit: $3.97 2017-18 team: Capitals
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
82
15
53
68
97
58
24:47
49.2 (+1.7)
Carlson thrived during his contract year, leading all defenseman with 68 points, but it's highly unlikely he'll approach that mark on another team. He also notched 32 power-play points, largely by feeding Alex Ovechkin one-timers and by taking advantage of ample time and space as opponents shadowed the Russian superstar. Whoever signs Carlson will be paying for a No. 1 defenseman, but it's worth noting top-line matchup responsibilities actually fell on Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen in Washington.
1. John Tavares
Position: Center Age on July 1: 27 2017-18 cap hit: $5.5M 2017-18 team: Islanders
GP
G
A
P
GV
TK
ATOI
CF% (rel)
82
37
47
84
78
49
19:56
49.4 (-2.6)
NHL megastars rarely get to free agency. So, unless Tavares re-signs with the Islanders before July 1, he'll be the best player to hit the open market in recent memory. He's in the prime of his career, and will be paid accordingly. The contract probably won't challenge Connor McDavid's league-high $12.5-million cap hit, but if teams get into a bidding war for their potential franchise player, anything is possible.
The Capitals defenseman picked his performance apart after Tampa Bay prevailed 3-2 to move within a win of the Stanley Cup Final.
“It’s pinballing around in the neutral zone there, I stepped up, didn’t get the man or the puck, they got a 2-on-1 out of it and scored,” Niskanen told reporters, via Sportsnet, in reference to the Lightning’s goal in the opening minute.
“(The) first three goals (were) all my fault," Niskanen added. "I had a tough first 20 minutes and 30 seconds. So I’ve got to be better next game.”
He had a point.
Niskanen failed to prevent Ryan Callahan from chipping the puck into the Capitals' defensive zone before Cedric Paquette opened the scoring 19 seconds in, screened Braden Holtby on Ondrej Palat's marker that gave the Lightning a 2-0 lead later in the opening frame, and then allowed Anton Stralman to blow past him before Callahan banged in the goal that made it 3-0 at the 33-second mark of the second period.
Granted, other Capitals players made mistakes on those goals, and Niskanen kept them in the game with a shot that was deflected in by Evgeny Kuznetsov about four minutes later.
Despite his early miscues, Niskanen actually drove possession at 5-on-5 with a 51.61 Corsi For percentage, but he posted a Scoring Chances For rate of only 28.57 percent in those situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.
